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President Bush Pays Unannounced Visit to Iraq; Karl Rove Learns He Will Not Be Charged in Plame-CIA Leak Case; Tropical Storm Alberto

Aired June 13, 2006 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Bombshell in Baghdad. Showing his support for U.S. troops and Iraq's new leaders, President Bush pays an announced visit.

Off the hook. The architect in Mr. Bush's political career is breathing a little easier this afternoon.

And we're tracking Alberto. Not so much wind, but heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes as the storm moves ashore.

The second hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.

Secrecy and security. Both were extreme as President Bush flew into Baghdad today. And the latter got even more so once the former was gone. President Bush addressed U.S. troops and met Iraq's new prime minister, who was given five minutes notice that he'd be hosting a presidential visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've come today to personally show our nation's commitment to a free Iraq. My message to the Iraqi people is this: seize the moment. Seize this opportunity to development a government of and by and for the people. And I also have a message to the Iraqi people, that when America gives a commitment, America will keep its commitment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, the trip included a teleconference with the Iraqi cabinet and members of the president's team he left behind at Camp David.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The real estate around Baghdad is rightfully considered some of the most dangerous ground on earth. So why go? And even if you want to, how do you get the president, his advisers, his security and the media pool there in secret, and safely?

We're lucky to have someone who spent a lot of time in Baghdad visiting with us today. In Atlanta, our own Aneesh Raman.

You've made this trip a number of times.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. PHILLIPS: I guess -- we'll get, I guess, to the security issues in a second, but what's your take? Why now?

RAMAN: Well, I think, you know, the last time we saw President Bush go it was November 2003. That was about really increasing morale among the troops. It was Thanksgiving.

This, I think, is about rallying behind what could be the last chance that the Bush administration and the Iraqi government has to build momentum. With Zarqawi's death, with the formulation of this government, you aren't going to have a landmark day like that perhaps ever. Not since January 2005, with the first elections, has the government had that.

So, it clearly pushes that momentum. I think he wanted to make the point explicitly, as well, that Americans are here to stand by you, but it's now up to the Iraqis to go forward.

What that means in terms of practical impact, in terms of troop numbers, we'll have to wait and see. But it was clearly a message that was an image for all the security reasons you raised, that image right there, for Bush to be seen on the ground.

And we've had any number of people who have come since he went there last -- the vice president, the attorney general, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense. So, Bush, I think, wanted to and needed to be there and have that image be shown.

PHILLIPS: And we've been talking about Maliki. He was the sort of accidental prime minister.

RAMAN: He was. I mean, there were lengthy negotiations that led to him getting the job. And it essentially was because Jaafari, who was the prime minister before, couldn't get the consensus. And he decided that "my party," the Dawah Party, is going to have this spot. So Maliki got the job.

So Jaafari is still very much, I think, involved in the background of Iraqi politics, but Maliki is trying to stand firm and do everything that Jaafari couldn't, which is seem tough on security, to declare -- you know, in Basra, to go down there and declare a state of emergency, to look like they are doing something. And Zarqawi was the first effect that they had, a result they could point to that wasn't about the government simply forming, but was about the government doing something. Despite the fact that there's a passive role that Iraqi troops played, it was something they could point to.

PHILLIPS: You get in there and you've talked with the Iraqis, you've spent so much time in those neighborhoods. I mean, these individuals want to see more than a photo-op, they want to see more than a surprise visit.

RAMAN: Right.

PHILLIPS: They want to see change in their daily life.

RAMAN: It is as simple as it is basic as it is important to reiterate constantly. Iraqis just want their life to improve.

This is all pageantry to see the Iraqi prime minister and the U.S. president. That doesn't increase any sense of morale, really, on the streets of Baghdad.

What they want is a sense that all that they are seeing happen will impact their lives. They want jobs. They want electricity.

You see there, they try and go about life as best they can. And they are innumerable the number of issues that the government has to contend to.

Before it even gets to employment and basic services in Baghdad, it's got security to deal with. It's got huge issues left to resolve about the central government versus a regional autonomy of the Kurdish north, the Shia south. What happens to the oil revenue? What happens to the city of Kirkuk that the Kurds want and that the rest of the country might want as part of the central government?

So all of those issues are yet to be resolved. The toughest days may still be ahead, especially within the governance.

PHILLIPS: Well, you're talking about making that trip in, you're talking about the president of the United States getting into Baghdad airport. All right, it's hairy, but it's that hop, that helicopter hop from the airport into the Green Zone, isn't it?

RAMAN: Yes, that is where he is essentially most exposed. And you're seeing here -- I think that's the airport first that he comes into.

