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Top Military Man: U.S. Miscalculated in Iraq; Will Non-Binding Resolution Against War Do Anything?; New Orleans as Political Tactic; Security Video Released of Would-be Suicide Bomber
Aired January 30, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the detriment of our troops, and/or innocent Iraq people, we will respond -- firmly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And so, Miles, what does that mean. It is really all about intimidation here. We already have two fighter carriers in the region. The president has given the president has not only given a green light not only to capture, but to kill Iranians inside of Iraq; those who are targeting American soldiers.
And, finally, the State Department is preparing to declassify secret information what they say is evidence that Iran has been providing a weapons to Iraq to kill American soldiers -- Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thank you.
In a moment we'll take a look at that brewing crisis in Iran. CNN's Christian Amanpour is in Tehran this morning and will join us with a report -- Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: President Bush may have a hard time finding support for his Iran policy or anything else in his final two years in office. His approval ratings are at an all- time low for his administration. CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider live in Washington for us.
Hey, Bill, good morning.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
CHO: So, what do these poll numbers say?
SCHNEIDER: How low can he go? That's a question people are beginning to ask about President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): The latest batch of polls is in, and the news is not good for President Bush. Five polls taken in mid-January show the president's job approval rating at very low levels. The CBS News figure, 28 percent, is the lowest figure ever for this president. Our poll of polls gives us an average of 32 percent approval, 63 percent disapproval. Nearly two to one negative.
So what, you might ask. Bush can't run again. A job rating is the measure of the president's clout. This president has a lot of things he wants to get done in his last two years besides Iraq. Health care, for instance.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We propose a bold initiative.
SCHNEIDER: Congress is not likely to follow a deeply unpopular president. The public sees this president as a lame-duck. And 71 percent do not think he will have the support he needs to get things done. Members of the president's own party are distancing themselves, particularly on his troop buildup in Iraq.
SEN. JOHN WARNER, (R-VA): I'm very concerned about the American GI being thrust in the middle of the violence that really has root causes that go back 1,000 years.
SCHNEIDER: Only four presidents since World War II have seen their job ratings drop below 40 percent. Harry Truman chose not to run for re-election in 1952. Richard Nixon was forced resign. Jimmy Carter was fired after one term. So was Bush's father in 1992. When you're this low, the voters consider your presidency over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: Is that the way they feel about President Bush? Apparently, 58 percent in the "Newsweek" poll said they personally wished George W. Bush's presidency were over -- Alina.
CHO: Bill, I'm wondering, presidents usually get a bounce after the State of the Union, and, yet, this didn't happen for President Bush. Is that unusual?
SCHNEIDER: Actually, it's not. As many times as the president gets a bounce from the State of the Union, the president doesn't. The State of the Union is a ceremonial occasion. It isn't a national crisis, so the result is it usually doesn't produce much of a bounce on the average.
CHO: All right, Bill Schneider live in Washington for us. Bill, thank you.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
CHO: In Iraq today, a wave of deadly attacks against Shiite Muslims. Dozens of people killed observing the file day of Ashura, that is the holiest day for Shiites and the source of a religious split between them and Sunni Muslims. CNN's Arwa Damon live in Baghdad for us.
Arwa, good morning.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
That's right. This violence coming despite security measures being put into place both by the Iraqi security forces and by the U.S. military. Attacks focusing mainly in the capital, Baghdad, and just north in the highly volatile province of Diyala killed at least 35 Shia pilgrims and wounded 108.
In Baghdad, the deadliest attack coming when gunmen in two vehicles opened fire on a mini-bus carrying Shia pilgrims to one part of the capital to one of the Shia holy sites here, killing at least seven pilgrims in that attack.
In a northern province Diyala, there, a suicide bomber was waiting just outside the main gate of one of the Shia mosques, he detonated his deadly explosives and killed at least 16 Iraq is in that attack, wounded dozens more. But despite this violence, despite the potential for even more violence, millions much Shia pilgrims continue to flock to holy sites -- Alina.
CHO: Tell me, Arwa, about the security situation there. Have you seen a step up in security?
