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CNN Live Today
President Bush Warns Against Bringing Troops Home Too Soon; Bill Clinton Weighs in on War in Iraq, Other Hot-Button Issues
Aired August 12, 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: We're on the half hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening now in the news.
The framer of Iraq's constitution will hold marathon sessions over the weekend. The draft is due on Monday. U.S. officials have pushed for Iraq's competing factions to compromise. A referendum on the constitution is tentatively set for October 15th.
The abortion rights group NARAL has pulled its controversial ad attacking Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. The decision follows a scathing letter from Senator Arlen Specter calling the ad blatantly untrue and unfair. The group says it has another ad ready to take its place.
A Washington lobbyist is due in court in Los Angeles today on fraud and conspiracy charges. Jack Abramoff was indicted in Florida on charges stemming from a deal to buy casino boats. His lawyer says he did nothing wrong. Abramoff's name has also surfaced in the ethics investigations of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
And the Mars Orbiter is speeding toward the Red Planet. It's solar panels have unfurled, providing power for the journey. An Atlas rocket boosted the orbiter into space this morning. It's scheduled to reach Mars in February.
President Bush is warning against bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq too soon. The president says he sympathizes with relatives of those who have lost loved ones in Iraq, and he could cross paths with one of them today.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with details.
Suzanne, good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, of course President Bush is intent on painting a positive picture about the situation in Iraq. He says U.S. troops are successfully training those Iraqis. He believes that the Iraqis will meet their Monday deadline to draft their constitution, and he's also trying to convey to antiwar protesters that he understands their concerns, insisting at the same time that now is not the time to bring U.S. troops home. That was just yesterday, that meeting had he with his defense team, as well as foreign policy team. He was asked afterwards directly about one of those war protesters, really someone who's put a human eye on the debate. That, of course, the mother, Cindy Sheehan. She lost her son, Casey, last year in the Iraq war. She has been camped outside of President Bush's Crawford ranch since Sunday. She said she's not leaving until she gets to see the president face to face.
Now yesterday, President Bush was asked specifically about her concerns. He says he sympathized with her, but has to strongly disagree with her position to bring those troops back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is get out of Iraq now, and it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now Sheehan responded to President Bush's comments, saying the best way to show compassion for the grieving families is to sit down and to meet with her. It is important to note that the president did actually meet with her. This was last June. She, as well some other families, to express his grief and his condolences.
But this is a movement that really is -- seems to be taking a life of its own. She is now with several dozen protesters that have set up this makeshift camp. And as you had mentioned, Daryn, there is a possibility that they will come face to face today. President Bush this afternoon is going to be leaving his ranch. He's going to a barbecue, a neighboring ranch. That is where his motorcade is expected to pass right by that campsite, where she is located. So we'll see how all of that unfolds. Should also let you know as well, that this is something that is gaining momentum.
Already she is being represented by a professional public relations firm, and she's in the midst of shooting an ad, a 60-second ad with a group called Gold Star Families for Peace, essentially they are families who have had their loved ones killed in the Iraq war. They want to bring those U.S. troops back home as soon as possible -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.
The former president, Bill Clinton, is weighing in on the war in Iraq and other hot-button issues. He stopped by the situation room to talk with our Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "SITUATION ROOM" (voice over): On Iraq, President Clinton didn't come out and say the war was a mistake, but he came close. WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I thought that we should not have gone in there until we let the U.N. inspectors finish their job. I don't think -- I never thought it had much to do with the war on terror. Whether it was a mistake or not, we are where we are, and we ought to try to make this strategy succeed.
BLITZER: On John Roberts' nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Clinton had mixed views on the fight over releasing documents from Roberts' work for past administrations. The former president thinks papers should be made public if they deal with broad constitutional matters. But he says advice to a president on a specific policy should stay private.
That puts him on the side of Republicans, to a point.
CLINTON: I do think it's interesting that a lot of these Republicans in Congress who didn't believe there was any such thing as executive privilege when I was president now want to protect these documents, but I think that some of them should be protected.
BLITZER: On Senator Hillary Clinton's political future, Mr. Clinton was quick to defend his wife against Republican Jeanine Pirro, who's now running for Mrs. Clinton's job.
JEANINE PIRRO (R), NEW YORK STATE CANDIDATE: She asked us to put out the welcome mat, and New York did. But now she wants to use it as a doormat to the White House.
CLINTON: Jeanine Pirro is wrong. Hillary has not used any doormat. And by the way, she doesn't even have a Republican opponent yet. I don't know who the Republicans are going to nominate, and I don't think you do.
