Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Reaction From Voters to President Bush's Speech; Reaction to Joint U.S.-British Resolution on Iraq in U.N.
Aired May 25, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The president tries to reassure voters about Iraq. What are the voters telling him today in the latest poll?
Car bombs in Baghdad, fighting in Najaf -- how Iraq looks on the morning after the president's big speech.
And severe weather bringing it all in the Midwest -- angry skies and angry rivers, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Eight o'clock in New York.
Welcome to Tuesday.
A lot to cover regarding last night and the president's speech. We'll focus today on the voters' response in a few moments. Judy Woodruff out talking to a number of people; watching the speech last night with a group of Democrats and Republicans. Also, Carlos Watson -- he's got some new poll numbers taken before the president's speech. His thoughts, as well, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we'll take you to the United Nations. Richard Roth standing by there for us. Does the president have the backing of the Security Council as he tries to steer a more international course in Iraq?
HEMMER: Also coming up, later this summer, the movie that some say could resonate in November. Kelly Wallace looks at the environmental doomsday scenario at the heart of "The Day After Tomorrow." Will it put global warming on the voter agenda this fall? We'll have a look at that. Kelly's been looking into it.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.
HEMMER: Jack says no.
CAFFERTY: The answer is no, it won't.
O'BRIEN: Is that The Question of the Day, Jack?
CAFFERTY: No.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). CAFFERTY: No, I'm just trying to help out there. He asked a question, I tried to offer up an answer. Coming up in the Cafferty File shortly, the broadcast networks chose not to carry President Bush's speech last night, giving new meaning to the phrase broadcasting in the public interest. A memo to the networks -- not everybody has cable.
And we'll tell you about some guys who are just desperate, desperate to get their hands on some pink shoes. That would be in the File a bit later.
HEMMER: We'll stay tuned.
Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: That sounds good.
HEMMER: Let's start off the hour now, and our last hour here on AMERICAN MORNING, Delaware Democratic Senator Joe Biden telling us that after listening to the president's speech last night, he says he still has a number of unanswered questions about the current policy in Iraq. But what about American voters, who go to the polls exactly 23 weeks from today?
Judy Woodruff watched the president's speech with a few of them last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A free Iraq will always have a friend in the United States of America.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first of a series of speeches on the future of Iraq through the watchful eyes of six voters. From the Republicans among them, hope.
THERES ALFANO, REPUBLICAN: I think he's saying that it's time and it's about time that we do let them live their own lives and start to rebuild their country the way it should be.
WOODRUFF: But from the Democrats, suspicion and lingering doubt.
RHEA SIMMONS, DEMOCRAT: I'm hearing a lot of double speak when it comes to the war. And, again, I can't help but remember that we created this situation. We are the ones who went in there, without the U.N.
RAY VAN DECASTLE, DEMOCRAT: This five point plan is something that I would have been more encouraged by if we had heard it soon after we had attacked them.
WOODRUFF: One Democrat complained Bush used references and even chose the location for maximum political effect.
But a Bush supporter in the group said the president did what he had to do. DAVE THOMAS, REPUBLICAN: I don't think in an election year there's any way of avoiding politicizing a speech.
WOODRUFF: Which he pronounced a success.
THOMAS: He answered the questions that the critics wanted him to answer.
WOODRUFF: Judy Woodruff, CNN, Dover, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Judy, thanks for that.
Let's talk more the morning after on the president's performance.
CNN political analyst Carlos Watson here in New York to talk about this -- good morning.
Nice to see you in person.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.
HEMMER: The first speech was last night; five more in the month of June. The political strategy for this is what, as you see it?
WATSON: The president's got to do two things. Remember, almost two thirds of Americans, Bill, believe that he doesn't have a clear plan here in Iraq. And so first and foremost, whether or not you agree with the details, that he didn't say I do have a plan. And in many ways he repeated. He didn't redefine a plan, but he needed to do that.
And, second, he needed to be involved in the conversation. A lot of the conversation has happened without him, members of Congress, members of the media have been part of the conversation. And he wanted to insert himself with five and a half, six weeks to go before we turn over power. HEMMER: It's a 33 minute speech. You can only say so much.
What did you not hear that you wanted to hear initially last night?
WATSON: Well, I think there are a couple of things that people would have liked to have heard. More about the troops. He said we'll keep it at about 138,000. But remember, some are saying we need to be closer to 200,000.
More about the cost for this. The White House has asked for more money and we're in the midst of a budget discussion right now, which right now looks like a $2.4 trillion budget conversation on the overall budget. HEMMER: So if you consider those arguments then, a lot of those questions go unanswered because it's not clear at this point which way they're going to go -- how many troops will you have, what's the final cost, etc. You can't lay that out at this point. Do you agree with that or not?
WATSON: Well, that's what the president's team would argue right now, and in some ways they are in a difficult place. They still are a couple of weeks away, Bill, no matter what you think, they're a couple of weeks away before they can give some real important answers on the budget, on troops, and, frankly, on what's going to happen on July 1.
Now, some will say you shouldn't have gotten to this point, you should have prepared in a better way much before. But that's the reality, they're still a couple of weeks away. HEMMER: The approval rating, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup now at 47 percent. Just to talk about the issue of Iraq and do it on a national scale, the networks did not cover this, but a lot of people tuned in last night on cable news and certainly were talking about it again today.