DAMON: Well, there have been measures being put into place throughout the entire capital, especially focusing around the religious site and in the holy Shia cities of Karbala and of Najaf. Remember, over the weekend, and on Monday, we were reporting about an attack that took place just outside of Najaf, where a gunman there intended to storm that city and kill pilgrims, clerics, attack holy sites.
There is definitely the expectation that violence could happen, and we have seen it start to unfold, but there are great concerns throughout the entire country that an attack on this day, given its significance to Iraq's Shia population, could spark even more sectarian violence. All security forces are on guard to prevent something like that from taking place -- Alina.
CHO: We've already seen five attacks today. All right, Arwa Damon, live for us in Baghdad. Arwa, thank you.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: Happening this morning in America. In Mississippi today no bail for a reputed Klansman charged in the 1964 kidnapping linked to the murders of two black teenagers. A federal judge says James Seale is a flight risk because he has no job, no property, and he is a pilot. Seale pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In Illinois a tragic accident killing an eight-year-old in a cafeteria. A car crashed into the school just as eight-year-old Ryan Westling (ph) was finishing lunch at the cafeteria. It happened in Shiloh, Missouri, about 20 miles from St. Louis. An 84-year-old woman was driving that car. Two other children were hurt.
In Louisiana a Baton Rouge man is in critical condition this morning after his speeding car flew about 200 feet, cleared a levee, and landed right in the Mississippi River. Rescue workers pulled 25- year-old William Newton from the 40-degree water.
From Washington state, the latest on a story we brought to you about a fourth grade runaway. The nine-year-old Samaj (ph) Booker talked his way on to two airplanes without a ticket trying to get from Seattle to Dallas two weeks ago. You remember this, right? He is now under house arrest in the custody of his mother. Unless he is in school, he has to stay at home. Better watch him carefully.
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro being remembered this morning as a champion and a fighter. He was euthanized yesterday after a major setback in his recovery from a leg injury eight months ago. Here are some pictures of him as he was on his attempt to recover. CNN's Jason Carroll is inside the center where he was treated in Kenneth Square, Pennsylvania, to tell us more on how people are doing.
It was just such a sad thing, to hear it, wasn't it, Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: It really is, Miles. A sad day for the entire racing world. There were so many people from all over the world that were really pulling for Barbaro, and the cards and the letters poured into the New Bolton Center here, where he was treated.
We saw all the well wishes coming during his recovery; even more coming now that he is gone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice over): It was not supposed to end this way. Not for a champion. Barbaro's tale was a story of beating the odds, of success, but now also one of disappointment and sadness.
GRETCHEN JACKSON, BARBARO'S CO-OWNER: I would like now for all of us to say a prayer for Barbaro and for all those that have loved him so much. Certainly grief is the price we all pay for love.
CARROLL: Heartbreak from Barbaro's owners, and from his doctor, who early Monday had to euthanize the four-year-old colt after complications from surgery on his leg.
DEAN RICHARDSON, BARBARO'S DOCTOR: We stated, that we meant what we said that if we couldn't control his discomfort, we wouldn't go on. That's why the decision was made.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barbaro wins by seven!
CARROLL: Barbaro captured last year's Kentucky Derby, racing in a way that left fans breathless.
STEVEN CRISTO, "DAILY RACING FORM": Barbaro was a terrifically talented race horse. We'll never really know how good he might have been.
CARROLL: No horse had won the coveted Triple Crown since Affirmed, in 1978.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Affirm has a nose in front as they come on the wire!
CARROLL: The nation, it seemed, put their own hearts in Barbaro, but during his second race for the title, the Preakness, a devastating blow. Barbaro shattered his right hind leg, an injury so severe most horses would have been put down right away. Not Barbaro. Doctors fused his joints, operating several times on both legs over eight months.
It seemed fitting a horse that fought so hard and captured the hearts of so many would survive. His tale was to have a Hollywood ending like "Sea Biscuit" or "The Black Stallion," but real champions don't always finish the way you want them to.
RICHARDSON: I think this horse was loved because he was a great athlete. Everybody knew he was a great athlete, and people love greatness.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Doctors did so much to treat Barbaro. They feel like, in the future, they will be able to help injured horses even more -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: So there was some real research that came out of it that might be applied, because everybody assumed this is a one-off deal for an unusual horse.
