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American Morning
Kerry, Edwards Hold Rally; Secretary of State Colin Powell Defends Iraqi Freedom
Aired July 30, 2004 - 07:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to Boston. 7:30 local time here.
What you're looking at across the harbor there is the event that we anticipate should get started any minute now. This will be the first time we see Senator Kerry after his speech given last night inside the FleetCenter.
And we are still in Boston. We've moved across the harbor, though. We're on the inner harbor of Boston right where the Charles River converges with the Mystic River. And we'll be broadcasting from here throughout the morning.
Heidi, we have joined the election express today.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Uh oh.
HEMMER: The CNN election bus today, so we are the lucky ones today.
Good morning to you back in New York.
COLLINS: Have you been inside that thing yet?
HEMMER: Yes, it's swank, let's say.
COLLINS: Quite swanky. All right.
HEMMER: Hank Williams used to have this thing on tour, by the way.
COLLINS: Yes, I heard that about him.
HEMMER: It's going to go all the way across the country with the candidates, too. And we'll be having a part of that.
As we go across the harbor there, you can see, that's where the event is, if you go across the harbor and back into the city of Boston.
How are you doing today?
COLLINS: I'm doing great. Hey, maybe you should look under the seat in that thing. You'll find some old guitars or sheet music or something from Hank.
HEMMER: There's a thought -- or some other things that we don't want.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, yes, thanks so much for that.
Good morning to you, everybody.
Also this half hour we're going to talking about the Senate. The government affairs committee who will hear testimony from the 9/11 commission's chairman and vice chairman today. It's the first congressional hearing on the commission's recommendations. There will be 12 altogether.
But before we do, let's go back to Bill in Boston, and a beautiful setting there -- Bill?
HEMMER: All right, Heidi thanks for that.
Last night John Kerry's ultimate chance to define himself, at this point, for America and voters across the country. His speech went shorter than anticipated. Set to go about 55 minutes in length, it actually went 45 with Kerry talking about his family, his military experience in Vietnam, about the war on terror, the economy. He also leveled some pointed attacks on the current administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us in to war. I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a secretary of dense who will listen to the advice of the military leaders. And I will appoint an attorney general who will uphold the constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Part of his speech from last evening there. There was a zombie poll done last night and a little of that polling, too, was conducted before the speech last evening, showing that the Democrats did not necessarily get a bounce from this four-day convention here in Boston. But it did show the Republicans losing a little bit of ground.
Now listen, these are very early numbers. And as we go throughout the coming week and two weeks out from now when we move toward the Republicans in New York, these numbers are going to be shifting slightly up and down.
All the polling that indicates at this point, this election, it's extremely tight yet again. Does that change in the month of August? Well, that's why we're here and that's why we will follow it.
When that event gets underway, we'll certainly bring it to you live across the harbor here in Boston. But for now, back to New York again and Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, very good. In about four hours from now the first congressional hearing on the recommendations of the 9/11 commission will get under way. Congressional correspondent Ed Henry is on Capitol Hill now with a preview of that.
Ed, good morning to you.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
This Senate governmental affairs committee hearing is so urgent that senators are cutting short their vacations. Democrats are racing from Boston to get here on time. And as this first hearing kicks off, it appears that Congress and the commission are not quite on the same page just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Like millions of Americans, Senator Susan Collins has been pouring over the commission's final report.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), CHAIRMAN, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: I think it offers us a blueprint for reform that is invaluable.
HENRY: But the chairman of this morning's hearing is known for independence. She's vows to give the recommendations heavy scrutiny.
COLLINS: We are not going to rubber stamp them. We're going to analyze them carefully.
HENRY: Republican Collins and Democrat Joe Lieberman are focusing on the two biggest proposals, creation of a national director of intelligence and a new counter terrorism center.
But commission members think Congress and the president should adopt all 41 proposals. They want little, if any, tinkering.
RICHARD BEN VENISTE, 9/11 COMMISSION: These recommendations are interlocking and interdependent. This is not a Chinese menu where you pick one from column A and on from column B. They all work together.
HENRY: Today's star witnesses, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton. They've pledged to hold public officials accountable. And congressional leaders are suddenly moving at a brisk pace.
In addition to the Senate hearing, no fewer than six House committees will hold 15 hearings in August. One Republican aide noted that with the government warning of attacks, lawmakers will "looked like jackasses if we don't do something."
The chairman of a previous commission on terror urges caution.
