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American Morning
U.S. Forces in Iraq Go into an All-Time High; Growing Pressure on Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Aired December 02, 2004 - 07:00 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: U.S. forces in Iraq go into an all- time high as 10,000 more troops will have their tours of duty extended.
While in Iraq today, insurgents launch more attacks in the heart of Baghdad.
The world rallies around U.N. chief Kofi Annan, while the U.S. is conspicuously silent on calls for his resignation.
And reports that baseball slugger Jason Giambi has admitted to taking steroids, and he got them from Barry Bonds trainer, fanning the flames of controversy, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer actually is off, but Miles O'Brien, my brother Miles, is filling in.
Nice to have you again.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to be here.
S. O'BRIEN: We appreciate it.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, I hope Bill's enjoying the time off. He deserves it. He works hard.
Lots to cover this morning. We're going to get the increased troop strength story to you in just a moment. That's in Iraq, and we'll talk to Senator Carl Levin about the controversy at the U.N.. Also, have you seen the pictures of the man at the center of Ukraine's election crisis? Opposition Leader Yuschenko. His movie star good looks, gone. Now his face pocked and swollen. We'll look at some of the sensational theories as to what happened to him.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting questions.
Also this morning, we're going to hear on a much lighter note from "Jeopardy" superstar Ken Jennings. He's getting even more famous now that he's lost. I've been saying that he lost on an easy question. He told me...
M. O'BRIEN: Did you grill him?
S. O'BRIEN: I did. I told him, Ken, it was an easy question.
M. O'BRIEN: And?
S. O'BRIEN: And this is what, Jack, we call a deep tease. I'll tell you what he had to say about it, because Jack is my mentor.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Among other things.
The United Church of Christ has produced this television commercial highlighting the inclusion of gay men and women in church life. The three major television networks have refused to run it. We'll show you the commercial, which we hope will be followed by a raucous bare-knuckle screaming match about whether this thing belongs on TV or not.
M. O'BRIEN: Another deep tease, you might say.
S. O'BRIEN: All right jack, thank you very much. Headlines now with Heidi Collins.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I have no deep tease. I'm just going to get straight to it.
Thanks, guys. Good morning to you. And good morning, everybody.
Now in the news, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi has reportedly admitted to using steroids. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Giambi told a federal grand jury he had injected himself with human growth hormone back in 2003 and had started using steroids at least two years earlier. His statement was apparently part of a federal investigation centered on BALCO. That's the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. BALCO has been under suspicion for distributing steroids to athletes.
Turning overseas now to Iraq. There's word of a series of mortar attacks in central Baghdad. Police say five rounds struck in the heart of the city some three hours ago. At least one person was killed. A dozen others are wounded, including students at one of Baghdad's universities. Security forces are looking into the attacks.
Oil prices dipping to their lowest in three years. Crude fell more than $3.50 yesterday. The drop follows the release of a government report showing inventory buildups helped ease fears of heating oil shortages. Andy Serwer, of course, is going to have much more on this coming up in just a bit.
And a typhoon threatening more destruction in the Philippines. People there heading to higher ground now after being pummeled by a series of storms in the last two weeks. Look at these cars just covered in mud. Flash flooding and landslides have reportedly killed more than 600 people there. More flooding expected as the typhoon gains strength. It could hit land today with winds up to 115 miles per hour. We saw a lot of that with the hurricanes that we covered here in this country.
S. O'BRIEN: They cannot get a break. They really cannot. They are just struggling. Heidi, thanks for that update.
The Pentagon is sending 1,500 more troops to Iraq and extending the tours of duty for more than 10,000 others that are already there. These moves will bring the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to an all- time high.
Kathleen Koch live for us now at the Pentagon with more.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
This move has been expected for weeks. The U.S. military aware that it might need to beef up forces in order to maintain security in advance of the January 30th elections in Iraq, and of course also to help maintain pressure on insurgency after the battle of Falluja. So this buildup will boost current troop strength in Iraq from the current 138,000 forces to some 150,000. That is the highest number since the war began.
As you said, only a small portion, though, will be newly deployed, and that's the 1,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. They'll be heading to Iraq from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. And for now the plan is for those forces to be in theater for just four months.
Six-hundred soldiers from the 82nd Airborne were pressed into similar duty earlier this fall during the elections in Afghanistan. The bulk of the buildup, though, will come from extending the tours of duty by two months of some 10,000 soldiers and Marines who are already in Iraq. The two Army brigades, a transportation company and a Marine expeditionary unit have been scheduled to return home in January.
