Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

President Bush Speaks at American Legion Gathering; Iraq in Turmoil; Should Mardi Gras be Celebrated?

Aired February 24, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
Saudi security sources say that guards today prevented an attack on an oil facility. The Saudi security consultant says would-be bombers in two cars fired on guards outside the facility, killing three of them. The guards exploded a second security perimeter. The Saudi security consultant says all of the attackers were killed.

The legal showdown over the BlackBerry is playing out in a federal courtroom in Virginia today. A judge is considering a request for an injunction to shut down the popular wireless e-mail service in the U.S. The maker of BlackBerry is being challenged in a patent infringement dispute.

The Iraqi infant brought to the U.S. for life-saving surgery undergoes another procedure today. Doctors plan to operate to correct a deformity in Baby Noor's foot and ankle. Last month she had surgery to enclose her spinal cord. Baby Noor suffers from the birth defect spina bifida.

New Orleans marks its first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina. Parades and parties are scheduled throughout the weekend, culminating on Fat Tuesday. The celebrations also include somber reminders of the devastation from Katrina. And residents are still split over whether the festivities are appropriate.

We'll go live to Bay St. Louis with our Kathleen Koch in Mississippi in just a few minutes.

Good morning on this Friday morning. And welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY. Let's check some of the time around the world.

Just after 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad, just after 10:00 a.m. in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

Turmoil in Iraq tops our hour. Security concerns at home. Still, President Bush points to progress in the war on terror and what he calls a fight for freedom.

The president just wrapped up a speech to the American Legion. It follows the attack on a revered Shiite mosque this week and the uproar over concerns about U.S. port security. On Iraq, Mr. Bush says the country can overcome the brutality inflicted by terrorists. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This morning I talked to our ambassador in Iraq, Zal Khalilzad and General Casey. Zal is actively engaged with leaders of all political factions to ensure a common message of restraint and unity. He reports to me that the leaders are committed to stopping civil strife. The government is taking concrete steps to determine how the attack happened and the necessary actions to help move the political process forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Let's get more now on the president's speech. White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us from her post.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

And the president's overall theme, really, was freedom and the United States' continued support for spreading democracy around the world. But the headline, as you noted, the president speaking before the American Legion here today in Washington. The headline, really, the president's denunciation of the recent sectarian violence in Iraq.

Now, that coming after the bombing of that Shia holy site. The president once again condemning that attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: They're going to continue their campaign of violence and destruction. We saw their brutality again this week when terrorists bombed the Golden Mosque in Samarra. That mosque is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.

The senseless attack is an affront to people of faith throughout the world. The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act of terror and the subsequent attacks on other mosques and holy sites in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president, at the same time, noting that, as he says, the Iraqi people are making their voice heard as well. That they want freedom, they want democracy. The president noting what he says was a large and broad participation in Iraqi elections.

The president also reiterated -- touching on some other themes, reiterating the United States' positions on Hamas and Iran. A wide- ranging speech, but really the headline, again, Daryn, the president for the second day in a row condemning that attack on that Shia holy site -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's talk about a different subject here, Elaine, and that of port security and the big brouhaha over this company that is owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates and the delay that they're talking about. Any comment from the White House on that?

QUIJANO: Well, it's interesting. This morning, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said that, essentially, private and publicly, Daryn, what they are saying is that a slight delay would be helpful, that they have made it known, the company is well aware that a slight delay would be helpful in order to brief members of Congress on this deal. Members of Congress, of course, who have been skeptical, concerned that perhaps it might jeopardize national security.

Now, when asked, when pressed, how slight is slight, are we taking days, weeks or months, they won't go further than that, only characterizing it as a slight delay, some additional time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, thank you.

Secretary of State Rice discussed the ports deal today when she met the prime minister and crown prince of the United Arab Emirates. Her trip to Abu Dhabi was part of a scheduled swing through the Middle East, but a spokesman says that it offered Rice a chance to assure the Emirates that the Bush administration has no doubts about the management deal.

Here at home, the Teamsters are holding rallies in 20 cities today. They are protesting the ports contract. The union says the deal turns the nation's gateways over to a country that has been "a conduit for terrorist activity."

To Iraq now. A call for unity between Shiites and Sunnis and the end of an extraordinary daytime curfew. It's all in response to the violence that erupted after the bombing of a major Shiite shrine. The fighting has sparked fears of a civil war.