CARROLL: Doctors believe so. They believe everything they did to treat Barbaro and the way they tried to treat his right leg, and all the pins that were used, and things like that in terms of trying to heel him will definitely help horses in the future.
O'BRIEN: They have no regrets at this point for doing what they did as long as they did?
CARROLL: None. Absolutely no regrets. Doctors made that clear. Barbaro's owners, the Jacksons, made that clear that no regrets. It just seemed as if during this last particular procedure Barbaro just wasn't the same. It seemed as if he had given up in some sense, and that wasn't the way that they wanted to see him.
O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll in Kenneth Square, Pennsylvania. Thank you.
Coming up, it is freezing in Florida. How long will it last? Chad Myers with a look at that.
Plus, the view inside Iraq. With more warnings coming from President Bush to stay out of Iraq, CNN's Christiana Amanpour has a view from inside Iran.
And Vista takes flight. Bill Gates will drop by the studio to tell us what to expect if you decide to invest in Vista. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING. We're going to reboot. This is the most news in the morning, right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning is right here. Two developing stories we're watching for you. As many as 35 killed in attacks in Iraq overnight. They are marking the Ashura holiday there, the most important Shiite holiday, and, unfortunately, has become an invitation for more violence in Iraq.
An electrical glitch shutting down a camera on the Hubbell space telescope. The advanced camera for surveys is down for the count. NASA not too optimistic it can be fixed.
It's coming up on quarter past the hour. A hard freeze coming to the South. Chad Myers has the hard facts.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: A closer look at the hostility building between America and Iran over the war in Iraq. Iran is offering economic and security aid, while President Bush is warning Iran to stay out. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour joins us on the phone from Tehran.
Christiane, I understand you are in the midst of the crowds there, in the middle of an Ashura observance. The president, President Bush, has said that the U.S. will respond firmly if Iran helps Iraq. Do you sense that people over there are concerned?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Today is one of the official holidays in Iran and across the Shia world, so we do not have any official reaction.
It's the day of Ashura where they Shiites around the world, so here in Iran, mourn and commemorate the martyrdom of one of their most treasured saints, Hussein, as he was killed in Karbala more than 1,300 years ago, killed in Iraq.
But certainly the Iranian officials and members of parliament reacted angrily to the announcement last week whereby the American administration said that they had a new policy of capture and/or kill Iranian military or security officers found threatening their troops or Iraqi civilians inside Iraq.
Now, this is pretty much business as usual, of course, the American forces do have a policy to take the maximum force protection of anybody threatens them. But now with his latest comments from Iran about opening banks, and perhaps trying to involve themselves in training Iraqi security personnel, and the reaction from President Bush clearly words of (INAUDIBLE) on both sides of the aisle.
Certainly people here in Iran, in Tehran, and elsewhere that I have been the last few days as I have been here are very, very anxious -- Elaine.
CHO: Christiane, sounds like a lot is going on around you. Give us a sense of what you are seeing and hearing there.
AMANPOUR: You know, it seems that people here are very, very concerned because they're (INAUDIBLE) ratcheting up a public rhetoric, this increasingly belligerent public rhetoric, between the very highest leadership, the presidents of both countries. Here people are concerned, because they're mindful of the kind of rhetoric that lead up to the U.S. war Iraq. And they're very, very concerned about the possibility of the same happening here.
On the other hand, Iranian officials are believed, I think right now, that given (ph) the U.S. troubles (ph) in Iraq, they believe the U.S. appears to be a paper tiger. Which, of course, is potentially dangerous for them to believe that. Of course, the U.S. very concerned -- not just about Iran's potential meddling inside Iraq, but of course about its nuclear program as well.
So, there is a sense that all of this is about a much bigger picture than just Iraq, big as Iraq is, it is also Iran's nuclear program. Of course, the United States and the rest of Europe very concerned already. The United Nations have imposed limited sanctions on Iran because of it. And that has already had a psychological effects here.