JAMES GILMORE, FMR. CHAIRMAN OF TERROR COMM.: My advice would be to not be stampeded by the political situation we're in, by the election year, by the sense that if they don't do something right away that somehow they're going to be criticized if, God forbid, there should be another attack, somehow they'll be blamed. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Heidi, there is a lot of pressure on Congress to act. There's time pressure because there is a short window to enact legislation in September and the beginning of October.
There is also a lot of election year pressure, obviously both parties angling to get the upper hand on the security issue. And finally, the commission is putting a lot of heat on Congress.
In fact, CNN has learned that starting next Tuesday, commission members are going to start traveling the country to give speeches and start really putting Congress' feet to the fire promoting the commission's final report and saying that Congress has act soon -- Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Pressure from at least three directions, there. Ed, thanks so much for that this morning.
35 minutes past the hour now -- time for a look at some of today's other news and Daryn Kagan. Good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.
We begin with a surprise, a surprise visit to Baghdad. Secretary of State Colin Powell is meeting with Iraqi officials in Baghdad this morning. He is expected to speak any moment now. CNN will bring you those comments live.
And heavy fighting overnight in Fallujah. At least 13 Iraqis were killed, more than a dozen others wounded. There are no American casualties.
An army sergeant in the U.S. Army has been convicted of armed robbery in Iraq. A military panel yesterday found James Williams guilty of taking an SUV at gunpoint from an Iraqi sheik. The jury recommended a reduction of Williams' rank and a discharge for bad conduct but no prison time. Williams' civilian lawyer says his client does plan to appeal that conviction.
Kobe Bryant returns to Colorado today for one of his final hearings before his trial begins. Yesterday, Bryant's defense team said that his accuser has received more than $17,000 from victims compensation fund. And they say that's an incentive to pursue a false sexual assault claim.
From the world of sports, ka-ching. Eli Manning, the first overall pick in the NFL draft by the New York Giants has signed a deal worth more than $54 million over six years. The deal includes a record $20 million signing bonus for the top pick, the largest ever for a rookie.
That also makes him almost as wealthy as his brother, Peyton Manning, who received a $34.5 million bonus when he re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts this year.
Rob Marciano, your first job out of school, more or less than $20 million.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just a little bit less.
KAGAN: Just a little bit.
MARCIANO: And Eli hasn't even proved himself.
KAGAN: I know, he doesn't even have the starting job. He has to compete with Curt Warner for the starting job.
MARCIANO: The Giants could use him, either way.
KAGAN: They need the help.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MARCIANO: We go to Bill in Boston. Back over to you.
HEMMER: Rob, thanks for that. I want to take you across the harbor yet again. It's our understanding that Senator John Kerry has arrived for that that we've been anticipating throughout the morning here.
We expect this speech by the senator to last a short period of time here, this off the heels of his address last night. And then after that, he and Senator John Edwards will embark on a monstrous tour, about 3,500 miles, coast-to-coast campaign, 21 states.
While at the same time, President Bush leaves Crawford, Texas and embarks on a two-day swing through four of the key states, the battleground states including Ohio, Michigan, Missouri chief among them.
Last night, Senator Kerry in that 45-minute address that went on here and concluded right around 11:00 in Boston, in prime time to conclude the events, in part saying the future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom.
Ben Affleck, the well-known Bostonian, who has been -- he's been ubiquitous throughout the week here in Boston, showing up at various media locations and outlets here.
Let's drop in for a second here, pick up a little bit of this sound and then we'll talk about it after this.
(BEGIN LIVE EVENT, KERRY/EDWARDS, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS)
ANNOUNCER: We've got quite a ticket on this party, I'll tell you what. These guys are amazing. And you're going to hear from again shortly. But first I want to introduce the man, the mayor of this city, our city, my city, your city.
HEMMER: We'll hear from Thomas Menino here in a second. It was just a few short months ago when his office, the mayor, had a bit of a spat with the Kerry campaign locally in Boston -- not between the two men necessarily but between the city and the campaign. And some sharp words exchanged on behalf of the mayor's office.
We are told it's all patched up at this point. And the mayor quite proud of what his city has done throughout the week here in Boston. A number of concerns with security -- and, listen, it was not an easy city to navigate -- once you were around the location of the FleetCenter.
But in the heart of Boston, it appeared that a lot of people here cleared out, which helped in terms of traffic and people flow. And I think overall the people in Boston are quite pleased with what they did this week in showing America how it could pull off this significant and major event for the country.