Aneesh Raman joins us live now from Baghdad with the latest there.

Aneesh, hello.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

President Bush saying in that speech that the coming days in Iraq will be tense. In the sound bite you played at the top of the show, he said he had spoken to the top U.S. commander in Iraq, as well as the top diplomat.

General Casey telling the president that Iraqi security forces are doing "a fine job" imposing an extraordinary daytime curfew that was put in place in Baghdad, as well as two neighboring provinces, to curb the sectarian violence that has killed at least 132 people.

Well, that said, in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad, the curfew was clearly violated by the Mehdi militia, loyal followers of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who were out on the streets. Guns in hand, setting up patrols, as well as checkpoints.

The Shia leaders have said that if Iraq's security forces cannot provide safety for their Shia sites and for the Shia people, they will do it themselves. That is a huge issue in Iraq. If they continue to do that and if they take the fight further, it could further divide the country.

President Bush saying he also spoke to the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, who said that leaders are calling for calm. In the southern Iraqi city of Basra today, thousands of Shia poured into the streets in protest of Wednesday's attack there. Local Basra city officials did call for unity, called for calm, saying that the country cannot and should not be brought into civil strife.

But the biggest issue is whether the anger among the Sunni community is so high that they could react despite the calls for calm and moderation coming from the religious and political leaders. That is the fear that the government has. The hope that they have tonight is that the respite and violence we saw today will continue tomorrow -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman, live from Baghdad.

Aneesh, thank you.

This week's violence and retaliation suggests that Iraq could easily dissolve into civil war, not unlike Lebanon a generation ago. Top American generals in Iraq downplayed that possibility today, but a former CIA operative told CNN it's a real possibility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REUEL GERECHT, FMR. CIA OFFICER: I mean, I think this is probably the most dangerous event that has occurred since the fall of Saddam Hussein. It risks, I think, the entire enterprise in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Let's get the thoughts of Juan Cole. He is Tucson this morning. He is a professor at the University of Michigan, where he focuses on the Middle East, the modern Middle East, and in particular, Shia Islam.

Good morning.

PROF. JUAN COLE, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Good morning.

KAGAN: Do you think Iraq is headed towards civil war?

COLE: I think it's on the brink of a civil war at the moment. I lived in Lebanon in the late 1970s, and I would say, what I'm seeing on television, what I'm hearing from Iraq is worse than what was going on in Lebanon in the late 1970s. And that was already being called a civil war.

So this is -- this is only missing the set piece battles of militiamen to be one.

KAGAN: Help us understand the difference between Sunni and Shia. This is a divide that goes back to the -- to the beginning of the Muslim religion.

COLE: Yes. The Shiites believe that after the Prophet Mohammed's death, he should have been succeed by close relatives, by his son-in-law, and then by his grandchildren and his descendants after them. The kind of Shiites that's in Iraq and Iran believes that there were 12 such successors to the Prophet Mohammed.

The Sunnis don't agree. The Sunnis believe that there were four rightly-guided kalifs (ph) who were selected by the Muslim community and they didn't have to be blood relatives of the prophet.

KAGAN: Now, Iraq is unusual in that it's a country that has a Shia majority. Most Muslim countries have Sunni majority.

COLE: Yes. Iraq and Iran are both Shiite majority countries. Bahrain also has a Shiite majority. Lebanon has probably 45 percent Shiites, and it's headed towards a Shiite majority probably within 10 or 20 years.

So, there are a lot of Shiites in the Gulf region.

KAGAN: And we're hearing some top Shia leaders speak out and call for calm. Do you think that will help?

COLE: Yes, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, today called for calm, called for an end to attacks on Sunni mosques. Grand Ayatollah Sistani has also called for calm. But the message is mixed.

They're also calling for demonstrations and for Shiite militias. Well, you can't have demonstrations and militias without violence against Sunnis. So it's a worrisome development.

KAGAN: What do you think it's going to take to bring more calm?

COLE: Well, this daytime curfew that they had today was a very good idea. It certainly helped to calm things down. But you can't keep a daytime curfew forever. And we have to see when it's lifted if they go back to violence.

KAGAN: We'll be watching.

Professor Juan Cole from the University of Michigan.

Thank you.