Does the White House score points just by talking about this issue and putting it out there before voters?
WATSON: You know, there are two interesting things about this. I think, one, this was their last chance to get any real voter attention probably for another six weeks. Here comes Memorial Day. Here comes summer. I think people's minds, frankly, are going in a very different direction. So they got some points.
But, two, I do think they hurt themselves or they were hurt, if you will, given the fact that the networks didn't cover it, as well. HEMMER: John Kerry issued a statement shortly after the speech last night. On the screen for our viewers: "The president laid out general principles tonight, most of which we've heard before. What's most important now is to turn these words into action by offering presidential leadership to the nation and to the world."
It's my understanding that on Thursday he will lay out his vision for Iraq.
How much different will his plan be from what we heard last night?
WATSON: I think what will really stand out on Thursday in the speech, as you know, he's giving in Seattle, will be that he will not only speak about Iraq, but it'll be a broader, if you will, foreign policy conversation. So expect to hear him speak more about what's going on in North Korea right now. Expect to hear him more to talk about rogue nuclear weapons, whether those are coming from Russia or other places.
So that's what I think will be most significant.
I think it's, frankly, tough in many ways for him to distinguish himself at this point from the president because their positions have come together -- more internationalization, more troops, staying the course as long as necessary. In many ways, they're fairly close on that. HEMMER: In the meantime, 36 days till the handover. And many would argue it does not matter what happens in June, but actually the barometer is now set for after the 30th of June and what happens in July and going forward.
WATSON: I think both in Iraq and in the U.S. more people will pay attention beginning July 1. HEMMER: You come back anytime, all right?
WATSON: Hey, I appreciate it. HEMMER: Thank you.
WATSON: Going to your home state next week. HEMMER: Oh, well, enjoy that, all right?
WATSON: I will. HEMMER: From one Buckeye to another.
WATSON: I'm sure that's true. HEMMER: Nice to see you.
WATSON: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Many of the details of the plan President Bush talked about last night are spelled out in a draft U.N. resolution sponsored by the U.S. and Great Britain. But it has its critics and it is facing some hurdles, as well.
Senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth now with more -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
The question for many Security Council members here -- is this going to be sovereignty lite? Concerns from France and Germany and others, will the new Iraqi fledgling caretaker government, indeed, have authority over troops on the ground?
There is supposed to be an exchange of letters coming up between Iraqis and the United States led multinational force which will take over after June 30 to lay out a plan of cooperation. And it appears Iraq will have the right to have its troops refuse to go into certain areas if they object.
But this is not spelled out specifically in the resolution. Nations like Algeria have issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDALLAH BAALI, ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: There are some ambiguities that we need to clarify, including the relationship between the Iraqi government and the multinational force. We have to look into some details in the draft. But I am confident that we will be able to have a good result in the coming days.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROTH: An irritating point for other ambassadors, they don't know who they're really going to be dealing with, since anybody speaking for Iraq now will be out of power after June 30.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUNTER PLEUGER, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We do not have as yet the report of Mr. Brahimi. And, of course, the Security Council will only be able to support an interim government that it knows. And before Mr. Brahimi comes back from Baghdad, we will not know how that interim government has been selected and who the members of that government are. So this is an issue that still has to be resolved before we can vote on the resolution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Mr. Brahimi is Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special troubleshooting envoy in Iraq, who's due back soon, though there is some concern here he may need more time to form some type of caretaker government -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Richard, a quick question for you.
First, is this resolution, maybe with some tweaking, is it expected to pass? And, if so, when is that expected?
ROTH: The U.S. says it'll pass. It'll be passing, it says, in early June, it hopes. But it's more likely the eventual day will move closer to that June 30 handover date -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth for us this morning.
Richard, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, about 10 minutes now past the hour.
Could the release of a highly anticipated film this Friday actually have an impact on the presidential election in the fall?
Our national correspondent, Kelly Wallace, back with us on AMERICAN MORNING here looking at that -- good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, it is the first major motion picture on global warming and it has Democrats and Republicans trading barbs with each other and the Hollywood producers behind the film with big smiles on their faces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): Hollywood's version of catastrophic global warming -- three days of disaster leading to a new ice age on earth, more fiction than fact, scientists say. But that has not kept politics away from the new movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." After all, there was Al Gore, no stranger to the global warming debate, touting the movie just before its New York premier and blasting the White House.
AL GORE (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: We see the consequences of not looking ahead and planning ahead in Iraq. What about the consequences of not looking ahead and planning ahead where global warming is concerned?
WALLACE: The town meeting, featuring Gore, was sponsored by the liberal group Moveon.org, whose Web site says "The Day After Tomorrow" is the movie the White House doesn't want you to see.
Asked about that, President Bush's supporters fired back.
JIM DYKE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think some people may be turned off by an anti-war group and Vice President Gore trying to take advantage, some sort of political advantage or some sort of political statement.
WALLACE: But could the movie sway some swing voters? Probably not, because in a Gallup poll earlier this month, only one percent of voters said the environment was the most important non-economic problem facing the country. And in a March survey, nearly 40 percent said they thought the seriousness of global warming was generally exaggerated. Almost 60 percent said it was generally correct or underestimated.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for coming.