Senator Kennedy, though, the senior senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, so critical in bringing this event to this city. The folks back in Detroit wanted this event badly. They lost out in large part because of Senator Kennedy's influence and the ability the Bostonians had to raise millions of dollars to pay for this event.
Here's the mayor talking now.
THOMAS MENINO, BOSTON MAYOR: Ladies and gentlemen, Senator John Kerry, Senator John Edwards, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Elizabeth Edwards and their families.
HEMMER: It's our understanding that Senator Kerry and his wife Teresa spent the last two nights here in Boston at their home in Beacon Hill. Ironically, that is the home, back in January, where Senator Kerry took out an additional mortgage to the tune of $6.4 million to keep his campaign afloat.
It was during the caucuses, a week before Iowa caucused together in the middle of January, where Senator Kerry found himself floundering in the polls, in fourth place according to many of those numbers in Iowa. He went on a seven-day streak, in the week before the caucuses and pulled that one out.
And that really set the platform for him to barrel into New Hampshire in the Northeast and continue his primary run and then eventually leading to the acceptance last night in Boston of the party's nomination, trying to be the 44th president of the United States.
This will be a campaign that will be fought day to day, sometimes hour to hour in the current news cycle. And that campaign officially kicks off today.
The sounds of Bruce Springsteen, "No Retreat. No Surrender." The same theme that Senator Kerry talked about when he arrived here in Boston on Wednesday afternoon.
And after the speech last night, the sounds of U2 and Bono, and the sounds of "A Beautiful Day," themes that Senator Kerry and John Edwards will certainly take forward with them, talking about optimism.
We heard some of those themes Wednesday night and a lot more of it last evening as well. And now we listen again here in Boston across the harbor.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you. What a beautiful -- what a beautiful, beautiful morning. Thank you all so much for being here, as we lead off and start this "Believe in America" tour. What a wonderful place to start it.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: Also, I have to say, on behalf of my wife Elizabeth and myself, what a wonderful day to start the celebration of our 27th anniversary.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: We're so honored to be here with you.
You know, we had extraordinary week here in Boston, an extraordinary convention, talking about this message of hope and optimism for the country. We're going it leave here, spread this message all across America. I'm convinced that America will embrace this message.
People are hungry for hope. For the belief that John and I share, that tomorrow can be better than today.
And I have to say something...
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: I have to say something about the man who will be our next president.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: He hit a home run last night.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: It cleared the Green Monster, sailed past the Citgo sign, and is headed for the White House.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: I was very proud, very proud to hear him share with the country his vision for what we can do for America, his belief and my belief that we can still build one America in this country where we have a health care system that works for everybody, an economy that works for everybody, how we create jobs for everybody, where opportunity is a birth right once again in America, which is what both of us believe in, and we create a world where we're, once again, respected, and we're strong here at home.
That's what this campaign is about. That's what this "Believe in America" tour is about.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: And so, thank you all very much for being here this morning. As we leave Boston with an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm, as we leave Boston and travel across America and spread this message -- as I said on Wednesday night, hope is on the way.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: Teresa was wonderful on Tuesday night.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: She touched all our hearts.
John and Teresa's beautiful family. John's daughters last night were also extraordinary...
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: ... as were the Heinz boys, and I was -- men, I should say. Heinz men. And I was pretty proud of my daughter Cate, too, I have to say.
So, ladies and gentlemen, let me give you the man who hit a home run last night, the man who's going to bring hope to America again, the man who's going to lift this country up, the next president of the United States, my friend, my colleague, John Kerry!
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning. I love you. You guys are great, I've got to tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Wasn't I just standing up in front of you a few minutes ago? Where did the night go? I'll tell you, when you're having fun. I'm longing to have my head hit a pillow, ladies and gentlemen.
(LAUGHTER)
KERRY: I got to tell you, I want to put this whole thing in perspective, though. John and I were talking a moment ago. Between the two of us, John Edwards and I, we decided that Ben Affleck had about four hours more TV than we did.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Isn't it great to have Ben Affleck here celebrating his city? It's been great.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I want to say thank you to this great, great city of Boston, which I am a resident of. I love it. It is a great city. Led by a mayor who just keeps on working for the city to make it better and better. He put on a great show. Boston put on a great show. America's grateful to Boston for what you did.
Thank you, Tom Menino.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: And don't you think I made a great choice for vice president of the United States of America?