Now, this is a move that the Pentagon does not make lightly, because it had promised soldiers deployed, and Marines deployed to Iraq, that those tours of duty would last no longer than 12 months. And the Pentagon understands that changes like this can impact not only force morale, but family morale, and also impact soldiers' willingness to stay in the military.
So, Soledad, this clearly is a signal that the Pentagon is very determined that those January 30th elections be able to go on in Iraq without interruption.
S. O'BRIEN: If that date change, that could change a lot.
Kathleen Koch for us this morning at the Pentagon. Kathleen, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Growing pressure on Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning. The Bush administration not offering any statement of support for the embattled U.N. secretary-general, but at the same time, it is not backing those calling for Annan to resign over the oil-for-food scandal.
Richard Roth following the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kofi Annan once said he could do business with Saddam Hussein, a remark he later regretted. Now the question is, did anyone on Annan's staff, international diplomats or businessmen conduct illegal business with Saddam's government? While Iraqis got food handouts, Saddam Hussein allegedly pocketed $20 billion through oil-and-food related kickbacks and smuggling. American newspaper columnists demanding Kofi Annan's resignation barely caused a stir. But people began noticing when a U.S. senator, chairing a committee probing oil-for-food called for Annan's ouster.
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: The bottom line is there is one man in charge of the United Nations during the period of time of the oil-for-food program, and that's Kofi Annan.
ROTH: Annan wouldn't comment. Talk of resignation is meaningless for now at the U.N. unless a country itself raises the issue.
FRED ECKHARD, U.N. SPOKESMAN: A few voice doesn't make a chorus.
ROTH: The U.N. deals with governments, not individual senators. And so far, the Bush administration is being very cautious on Annan.
ADAM ERIL (ph), STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Secretary Annan, as I said, is a valued interlocutor and has been working I think positively and cooperatively in trying get to the bottom of this oil-for-food program.
ROTH: Annan's son didn't help matters. Kojo Annan apparently failed to admit that he was on the payroll of a Swiss firm now being investigated as part of oil-for-food.
But the scandal is global. Why all the heat on Annan?
THOMAS WEISS, U.N. EXPERT: I think it's because people can understand personal scandal much more easily than they can understand institutional scandal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: There are six separate investigations including the U.N.'s own approved probe, and those will probably be the place where Kofi Annan's fate will be determined -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Richard, the Bush administration, no love lost for the United Nations over the years, and yet they have not come out specifically and offered any direct criticism asking for Annan to step down. Why not?
ROTH: Well, probably because the U.S. knows there was corruption going on, and tried, but didn't do enough, to either publicize it or stop it. Yes, the United States was blocked by France and Russia. But they let -- the U.S. let Saddam Hussein determine who he dealt business with. That's the U.S. was so interested in keeping sanctions on during the war. As one diplomat said, there's a lot of blame for everyone in oil-for-food.
M. O'BRIEN: Which brings up an important point. As the focus shifts more squarely on Kofi Annan, does that not do the scandal justice, if you will?
ROTH: That's true. It's too much heat on Annan, but it's easy to blame the one man. Could there be incompetence and bad management by Annan, yes, but all of the countries on the Security Council reviewed contracts that Saddam Hussein had. So there should have been better focus and probing there. They just let a lot go. Some people say that's how business does in the Middle East. It's going to unfold over months.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Richard Roth, watching for us, thank you very much for coming in -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Michigan's Senator Carl Levin has worked closely with Senator Norm Coleman on the U.N. oil-for-food investigation but does not share his feelings about Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Senator Levin joins us from Capitol Hill this morning.
Nice to see you, Senator. Thanks for your time.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: There are many voices in addition to Senator Coleman who are calling for the resignation of Kofi Annan. Why do you think he should not go?
LEVIN: I haven't heard any voices of any government including our own that are calling for Kofi Annan's resignation. There may be voices in some of the columns in some of the newspapers, plus one senator or two. But that is not a significant call for a resignation of the head of an organization that is of global significance and so important to us.
There's no evidence that our subcommittee has seen that shows any impropriety on the part of Kofi Annan. That's what it comes down to.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Coleman said that incompetence on the part of Kofi Annan -- in an interview we did with him yesterday -- and general mismanagement was enough of a reason in his mind to oust him. You don't agree with that?
LEVIN: No...