WALLACE: Neither President Bush nor John Kerry even mentioned the words global warming on Earth Day last month and neither candidate has said anything about the new movie. But the Hollywood studio behind the film doesn't mind, saying it is thrilled with all the attention.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Because all the buzz might do more to boost ticket sales than boost the Democrats' chance of retaking the White House.
HEMMER: And ultimately, you know, the political debate depends on how good that film is, right?
WALLACE: Ultimately it does. If it's not a good one, then it might not have an impact.
HEMMER: That's right.
Thanks, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
HEMMER: Good to see you.
WALLACE: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Soledad. O'BRIEN: The Midwest bracing for another wave of storms today. Tornadoes ripped through Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma yesterday, piling damage on top of that caused by more than 80 twisters that happened over the weekend. Albany, Missouri was one of the hardest places. Homes were blown right off their foundations. Injuries, though, weren't serious.
What's ahead for today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Let's turn now to Heidi Collins.
She's got a look at some of the other stories making headlines today -- hello, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, once again, you guys.
We want to get to those stories right now, though, about 15 minutes past the hour.
Here's what's happening right now.
Another car bombing in Iraq, this one in front of a hotel in Baghdad. There are still conflicting reports, though, on casualties. Iraqis say four people were killed in the blast, but coalition officials say five were only hurt.
And in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, a Shiite Muslim shrine was slightly damaged in an explosion there. Najaf has been the scene of ongoing battles between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to radical Islamic cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Memorial Day weekend just days away and as millions of Americans get ready to hit the highways, gas prices are still skyrocketing. The Energy Department says the national average for a gallon of gasoline is now $2.06. That's up nearly $0.05 from just one week ago and $0.58 higher from the same time last year.
Authorities in Georgia ordering residents in the Conyers area to evacuate now as a massive chemical plant fire rages there. An explosion is believed to have triggered the blaze, but it's not clear what types of chemicals are stored in the warehouse. So far, no injuries are reported.
A British honor for the former head of the U.S. Central Command. Retired General Tommy Franks is to receive an honorary knighthood from British Secretary of Different Geoff Hune. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the general is being honored for exceptional and inspiring leadership of British forces during operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But the new title does not give Franks the right to call himself sir.
And Madonna back for yet another reinvention. The 45-year-old superstar kicking off her reinvent last night in Los Angeles. The tour will continue this year throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. An estimated three quarters of a million fans are expected to turn out to see the material girl perform.
I don't know when she's going to lose that title, the material girl.
When was that, like back in the '80s, right?
HEMMER: Right.
CAFFERTY: She's no longer a girl. We can start there.
COLLINS: Right you are, Sir Jack.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
The Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Any tickets left for that? I'd like to go to that quite a bit.
HEMMER: It's the third week in June, I think, here at Madison Square.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
Put me down for a vacation then.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? We can go together.
CAFFERTY: Hey, there you go.
President Bush said the United States will tear down the Abu Ghraib Prison if the Iraqis approve. The military has suspended Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was in charge of the U.S. troops accused of the abuse. And those soldiers are being court- martialed.
Nevertheless, it is a huge black mark.
What's the proper way to deal with the prisoner abuse scandal, is the question.
Joshua in Sarasota, Florida writes this: "Why should the American taxpayer shell out the money to tear down and rebuild a prison just so that this administration can save face in an election year? Haven't we shelled out enough money already just so we can be in Iraq and torture the prisoners in the first place?"
David in Waterbury, Connecticut: "The administration's passing the buck. No one at the top is taking any responsibility. Rather than tear down the building, it's time to tear down the policies that allowed this to happen. Rumsfeld should go now. Bush and his regime should go in November."
G.A., U.S. Navy, retired, in Naples, Florida: "Take our lumps and move on. Can't put it back in the bag, but it sure would be nice if you news folks would let us move on. You're blowing it way out of proportion to what is really happening over there. Ah, the news media, what a sorry lot."
And Innes in New York writes: "If the administration had made clear it was unacceptable by relieving a high ranking military person like Sanchez and/or Miller, the scandal would be somewhat diffused. It is precisely because they will not concede a failure of leadership that the scandal continues."
Abcnews.com.
O'BRIEN: Interesting mail this morning.
CAFFERTY: Good stuff, yes.
O'BRIEN: We should also mention that the brigadier general, Janis Karpinski, is going to be our guest on AMERICAN MORNING.
HEMMER: Yup, tomorrow.
O'BRIEN: She, of course, is the one who was heading Abu Ghraib before she was reassigned, depending on who you believe, or moved somewhere.
HEMMER: Head of prisons in Iraq.
CAFFERTY: She's going to be here this morning?
O'BRIEN: Tomorrow morning.
HEMMER: Tomorrow.
CAFFERTY: Oh, tomorrow. OK. She was here before, too, right, after the story broke?
O'BRIEN: That's the D.T.s, yes. Yes (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: The D.T.s, as they say in the biz.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the top U.S. officer may soon be rotated out of Iraq. A notorious prison might be coming down. Would it make a difference, though, for the U.S. there? We'll take you live to the Pentagon.
Also, airlines try to raise prices once again. Will it stick this time?