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I thought he gave a great speech the other night and I said it last night and I'll say it again: This son of a mill worker is ready to lead America, and had he gets in there next January, it's going to be wonderful to have a vice president of the United States who represents and fights for the middle class of America, and remembers what the needs of this country are.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I know I'm biased -- I know I'm completely biased, but I was so filled with pride, and I was smiling through the whole speech as I sat there listening to my wife Teresa deliver what I thought was a wonderful, substantive, terrific speech. It was brilliant.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: And Elizabeth Edwards...
HEMMER: And with that the Democrats are off and running. The campaign continues in full force today, 21 states, 3,500 miles.
The Republicans, meanwhile, will get their chance to take center stage in about a month's time. Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City on the island of Manhattan.
We'll continue to watch this here. There is other breaking news around the world. For that, back to New York and Heidi again.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks for that.
I want to take you directly to Baghdad now where Secretary of State Colin Powell has made an unannounced trip to Baghdad. We are looking at on the screen now the Iraqi deputy prime minister. Colin Powell is standing next to him and will speak just moments from now. Let's listen in for just a moment.
BARHAM SALIH, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ (through translator): ... to creating positive relationships with the rest of the world where Iraq will restore its place. The new experiment of Iraq in building a new, free Democratic society is an important element in civilization and promoting peace in the region.
Our talks focused on the political process and the security situation in Iraq, as well as the issue of reconstructing Iraq. We have discussed various mechanisms of coordinating between the Iraqi government and the American side, in terms of activating and accelerating the process of reconstruction, and using the financial resources.
Once again, I would like to welcome Secretary Powell and I would like to thank him for visiting my country.
The floor is yours.
COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Prime Minister.
I'm very pleased to be back in Iraq and to be in Baghdad. The country was liberated a year ago, and now I am pleased to be back when it is under its own sovereign leadership; a government that is showing great courage and determination in dealing with the challenges that are ahead, but a government under your leadership, the leadership of the prime minister, the leadership of the president and all of your other cabinet ministers; a government that is determined to prevail over the insurgency that would deny the Iraqi people their hopes for a better life, their dreams of a safe future.
I wanted to let all of the Iraqi leaders I have spoken to over the last day or so know that President Bush and his administration and the other coalition leaders remain firmly committed to the task that is ahead: to help the Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government defeat this insurgency, to get on with the preparations for elections that will take place by the end of the year, no later than January of next year, and from that a transitional of a national assembly we will see come into being with a new national government leading to the finishing of the constitution next year and then full elections.
I am very pleased that the national conference is being prepared, although there has been a two-week slip. It seems that this is an appropriate thing to do in order to make sure that the preparations are made and made well and that it goes off in a very, very fine fashion. And so we look forward to the results of this conference, where the Iraqi people come together and talk to one another and talk to their interim government about their hopes and dreams and their plans for the future.
As the deputy prime minister mentioned, we talked quite a bit about reconstruction. And I have had good conversations during the course of the day, as well, with Ambassador Negroponte and his team.
We want to speed up the flow of funds into the reconstruction effort. We want to rebuild the infrastructure. We want to create jobs. We want to show the Iraqi people that this money is being used for their benefit and to do it as quickly as we can.
And I committed to the deputy prime minister, as well as to the president and the prime minister, that we'll be doing this in the very near future, to speed up the flow of money in order to get the job done. Because reconstruction and security are two sides of the same coin. When people see things happening in the society, their economy is starting to be built up again, their water problems are being dealt with, electricity is being restored and other infrastructure problems are taken care of, that contributes to a sense of safety and improves the security environment.
It's important to note that the leaders of Iraq are very courageous. They put themselves at risk every day.
We have to make sure that these insurgents understand that we will not be deterred, they will not be deterred. The insurgents, the terrorists will be defeated. There can be no other option.
The Iraqi people deserve freedom. They deserve democracy. They want freedom. They want democracy. And we must not let outsiders or insiders of any kind deny the Iraqi people that which they richly deserve and that which they want.
Thank you very much for your hospitality.
COLLINS: Once again, live from Baghdad this morning -- Secretary of State Colin Powell. You hear him talking there.
He met earlier with the Iraqi president, the Iraqi deputy prime minister and the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, all talking about reaffirming America's dedication to the establishment of the new government in that country.
For now, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: For all those who believe that our best days are ahead of us, with great faith in the American people, I accept your nomination for president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: John Kerry is now the Democratic nominee, making his case in prime time here at the convention center in Boston at the FleetCenter. And now comes a massive cross-country campaign tour.