S. O'BRIEN: I mean, he oversaw fraud.
LEVIN: There were problems in the oil-for-food program. As a matter of fact, the United States contributed to those problems very significantly. Because we knew, for instance, that about $15 billion in direct oil sales were being made by Iraq to Jordan and to Turkey and to Syria.
And, as a matter of fact, under our law, that meant that we should stop foreign aid to Jordan and to Turkey as a result of their receiving directly oil from Iraq instead of putting the money into this escrow at the U.N. for humanitarian purposes.
And not only did we not do anything about that, we even waived that. Both President Clinton and this President Bush knowingly waived that problem by notifying Congress that those sales were taking place in violation of the oil-for-food program, but nonetheless they didn't want to do anything about it relative to stopping foreign aid.
So they were very much aware of it. Both presidents, both secretaries of state did nothing about it. And to lay that as corruption on Kofi Annan's doorstep it seems to me is totally unwarranted.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Coleman all seemed to think Kofi Annan is hampering, at the very least, or maybe even obstructing the investigation. And it's fair to say it's taken months to get the documentation and other important things to your subcommittee. Isn't that enough of a reason to call for someone's ouster?
LEVIN: No, because there's an investigation going on at the U.N., which is being headed by Paul Volcker, the American who used to be head of the Federal Reserve Board. And he does not want to share the documents that he has because he is afraid that that would undermine his independent investigation, to share those with any country or with the Congress.
This is not a new policy on the part of the U.N. It is not a new policy on the part of an investigator such as Paul Volcker to hang on to the documents because if they became public at this time it would undermine their own independent investigation. This is not unusual.
However, I share with Senator Coleman a belief that we should have gotten greater cooperation from the U.N. on some other types of information we wanted. We have now received that information -- the agreement on the part of the U.N. and Paul Volcker. So we're making progress in that regard.
But I think Senator Coleman went too far in jumping the gun and calling for the resignation of Kofi Annan before our investigation is even completed, when we, in fact, are making progress on a bipartisan way in this investigation.
S. O'BRIEN: His op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was a surprise to you then and other members of the subcommittee?
LEVIN: It was. I can't speak for anyone else because we're not in session, but it was a total surprise to me. And I just think it was unwarranted.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, nice to see you, sir. Thanks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come a sinister plot, or a political machine at work. How did Ukraine's opposition leader go from movie star looks to a face disfigured by scars? Kind of a reverse makeover deal. The plot thickens in a divided nation.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, no sibling rivalry here. The Williams sisters help kids in need. We're going to talk to Venus and Serena live, coming up.
M. O'BRIEN: And why is Mark Geragos suddenly taking a back seat at the Peterson trial? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Should Scott Peterson live or die? That is the question facing the jury in Redwood City, California this morning. Later, the defense continues to present its side in the trial's penalty phase. Court TV's Lisa Bloom joining us now to talk about it.
Welcome, Lisa.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Mark Geragos is sitting down. Junior member of the firm is doing the talking. Why?
BLOOM: Amazing, isn't it, to think Mark Geragos stepping aside and letting someone else run the show. Look, his credibility with this jury is about zero at this point. He made promises he didn't keep during his opening statement. He was sarcastic and made inappropriate jokes during the trial. The jury rejected everything that he said, and so it makes sense. This is important. His client's life is on the line. Let somebody else handle the penalty phase. The second chair has now taken over.
M. O'BRIEN: So while he may enjoy the limelight at this point, there are more important issues here.
BLOOM: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: Time to sit down.
All right, Pat Harris is the name of the attorney who was doing the work yesterday. Presumably she'll be back doing the work today. Here's a little quote from her yesterday, which I thought was interesting: "He was a toddler who was always smiling and loved to snuggle with a book as his father read to him, tutored younger students and sang at a seat senior citizens home on Sundays." And I'm thinking, well, just about every criminal mastermind we've seen ever was probably a cute kid. What was the jury thinking?
BLOOM: Exactly. Well, reports from the court room are that the jurors are rolling their eyes. They're reacting inhospitably to this kind of argument. And, Look, the jurors yesterday were treated not only to stories of Scott Peterson's adorable early years, but even his parents childhood, going back to his great grandparents immigrating from Lithuania and selling underwear in Minnesota. You
got to think the jury's intelligence is being insulted at this point. They rejected the arguments of the defense during the trial. It really seems to me like the defense does not get it. They need to talk about good deeds from Scott Peterson, humanize Scott Peterson, get to the point. They haven't done that yet.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, particularly when you contrast this with Laci Peterson's mother's testimony, gut-wrenching stuff.