And today marks the 21st anniversary of National Missing Children's Day.
There's John Walsh. We'll talk to him in just a moment about what progress has been made.
Those stories all ahead as AMERICAN MORNING continues, right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Some 800,000 children are missing in the U.S. Today marks the 21st anniversary of National Missing Children's Day.
You'd be hard pressed to find a person more devoted to protecting children than John Walsh. He is the host of "America's Most Wanted." He's also the cofounder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
John Walsh joining us this morning from Ruckville, Maryland.
Nice to see you, John.
Thanks for being with us.
JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: As we mentioned, today -- you're welcome.
Today is National Missing Children's Day.
Give us some perspective. Are things improving on this front or would you say that actually things have gotten worse, more dangerous, for children?
WALSH: Well, I think things are improving in our response. Twenty-two years ago when Adam was abducted, our 6-year-old son, there was no National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. There wasn't a rapid response by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. And there weren't the resources that we have today.
We see a lot of cases of missing children, we see a lot about predators out there and we have a new type of predator, we have the online predator, the pedophile that's lurking in that chat room, posing as a 12 or 13-year-old child when in reality they're a 55-year- old child molester.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, some of the statistics that you've released about this, one in five kids solicited by a sexual predator online.
So, in light of that, what do you advise parents to do? Obviously they can't tell their kids not to use their computers.
WALSH: No, absolutely not. We don't say pull the plug. The Internet is a tremendous resource. But we say put that computer in a common place, like in the family room where you can look over your child's shoulder. You're absolutely right, one in five children are sexually solicited online and only one in four children actually tell anybody. So we have a new form of predator who's hiding behind the Internet.
But there are many, many ways to combat that. And one of them is to visit our Web site, cybertipline.com. And you can get all kinds of free information on how to talk to your kids and how to know what these predators are doing in those chat rooms.
O'BRIEN: What about specific information on how to understand the acronyms that the kids are sending back and forth? Because, of course, they have these instant messages that are all basically shorthand and adults use them, too, in the workplace sometimes. But the kids' language is a whole other thing.
How do you break that kind of code?
WALSH: Well, again, parents should really make themselves computer savvy. And it doesn't take an awful lot. The kids have their own jargon, you know, like OMS, over my shoulder means that they're talking to somebody in that chat room and when they hit OMS, as a parent you should know that that person is giving that child a signal or that child is saying there's a parent watching over my shoulder.
Or teachers are watching, TAW, is another acronym.
So parents need to really open those lines of communication. You really need to know what your children are doing. And we've had so many cases of children being lured out of the house to meet someone at a mall that they thought was another child their age when it turned out to be an adult that wanted to molest them.
O'BRIEN: What do you possibly advise parents, though -- for example, the story we covered not that long ago, a young woman, a girl, really, fled her home and took with her her computer hard drive. That's obviously the way that investigators often try to track down who she may have been meeting with or who she may have been snatched by.
How do you advise parents in that kind of situation to avoid that?
WALSH: Well, certainly, again, get involved in your children's lives and find out who they're talking to on the computer. Get that information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and be prepared. And if you think your child has been lured out, call police immediately, or call the National Center, 1-800-THE- LOST. And they'll give you information. They'll get right involved in the case.
But, you know, this is a whole different day and age, Soledad. And we have people that hide behind the computer and I really think that parents have to assume, not assume it can't happen to me. This is what I hear all the time -- my god, my child got lured out, I didn't know that they were talking to an adult, an adult who wanted to hurt them.
I mean people have got to get over the fact, yes, it can happen to me, get involved, open the lines of communication with your kids and get some solid information on how to deal with online predators.
O'BRIEN: You gave an award to Elizabeth Smart the other day, the National Courage Award. How is she doing?
WALSH: She's doing great. I'll tell you, we had our annual congressional breakfast and the room was full of congressmen and senators and cops that were getting awards. Everybody was there. And you could hear a pin drop when Elizabeth Smart played that harp. She had asked to play it. She's doing unbelievably well. She's got a wonderful, loving family. And that girl went through hell in those nine months that she was kidnapped by that guy. But she's doing very, very well.
As a matter of fact, she went to a senior prom -- and she's only a sophomore -- this weekend. So our prayers are with her. I was just thrilled to see that we hit a home run, we got a child back alive and she's doing wonderful. She's got a wonderful family.
O'BRIEN: It's nice to see her growing into a young lady now, isn't it?
John Walsh from "America's Most Wanted"; also, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, joining us this morning.
John, as always, nice to see you.
Thanks.
WALSH: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the Army general once in charge of the Abu Ghraib Prison now suspended. And should the Baghdad area facility come down? The days of Abu Ghraib could be numbered.
A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody.
How are you doing today?
O'BRIEN: Never better, Bill.
And you?
HEMMER: That's what I thought.
O'BRIEN: I've got a feeling this side shot is not a good shot.
Go ahead.
HEMMER: You look terrific.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, yes.
HEMMER: That's a nice new baby blue, which is just perfect.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Thank you.
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody.
I'm trying to suck up to my partner here today.
O'BRIEN: You did a good job.
Thanks.
HEMMER: Thank you.
A major change in leadership now in the works in Iraq. The top U.S. commander in that country, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, is leaving.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 25, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The president tries to reassure voters about Iraq. What are the voters telling him today in the latest poll?