That starts this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired July 30, 2004 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to Boston. 7:30 local time here.
What you're looking at across the harbor there is the event that we anticipate should get started any minute now. This will be the first time we see Senator Kerry after his speech given last night inside the FleetCenter.
And we are still in Boston. We've moved across the harbor, though. We're on the inner harbor of Boston right where the Charles River converges with the Mystic River. And we'll be broadcasting from here throughout the morning.
Heidi, we have joined the election express today.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Uh oh.
HEMMER: The CNN election bus today, so we are the lucky ones today.
Good morning to you back in New York.
COLLINS: Have you been inside that thing yet?
HEMMER: Yes, it's swank, let's say.
COLLINS: Quite swanky. All right.
HEMMER: Hank Williams used to have this thing on tour, by the way.
COLLINS: Yes, I heard that about him.
HEMMER: It's going to go all the way across the country with the candidates, too. And we'll be having a part of that.
As we go across the harbor there, you can see, that's where the event is, if you go across the harbor and back into the city of Boston.
How are you doing today?
COLLINS: I'm doing great. Hey, maybe you should look under the seat in that thing. You'll find some old guitars or sheet music or something from Hank.
HEMMER: There's a thought -- or some other things that we don't want.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, yes, thanks so much for that.
Good morning to you, everybody.
Also this half hour we're going to talking about the Senate. The government affairs committee who will hear testimony from the 9/11 commission's chairman and vice chairman today. It's the first congressional hearing on the commission's recommendations. There will be 12 altogether.
But before we do, let's go back to Bill in Boston, and a beautiful setting there -- Bill?
HEMMER: All right, Heidi thanks for that.
Last night John Kerry's ultimate chance to define himself, at this point, for America and voters across the country. His speech went shorter than anticipated. Set to go about 55 minutes in length, it actually went 45 with Kerry talking about his family, his military experience in Vietnam, about the war on terror, the economy. He also leveled some pointed attacks on the current administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us in to war. I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a secretary of dense who will listen to the advice of the military leaders. And I will appoint an attorney general who will uphold the constitution of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Part of his speech from last evening there. There was a zombie poll done last night and a little of that polling, too, was conducted before the speech last evening, showing that the Democrats did not necessarily get a bounce from this four-day convention here in Boston. But it did show the Republicans losing a little bit of ground.
Now listen, these are very early numbers. And as we go throughout the coming week and two weeks out from now when we move toward the Republicans in New York, these numbers are going to be shifting slightly up and down.
All the polling that indicates at this point, this election, it's extremely tight yet again. Does that change in the month of August? Well, that's why we're here and that's why we will follow it.
When that event gets underway, we'll certainly bring it to you live across the harbor here in Boston. But for now, back to New York again and Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, very good. In about four hours from now the first congressional hearing on the recommendations of the 9/11 commission will get under way. Congressional correspondent Ed Henry is on Capitol Hill now with a preview of that.
Ed, good morning to you.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
This Senate governmental affairs committee hearing is so urgent that senators are cutting short their vacations. Democrats are racing from Boston to get here on time. And as this first hearing kicks off, it appears that Congress and the commission are not quite on the same page just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Like millions of Americans, Senator Susan Collins has been pouring over the commission's final report.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), CHAIRMAN, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: I think it offers us a blueprint for reform that is invaluable.
HENRY: But the chairman of this morning's hearing is known for independence. She's vows to give the recommendations heavy scrutiny.
COLLINS: We are not going to rubber stamp them. We're going to analyze them carefully.
HENRY: Republican Collins and Democrat Joe Lieberman are focusing on the two biggest proposals, creation of a national director of intelligence and a new counter terrorism center.
But commission members think Congress and the president should adopt all 41 proposals. They want little, if any, tinkering.
RICHARD BEN VENISTE, 9/11 COMMISSION: These recommendations are interlocking and interdependent. This is not a Chinese menu where you pick one from column A and on from column B. They all work together.
HENRY: Today's star witnesses, Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton. They've pledged to hold public officials accountable. And congressional leaders are suddenly moving at a brisk pace.
In addition to the Senate hearing, no fewer than six House committees will hold 15 hearings in August. One Republican aide noted that with the government warning of attacks, lawmakers will "looked like jackasses if we don't do something."
The chairman of a previous commission on terror urges caution.