BLOOM: Yes, some of the most compelling testimony in any trial. Sharon Rocha, on the stand talking about the 116 days of agony not knowing what happened to her daughter. She couldn't sleep under a blanket because it was cold outside, and Laci was out there somewhere. And she looks at Scott Peterson and says, and you knew where she was, and you didn't tell us, you let us go through that. All six female jurors were in tears. Several of the male jurors were in tears. The journalists who were watching, hardbitten crime reporters, were in tears. The defense really needs to counter that if they want to save Scott Peterson's life.
M. O'BRIEN: And that kind of drama even Hollywood cannot provide. That is incredibly compelling stuff.
BLOOM: Because it's real.
M. O'BRIEN: It's real.
BLOOM: All right, Lee Peterson, father of Scott. Quick quote from him. He said, "I love him very much. I have great respect for him...I'm frightened...losing someone you love and now having your son in this kind of jeaopardy is beyond belief...I'm depressed, I guess you could say, deeply saddened."
And that is a sad story, and we can all feel for Lee Peterson. But what does that -- does that change the jury's decision making at all?
BLOOM: You know, if I'm on the jury, I'm thinking I would not give the death penalty to Lee Peterson, or to Jackie Peterson. Of course. They're lovely people who are caught in this maelstrom of tragedy that was created by their son. But this has got to be about Scott. The defense has got to get to Scott and his good deeds. They have yet to do that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll see what happens today. Lisa Bloom, thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Starbucks got an early present from Santa Claus, and now investors are hoping for the very same. Andy explains in "Minding Your Business" just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody. Some good news about oil and good news for Starbucks. Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business" this morning. Hello.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Hello. Good news all around. Great start to December trading yesterday on Wall Street, Soledad. The stock market surging. Dow up 162 points, Nasdaq up 41 points solid, about 2 percent, 1.5 percent for the Dow.
Why the holiday cheer? Well, as you suggested, oil prices yesterday just plunging. You can see here that little dropoff there. And the reason why is because there are government reports suggesting that heating oil supplies is much more plentiful than previously thought. We're now down $11 since that high back a couple months ago, down 7 percent alone yesterday.
Starbucks is a stock on a tear. The company shares were up about 2 percent yesterday, up over 30 percent over the past 3 months. So steamy that Chairman Howard Schultz yesterday tried to dampen expectations, saying look, we can't keep this up. November sales up 13 percent in its stores because of the pumpkin spice latte. And because of music sales and because more and more people are going to the stores and because they raised prices 4 percent. There is also that.
Well, do you know what, Howard? No one's listening to you. Because in the premarket, the stock is up 3 percent this morning. It's just amazing. It's gone from $45 to $57 in just a matter of weeks. And you know, this is an established company. It's not something new people are just discovering now.
CAFFERTY: Microsoft's going to pay off that $32 billion dividend. that they (UNINTELLIGIBLE), right?
SERWER: Yes. That's...
CAFFERTY: That might help the stock market.
SERWER: Yes. Futures are up strong.
CAFFERTY: Could help.
SERWER: Indeed.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
CAFFERTY: Pumpkin spice latte.
SERWER: I'll get one for you later.
CAFFERTY: Better get me one of those.
ABC, NBC and CBS are refusing to run this ad. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Step aside, please. No way. Not you. I don't think so. No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAFFERTY: Well, the 1.3 member Protestant denomination wants to showcase its inclusion of gay men and women in church life. ABC says it doesn't accept advertising that espouses a particular religious doctrine and CBS and NBC says it -- the commercial violates their policies against running advertising that takes a position on public controversies.
So, here's the question. Should the networks run this United Church of Christ ad or not? Am@cnn.com.
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a witty ad, too. I like it.
CAFFERTY: It's not bad, I guess.
SERWER: Pays the bills.
CAFFERTY: Well...
M. O'BRIEN: Before the pay checks don't bounce, maybe we should allow that...
S. O'BRIEN: That's not the issue.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: .... you know, on AMERICAN MORNING and we can get a raise. Now there's an idea.
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Still to come this morning, how does the biggest winner in "Jeopardy" history explain his sudden brain lock? We talked to defeated "Jeopardy" champ Ken Jennings just ahead.
Also the many faces of Ukraine's opposition leader. The mystery over what led to such a dramatic transformation. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Coming up, we're going to take a look at President Bush's schedule today. Also this morning one of the big mysteries in the Ukraine election crisis.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. It's the before and after picture that we've been looking at all morning. Movie star good looks on the left.