Car bombs in Baghdad, fighting in Najaf -- how Iraq looks on the morning after the president's big speech.
And severe weather bringing it all in the Midwest -- angry skies and angry rivers, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Eight o'clock in New York.
Welcome to Tuesday.
A lot to cover regarding last night and the president's speech. We'll focus today on the voters' response in a few moments. Judy Woodruff out talking to a number of people; watching the speech last night with a group of Democrats and Republicans. Also, Carlos Watson -- he's got some new poll numbers taken before the president's speech. His thoughts, as well, in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we'll take you to the United Nations. Richard Roth standing by there for us. Does the president have the backing of the Security Council as he tries to steer a more international course in Iraq?
HEMMER: Also coming up, later this summer, the movie that some say could resonate in November. Kelly Wallace looks at the environmental doomsday scenario at the heart of "The Day After Tomorrow." Will it put global warming on the voter agenda this fall? We'll have a look at that. Kelly's been looking into it.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.
HEMMER: Jack says no.
CAFFERTY: The answer is no, it won't.
O'BRIEN: Is that The Question of the Day, Jack?
CAFFERTY: No.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). CAFFERTY: No, I'm just trying to help out there. He asked a question, I tried to offer up an answer. Coming up in the Cafferty File shortly, the broadcast networks chose not to carry President Bush's speech last night, giving new meaning to the phrase broadcasting in the public interest. A memo to the networks -- not everybody has cable.
And we'll tell you about some guys who are just desperate, desperate to get their hands on some pink shoes. That would be in the File a bit later.
HEMMER: We'll stay tuned.
Thank you, Jack.
O'BRIEN: That sounds good.
HEMMER: Let's start off the hour now, and our last hour here on AMERICAN MORNING, Delaware Democratic Senator Joe Biden telling us that after listening to the president's speech last night, he says he still has a number of unanswered questions about the current policy in Iraq. But what about American voters, who go to the polls exactly 23 weeks from today?
Judy Woodruff watched the president's speech with a few of them last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A free Iraq will always have a friend in the United States of America.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first of a series of speeches on the future of Iraq through the watchful eyes of six voters. From the Republicans among them, hope.
THERES ALFANO, REPUBLICAN: I think he's saying that it's time and it's about time that we do let them live their own lives and start to rebuild their country the way it should be.
WOODRUFF: But from the Democrats, suspicion and lingering doubt.
RHEA SIMMONS, DEMOCRAT: I'm hearing a lot of double speak when it comes to the war. And, again, I can't help but remember that we created this situation. We are the ones who went in there, without the U.N.
RAY VAN DECASTLE, DEMOCRAT: This five point plan is something that I would have been more encouraged by if we had heard it soon after we had attacked them.
WOODRUFF: One Democrat complained Bush used references and even chose the location for maximum political effect.
But a Bush supporter in the group said the president did what he had to do. DAVE THOMAS, REPUBLICAN: I don't think in an election year there's any way of avoiding politicizing a speech.
WOODRUFF: Which he pronounced a success.
THOMAS: He answered the questions that the critics wanted him to answer.
WOODRUFF: Judy Woodruff, CNN, Dover, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Judy, thanks for that.
Let's talk more the morning after on the president's performance.
CNN political analyst Carlos Watson here in New York to talk about this -- good morning.
Nice to see you in person.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.
HEMMER: The first speech was last night; five more in the month of June. The political strategy for this is what, as you see it?
WATSON: The president's got to do two things. Remember, almost two thirds of Americans, Bill, believe that he doesn't have a clear plan here in Iraq. And so first and foremost, whether or not you agree with the details, that he didn't say I do have a plan. And in many ways he repeated. He didn't redefine a plan, but he needed to do that.
And, second, he needed to be involved in the conversation. A lot of the conversation has happened without him, members of Congress, members of the media have been part of the conversation. And he wanted to insert himself with five and a half, six weeks to go before we turn over power. HEMMER: It's a 33 minute speech. You can only say so much.
What did you not hear that you wanted to hear initially last night?
WATSON: Well, I think there are a couple of things that people would have liked to have heard. More about the troops. He said we'll keep it at about 138,000. But remember, some are saying we need to be closer to 200,000.
More about the cost for this. The White House has asked for more money and we're in the midst of a budget discussion right now, which right now looks like a $2.4 trillion budget conversation on the overall budget. HEMMER: So if you consider those arguments then, a lot of those questions go unanswered because it's not clear at this point which way they're going to go -- how many troops will you have, what's the final cost, etc. You can't lay that out at this point. Do you agree with that or not?
WATSON: Well, that's what the president's team would argue right now, and in some ways they are in a difficult place. They still are a couple of weeks away, Bill, no matter what you think, they're a couple of weeks away before they can give some real important answers on the budget, on troops, and, frankly, on what's going to happen on July 1.
Now, some will say you shouldn't have gotten to this point, you should have prepared in a better way much before. But that's the reality, they're still a couple of weeks away. HEMMER: The approval rating, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup now at 47 percent. Just to talk about the issue of Iraq and do it on a national scale, the networks did not cover this, but a lot of people tuned in last night on cable news and certainly were talking about it again today.