JAMES GILMORE, FMR. CHAIRMAN OF TERROR COMM.: My advice would be to not be stampeded by the political situation we're in, by the election year, by the sense that if they don't do something right away that somehow they're going to be criticized if, God forbid, there should be another attack, somehow they'll be blamed. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Heidi, there is a lot of pressure on Congress to act. There's time pressure because there is a short window to enact legislation in September and the beginning of October.
There is also a lot of election year pressure, obviously both parties angling to get the upper hand on the security issue. And finally, the commission is putting a lot of heat on Congress.
In fact, CNN has learned that starting next Tuesday, commission members are going to start traveling the country to give speeches and start really putting Congress' feet to the fire promoting the commission's final report and saying that Congress has act soon -- Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Pressure from at least three directions, there. Ed, thanks so much for that this morning.
35 minutes past the hour now -- time for a look at some of today's other news and Daryn Kagan. Good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, good morning.
We begin with a surprise, a surprise visit to Baghdad. Secretary of State Colin Powell is meeting with Iraqi officials in Baghdad this morning. He is expected to speak any moment now. CNN will bring you those comments live.
And heavy fighting overnight in Fallujah. At least 13 Iraqis were killed, more than a dozen others wounded. There are no American casualties.
An army sergeant in the U.S. Army has been convicted of armed robbery in Iraq. A military panel yesterday found James Williams guilty of taking an SUV at gunpoint from an Iraqi sheik. The jury recommended a reduction of Williams' rank and a discharge for bad conduct but no prison time. Williams' civilian lawyer says his client does plan to appeal that conviction.
Kobe Bryant returns to Colorado today for one of his final hearings before his trial begins. Yesterday, Bryant's defense team said that his accuser has received more than $17,000 from victims compensation fund. And they say that's an incentive to pursue a false sexual assault claim.
From the world of sports, ka-ching. Eli Manning, the first overall pick in the NFL draft by the New York Giants has signed a deal worth more than $54 million over six years. The deal includes a record $20 million signing bonus for the top pick, the largest ever for a rookie.
That also makes him almost as wealthy as his brother, Peyton Manning, who received a $34.5 million bonus when he re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts this year.
Rob Marciano, your first job out of school, more or less than $20 million.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just a little bit less.
KAGAN: Just a little bit.
MARCIANO: And Eli hasn't even proved himself.
KAGAN: I know, he doesn't even have the starting job. He has to compete with Curt Warner for the starting job.
MARCIANO: The Giants could use him, either way.
KAGAN: They need the help.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MARCIANO: We go to Bill in Boston. Back over to you.
HEMMER: Rob, thanks for that. I want to take you across the harbor yet again. It's our understanding that Senator John Kerry has arrived for that that we've been anticipating throughout the morning here.
We expect this speech by the senator to last a short period of time here, this off the heels of his address last night. And then after that, he and Senator John Edwards will embark on a monstrous tour, about 3,500 miles, coast-to-coast campaign, 21 states.
While at the same time, President Bush leaves Crawford, Texas and embarks on a two-day swing through four of the key states, the battleground states including Ohio, Michigan, Missouri chief among them.
Last night, Senator Kerry in that 45-minute address that went on here and concluded right around 11:00 in Boston, in prime time to conclude the events, in part saying the future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom.
Ben Affleck, the well-known Bostonian, who has been -- he's been ubiquitous throughout the week here in Boston, showing up at various media locations and outlets here.
Let's drop in for a second here, pick up a little bit of this sound and then we'll talk about it after this.
(BEGIN LIVE EVENT, KERRY/EDWARDS, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS)
ANNOUNCER: We've got quite a ticket on this party, I'll tell you what. These guys are amazing. And you're going to hear from again shortly. But first I want to introduce the man, the mayor of this city, our city, my city, your city.
HEMMER: We'll hear from Thomas Menino here in a second. It was just a few short months ago when his office, the mayor, had a bit of a spat with the Kerry campaign locally in Boston -- not between the two men necessarily but between the city and the campaign. And some sharp words exchanged on behalf of the mayor's office.
We are told it's all patched up at this point. And the mayor quite proud of what his city has done throughout the week here in Boston. A number of concerns with security -- and, listen, it was not an easy city to navigate -- once you were around the location of the FleetCenter.
But in the heart of Boston, it appeared that a lot of people here cleared out, which helped in terms of traffic and people flow. And I think overall the people in Boston are quite pleased with what they did this week in showing America how it could pull off this significant and major event for the country.