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Aired December 2, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces in Iraq go into an all- time high as 10,000 more troops will have their tours of duty extended.
While in Iraq today, insurgents launch more attacks in the heart of Baghdad.
The world rallies around U.N. chief Kofi Annan, while the U.S. is conspicuously silent on calls for his resignation.
And reports that baseball slugger Jason Giambi has admitted to taking steroids, and he got them from Barry Bonds trainer, fanning the flames of controversy, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer actually is off, but Miles O'Brien, my brother Miles, is filling in.
Nice to have you again.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to be here.
S. O'BRIEN: We appreciate it.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, I hope Bill's enjoying the time off. He deserves it. He works hard.
Lots to cover this morning. We're going to get the increased troop strength story to you in just a moment. That's in Iraq, and we'll talk to Senator Carl Levin about the controversy at the U.N.. Also, have you seen the pictures of the man at the center of Ukraine's election crisis? Opposition Leader Yuschenko. His movie star good looks, gone. Now his face pocked and swollen. We'll look at some of the sensational theories as to what happened to him.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting questions.
Also this morning, we're going to hear on a much lighter note from "Jeopardy" superstar Ken Jennings. He's getting even more famous now that he's lost. I've been saying that he lost on an easy question. He told me...
M. O'BRIEN: Did you grill him?
S. O'BRIEN: I did. I told him, Ken, it was an easy question.
M. O'BRIEN: And?
S. O'BRIEN: And this is what, Jack, we call a deep tease. I'll tell you what he had to say about it, because Jack is my mentor.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Among other things.
The United Church of Christ has produced this television commercial highlighting the inclusion of gay men and women in church life. The three major television networks have refused to run it. We'll show you the commercial, which we hope will be followed by a raucous bare-knuckle screaming match about whether this thing belongs on TV or not.
M. O'BRIEN: Another deep tease, you might say.
S. O'BRIEN: All right jack, thank you very much. Headlines now with Heidi Collins.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I have no deep tease. I'm just going to get straight to it.
Thanks, guys. Good morning to you. And good morning, everybody.
Now in the news, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi has reportedly admitted to using steroids. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Giambi told a federal grand jury he had injected himself with human growth hormone back in 2003 and had started using steroids at least two years earlier. His statement was apparently part of a federal investigation centered on BALCO. That's the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. BALCO has been under suspicion for distributing steroids to athletes.
Turning overseas now to Iraq. There's word of a series of mortar attacks in central Baghdad. Police say five rounds struck in the heart of the city some three hours ago. At least one person was killed. A dozen others are wounded, including students at one of Baghdad's universities. Security forces are looking into the attacks.
Oil prices dipping to their lowest in three years. Crude fell more than $3.50 yesterday. The drop follows the release of a government report showing inventory buildups helped ease fears of heating oil shortages. Andy Serwer, of course, is going to have much more on this coming up in just a bit.
And a typhoon threatening more destruction in the Philippines. People there heading to higher ground now after being pummeled by a series of storms in the last two weeks. Look at these cars just covered in mud. Flash flooding and landslides have reportedly killed more than 600 people there. More flooding expected as the typhoon gains strength. It could hit land today with winds up to 115 miles per hour. We saw a lot of that with the hurricanes that we covered here in this country.
S. O'BRIEN: They cannot get a break. They really cannot. They are just struggling. Heidi, thanks for that update.
The Pentagon is sending 1,500 more troops to Iraq and extending the tours of duty for more than 10,000 others that are already there. These moves will bring the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to an all- time high.
Kathleen Koch live for us now at the Pentagon with more.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
This move has been expected for weeks. The U.S. military aware that it might need to beef up forces in order to maintain security in advance of the January 30th elections in Iraq, and of course also to help maintain pressure on insurgency after the battle of Falluja. So this buildup will boost current troop strength in Iraq from the current 138,000 forces to some 150,000. That is the highest number since the war began.
As you said, only a small portion, though, will be newly deployed, and that's the 1,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. They'll be heading to Iraq from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. And for now the plan is for those forces to be in theater for just four months.
Six-hundred soldiers from the 82nd Airborne were pressed into similar duty earlier this fall during the elections in Afghanistan. The bulk of the buildup, though, will come from extending the tours of duty by two months of some 10,000 soldiers and Marines who are already in Iraq. The two Army brigades, a transportation company and a Marine expeditionary unit have been scheduled to return home in January.