COLE: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: And now we have more on a developing story from Saudi Arabia. Saudi security forces have thwarted a plot to blow up an oil facility. A short time ago we spoke with the Saudi security consultant. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAWAF OBAID, SAUDI SECURITY CONSULTANT: Basically, what happened was that there was a convoy of three cars that basically had in mined to carry out the operation. And so what they do is that they started by engaging the security unit that was protecting the outer perimeter. And they -- and they were able to get through the outer perimeter. And between the outer perimeter and the first security cordon, they were engaged by the Saudi emergency forces, of which -- of which they -- of which they fired at them and they basically exploded the three cars because they were all packed with explosives.

So, from our preliminary assessment, we believe that all the terrorists have been killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: We will continue to follow the story and bring you any updates.

Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, the big heist in Britain. Police say it was done with military precision. But did the criminals make a major mistake? We'll tell you about the search for the suspects.

And if you're addicted to your BlackBerry, you're going to want to listen in to this. A courtroom showdown today could shake up your wireless habits. We'll explain.

And the parties have already started in some neighborhoods along the Gulf, but no one is in the Mardi Gras mood. Details coming up on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

KAGAN: Do you recognize that song? It's Coldplay's "Speed of Sound," and it goes in the history books. It's the one-billionth download at iTunes. That's the Internet music store that keeps your iPods jamming.

A teenager in West Bloomfield, Michigan, did the honors, and he didn't even know it until his phone rang passed midnight this week. Apple was on the line, telling him that he'd get an iMac, 10 iPods and $10,000 gift card for iTunes. He also gets something more long- lasting, a scholarship in his name at the Julliard School.

Let's check in on other business news -- Susan Lisovicz.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check in on the weather news. And Jacqui Jeras has that for us.

(WEATHER REPORT) KAGAN: Still to come, time for beads and boas along the Gulf Coast. Here's how they do it in New Orleans. We'll check in with our Kathleen Koch, whose hometown in Mississippi is trying to move beyond Katrina and bring back the party atmosphere for Mardi Gras.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It is almost six months after Hurricane Katrina, and the partying kicks off in full swing this weekend in New Orleans. Parades and parties are planned all weekend long for the annual Mardi Gras celebration.

And it's all there, the floats, the beads, the booze. But perhaps not as many people this year. The partying culminates on Fat Tuesday.

Well, Mardi Gras celebrations are also taking place this weekend in Mississippi. Our Kathleen Koch is back in her hometown of Bay St. Louis, which was hurt just devastatingly by Hurricane Katrina.

Kathleen, good morning.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And there has been some progress in my hometown, I have to point it out. But when you do you look at places like this -- I'm on what was Beach Boulevard in Bay St. Louis -- this was a road, as you can see from these big chunks of asphalt, that remain. You know, it's hard to believe that, you know, that there has been any progress when you look around here.

My family used to own an ice cream parlor up here behind me. It was a business -- we had sold it to a family called Trapanis (ph). It was an eatery. Now it's gone.

But there are places where there are some structure standing, like this business where there was an apartment upstairs. And very odd scenes. The dining room table that looks like it's sitting there ready for the family to show up for lunch.

Yesterday we had an opportunity to catch up with one of my high school classmates, Diane Edwards Bourgeois. She lives in Bay St. Louis and still makes regular trips back to her destroyed home to see if she can find anything to salvage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE EDWARDS BOURGEOIS, BAY ST. LOUIS RESIDENT: Just pieces here and there, no telling where everything else is. You know, I lost so much I can't even -- I haven't had time since Katrina to realize what all I've actually lost.

You know, it will be a moment when I reach for something or want something and I say, "Oh, well I don't have that anymore." You know, not even my address book. You know, I don't -- you know, to start over. But, you know, like I said, I'm still way -- our family is way more fortunate than most, you know. We are. I mean, look at those who had nothing to come -- nothing to come back to. You know, we just -- we just thank god we have our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: The status of the town now six months in is that about 70 percent of the businesses are still closed, about 20 percent of the residents gone. But those who are here are so resilient. They're very courageous and very tough. And they're going to help this town come back. They're not giving up -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, one of those baby steps in coming back is celebrating Mardi Gras, which I understand you're going to be a little bit -- more than a little bit involved in, Kathleen.

KOCH: I am. I'm going -- I've been invited to be the grand marshal of the Bay St. Louis Children's Parade. And I've already been given some of my Mardi Gras finery to wear today.

KAGAN: Very nice.

KOCH: My feather boa.

KAGAN: Yes.

