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President Bush Has Summoned His Top Military and Foreign Policy Team Members to His Ranch; Iraqi Women's Rights

Aired August 11, 2005 - 11:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Pakistan has test fired its first cruise missile ever. However, Pakistan failed to notify India, as required by a new new nuclear arms treaty signed just last weekend. Pakistan's foreign ministry says the treaty doesn't cover cruise missiles.
President Bush has summoned his top military and foreign policy team members to his ranch today. Iraq, of course, high on the agenda.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by. We have the Iraq angles covered with Aneesh Raman in Baghdad as well. We'll get to you in a moment, Aneesh.

First, Suzanne, to you at the White House.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, according to senior administration officials I've spoken to, they say don't expect any kind of new policy initiatives to come from the president today. They're going be reiterating their own position. It's the kind of meeting that take place in Washington at least twice a week. But because it's at the Crawford ranch, it's getting bit more play here. President Bush will be meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Cheney and others to talk about numerous policy issues regarding Iran, Israel's pullout from the Gaza, as well as North Korea, progress in Afghanistan.

But of course the top issue that we've been told, that is going to be on Iraq. Now this comes at a critical time for the president, first, because some of the support for the Iraq mission has been waning, and the president, the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll showing that 43 percent of Americans believe that things are going well in Iraq, but 56 percent believe that they are going badly.

This also comes at a very important time for the Iraqis. They are facing a Monday deadline for drafting their constitution. The administration has always made the case as soon as the Iraqis can govern themselves it means the insurgency will weaken, and it also means that U.S. soldiers will come home quickly. And that, of course, Daryn, is another reason why this is so important to the Bush administration, increased pressure from lawmakers, and from some citizens, to get those U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq as quickly as possible.

One person who continues to put the pressure on the president is a mother, Cindy Sheehan. She lost her son, Casey, last year in the Iraq war. She has been camped outside of the Bush Crawford Ranch, trying to get the president's attention, trying to get a one-on-one conversation with him to tell him just that, that she wants to get the troops out as quickly as possible. Now we expect to hear from her. She's going to make herself available to reporters in the next 30 minutes or so. We're also expecting to hear from the president within an hour -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House, thank you.

This all happened as insurgents carried out more deadly attacks in Iraq today. And political leaders are struggling to meet a Monday deadline for completing a draft constitution.

CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us now live from Baghdad with details -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning. A big potential hurdle emerging today for those writing the constitution. Shia leaders in the country's south, amidst demonstrations, calling for that area to be its own autonomous region, similar to what the Kurds have in the north. Immediate opposition coming from the minority Sunni community, as well as Shiites within the government, including the prime minister. They all fear that if there are too many autonomous regions in Iraq, it would undermine the strength of the country.

But there's also, Daryn, an issue of money. The oil in Iraq, the majority of it, is in the north and in the south. And if you have these autonomous regions, do they get the majority of the revenue, and what does that mean for the populations that don't live in those areas. So this, a huge issue emerging today.

Also, Daryn, another issue that this constitutional committee is confronting is that of women's rights. A lot of debate taking place over that issue on the Iraqi street.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN (voice-over): For 24 years, Saddam Hussein was a dictator, killing and torturing his own people. But when it came to women's rights, he was also one of the most progressive rulers in the Islamic world, allowing them to drive, work, divorce, vote, many of the basic liberties that women in the West enjoy.

Now an ironic twist. A Democratic Iraq would soon base its constitution on Islamic laws, and that leaves open the possibility that fundamentalists could dictate everyday life. That has women like Rend Rahim, a former Iraqi ambassador to the U.S., on the offensive.

REND RAHIM, IRAQ FOUNDATION: This is a constitution written by men for men and of men.

RAMAN: But others, like Iraqi assembly member, Dr. Amal Mousa, see religion as their way of life.

DR. AMAL MOUSA, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER: We are descendants of (INAUDIBLE), and we want this in the law, because it's making the limits that conserve our people and our ideals, and prevent our being like society the European society.

RAMAN: If Islam becomes the sole source of law, many fear that women's rights would fall victim to interpretation, with conservative clerics deciding what's women can and cannot do. Such as what they can wear, if they can travel alone. Can women visit salons like this? Essentially making them perhaps second-class citizens in their own country by denying them the freedoms to make simple choices in their lives.

RAHIM: We are building a society in which everybody must feel that they are a part of it. Saying Islam is the primary source of legislation is going to be -- is going to exclude.

RAMAN: Mousa, on the other had, sees democracy, affording choice for an Islamic majority, choice to inject religion into law.