That has also cause some anger at President Ahmadinejad, who has been very belligerent and provocative in his public rhetoric, and he is being slapped down, if you like, publicly by two conservative hard- line newspapers. And, of course, we got a bloody political nose in the December municipal (ph) elections, the local elections, which saw his candidates, by and large, loose -- Elaine.
CHO: CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour live from Tehran. Thank you.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: A slap on the wrist for NASA this morning. It is a footnote to one of the more memorable images to the 2004 presidential campaign. That's when candidate John Kerry -- there he is there -- was crawling around one of the space shuttle orbiters in the typical space worker garb. They call it the bunny suit, for obvious reasons.
Well, it turn out NASA broke election laws by allowing the campaign to stage a political event at the Kennedy Space Center. A watchdog agency says NASA must now educate its employees about campaign laws, which should be easier than rocket science. Should be, anyhow.
Coming up, call it the Katrina campaign. New Orleans is now center stage in the early race for the White House.
Plus, Bill Gates drops by the studio -- he fixed all our computers. That was nice of him, wasn't it? No, actually he didn't. He is showing off his new software, his new operating system, Vista. And we're going to tell Alina what an operating system is.
CHO: Oh, man. You had to go there, didn't you?
O'BRIEN: It's really important. Trust me.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
In the news, Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, on sale as of midnight. That's really not it. That's a bunch of acrobats. That's part of stunt, right?
Oh, gosh.
CHO: Looks like Cirque de Soliel.
O'BRIEN: Hopefully they don't have to reboot. While there were no long lines or people camped out to buy it, Microsoft still says 200 million copies will be sold in the next couple of years. They'll need to sell that many. It costs them 6 billion bucks to make this software -- 6 billion bucks for software? That is a record. Bill Gates came by our studio, he explained how Vista can help parents track their kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL GATES, CHAIRMAN, MICROSOFT: A parent wants to decide what type of games are appropriate. They want to decide where their kid should browse. They may want to control what time people are on the computer, and have limits there.
Perhaps most important is you can view an activity log. And so however you set things up, you can go back and see what kind of web sites your kid is going to visit. For our family the time limits make sense. The games ratings make sense, and every once in a while we'll look at the activity log, and see if there's something we want to discuss with our kids about what they're seeing out on the Internet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Big brother is watching, kids. Later we'll hear more from Bill Gates, in our 8:00 a.m. hour. We'll go through all 50 million lines of code, line by line, and talk about them.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: No, not quite. Bill Gates and Vista. Ali Velshi is here with the business component of this. About 25 minutes past the hour. And I think back to Windows 95. Remember that? That was like kind of a concert-like event. People camping out.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Right. And remember, those were the days before the game consoles and games, those kinds of things people actually line up for.
These days of those 200 million copies they're going to sell, they're not really selling -- it's not like a whole bunch of people, as you say, are lining up for this stuff. They'll get Vista when they get a new computer. All the new computers now sold will come with Vista. Those have been sold for a few months have upgrades to Vista. But it's want the kind of thing you go out and get for your existing computer partially because it's power-hungry and it's not going to work very well on some older computers, unless you have had a very recent computer with an upgrade.
Now, Bill Gates was here, he was talking to you. They had this party in Times Square. He was on -- he was on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, where the host, Jon Stewart, as usual, had a little bit of fun with him. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: For last year we've been doing beta versions, and we'd up date that.
JON STEWART, COMEDY CENTRAL, "THE DAILY SHOW": Can I have this?
GATES: You bet.
STEWART: What if I don't know highway to use it?
(LAUGHTER)
GATES: Call me.
(APPLAUSE, CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: He's poking a little fun at the fact that -- what happens, is Microsoft comes out with these operating systems -- which, you know, nobody really needs to know what they are except it is the heart of how you use your computer.
O'BRIEN: Alina doesn't know what an operating system is.
VELSHI: Right.
CHO: It needs some explanation, like bricks and mortar.
VELSHI: It's not like a game or a console. But what happens is these have been subject to -- you know, hackers. They've had a lot of the fixes and then Microsoft comes out with these big service packs, that you have to download. And frankly, Miles, you and I probably do it. A lot of folks don't do it.
So, Microsoft needs a big push -- Alina doesn't do it.