KOCH: And then I also have these special masking sunglasses to wear. So we are going to be kicking off the parade at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. I think CNN is going to be taking some of it live.

And Daryn, the belief here is that, especially the children, they just -- they need a reason to smile. You know, it's tough enough as a grownup dealing with what you see around you, but for the kids, it's been especially difficult. So it will be a fun afternoon for them. Lots of music, lots of bead-throwing, and just, again, one reason to smile, which has been tough to come by lately.

KAGAN: Absolutely. I've got to tell you, I think that look is you. You might want to consider it as a regular thing, the boa and the glasses.

KOCH: I don't know, do you think it would work on the front lawn of the White House, the Pentagon? I'm not quite sure.

KAGAN: It might get the attention of the Secret Service. Definitely.

Enjoy the parade. We look forward to seeing that.

Thank you, Kathleen.

KOCH: All right.

KAGAN: And thank you for all your reports from your hometown over the last week. KOCH: OK.

KAGAN: Well, despite that festive atmosphere, in New Orleans, some residents are split over whether the hurricane-ravaged city should be celebrating Mardi Gras at all.

Dan Lothian has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The two faces of New Orleans, suffering and celebrating.

KARLIN DUKES, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I think it's disgraceful that they're celebrating Mardi Gras.

LOTHIAN: In the Upper Ninth Ward, lifelong resident Karlin Dukes is trying to salvage pieces of the home he built with his wife, Yvonne (ph). Mardi Gras is good, he says, but not now.

DUKES: There's nothing to really celebrate about, as far as I'm concerned. With so many people that's having a hard time right now, some people don't even have a house to go to because the house is totally destroyed.

LOTHIAN: Katrina may have hit six months ago, but for some, it feels like yesterday.

(on camera): Many neighborhoods still look like this. And residents are struggling to figure out when or if they'll ever be able to rebuild.

RICK BLOUNT, OWNER, ANTOINE'S: This is what we would consider our main dining room.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): The owner of Antoine's, a landmark French Quarter restaurant, knows the meaning of the word lost.

BLOUNT: All this was gone. All this wall fell.

LOTHIAN: Rick Blount's business was damaged by wind and water. Revenue dried up when the city shut down and the homes of several close relatives were destroyed. But he sees Mardi Gras, not as a slap in the face, but as a lifeline.

BLOUNT: If the rest of the country does not do business with New Orleans now, there will not be a New Orleans to do business with.

LOTHIAN: The show must go on, he says, despite the pain.

BLOUNT: If this was Christmas, would you not have Christmas because you lost your home? I don't think so. For New Orleans, Mardi Gras is what's normal. Mardi Gras is what we should do.

LOTHIAN: It's always been that way. In 1966, about six months after Hurricane Betsy flooded New Orleans, the carnival celebration continued. In fact, natural disasters have never shut it down.

While some argue money for Mardi Gras could be better spent, McHenry Littleton, whose home was heavily damaged by Katrina, says rebuilding and celebrating should not be mutually exclusive.

MCHENRY LITTLETON, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Our money should be spent to help rebuild New Orleans. That is one factor. But Mardi Gras is a part of our culture.

LOTHIAN: But back on Karlin Dukes' front steps, there is no celebration. He and his wife are focusing on rebuilding their lives...

DUKES: It's too old, anyway, too try and go somewhere else, you know.

LOTHIAN: ... in the city they've always called home.

Dan Lothian, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: CNN will have complete coverage of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Tune in Monday beginning at 6:00 Eastern for "AMERICAN MORNING." Miles O'Brien and Soledad O'Brien will report live from the hurricane-devastated city of New Orleans.

And then in prime-time, Anderson Cooper will look at inside Fat Tuesday parade preparations. That's 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

And we have a tragic ending to a story we were telling you about earlier, an Amber Alert for an 8-year-old autistic boy. Police now saying the body of Jared McGwire (ph) has been discovered in a canal near where he disappeared.

This Amber Alert went out earlier today saying that a man had snatched 8-year-old Jared (ph), taking him into a van with a passenger door. He was suffering from severe autism, required medication and has trouble speaking. But once again, this search for this 8-year-old boy coming to a tragic end today. His body being found in a canal near where he first disappeared.

It is almost half-past the hour. A well-planned heist in Britain, but did the criminals make a careless mistake? New details this morning on that huge robbery. Police need the public's health.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com