Does the White House score points just by talking about this issue and putting it out there before voters?
WATSON: You know, there are two interesting things about this. I think, one, this was their last chance to get any real voter attention probably for another six weeks. Here comes Memorial Day. Here comes summer. I think people's minds, frankly, are going in a very different direction. So they got some points.
But, two, I do think they hurt themselves or they were hurt, if you will, given the fact that the networks didn't cover it, as well. HEMMER: John Kerry issued a statement shortly after the speech last night. On the screen for our viewers: "The president laid out general principles tonight, most of which we've heard before. What's most important now is to turn these words into action by offering presidential leadership to the nation and to the world."
It's my understanding that on Thursday he will lay out his vision for Iraq.
How much different will his plan be from what we heard last night?
WATSON: I think what will really stand out on Thursday in the speech, as you know, he's giving in Seattle, will be that he will not only speak about Iraq, but it'll be a broader, if you will, foreign policy conversation. So expect to hear him speak more about what's going on in North Korea right now. Expect to hear him more to talk about rogue nuclear weapons, whether those are coming from Russia or other places.
So that's what I think will be most significant.
I think it's, frankly, tough in many ways for him to distinguish himself at this point from the president because their positions have come together -- more internationalization, more troops, staying the course as long as necessary. In many ways, they're fairly close on that. HEMMER: In the meantime, 36 days till the handover. And many would argue it does not matter what happens in June, but actually the barometer is now set for after the 30th of June and what happens in July and going forward.
WATSON: I think both in Iraq and in the U.S. more people will pay attention beginning July 1. HEMMER: You come back anytime, all right?
WATSON: Hey, I appreciate it. HEMMER: Thank you.
WATSON: Going to your home state next week. HEMMER: Oh, well, enjoy that, all right?
WATSON: I will. HEMMER: From one Buckeye to another.
WATSON: I'm sure that's true. HEMMER: Nice to see you.
WATSON: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Many of the details of the plan President Bush talked about last night are spelled out in a draft U.N. resolution sponsored by the U.S. and Great Britain. But it has its critics and it is facing some hurdles, as well.
Senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth now with more -- Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
The question for many Security Council members here -- is this going to be sovereignty lite? Concerns from France and Germany and others, will the new Iraqi fledgling caretaker government, indeed, have authority over troops on the ground?
There is supposed to be an exchange of letters coming up between Iraqis and the United States led multinational force which will take over after June 30 to lay out a plan of cooperation. And it appears Iraq will have the right to have its troops refuse to go into certain areas if they object.
But this is not spelled out specifically in the resolution. Nations like Algeria have issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDALLAH BAALI, ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: There are some ambiguities that we need to clarify, including the relationship between the Iraqi government and the multinational force. We have to look into some details in the draft. But I am confident that we will be able to have a good result in the coming days.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROTH: An irritating point for other ambassadors, they don't know who they're really going to be dealing with, since anybody speaking for Iraq now will be out of power after June 30.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUNTER PLEUGER, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We do not have as yet the report of Mr. Brahimi. And, of course, the Security Council will only be able to support an interim government that it knows. And before Mr. Brahimi comes back from Baghdad, we will not know how that interim government has been selected and who the members of that government are. So this is an issue that still has to be resolved before we can vote on the resolution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Mr. Brahimi is Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special troubleshooting envoy in Iraq, who's due back soon, though there is some concern here he may need more time to form some type of caretaker government -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Richard, a quick question for you.
First, is this resolution, maybe with some tweaking, is it expected to pass? And, if so, when is that expected?
ROTH: The U.S. says it'll pass. It'll be passing, it says, in early June, it hopes. But it's more likely the eventual day will move closer to that June 30 handover date -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth for us this morning.
Richard, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, about 10 minutes now past the hour.
Could the release of a highly anticipated film this Friday actually have an impact on the presidential election in the fall?
Our national correspondent, Kelly Wallace, back with us on AMERICAN MORNING here looking at that -- good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, it is the first major motion picture on global warming and it has Democrats and Republicans trading barbs with each other and the Hollywood producers behind the film with big smiles on their faces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): Hollywood's version of catastrophic global warming -- three days of disaster leading to a new ice age on earth, more fiction than fact, scientists say. But that has not kept politics away from the new movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." After all, there was Al Gore, no stranger to the global warming debate, touting the movie just before its New York premier and blasting the White House.
AL GORE (D), FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: We see the consequences of not looking ahead and planning ahead in Iraq. What about the consequences of not looking ahead and planning ahead where global warming is concerned?
WALLACE: The town meeting, featuring Gore, was sponsored by the liberal group Moveon.org, whose Web site says "The Day After Tomorrow" is the movie the White House doesn't want you to see.
Asked about that, President Bush's supporters fired back.
JIM DYKE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I think some people may be turned off by an anti-war group and Vice President Gore trying to take advantage, some sort of political advantage or some sort of political statement.
WALLACE: But could the movie sway some swing voters? Probably not, because in a Gallup poll earlier this month, only one percent of voters said the environment was the most important non-economic problem facing the country. And in a March survey, nearly 40 percent said they thought the seriousness of global warming was generally exaggerated. Almost 60 percent said it was generally correct or underestimated.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for coming.