The other thing about Vista is it looks great. It's supposedly an easier interface. This is an area where Apple has done really well. Apple users, people who like -- they like the way it works.
O'BRIEN: My first impression of it, OS 10. They matched OS 10.
VELSHI: Right, which is Apple's operating system.
CHO: OS 10?
VELSHI: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OS 10!
CHO: OK.
VELSHI: It's one of those things have you to use it to get it, but if you are buying a new computer, make sure it comes with Vista. If you're buying a PC. You'll see a lot more about this, and we'll see how it goes, see how that launch goes.
O'BRIEN: Or just go get a MAC. You can do that, too.
VELSHI: Or just go get a MAC.
O'BRIEN: Ali, thank you very much.
VELSHI: All right.
O'BRIEN: Top stories of the morning are up next. The war at home over the war Iraq. President Bush says he is the decision maker, so what's the point of a nonbinding resolution from Congress?
Plus, terror caught on tape. Shocking new video this morning released from a terror trial happening today in London. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Major miscalculation. The man set to become America's top military man in the Middle East says the U.S. miscalculated in Iraq.
CHO: Stern warning. President Bush tells Iran to stay out of Iraq, or else.
O'BRIEN: Champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true. A World War II vet, his wife, (COUGH) excuse me, and three sons now $254 million richer on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 30th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CHO: I'm Alina Cho in for Soledad this morning. Thanks for being with us.
Happening this morning on this Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashura; 35 pilgrims killed in Iraq today. At least five attacks, a suicide bombing, a drive-by shooting, a roadside bomb, and two mortar attacks.
A new round of nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea announced this morning. Six nations will talk in Beijing on February 8th. U.S. and North Korean treasury officials are talking about financial sanctions today in Beijing. Relaxing those sanctions would smooth the way for progress next week. NASA announcing new trouble for the Hubbell, as in telescope. The main camera is out. They think they can get about a third of it's capability fixed in the next couple of weeks.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Major miscalculation. The man set to become America's top military man in the Middle East says the U.S. miscalculated in Iraq.
ALINA CHO, CO-HOST: Stern warning. President Bush tells Iran to stay out of Iraq. Or else.
O'BRIEN: And champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true. A World War II vet, his wife -- excuse me -- and three sons now $254 million richer on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. It's Tuesday, January 30. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CHO: And I'm Alina Cho in for Soledad this morning. Thanks for being with us.
Happening this morning on the Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashura, 35 pilgrims killed in Iraq today. At least five attacks: a suicide bombing, a drive-by shooting, a roadside bomb, and two mortar attacks.
A new round of nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea talks announced this morning. Six nations will talk in Beijing on February 8. U.S. And North Korean treasury officials are talking about financial sanctions today in Beijing. Relaxing those sanctions would smooth the way for progress next week.
NASA announcing new trouble for the Hubbell, as in telescope. The main camera is out. They think they can get about 1/3 of its capability fixed in the next couple of weeks, but they won't be able to make full repairs until a shuttle mission next year.
And the gloves will be off in the Senate debating the minimum wage bill. Democrats and Republicans arguing over a plan to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25. The private sector also fighting about it. The bill's tax breaks would help small businesses and cost big manufacturers money -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Just a few hours from now a Senate panel will begin a confirmation hearing for Admiral William Fallon, the man tapped to become the top U.S. commander in the Mideast. Fallon is expected to offer a blunt assessment of the situation in Iraq.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with more.
Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, Admiral Fallon does have a long-standing reputation in the Navy as a four-star commander of being very plain-spoken, as you say being very blunt. But political reality, as it is in Washington, is if you are going to go before the Congress for confirmation in a military position these days, one of the first things you have to say is that mistakes were made in Iraq. That is just something that you've got to lay out there. Admiral Fallon will do just that.
According to his written testimony submitted to the committee ahead of time, one of the things he will say is, quote, "Securing the stability of the country" -- meaning Iraq, of course -- "securing the stability of the country has been more difficult than anticipated. Our ability to correctly assess the political, economic, and security situation in Iraq has been lacking."
Expect that kind of comment from Admiral Fallon. He knows full well that he is walking into a Senate Armed Services Committee where there are at least two potential next presidents of the United States: presidential candidates Senator McCain and Senator Clinton.