Now, this is a move that the Pentagon does not make lightly, because it had promised soldiers deployed, and Marines deployed to Iraq, that those tours of duty would last no longer than 12 months. And the Pentagon understands that changes like this can impact not only force morale, but family morale, and also impact soldiers' willingness to stay in the military.
So, Soledad, this clearly is a signal that the Pentagon is very determined that those January 30th elections be able to go on in Iraq without interruption.
S. O'BRIEN: If that date change, that could change a lot.
Kathleen Koch for us this morning at the Pentagon. Kathleen, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Growing pressure on Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning. The Bush administration not offering any statement of support for the embattled U.N. secretary-general, but at the same time, it is not backing those calling for Annan to resign over the oil-for-food scandal.
Richard Roth following the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kofi Annan once said he could do business with Saddam Hussein, a remark he later regretted. Now the question is, did anyone on Annan's staff, international diplomats or businessmen conduct illegal business with Saddam's government? While Iraqis got food handouts, Saddam Hussein allegedly pocketed $20 billion through oil-and-food related kickbacks and smuggling. American newspaper columnists demanding Kofi Annan's resignation barely caused a stir. But people began noticing when a U.S. senator, chairing a committee probing oil-for-food called for Annan's ouster.
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: The bottom line is there is one man in charge of the United Nations during the period of time of the oil-for-food program, and that's Kofi Annan.
ROTH: Annan wouldn't comment. Talk of resignation is meaningless for now at the U.N. unless a country itself raises the issue.
FRED ECKHARD, U.N. SPOKESMAN: A few voice doesn't make a chorus.
ROTH: The U.N. deals with governments, not individual senators. And so far, the Bush administration is being very cautious on Annan.
ADAM ERIL (ph), STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Secretary Annan, as I said, is a valued interlocutor and has been working I think positively and cooperatively in trying get to the bottom of this oil-for-food program.
ROTH: Annan's son didn't help matters. Kojo Annan apparently failed to admit that he was on the payroll of a Swiss firm now being investigated as part of oil-for-food.
But the scandal is global. Why all the heat on Annan?
THOMAS WEISS, U.N. EXPERT: I think it's because people can understand personal scandal much more easily than they can understand institutional scandal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: There are six separate investigations including the U.N.'s own approved probe, and those will probably be the place where Kofi Annan's fate will be determined -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Richard, the Bush administration, no love lost for the United Nations over the years, and yet they have not come out specifically and offered any direct criticism asking for Annan to step down. Why not?
ROTH: Well, probably because the U.S. knows there was corruption going on, and tried, but didn't do enough, to either publicize it or stop it. Yes, the United States was blocked by France and Russia. But they let -- the U.S. let Saddam Hussein determine who he dealt business with. That's the U.S. was so interested in keeping sanctions on during the war. As one diplomat said, there's a lot of blame for everyone in oil-for-food.
M. O'BRIEN: Which brings up an important point. As the focus shifts more squarely on Kofi Annan, does that not do the scandal justice, if you will?
ROTH: That's true. It's too much heat on Annan, but it's easy to blame the one man. Could there be incompetence and bad management by Annan, yes, but all of the countries on the Security Council reviewed contracts that Saddam Hussein had. So there should have been better focus and probing there. They just let a lot go. Some people say that's how business does in the Middle East. It's going to unfold over months.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Richard Roth, watching for us, thank you very much for coming in -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Michigan's Senator Carl Levin has worked closely with Senator Norm Coleman on the U.N. oil-for-food investigation but does not share his feelings about Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Senator Levin joins us from Capitol Hill this morning.
Nice to see you, Senator. Thanks for your time.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: There are many voices in addition to Senator Coleman who are calling for the resignation of Kofi Annan. Why do you think he should not go?
LEVIN: I haven't heard any voices of any government including our own that are calling for Kofi Annan's resignation. There may be voices in some of the columns in some of the newspapers, plus one senator or two. But that is not a significant call for a resignation of the head of an organization that is of global significance and so important to us.
There's no evidence that our subcommittee has seen that shows any impropriety on the part of Kofi Annan. That's what it comes down to.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Coleman said that incompetence on the part of Kofi Annan -- in an interview we did with him yesterday -- and general mismanagement was enough of a reason in his mind to oust him. You don't agree with that?
LEVIN: No...
S. O'BRIEN: I mean, he oversaw fraud.
LEVIN: There were problems in the oil-for-food program. As a matter of fact, the United States contributed to those problems very significantly. Because we knew, for instance, that about $15 billion in direct oil sales were being made by Iraq to Jordan and to Turkey and to Syria.