MOUSA: But which will it be? Or which will pass? Which will be the law? Which will be the constitution? The idea (ph) of the majority.

RAMAN: For Iraqi women, this is as big a crossroads as one could find.

RAHIM: Every individual who's engaged feels that they are making history.

RAMAN: The question for these women is, what kind of history do they want to make?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And, Daryn, the even bigger question is, what kind of history do the majority of Iraqis want to make? Are they conservative, like Dr. Mousa, or are they liberal like Rend Rahim? For that answer, we'll have to wait until the constitutional referendum, which will come by mid-October -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you.

Here in the U.S., New York is known for a variety, a wide variety of restaurants, but there could be some big changes coming to the menu, all in the name of good health. We'll explain.

Plus, she has followed Billy Graham all her life. Now, Ann Graham Lotz joins me to talk about her father, when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Lutheran leaders are calling for unity as debate begins on the role of gays in that church. More than 1,000 delegates are meeting in Orlando. They'll decide whether the church should ordain gays who are not celibate and bless same-sex leaders. A vote could come tomorrow.

In our focus on your spirit, Reverend Billy Graham has reached and preached a message of hope to million. Now the sermons from what may have been his last crusade have been put into print. "Living in God's Love: The New York Crusade" is a compilation of the messages that Graham delivered during the three-day event in June.

The forward to the book was written by his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, and she joins me from New York. Anne, good morning.

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ, BILLY'S DAUGHTER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Good to have you here with us.

LOTZ: It's my pleasure. Thank you.

KAGAN: How is your dad doing?

LOTZ: He's doing really well. I went home last week to spend a few days with he and my mother, and he's doing really well. And knowing that New York was his last crusade, he looked at me and said, Anne, I have such perfect peace. And you can look on his face and see that he has peace. Now, when the time comes, you know, a few months from now, he may have that real urge to preach again. But right now, I think he's very contented that that part of his life is behind him.

KAGAN: It's good to know that he is in a good place. Let's talk about New York City. The message in particular of this crusade, knowing that it was most probably his last.

LOTZ: You know, and I think it's interesting, Daryn, because the last words of a person would be sometimes their most meaningful. They wouldn't want to talk about superficial things or secondary things. And these are the last messages that he gave a platform that bore his name. So this is the last Billy Graham crusade, the last three messages after preaching over 61 years, that he would give.

And it's the same message, basically: That God loves you, that you can have your sins forgiven, you can have a right relationship with God, you can have peace in your heart. You can have a hope of knowing you're going to heaven when you die when you put your faith in Jesus. And that's a message he has preached over and over. And he used different applications and illustrations and he relates it, you know, to events of the world's day. But the message is the same. It's a wonderful message of love.

Just listening to some of your news clips, you know, the world is so uncertain. There's so much danger. And how wonderful to know that you're secure in your eternal life and that you can know for sure when you step into eternity, you step right into heaven because you put your faith in Jesus. So it's a wonderful message to give. Any people, especially New Yorkers.

KAGAN: Well, and that leads me to my question. The message was one thing, the place was another. New York City holds a special place in your father's heart. Why is that? Of all the places he could have given his last crusade, New York City.

LOTZ: Yes. Well, you know, I think New York -- he had tremendous meetings there in 1957. And almost they were a benchmark in his ministry. He stayed here, you know, preached every night. I believe it was the three nights -- excuse, three months in Madison Square Garden that ended at Yankee Stadium. He preached in Times Square. You know, and the people responded.

And there are no in-between times. He'll come and stay in New York. He loves the people. He loves the energy of the city. And to tell you the truth, I think all Americans after 9/11 feel a small way that we're New Yorkers. We followed so much what went on during that time that we feel like New Yorkers are our friends and our neighbors. And my father is no exception to that.

And so to come, four years after 9/11 and give people here who went through that a message of hope and love and salvation through Jesus Christ was not only, I think, a blessing to those who heard them, but a blessing to my father to be able to share that. And now to be able to share it through this book

KAGAN: Real quickly, Anne, as your father wraps up his incredible career, there's been so much talk about who's the next Billy Graham? We hear a lot of names. We hear your brother Franklin mentioned, we hear T.D. Jakes. Why not you? Why not a woman? You've had your own ministry, you're out there speaking, and you're so eloquent. Why can't it be a woman?

LOTZ: Well, Daryn, I think it can be. The thing is, I don't think it's going to be one person. And I know Sunday afternoon at Flushing Meadows, in all of that heat as my father was preaching, I bowed my head and just recommitted my life to trying to get this message out. Because it's a message that determines where you're going to spend eternity. How you respond to the message determines your relationship with God.