And Admiral Fallon fully expects to get the question from many of these senators, what about those resolutions by Congress? What about those moves expressing displeasure about more troops in Iraq? Does Admiral Fallon feel that will tie his hands? Does he feel that will badly impact troop morale in Iraq to have those types of resolutions? We will await and see what his answer is, Miles.
O'BRIEN: I am sure they'll also be asking about Iran. What will his answers be when the question comes in that direction?
STARR: right. Well, you know, Admiral Fallon is very experienced on all of this because, of course, right now the Navy has two aircraft carriers that basically will stay in the region off shore Iran as a presence mission, as a message to Tehran. A lot of naval presence out there.
But in addition, the Bush administration, you know, is getting ready to unveil some of that evidence it has that Iran has been meddling in Iraq, evidence of captured fighters, weapons, evidence that Iran is supplying advanced explosive devices into Iraq to Shia militias, devices, weapons that have been killing U.S. troops.
President Bush, of course, yesterday very strong on this. So Admiral Fallon is quite likely to get a lot of tough questions. OK. The political side of the House is being strong. Now what will the military response be? Admiral Fallon is very likely to take the diplomatic road on that and defer to the White House -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Barbara.
Barbara referred to the president being tough on the issue of Iran. The president promised a response if Iran continues to incite violence and arm Iraqi militants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The president said he knows Americans are skeptical about his war plan, but believes progress in Iraq will change that -- Alina.
CHO: The Senate could soon pass a resolution against the Iraq troop buildup. It's a nonbinding measure that has no real teeth, so to speak, so is it worth the trouble?
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live for us in Washington.
Hey, Bob. Good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The question really is does it become really empty rhetoric? In other words, to put it bluntly, why bother?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH: In that I'm the decision maker, I had to come up with a way forward that precludes disaster.
FRANKEN (voice-over): The president makes it clear he's the commander in chief. The Constitution says he gets to decide how he uses the troops in his command, but the Constitution also gives Congress the power of the purse. However, there's no serious plan to cut off funding for the additional troops. So why bother with nonbinding resolutions?
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: They are largely ways in which members of Congress get on record to indicate that they hear that the public doesn't like the war, doesn't like the way it's going, doesn't like the president.
FRANKEN: So what? The Democrats won control of Congress, in great part, because of opposition to the war.
JONATHAN TURLEY, GWU LAW PROFESSOR: What they can do is stop the war. They can simply pull the funding.
FRANKEN: So is a nonbinding resolution merely taunting from the safety of the sidelines instead of really mixing it up by debating whether to cut off funding and risk being held accountable?
TURLEY: There are many in Congress that want to be certain that when this war fails, they don't own a single part of it, and they can do that by continually appropriating money and allowing the war to go on.
FRANKEN: New Democratic congressional leaders say cutting off funding would further endanger troops already sent to Iraq, if they were to take that huge step. And they're already being stung by claims from the president and his supporters, that nonbinding though it may be, congressional action still has a powerful effect. ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It's pretty clear that a resolution certainly emboldens the enemy and our adversaries.
FRANKEN: But Democrats say it's the president's policies that have emboldened the enemy.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: It's about time the president understand virtually no one, no one, agrees with the way he's conducting this war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Just about everybody in this debate agrees that, binding or nonbinding resolution, it will embarrass the president. The argument is over whether that is a bad thing or a good thing. The president says he's the decision maker. He'll ignore the resolution.
CHO: All right. Bob Franken live for us in Washington. Bob, thanks.
At least one skeptic on Iraq this morning. Democratic senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, she sat down with Anderson Cooper Monday and criticized the president's plan to send more troops to Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't see how we can expect just putting more troops in to really get us where we can avoid any kind of bad outcome because we're not on a path to achieve that. We need to put more pressure on the Iraqi government, which is why I have said if we're going to cut troops' funding, let's cut the funding for the Iraqi troops or threaten to do so to get they are attention focused on what they have to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Senator Clinton and Arizona Senator John McCain were both in San Antonio Monday for the opening of a rehabilitation center for wounded troops.