WALLACE: Neither President Bush nor John Kerry even mentioned the words global warming on Earth Day last month and neither candidate has said anything about the new movie. But the Hollywood studio behind the film doesn't mind, saying it is thrilled with all the attention.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Because all the buzz might do more to boost ticket sales than boost the Democrats' chance of retaking the White House.
HEMMER: And ultimately, you know, the political debate depends on how good that film is, right?
WALLACE: Ultimately it does. If it's not a good one, then it might not have an impact.
HEMMER: That's right.
Thanks, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
HEMMER: Good to see you.
WALLACE: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Soledad. O'BRIEN: The Midwest bracing for another wave of storms today. Tornadoes ripped through Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma yesterday, piling damage on top of that caused by more than 80 twisters that happened over the weekend. Albany, Missouri was one of the hardest places. Homes were blown right off their foundations. Injuries, though, weren't serious.
What's ahead for today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Let's turn now to Heidi Collins.
She's got a look at some of the other stories making headlines today -- hello, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, once again, you guys.
We want to get to those stories right now, though, about 15 minutes past the hour.
Here's what's happening right now.
Another car bombing in Iraq, this one in front of a hotel in Baghdad. There are still conflicting reports, though, on casualties. Iraqis say four people were killed in the blast, but coalition officials say five were only hurt.
And in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, a Shiite Muslim shrine was slightly damaged in an explosion there. Najaf has been the scene of ongoing battles between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to radical Islamic cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Memorial Day weekend just days away and as millions of Americans get ready to hit the highways, gas prices are still skyrocketing. The Energy Department says the national average for a gallon of gasoline is now $2.06. That's up nearly $0.05 from just one week ago and $0.58 higher from the same time last year.
Authorities in Georgia ordering residents in the Conyers area to evacuate now as a massive chemical plant fire rages there. An explosion is believed to have triggered the blaze, but it's not clear what types of chemicals are stored in the warehouse. So far, no injuries are reported.
A British honor for the former head of the U.S. Central Command. Retired General Tommy Franks is to receive an honorary knighthood from British Secretary of Different Geoff Hune. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the general is being honored for exceptional and inspiring leadership of British forces during operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But the new title does not give Franks the right to call himself sir.
And Madonna back for yet another reinvention. The 45-year-old superstar kicking off her reinvent last night in Los Angeles. The tour will continue this year throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. An estimated three quarters of a million fans are expected to turn out to see the material girl perform.
I don't know when she's going to lose that title, the material girl.
When was that, like back in the '80s, right?
HEMMER: Right.
CAFFERTY: She's no longer a girl. We can start there.
COLLINS: Right you are, Sir Jack.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
The Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Any tickets left for that? I'd like to go to that quite a bit.
HEMMER: It's the third week in June, I think, here at Madison Square.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
Put me down for a vacation then.
O'BRIEN: And you know what? We can go together.
CAFFERTY: Hey, there you go.
President Bush said the United States will tear down the Abu Ghraib Prison if the Iraqis approve. The military has suspended Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was in charge of the U.S. troops accused of the abuse. And those soldiers are being court- martialed.
Nevertheless, it is a huge black mark.
What's the proper way to deal with the prisoner abuse scandal, is the question.
Joshua in Sarasota, Florida writes this: "Why should the American taxpayer shell out the money to tear down and rebuild a prison just so that this administration can save face in an election year? Haven't we shelled out enough money already just so we can be in Iraq and torture the prisoners in the first place?"
David in Waterbury, Connecticut: "The administration's passing the buck. No one at the top is taking any responsibility. Rather than tear down the building, it's time to tear down the policies that allowed this to happen. Rumsfeld should go now. Bush and his regime should go in November."
G.A., U.S. Navy, retired, in Naples, Florida: "Take our lumps and move on. Can't put it back in the bag, but it sure would be nice if you news folks would let us move on. You're blowing it way out of proportion to what is really happening over there. Ah, the news media, what a sorry lot."
And Innes in New York writes: "If the administration had made clear it was unacceptable by relieving a high ranking military person like Sanchez and/or Miller, the scandal would be somewhat diffused. It is precisely because they will not concede a failure of leadership that the scandal continues."
Abcnews.com.
O'BRIEN: Interesting mail this morning.
CAFFERTY: Good stuff, yes.
O'BRIEN: We should also mention that the brigadier general, Janis Karpinski, is going to be our guest on AMERICAN MORNING.
HEMMER: Yup, tomorrow.
O'BRIEN: She, of course, is the one who was heading Abu Ghraib before she was reassigned, depending on who you believe, or moved somewhere.
HEMMER: Head of prisons in Iraq.
CAFFERTY: She's going to be here this morning?
O'BRIEN: Tomorrow morning.
HEMMER: Tomorrow.
CAFFERTY: Oh, tomorrow. OK. She was here before, too, right, after the story broke?
O'BRIEN: That's the D.T.s, yes. Yes (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CAFFERTY: The D.T.s, as they say in the biz.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
CAFFERTY: OK.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the top U.S. officer may soon be rotated out of Iraq. A notorious prison might be coming down. Would it make a difference, though, for the U.S. there? We'll take you live to the Pentagon.
Also, airlines try to raise prices once again. Will it stick this time?