And, as a matter of fact, under our law, that meant that we should stop foreign aid to Jordan and to Turkey as a result of their receiving directly oil from Iraq instead of putting the money into this escrow at the U.N. for humanitarian purposes.
And not only did we not do anything about that, we even waived that. Both President Clinton and this President Bush knowingly waived that problem by notifying Congress that those sales were taking place in violation of the oil-for-food program, but nonetheless they didn't want to do anything about it relative to stopping foreign aid.
So they were very much aware of it. Both presidents, both secretaries of state did nothing about it. And to lay that as corruption on Kofi Annan's doorstep it seems to me is totally unwarranted.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Coleman all seemed to think Kofi Annan is hampering, at the very least, or maybe even obstructing the investigation. And it's fair to say it's taken months to get the documentation and other important things to your subcommittee. Isn't that enough of a reason to call for someone's ouster?
LEVIN: No, because there's an investigation going on at the U.N., which is being headed by Paul Volcker, the American who used to be head of the Federal Reserve Board. And he does not want to share the documents that he has because he is afraid that that would undermine his independent investigation, to share those with any country or with the Congress.
This is not a new policy on the part of the U.N. It is not a new policy on the part of an investigator such as Paul Volcker to hang on to the documents because if they became public at this time it would undermine their own independent investigation. This is not unusual.
However, I share with Senator Coleman a belief that we should have gotten greater cooperation from the U.N. on some other types of information we wanted. We have now received that information -- the agreement on the part of the U.N. and Paul Volcker. So we're making progress in that regard.
But I think Senator Coleman went too far in jumping the gun and calling for the resignation of Kofi Annan before our investigation is even completed, when we, in fact, are making progress on a bipartisan way in this investigation.
S. O'BRIEN: His op-ed in the Wall Street Journal was a surprise to you then and other members of the subcommittee?
LEVIN: It was. I can't speak for anyone else because we're not in session, but it was a total surprise to me. And I just think it was unwarranted.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, nice to see you, sir. Thanks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come a sinister plot, or a political machine at work. How did Ukraine's opposition leader go from movie star looks to a face disfigured by scars? Kind of a reverse makeover deal. The plot thickens in a divided nation.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, no sibling rivalry here. The Williams sisters help kids in need. We're going to talk to Venus and Serena live, coming up.
M. O'BRIEN: And why is Mark Geragos suddenly taking a back seat at the Peterson trial? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Should Scott Peterson live or die? That is the question facing the jury in Redwood City, California this morning. Later, the defense continues to present its side in the trial's penalty phase. Court TV's Lisa Bloom joining us now to talk about it.
Welcome, Lisa.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Mark Geragos is sitting down. Junior member of the firm is doing the talking. Why?
BLOOM: Amazing, isn't it, to think Mark Geragos stepping aside and letting someone else run the show. Look, his credibility with this jury is about zero at this point. He made promises he didn't keep during his opening statement. He was sarcastic and made inappropriate jokes during the trial. The jury rejected everything that he said, and so it makes sense. This is important. His client's life is on the line. Let somebody else handle the penalty phase. The second chair has now taken over.
M. O'BRIEN: So while he may enjoy the limelight at this point, there are more important issues here.
BLOOM: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: Time to sit down.
All right, Pat Harris is the name of the attorney who was doing the work yesterday. Presumably she'll be back doing the work today. Here's a little quote from her yesterday, which I thought was interesting: "He was a toddler who was always smiling and loved to snuggle with a book as his father read to him, tutored younger students and sang at a seat senior citizens home on Sundays." And I'm thinking, well, just about every criminal mastermind we've seen ever was probably a cute kid. What was the jury thinking?
BLOOM: Exactly. Well, reports from the court room are that the jurors are rolling their eyes. They're reacting inhospitably to this kind of argument. And, Look, the jurors yesterday were treated not only to stories of Scott Peterson's adorable early years, but even his parents childhood, going back to his great grandparents immigrating from Lithuania and selling underwear in Minnesota. You
got to think the jury's intelligence is being insulted at this point. They rejected the arguments of the defense during the trial. It really seems to me like the defense does not get it. They need to talk about good deeds from Scott Peterson, humanize Scott Peterson, get to the point. They haven't done that yet.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, particularly when you contrast this with Laci Peterson's mother's testimony, gut-wrenching stuff.