No one knew he was coming. And so that would have been exceptional security, but somewhat of a surprise. But once he's there, of course word is on the ground that he has arrived.

This hop that you see there he makes by helicopter. And that is where he is exposed to anything that could come from the ground. That is undoubtedly what his security advisers would have been most concerned about.

When you fly in, you come in at an altitude that you are essentially out of reach of anything that could come from the ground. And once you're in a safe area, you come down to the airport. But that second hop to where you see him having ended up at the embassy compound would have been the more dangerous part of the trip.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, on to another note, you're headed to Iran? Is that right? We're going to see more reports from Iran?

RAMAN: We're hoping to, yes. It was a fascinating experience.

I spent a month there, it ended up being, and it's difficult to get in. The government, you know, you get on a visa that's specific to a conference that we covered, and they extend the visa sort of every seven days. But it was a fascinating experience to see the community there and the people there. And I've realized, you know, we have a very sort of distinct impression of Iran as repressive, which in a lot of ways, in terms of human rights, it has issues to contend with. But we traveled at will. We had no minder with us. We could talk to anyone we wanted. It was tough getting them to open up.

But in terms of regime change, as we have heard U.S. officials say they are looking for there, you have a government, in my view, that knows resolutions could happen. It's born of one.

So it's clearly not intent on suffocating the moderate majority and frustrating them to the point they go on the streets. You also have a people that are aware that revolutions can bring about a government they don't necessarily like, because that is what has happened.

So there -- there is not as huge a force, I think, on the ground for immediate change, for people to go out there and say overnight, let's have a different government. Because they've been there, they've done that, and they're still reeling with the effects.

PHILLIPS: And life is much different there as it is in Iraq when you think of quality of life, yes.

RAMAN: Oh, yes.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

RAMAN: And, you know, within Tehran is a city. And it's a moderate city. You know, you go to the north, there's very -- there's a lot of affluence and people have got the designer sunglasses and they're worried about what they're wearing. And you go down south, and at times it can be just jarring to see what you see there, because you have perceptions before you go in.

But it's a very friendly people. Iranians have fierce pride, which is why I think they have support for this program. And they're in it for the long haul. And whether that can weather the storm that could come with sanctions or with anything else, we'll have to see.

PHILLIPS: Well, we look forward to more reports from there. We're keeping our eye on that country, too.

Thanks, Aneesh.

RAMAN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, the president's top adviser is no longer waiting to exhale. After five visits to a federal grand jury, Karl Rove learns that he will not be charged in the CIA leak case.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us with more on the good news for the Bush administration from the White House.

Hi, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.

That's right, the cloud that had, in fact, been hanging over this White House about whether or not Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, would, in fact, be indicted, that cloud has now lifted. Rove's attorney, Bob Luskin, said today that the special counsel in the case, Patrick Fitzgerald, formally advised Rove's legal team yesterday that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove.

Now, here at the White House, Rove appeared upbeat. And though he didn't say anything to reporters, he did give a playful wave to camera crews as he walked around the campus here. Rove also last night did not make any mention of this development when he spoke to state Republicans at a fund-raiser in New Hampshire. But this development is particularly timely, certainly for this White House and the GOP in general, who have been looking for some good news, particularly with the midterm elections right around the corner.

President Bush, meantime, for his part, said that he is pleased this process is over. Counselor Dan Bartlett, who is traveling with the president in Iraq, saying, "We are obviously pleased that what can only be described as a very fair investigation is completed. What is remarkable is how Karl kept his focus, his energy and his great attitude during this entire period."

At the same time, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer saying that he thinks the special counsel in this case, Patrick Fitzgerald, must still work to find out who did, in fact, leak CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to the media. However, Chuck Schumer also saying that he accepts the decision by Patrick Fitzgerald.

But bottom line, Kyra, from the White House's perspective, a huge sigh of relief here, with Dan Bartlett saying that having finality is a good thing -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano from the White House.

Thank you.

Tropical Storm Alberto has already left some places under water. Reporter Jonathan Petramala of CNN affiliate Bay News 9 is in Crystal River.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, REPORTER, BAY NEWS 9: I'm right here in the middle of Crystal River, just to the west of Highway 19 in Kings Bay. Now, where I'm standing right now it doesn't look like the weather is doing much, but right against my legs, against the boots, you can really feel the storm surge really pushing against me. Now, what that storm surge has done this morning since high tide this morning, it has brought in about five to seven feet of storm surge.