BLITZER: The former president insists his wife is focused on a run for re-election next year, not on a race for the White House. He brushed off our new poll showing Senator Clinton is far and away the early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.
CLINTON: We have a rule in our family that I always follow and now she does. Don't look past the next election, or you might not get past the next election. So I'm convinced in my own mind she hasn't decided on that. I believe I would know if she had, and I don't want her to even think about it.
BLITZER: No stranger to situation rooms, President Clinton seemed to enjoy being in ours.
CLINTON: Well, I like being in the other situation room, but I like this one better. There's less pressure and more freedom.
BLITZER: Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And you might want to tune in this afternoon, 3:00 Eastern. The Reverend Jerry Falwell goes inside "THE SITUATION ROOM" with our Wolf Blitzer.
Right now, we're going to take you live to Gaza for a developing story. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in the territory. On Monday, Israel begins the pullout of about 9,000 Jewish settlers. The move is getting a positive reception from Palestinians. Abbas, though, is warning his people to keep things orderly. This may not be the case for the Israelis. The army figures thousands of Jewish activists have sneaked into Gaza to resist the pullout.
So can you lose weight eating nothing but fast food? Hold on to your waistlines there. We're going to you about one woman's McDonald's diet.
And an experimental drug may have saved the life of a little girl with a rare form of cancer. So why did the company stop making the drug? The answer coming up in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A few days after the touchdown of the Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA sets its sights on another mission, Mars. You can logon to CNN.com for a closer look. A year and a half ago, the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity explored the fourth planet from the sun. Now the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will circle the planet using some of the newest technology to search for water and any indication that life existed on Mars. Scientists will also study climate, weather and geology, as well as locate the Mars Polar Lander and Britain's Beagle II, which became stranded after losing contact with Earth.
You can you click through the interactive gallery to view past attempts at uncovering the mysteries of Mars, from the six Mariner spacecrafts sent there in the '60s and '70s, to the Mars Pathfinder, which roamed the planet, analyzing soil and rocks in 1996.
For more on this latest mission, you can logon to CNN.com/science.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A woman who was inspired by the documentary "Super Size Me" has embarked on her version of a fast food-only diet. The documentary follows a filmmaker who gains 30 pounds while eating nothing but McDonald's food.
But a North Carolina woman decided the pounds were due to the dieters choices, not the food itself. She went on her own version of the McDiet, and she dropped 37 pounds in 90 days.
On a more serious note now, what is a child's life worth? That's a question that (INAUDIBLE) researchers force to abandon life-saving drugs for the bottom line of profits.
Our senior medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alexandra is the only child of Sandra and Ed Krowski. While on vacation, she suddenly blurts out, "My back hurts."
SANDRA KROWSKI, ALLIE'S MOM: You have that little voice saying something's wrong.
GUPTA: For weeks, doctors think otherwise. They point to a new tricycle or a playground injury as the probable cause of the pain. Then suddenly, little Allie can't walk.
KROWSKI: She was telling the doctors, "My legs are stuck." She had no movement from her waist down. She was completely paralyzed. It was just a horrible situation where you're -- I said to my husband that I'm losing my child and she's dying in front of me.
GUPTA: The emergency MRI reveals a tumor on Allie's spine. She has a rare, often fatal cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma.
KROWSKI: I made the decision to get her to Houston immediately. We chartered a Lear jet. We put it on our card. It was $12,654. It was the best $12,654 I ever spent.
GUPTA: Sandra, Allie's mom, also battles cancer. She knew her daughter's life depended on experimental medicine.
KROWSKI: Allie's physician Dr. Cynthia Herzog (ph) came in and told me there was a clinical trial for Allie's type of cancer. I said, I don't need to think about it. I've already thought about it. And you can bring me the papers, and I'll sign right now.
GUPTA: Weeks of very aggressive chemotherapy and radiation had left Allie weak, nearly dead. Then she began a year long treatment with Immther, an experimental drug. After six months, a change.
KROWSKI: I knew that it was working. I just had that feeling. Once she started the trial, like, she just seemed to -- I could see, you know, in her face, she was getting more energetic.
Put your head straight.
GUPTA: Now, almost 6, Allie is cancer free, but must be monitored carefully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just hold your breath. Do not breathe and do not move.
GUPTA: Immther, the drug that apparently saved her life, is still available as part of the Dr. Kleinerman's ongoing clinical trial, but after that, it disappears.
(on camera): So there was a drug out there that, as far as you could tell, at least seemed to be working?