BLOOM: Yes, some of the most compelling testimony in any trial. Sharon Rocha, on the stand talking about the 116 days of agony not knowing what happened to her daughter. She couldn't sleep under a blanket because it was cold outside, and Laci was out there somewhere. And she looks at Scott Peterson and says, and you knew where she was, and you didn't tell us, you let us go through that. All six female jurors were in tears. Several of the male jurors were in tears. The journalists who were watching, hardbitten crime reporters, were in tears. The defense really needs to counter that if they want to save Scott Peterson's life.
M. O'BRIEN: And that kind of drama even Hollywood cannot provide. That is incredibly compelling stuff.
BLOOM: Because it's real.
M. O'BRIEN: It's real.
BLOOM: All right, Lee Peterson, father of Scott. Quick quote from him. He said, "I love him very much. I have great respect for him...I'm frightened...losing someone you love and now having your son in this kind of jeaopardy is beyond belief...I'm depressed, I guess you could say, deeply saddened."
And that is a sad story, and we can all feel for Lee Peterson. But what does that -- does that change the jury's decision making at all?
BLOOM: You know, if I'm on the jury, I'm thinking I would not give the death penalty to Lee Peterson, or to Jackie Peterson. Of course. They're lovely people who are caught in this maelstrom of tragedy that was created by their son. But this has got to be about Scott. The defense has got to get to Scott and his good deeds. They have yet to do that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll see what happens today. Lisa Bloom, thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Starbucks got an early present from Santa Claus, and now investors are hoping for the very same. Andy explains in "Minding Your Business" just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody. Some good news about oil and good news for Starbucks. Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business" this morning. Hello.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Hello. Good news all around. Great start to December trading yesterday on Wall Street, Soledad. The stock market surging. Dow up 162 points, Nasdaq up 41 points solid, about 2 percent, 1.5 percent for the Dow.
Why the holiday cheer? Well, as you suggested, oil prices yesterday just plunging. You can see here that little dropoff there. And the reason why is because there are government reports suggesting that heating oil supplies is much more plentiful than previously thought. We're now down $11 since that high back a couple months ago, down 7 percent alone yesterday.
Starbucks is a stock on a tear. The company shares were up about 2 percent yesterday, up over 30 percent over the past 3 months. So steamy that Chairman Howard Schultz yesterday tried to dampen expectations, saying look, we can't keep this up. November sales up 13 percent in its stores because of the pumpkin spice latte. And because of music sales and because more and more people are going to the stores and because they raised prices 4 percent. There is also that.
Well, do you know what, Howard? No one's listening to you. Because in the premarket, the stock is up 3 percent this morning. It's just amazing. It's gone from $45 to $57 in just a matter of weeks. And you know, this is an established company. It's not something new people are just discovering now.
CAFFERTY: Microsoft's going to pay off that $32 billion dividend. that they (UNINTELLIGIBLE), right?
SERWER: Yes. That's...
CAFFERTY: That might help the stock market.
SERWER: Yes. Futures are up strong.
CAFFERTY: Could help.
SERWER: Indeed.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
CAFFERTY: Pumpkin spice latte.
SERWER: I'll get one for you later.
CAFFERTY: Better get me one of those.
ABC, NBC and CBS are refusing to run this ad. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Step aside, please. No way. Not you. I don't think so. No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAFFERTY: Well, the 1.3 member Protestant denomination wants to showcase its inclusion of gay men and women in church life. ABC says it doesn't accept advertising that espouses a particular religious doctrine and CBS and NBC says it -- the commercial violates their policies against running advertising that takes a position on public controversies.
So, here's the question. Should the networks run this United Church of Christ ad or not? Am@cnn.com.
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a witty ad, too. I like it.
CAFFERTY: It's not bad, I guess.
SERWER: Pays the bills.
CAFFERTY: Well...
M. O'BRIEN: Before the pay checks don't bounce, maybe we should allow that...
S. O'BRIEN: That's not the issue.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: .... you know, on AMERICAN MORNING and we can get a raise. Now there's an idea.
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Still to come this morning, how does the biggest winner in "Jeopardy" history explain his sudden brain lock? We talked to defeated "Jeopardy" champ Ken Jennings just ahead.
Also the many faces of Ukraine's opposition leader. The mystery over what led to such a dramatic transformation. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Coming up, we're going to take a look at President Bush's schedule today. Also this morning one of the big mysteries in the Ukraine election crisis.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. It's the before and after picture that we've been looking at all morning. Movie star good looks on the left.
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