And a reminder, you can watch "ANDERSON COOPER 360" every week night at 10 Eastern Time -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Some harsh talk aimed at the White House this morning for its response to the Gulf Coast disaster after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A Senate delegation in New Orleans yesterday holding hearings on how to help get some help to that region. Democrat Mary Landrieu was among them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: I often think we would have been better off had the terrorists blown up our levees. Maybe we'd have gotten more attention. But we blew them up ourselves. I mean, not literally, but... (END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: AMERICAN MORNING's Sean Callebs has more on the tough talk and the calls for more action, spilling into the race for the White House. He's live in New Orleans this morning.
Good morning, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Indeed, three senators down here yesterday for that field hearing. Want to show you how it's playing in this morning's "Times- Picayune", the paper here. "Senators Blast Storm Relief", and right in the middle, Senator Obama.
The indications are New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, is going to play an important role in the upcoming presidential election.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): All this devastation may no longer be front page news. But it is being used as a political stage by candidates running for president in '08.
John Edwards stood in the Lower Ninth Ward last month to announce his run for the Oval Office. Barack Obama was in New Orleans yesterday as a member of the Senate committee looking into the slow pace of recovery.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president came down. And he said we will do what it takes. We will stay as long as it takes to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.
CALLEBS: Critics point out the nation heard a lot of this in the weeks and months following Katrina, but during the State of the Union President Bush was talking about something else.
BUSH: Iraq.
Of Iraq.
To Iraq.
CALLEBS: On the subject of Katrina...
OBAMA: Not a single word. Not one word in the president's State of the Union address about New Orleans.
CALLEBS: This time New Orleans residents won't be an easy sell.
LARRY WILLIS, LAKEVIEW RESIDENT: This is basically about where we had it before the storm.
CALLEBS: Listen to Larry Willis, who is finally getting ready to move back into his Lakeview home. WILLIS: When they -- politicians come in here and use it to go on TV and put ads, they're just using the city of New Orleans for, you know, their advantage. Not for us.
CALLEBS: Silas Lee is a political consultant in New Orleans. He says the government response to the disaster still looms large.
SILAS LEE, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: People still remember the horror of residents waiting for food, for water and the slow response, so that area is still going to be a strong symbolic image.
CALLEBS: So, candidates pick up debris...
OBAMA: What exactly are they doing right here?
CALLEBS: ... and tour flashpoints of disaster. But for people like Willis, it's going to take a lot more than that this time around.
WILLIS: Frustrated with the whole entire system, the whole entire political system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: You know, for people like Larry Willis it may seem like yesterday, but it's been nearly a year and a half since Katrina hit this area. Now, to put that in perspective, Miles, the presidential election is still 21 months away, so expect to hear a lot more in the coming days and weeks ahead.
O'BRIEN: Sean Callebs in New Orleans.
Dangerous wind chills in the northern plains and freezing temperatures in Florida. Chad Myers has it all for us.
Plus, terror caught on tape. Shocking new video this morning. Investigators say it's a plot to blow up a double bus.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Most news in the morning. Some of the stories we're looking at for you this morning. As many as 35 killed in Iraq overnight. They are marking the Shiite religious holiday of Ashura, and, unfortunately, it is a tempting target for those bent on violence.
America's new commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, due in Baghdad next week. We'll be following that for you, as well -- Alina.
CHO: Thank you, Miles. Forty-three minutes after the hour. If you're heading out the door, let's get a quick check of the travelers' forecast. Chad Myers, our man at the CNN weather center, for that.
Hey, Chad. Good morning. (WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Chad Myers, the man who can just rattle off roticity (ph) and just keep on going. Good job.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And Monty Python at the same time.
O'BRIEN: And Monty Python. Yes, you are an eclectic guy. There's no question. A Renaissance man of weather.
Some chilling pictures of a failed terror plot out this morning. They come from a London courtroom, where six men are accused of trying to blow up subway trains and a bus in July of 2005.
Paula Newton live from London with the latest.
Hello, Paula.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And hello, Miles.