EUGENIE KLEINERMAN, CHIEF, PEDIATRIC DIVISION: Correct.
GUPTA: And then you got a phone call saying that they weren't going to manufacture the drug anymore.
KLEINERMAN: Correct. Basically, I was getting the message that our marketing people have done research and we're never going to be able to recoup our research and development costs. And it doesn't matter who we're going to help and who we're not going to help, the marketing people have made the decision that we're not putting any more resources in this.
GUPTA: And the outcome?
KLEINERMAN: The outcome is we still have only a certain amount of drug.
GUPTA (voice-over): Just enough to treat 60 kids, or about one- third of the kids that get Ewing's Sarcoma each year.
(on camera): This isn't the kind of story people want to hear. If a drug works, why wouldn't they make more of it?
KLEINERMAN: Because sarcomas are a very rare tumor, and you have to understand that drug companies, pharmaceutical companies, have to report to their stockholders, and they're interested in their financials, and this will never be a money-maker.
GUPTA: This really does keep you up, doesn't it?
KLEINERMAN: Oh, yes, of course.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And you can see more of Dr. Gupta's report when "CNN PRESENTS: TAMING THE BEAST: INSIDE THE WAR ON CANCER." We'll go to the front lines of the battle against the disease. That is Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
For your health news online anytime, log ton to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.
We're watching the leaderboard at this year's PGA Championship. We will tell you who is not on it. Is Tiger set to have a better day. He hasn't teed off quite yet, but we'll see how those who have teed off -- ooh, that was Tiger's day. But we're going to check in with our Larry Smith in New Jersey, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: What a mess. Just be glad you are not stuck in London today. Tens of thousands of British Airways customers are stranded at Heathrow Airport. It all started when members of British Airways' ground crew joined workers from the airline's catering company in a strike. The carrier had canceled all flights out of Heathrow. Now short-staffed, the airline warns disruption could last for days and it is spreading to other airlines.
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
KAGAN: Let's get away from it all. Let's head to the golf course and the PGA Championship. Tiger Woods, tied foe 113th place. When have you ever heard of that, especially with a major championship?
Larry Smith is in Springfield, New Jersey. A good day to be a certain left-hander named Phil.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You know, Phil Mickelson, the big question for him before he teed off first thing this morning, could build on the success he had in the opening round? Well, he has answered that. Phil has been simply outstanding. He is four under par right now, as he has played 13 holes so far, trying to complete his opening -- his second round here in style. Five birdies and an eagle on the first nine that he played. He began on the 10 hole. He birdied the monstrous par five 17th, eagle on 18. Double bogie and a birdie since then. So he has seven under par. But Phil Mickelson, coming off that strong finish on Thursday. He has broken out of that six-way tie and now stands all alone in first place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL MICKELSON, PRO GOLFER: The biggest difference is I feel like I know which way my misses are going to be with each club. I struggled a little bit this year, missing it both ways in the majors. And the penalty for a miss is so great that I couldn't play effectively doing that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Well, Mickelson may hail from southern California, but he says he loves playing here on the East Coast. A pair of second place finishes in U.S. Opens recently, at Shinnecock and at Bethpage. A large following this morning as everyone is behind him, trying to urge him on to a second career major.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICKELSON: I just love playing here. I think that the people here are awesome to play in front of. And the way they support so many great championships, it -- I just really enjoy coming here and playing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: So Phil Mickelson right now, a two-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini of South Africa. Tiger Woods tees off at 1:30 Eastern time. He stands five over par, so he is 12 shots behind Mickelson right now. But the key to remember, the top 70 and ties all advance to the weekend. So right now, Tiger Woods, the way it is, needs to shoot about a 67 to get to two over par and at least make the cut and make a run this weekend for his third major victory of the year.
Daryn, let's go back to you.
KAGAN: I mean, the idea of Tiger Woods not making the cut at a major almost seems unheard of. It is unheard of.
SMITH: It's never happened. It's never happened at the PGA Championship. It's never happened here. So -- I mean, that would be the biggest story of the weekend, almost bigger than whoever wins, Tiger not making the cut. With the kind of the year that he's had and the ten career majors and everything else.
KAGAN: Wouldn't that just be Phil Mickelson's luck, to win a second major and have it be about Tiger not making the cut?
SMITH: Right, exactly.
KAGAN: You'll be watching it for us. Larry, thank you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: That's going to do it for me for the week. I'm Daryn Kagan. The news continues. International news up next, on YOUR WORLD TODAY. I will see you Monday morning. Have a great weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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