Senator Kennedy, though, the senior senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, so critical in bringing this event to this city. The folks back in Detroit wanted this event badly. They lost out in large part because of Senator Kennedy's influence and the ability the Bostonians had to raise millions of dollars to pay for this event.
Here's the mayor talking now.
THOMAS MENINO, BOSTON MAYOR: Ladies and gentlemen, Senator John Kerry, Senator John Edwards, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Elizabeth Edwards and their families.
HEMMER: It's our understanding that Senator Kerry and his wife Teresa spent the last two nights here in Boston at their home in Beacon Hill. Ironically, that is the home, back in January, where Senator Kerry took out an additional mortgage to the tune of $6.4 million to keep his campaign afloat.
It was during the caucuses, a week before Iowa caucused together in the middle of January, where Senator Kerry found himself floundering in the polls, in fourth place according to many of those numbers in Iowa. He went on a seven-day streak, in the week before the caucuses and pulled that one out.
And that really set the platform for him to barrel into New Hampshire in the Northeast and continue his primary run and then eventually leading to the acceptance last night in Boston of the party's nomination, trying to be the 44th president of the United States.
This will be a campaign that will be fought day to day, sometimes hour to hour in the current news cycle. And that campaign officially kicks off today.
The sounds of Bruce Springsteen, "No Retreat. No Surrender." The same theme that Senator Kerry talked about when he arrived here in Boston on Wednesday afternoon.
And after the speech last night, the sounds of U2 and Bono, and the sounds of "A Beautiful Day," themes that Senator Kerry and John Edwards will certainly take forward with them, talking about optimism.
We heard some of those themes Wednesday night and a lot more of it last evening as well. And now we listen again here in Boston across the harbor.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thank you. What a beautiful -- what a beautiful, beautiful morning. Thank you all so much for being here, as we lead off and start this "Believe in America" tour. What a wonderful place to start it.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: Also, I have to say, on behalf of my wife Elizabeth and myself, what a wonderful day to start the celebration of our 27th anniversary.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: We're so honored to be here with you.
You know, we had extraordinary week here in Boston, an extraordinary convention, talking about this message of hope and optimism for the country. We're going it leave here, spread this message all across America. I'm convinced that America will embrace this message.
People are hungry for hope. For the belief that John and I share, that tomorrow can be better than today.
And I have to say something...
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: I have to say something about the man who will be our next president.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: He hit a home run last night.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: It cleared the Green Monster, sailed past the Citgo sign, and is headed for the White House.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: I was very proud, very proud to hear him share with the country his vision for what we can do for America, his belief and my belief that we can still build one America in this country where we have a health care system that works for everybody, an economy that works for everybody, how we create jobs for everybody, where opportunity is a birth right once again in America, which is what both of us believe in, and we create a world where we're, once again, respected, and we're strong here at home.
That's what this campaign is about. That's what this "Believe in America" tour is about.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: And so, thank you all very much for being here this morning. As we leave Boston with an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm, as we leave Boston and travel across America and spread this message -- as I said on Wednesday night, hope is on the way.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: Teresa was wonderful on Tuesday night.
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: She touched all our hearts.
John and Teresa's beautiful family. John's daughters last night were also extraordinary...
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: ... as were the Heinz boys, and I was -- men, I should say. Heinz men. And I was pretty proud of my daughter Cate, too, I have to say.
So, ladies and gentlemen, let me give you the man who hit a home run last night, the man who's going to bring hope to America again, the man who's going to lift this country up, the next president of the United States, my friend, my colleague, John Kerry!
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning. I love you. You guys are great, I've got to tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Wasn't I just standing up in front of you a few minutes ago? Where did the night go? I'll tell you, when you're having fun. I'm longing to have my head hit a pillow, ladies and gentlemen.
(LAUGHTER)
KERRY: I got to tell you, I want to put this whole thing in perspective, though. John and I were talking a moment ago. Between the two of us, John Edwards and I, we decided that Ben Affleck had about four hours more TV than we did.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Isn't it great to have Ben Affleck here celebrating his city? It's been great.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I want to say thank you to this great, great city of Boston, which I am a resident of. I love it. It is a great city. Led by a mayor who just keeps on working for the city to make it better and better. He put on a great show. Boston put on a great show. America's grateful to Boston for what you did.
Thank you, Tom Menino.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: And don't you think I made a great choice for vice president of the United States of America?