And today marks the 21st anniversary of National Missing Children's Day.
There's John Walsh. We'll talk to him in just a moment about what progress has been made.
Those stories all ahead as AMERICAN MORNING continues, right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Some 800,000 children are missing in the U.S. Today marks the 21st anniversary of National Missing Children's Day.
You'd be hard pressed to find a person more devoted to protecting children than John Walsh. He is the host of "America's Most Wanted." He's also the cofounder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
John Walsh joining us this morning from Ruckville, Maryland.
Nice to see you, John.
Thanks for being with us.
JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: As we mentioned, today -- you're welcome.
Today is National Missing Children's Day.
Give us some perspective. Are things improving on this front or would you say that actually things have gotten worse, more dangerous, for children?
WALSH: Well, I think things are improving in our response. Twenty-two years ago when Adam was abducted, our 6-year-old son, there was no National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. There wasn't a rapid response by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. And there weren't the resources that we have today.
We see a lot of cases of missing children, we see a lot about predators out there and we have a new type of predator, we have the online predator, the pedophile that's lurking in that chat room, posing as a 12 or 13-year-old child when in reality they're a 55-year- old child molester.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, some of the statistics that you've released about this, one in five kids solicited by a sexual predator online.
So, in light of that, what do you advise parents to do? Obviously they can't tell their kids not to use their computers.
WALSH: No, absolutely not. We don't say pull the plug. The Internet is a tremendous resource. But we say put that computer in a common place, like in the family room where you can look over your child's shoulder. You're absolutely right, one in five children are sexually solicited online and only one in four children actually tell anybody. So we have a new form of predator who's hiding behind the Internet.
But there are many, many ways to combat that. And one of them is to visit our Web site, cybertipline.com. And you can get all kinds of free information on how to talk to your kids and how to know what these predators are doing in those chat rooms.
O'BRIEN: What about specific information on how to understand the acronyms that the kids are sending back and forth? Because, of course, they have these instant messages that are all basically shorthand and adults use them, too, in the workplace sometimes. But the kids' language is a whole other thing.
How do you break that kind of code?
WALSH: Well, again, parents should really make themselves computer savvy. And it doesn't take an awful lot. The kids have their own jargon, you know, like OMS, over my shoulder means that they're talking to somebody in that chat room and when they hit OMS, as a parent you should know that that person is giving that child a signal or that child is saying there's a parent watching over my shoulder.
Or teachers are watching, TAW, is another acronym.
So parents need to really open those lines of communication. You really need to know what your children are doing. And we've had so many cases of children being lured out of the house to meet someone at a mall that they thought was another child their age when it turned out to be an adult that wanted to molest them.
O'BRIEN: What do you possibly advise parents, though -- for example, the story we covered not that long ago, a young woman, a girl, really, fled her home and took with her her computer hard drive. That's obviously the way that investigators often try to track down who she may have been meeting with or who she may have been snatched by.
How do you advise parents in that kind of situation to avoid that?
WALSH: Well, certainly, again, get involved in your children's lives and find out who they're talking to on the computer. Get that information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and be prepared. And if you think your child has been lured out, call police immediately, or call the National Center, 1-800-THE- LOST. And they'll give you information. They'll get right involved in the case.
But, you know, this is a whole different day and age, Soledad. And we have people that hide behind the computer and I really think that parents have to assume, not assume it can't happen to me. This is what I hear all the time -- my god, my child got lured out, I didn't know that they were talking to an adult, an adult who wanted to hurt them.
I mean people have got to get over the fact, yes, it can happen to me, get involved, open the lines of communication with your kids and get some solid information on how to deal with online predators.
O'BRIEN: You gave an award to Elizabeth Smart the other day, the National Courage Award. How is she doing?
WALSH: She's doing great. I'll tell you, we had our annual congressional breakfast and the room was full of congressmen and senators and cops that were getting awards. Everybody was there. And you could hear a pin drop when Elizabeth Smart played that harp. She had asked to play it. She's doing unbelievably well. She's got a wonderful, loving family. And that girl went through hell in those nine months that she was kidnapped by that guy. But she's doing very, very well.
As a matter of fact, she went to a senior prom -- and she's only a sophomore -- this weekend. So our prayers are with her. I was just thrilled to see that we hit a home run, we got a child back alive and she's doing wonderful. She's got a wonderful family.
O'BRIEN: It's nice to see her growing into a young lady now, isn't it?
John Walsh from "America's Most Wanted"; also, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, joining us this morning.
John, as always, nice to see you.
Thanks.
WALSH: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the Army general once in charge of the Abu Ghraib Prison now suspended. And should the Baghdad area facility come down? The days of Abu Ghraib could be numbered.
A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody.
How are you doing today?
O'BRIEN: Never better, Bill.
And you?
HEMMER: That's what I thought.
O'BRIEN: I've got a feeling this side shot is not a good shot.
Go ahead.
HEMMER: You look terrific.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, yes.
HEMMER: That's a nice new baby blue, which is just perfect.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Thank you.
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody.
I'm trying to suck up to my partner here today.
O'BRIEN: You did a good job.
Thanks.
HEMMER: Thank you.
A major change in leadership now in the works in Iraq. The top U.S. commander in that country, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, is leaving.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