Now, if my photographer can pan over to my right, you'll be able to see this apartment building, this two-story home. Now, that water is about under five feet of water. Coming up next, basically, what we have going on later this afternoon is another high tide. Now, that's what has gotten emergency operations officials here in Citrus County worried. The reason is the storm surge is already up five to seven feet. Well, that's just going to kick it up another two feet.

That's why there are still mandatory evacuations here in Citrus County for everybody to the west of Highway 19, as well as people who live to the east of Highway 19, about a mile and a half. The water isn't expected to leave this area until 11:00 tonight.

I'm Jonathan Petramala. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we'll go out to the coast and talk with Dan Lothian and Rob Marciano coming up on LIVE FROM.

Also, Guantanamo prison. A man held there for two years as a suspected terrorists said it almost drove him crazy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our families are being threatened, our own lives are being threatened. And we didn't know where -- for the first two weeks I didn't know I was in Cuba. And all this (INAUDIBLE) just sitting in your cell just starts building up, and you start slowly going crazy. And the only thing you really want to do is to end it. And the only way you can end it is by trying to kill yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: To Gitmo and back. A former detainee tells me about torture, confessions and why he's shocked that three detainees succeeded in suicide.

That's later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A lot of water, some flooding, some power outages, but overall, Tropical Storm Alberto hasn't been as bad as Florida had feared.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in Cedar Key, where all eyes are still on high tide.

Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

High tide just about an hour and a half away here. Depending on what part of the island you live on, the water is worse where the winds are blowing in. And that has been the key all day, not only here, but up in the Big Bend area as well. And many of the communities just -- just to the south that are river and fishing communities, those rivers having a hard time flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico when you have winds 30, 40, 50 miles an hour blowing that water back upstream. And that's part of the problem that we've seen with this tropical storm, even as it winds down off to our north and east.

Behind me -- actually, this part of the island now has become protected. All morning long we were getting winds blowing the water up towards us, but now the winds have switched more westerly that the storm has moved towards our north. So, this part of the island is actually protected.

High tide expected to come in about an hour and a half. The downtown parts of Cedar Key are flooded, still, and have been all morning. And they're going to remain flooded until we hit high tide in about an hour and a half, and then that tide is allowed to recede once these winds begin to diminish, likely not until nightfall will be that problem.

As far as the wind and the rain, it's kind of gusty at times. It's squally as far as rainfall. But that part of the storm, the worst for sure is over -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's good news. I guess you can hit one of those restaurants on the beach and have a nice lunch, huh, Rob?

MARCIANO: That would be nice.

PHILLIPS: All right. Rob Marciano, talk to you soon.

MARCIANO: See you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, Alberto's winds and rain are battering towns all along Florida's northern Gulf Coast and inland. CNN's Dan Lothian is trying to keep his footing in the fishing village of Steinhatchee -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we've been blowing around quite a bit.

This is one of those areas that Rob was talking about where the wind is blowing that water into the pier right here. It's going over the top of the pier. And then there's a wall that -- it was actually a couple of feet below that wall earlier this morning. Now it's actually waters lapping on top of that wall.

Just take a look behind me and you can get a sense of how hard this wind is blowing. That sign, just look at that sign, the white caps and the palm trees. That gives you a real sense of how the wind has picked up.

We haven't had any kind of major or even moderate flooding. What you see as you walk around, things like this, like a ditch is overflowing. Parking lots, there are some roads where you do have water in the roads, as well. But nothing major. The other issue, power outages. That was something that they had sort of spotty power outages earlier in the day. They were taken care of, we're told by officials, but now, within the past 45 minutes or so we lost power at our hotel here. The power has yet to return.

Now, officials again are keeping their eyes on that high tide, which will happen anywhere from an hour and 15, an hour and a half from now. After the high tide, depending on what happens, that is when they hope to officially allow folks to start returning. Of course, that will be somewhat symbolic because, as it turns out, not a whole lot of folks evacuated -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. Dan Lothian, thank you so much.

Now let's get straight to the newsroom. Tony Harris with a few more details on that individual...

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

PHILLIPS: ... stuck up -- well, not necessarily stuck up in the tree.

HARRIS: Yes, she climbed up the tree, and she's still in the tree, but it looks like Darryl Hannah, the actress best known from -- what was the film, "Mermaid"? "Splash," yes, yes, "Splash."

PHILLIPS: "Splash."

HARRIS: That's right, "Splash." "Mermaid" was Cher.

So this is Daryl Hannah, up a tree. She has had her cell phone, Kyra, and she's been making calls talking about this urban garden that we told you about, oh, about a half hour or so ago, where sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles -- this is south central Los Angeles --are actually acting on a court order to remove the farmers, the 300 or so farmers who work that urban farm and make a living there.