And so my prayer is that not just myself and my brother and T.D. Jakes and others, but there will be tens of thousands of men and women who have received Christ as their personal savior and, in turn, share that message with their friends, their neighbors, whoever God puts in front of them. So my prayer is that when Billy Graham's ministry comes to a halt, that there would be thousands of people that pick it up.

KAGAN: Anne Graham Lotz. We like to talk to people of many different faiths here, and you are always welcome. Anne, thank you.

LOTZ: Thank you, Daryn. God bless you.

KAGAN: On to your "Daily Dose" now. The Big Apple is urging restaurants to cut the fat, trans fats that, is. Those are the chemically-modified fats found in foods like baked goods and french fries. Health officials say they are the most dangerous fats.

The city's health commissioner has issued a call to restaurants. He says, quote: "To help combat heart disease, the number one killer in New York City, we are asking restaurants to voluntarily make an oil change and remove artificial trans fat from their kitchens." Letters were sent into 20,000 restaurants and 14,000 food markets. Compliance with the request is voluntary. The Health Department isn't banning trans fats, by the way. The New York state Restaurant Association says it, though, is taking the request seriously.

The number of smokers calling the American Cancer Society's quit line is up significantly this week, about 50 percent. The organization attributes the interest to the widely reported death of ABC newsman Peter Jennings. The telephone counseling program says it can double a smoker's chances of kicking the habit.

If you are one of the country's 47 million smokers, you can call that quit line. You see it up there on your screen, 1-877-yes-quit. And there's more information at cancer.org.

For your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

More news is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Following this developing story out of Pembroke Pines, Florida, about 20 miles northwest of Miami. The search goes on for a rape suspect in this area, and now we're being told here at CNN that five local schools in that area are on lockdown as the search goes on. We see the police with dogs here. There's also, of course, going on foot, on car and by bicycle looking for this rape suspect in the area of Pembroke Pines. We'll continue to follow that story and bring you more informing as it becomes available.

Meanwhile, let's break away from all the reality for a moment and get into a little golf. It's the 87th PGA Championship getting under way this morning. Tiger Woods looking for his third major of the year. Vijay Singh, the defending champ, perhaps, has some other ideas.

Our sports correspondent Larry Smith is in Springfield, New Jersey, with the latest. Hey, Lar.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. How are you?

Vijay Singh tees off at 1:30 this afternoon. We'll get to Tiger in just a moment. But right now, the 40-somethings are having their way here in the first morning of the 87th PGA Championship. Four golfers aged 45 or older are even par or better. Forty-two-year Steve Elkington, who won the PGA a decade ago, he's at three under par, 45- year-old Fred Couples, he would love to become the oldest golfer to win a major since Jack Nicklaus won his sixth green jacket at the Masters at age 46 back in 1986. He currently is at two under par.

You mentioned Vijay Singh. How about Tiger Woods? Well, not the way that he wanted to start this off. He's having a disastrous morning here at Baltusrol. He is three over par, three bogeys on the first nine holes he played. He started on hole number 10, including a bogey on that monstrous par five 18th.

Tiger, again, not having a very good morning today. He's already back on a Baltusrol course that is nearly 7,400 yards in length.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I can see why those -- why a lot of people love this place, because it's fair. I mean, it's an old school golf course where it's just right in front of you, and there's no hidden tricks. There's no elephant burial grounds that we've got to play now on some of the golf courses. I mean, it's just right there in front of you.

PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It's a good, straight forward, hard test, fair test of golf. There's no tricked-up greens. There's no tricked-up pin placements. They didn't move the fairways in eight to 10 yards, like we saw a couple months ago. It just is a very fair test. And if eight or 10 under par wins, so be it. And if the wind comes out or the greens firm out, even par could win it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Tiger Woods right now is at three over par as he is through his first 10 holes today. By the way, a little bit of trivia for your Baltusrol you may think is some honors, some course over in England somewhere. That's not the case at all. It is named after a farmer, Baltus Rol, who was murdered on this property, we hear, some sixty years before the course was built. They combined his name, and Baltusrol is now where we stand here in Springfield, New Jersey for the PGA Championship.

Let's go back to you, Daryn.

So maybe it's the ghost of Baltus Rol that causing problems there in New Jersey today.

Thank you, Lar.

KAGAN: And we're going to check in on weather in New Jersey and also across the country. Also business news is just ahead after this.

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(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for me for this hour, but the news continues right here on CNN.

In fact, international news is up next. You're going to want to stay tuned for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Jim Clancy and Zain Verjee will be with you after a quick break, and I will see you right here tomorrow morning.

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