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I thought he gave a great speech the other night and I said it last night and I'll say it again: This son of a mill worker is ready to lead America, and had he gets in there next January, it's going to be wonderful to have a vice president of the United States who represents and fights for the middle class of America, and remembers what the needs of this country are.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: I know I'm biased -- I know I'm completely biased, but I was so filled with pride, and I was smiling through the whole speech as I sat there listening to my wife Teresa deliver what I thought was a wonderful, substantive, terrific speech. It was brilliant.
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: And Elizabeth Edwards...
HEMMER: And with that the Democrats are off and running. The campaign continues in full force today, 21 states, 3,500 miles.
The Republicans, meanwhile, will get their chance to take center stage in about a month's time. Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City on the island of Manhattan.
We'll continue to watch this here. There is other breaking news around the world. For that, back to New York and Heidi again.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks for that.
I want to take you directly to Baghdad now where Secretary of State Colin Powell has made an unannounced trip to Baghdad. We are looking at on the screen now the Iraqi deputy prime minister. Colin Powell is standing next to him and will speak just moments from now. Let's listen in for just a moment.
BARHAM SALIH, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ (through translator): ... to creating positive relationships with the rest of the world where Iraq will restore its place. The new experiment of Iraq in building a new, free Democratic society is an important element in civilization and promoting peace in the region.
Our talks focused on the political process and the security situation in Iraq, as well as the issue of reconstructing Iraq. We have discussed various mechanisms of coordinating between the Iraqi government and the American side, in terms of activating and accelerating the process of reconstruction, and using the financial resources.
Once again, I would like to welcome Secretary Powell and I would like to thank him for visiting my country.
The floor is yours.
COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Prime Minister.
I'm very pleased to be back in Iraq and to be in Baghdad. The country was liberated a year ago, and now I am pleased to be back when it is under its own sovereign leadership; a government that is showing great courage and determination in dealing with the challenges that are ahead, but a government under your leadership, the leadership of the prime minister, the leadership of the president and all of your other cabinet ministers; a government that is determined to prevail over the insurgency that would deny the Iraqi people their hopes for a better life, their dreams of a safe future.
I wanted to let all of the Iraqi leaders I have spoken to over the last day or so know that President Bush and his administration and the other coalition leaders remain firmly committed to the task that is ahead: to help the Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government defeat this insurgency, to get on with the preparations for elections that will take place by the end of the year, no later than January of next year, and from that a transitional of a national assembly we will see come into being with a new national government leading to the finishing of the constitution next year and then full elections.
I am very pleased that the national conference is being prepared, although there has been a two-week slip. It seems that this is an appropriate thing to do in order to make sure that the preparations are made and made well and that it goes off in a very, very fine fashion. And so we look forward to the results of this conference, where the Iraqi people come together and talk to one another and talk to their interim government about their hopes and dreams and their plans for the future.
As the deputy prime minister mentioned, we talked quite a bit about reconstruction. And I have had good conversations during the course of the day, as well, with Ambassador Negroponte and his team.
We want to speed up the flow of funds into the reconstruction effort. We want to rebuild the infrastructure. We want to create jobs. We want to show the Iraqi people that this money is being used for their benefit and to do it as quickly as we can.
And I committed to the deputy prime minister, as well as to the president and the prime minister, that we'll be doing this in the very near future, to speed up the flow of money in order to get the job done. Because reconstruction and security are two sides of the same coin. When people see things happening in the society, their economy is starting to be built up again, their water problems are being dealt with, electricity is being restored and other infrastructure problems are taken care of, that contributes to a sense of safety and improves the security environment.
It's important to note that the leaders of Iraq are very courageous. They put themselves at risk every day.
We have to make sure that these insurgents understand that we will not be deterred, they will not be deterred. The insurgents, the terrorists will be defeated. There can be no other option.
The Iraqi people deserve freedom. They deserve democracy. They want freedom. They want democracy. And we must not let outsiders or insiders of any kind deny the Iraqi people that which they richly deserve and that which they want.
Thank you very much for your hospitality.
COLLINS: Once again, live from Baghdad this morning -- Secretary of State Colin Powell. You hear him talking there.
He met earlier with the Iraqi president, the Iraqi deputy prime minister and the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, all talking about reaffirming America's dedication to the establishment of the new government in that country.
For now, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: For all those who believe that our best days are ahead of us, with great faith in the American people, I accept your nomination for president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: John Kerry is now the Democratic nominee, making his case in prime time here at the convention center in Boston at the FleetCenter. And now comes a massive cross-country campaign tour.
That starts this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.
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