The owner wants to turn that area, about a 14-acre site, wants to turn that area into a warehouse. So you've got to move all the farmers out. The court order now is to remove those farmers out of there.

Darryl Hannah climbs a tree with a local activist there in support of the farmers. And the protesters who are actually out in front of this area impeding the way of the sheriff deputies from executing the eviction order.

So, what has happened? Well, the authorities, along with the help of the local firefighters, as you see, have extended this ladder into the walnut tree in question, and they are going to forcibly remove actress Darryl Hannah from the walnut tree.

Again, all legal. This is being -- this is work that is being...

PHILLIPS: Tony, here's my question.

HARRIS: Sure. Sure. Ask away.

PHILLIPS: Is this working? Is this going to work? I mean, we're covering it, right? We're giving her live coverage on CNN.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Yes.

PHILLIPS: But, you know, is this going to do anything?

HARRIS: Well, you know, there is a lot of local passion. You know that area well.

This is an area -- this urban farm has been there for decades. So there was a lot of local passion to keep this farm there. I mean, it provides the livelihoods for, what, 300, 350 farmers...

PHILLIPS: Right, yes.

HARRIS: ... who have been in that area for years and years and years. So, in terms of whether it works, well, it's getting attention.

You know, the authorities are acting on a legal eviction order. So the area will be cleaned out.

The owner -- is she out of the tree? Have they pulled her out of the tree?

PHILLIPS: Oh, they're sawing the tree.

HARRIS: It looks like they've got a -- is that a saw? They're going to -- I don't know what's going on.

PHILLIPS: So, is she -- is she coming -- is she coming out without a fight, or what's the deal?

HARRIS: I think -- well, yes. You know, she says it's worth being arrested for. She says that this is a cause worth fighting for and that she stands in support of these farmers. So I guess what's happening now is they're going to cut away the brush around her, limit her space, and then just take her and bring her down out of there.

PHILLIPS: I wish we could get her cell phone number.

HARRIS: We have it somewhere.

PHILLIPS: We do?

HARRIS: Well, we'll make the call.

PHILLIPS: All right. Make the call, Tony.

HARRIS: We'll make the call.

PHILLIPS: Let me know when you've got her on the line.

HARRIS: You've got it, Kyra. PHILLIPS: Preferably before she gets out of that tree.

HARRIS: Right back at you.

PHILLIPS: Tony Harris, thanks.

HARRIS: OK, Kyra. Sure.

PHILLIPS: Well, a commander in chief in country. Today's appearance by President Bush in Baghdad is one of many by his administration over the past three years. We're going to check the facts on how many of these dangerous surprise visits the VIPs have made.

More LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The wheels up. The president's leaving Baghdad. You have been hearing about it all morning.

He made a surprise visit. We didn't even know until probably 4:00 in the morning, but he had a little secret getaway from Camp David, arrived in Iraq this afternoon. Met with troops, met with the new prime minister.

Now he's headed back to Washington.

We'll continue to talk about that story, of course.

President Bush and his top members of his administration are no strangers to Baghdad.

Here's a fact check.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad was his second to the Iraqi capital since he ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. It comes less than a week after a U.S. airstrike killed the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Mr. Bush's first trip to Iraq was also cloaked in secrecy. Under tight security, he flew to Baghdad about eight months after the invasion to spend Thanksgiving Day with American troops.

During the course of the war, Mr. Bush has dispatched other senior officials in his administration to Iraq. Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Baghdad last December, just a few days after Iraqis voted in their first free nationwide elections.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have visited Iraq on more than one occasion. The two made a joint trip to Baghdad in April.

It was Rice's second Baghdad visit that month. She spent two days there with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Rumsfeld has made several trips to Iraq, including in May of 2004, amid the firestorm over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. He visited the prison with then Joint Chiefs chairman General Richard Myers. In October of 2004, Rumsfeld returned to Iraq for a visit with U.S. troops.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Patrick Kennedy is in court this hour. The Democratic congressman from Rhode Island will plead guilty to driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

In return, charges of reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit will be dismissed. The deal comes more than a month after Kennedy crashed his car near the Capitol in the wee hours. He spent the next few weeks in rehab after admitting that he was addicted to prescription drugs. Kennedy denies drinking before the accident.

Well, it's been a June swoon so far for stocks on Wall Street. Are investors getting any relief today? Let's check in with Susan Lisovicz, who's live from the New York Stock Exchange.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, what the heck is Darryl Hannah doing up in this tree? Live pictures via KTTV, one of our affiliates out of Los Angeles. See the cute little blonde head? Yes, that is she.

We'll tell you what's going on coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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