We've been telling you about some of the dramatic testimony in court in the last few weeks in this case. Prosecutors are telling jurors that what they are looking at is security camera footage of yet another would-be suicide bomber caught in the act.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice-over): The images are startling, what prosecutors say is a suicide bomber in action calmly, silently, boarding a double- decker bus armed with a homemade bomb in his backpack.
This security camera footage just released by Scotland Yard shows the suspect climb up to the top deck, walk to the back, and then sit down. Within a few minutes prosecutors say it happened. The moment they allege Mukhtar Said Ibrahim detonated his bomb, fully expecting to blow up the bus.
Witnesses say there was a loud bang. It sounded like marbles or glass crashing to the floor, and then a burning smell.
Remarkably, the video doesn't convey panic, not even from the suspect, who gets up and heads for the exit even as fellow passengers stare at him suspiciously.
Ibrahim was arrested days later and is now on trial for conspiracy to murder along with five co-defendants. They all deny the charges.
The bus driver, Mark Maybanks, told jurors Monday he then stopped the bus, let everyone out, including the suspect, and ventured to the top deck. He described finding an oozing knapsack. "It looked like butter," he said, with screws and metal scattered over it.
Forensic experts have already testified this is no harmless mixture. The crude cocktail of hydrogen peroxide and flour could have caused death, injury, loss of limbs, had it ignited properly.
The July 21, 2005, security footage, now released, is a chilling real-time depiction of what prosecutors say could have been a deadly follow-up to the July 7 terror attacks in London. Other security footage from a subway car also on July 21 claims to show the exact moment when a would-be suicide bomber detonates his bomb.
The plots, just two weeks apart, were similar, prosecutors allege. Three subway cars, one bus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The prosecutors also allege, Miles, that this was no copycat plan, but a determined terrorist plot months in the making, and, Miles, that took a few of us by surprise. Londoners always thought that was some type of a copycat. Because it's not, at least prosecutors claim it's not, it's actually been more worrying for people here. It seemed to be two separate plots going on at the same time. We haven't heard any testimony yet about the theories surrounding that and how that could have happened -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Paula Newton live from London -- Alina.
CHO: Coming up, a strong warning for Iran from President Bush. We'll go live to the White House, find out what could happen if Tehran ignores the warning to stay out of Iraq.
Plus, Tyra Banks fires back after being called "America's Next Top Waddle". Had to go there for a couple of lbs. Her comeback for the so-called tabloid fat police. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Happening this morning in America. In Mississippi, no bail for a reputed Klansman charged with a 1964 kidnapping linked to the murders of two black teenagers. A federal judge says former sheriff's deputy James Seale is a flight risk because he has no job, no property, and, guess what, he's also a pilot. Seale pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Microsoft launching its new operating system Vista overnight. It offers 3D graphics, improved security and new ways to hook up to your TV. The New York launch featured acrobats high above Times Square. We'll hear from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. He talks to Miles. That's in our 8 a.m. Eastern hour right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
And there she is, Miss America. Lauren Nelson is her name, crowned last night in Las Vegas. She is the second Miss Oklahoma in a row to win. Nelson would like to be a Broadway star. She gets a $50,000 scholarship, but she could make much more. Thousands, in fact, more in appearance fees.
Tyra Banks, the host of "America's Next Top Model", is speaking out about her weight. If you pick up a copy of "People" magazine this morning, take a look. You'll see Banks on the cover in a swimsuit. Looks pretty good there, right? Well, it's in response to another photo, in fact, some tabloid photos like these showing Banks and unflattering headlines like "America's Next Top Waddle."
Banks spoke out about it to Larry King last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYRA BANKS, TALK SHOW HOST: You know, it wasn't that it was embarrassing because I don't think it's a reflection of what my body is right now, although I do think one day it will be a reflection of my body because I like to eat. I'm not obsessed with working out. So it wasn't so much of an embarrassment. It was just like what is that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Banks has a message for girls. She says the photo of her is not ugly. She'll have more to say on her own show this week. And a reminder, you can catch "LARRY KING LIVE" every night at 9 Eastern Time -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, a warning to Iran. Stay out of Iraq. More on the president's message live from the White House coming up.
And a wave of deadly violence against Shiites in Iraq on a solemn holy day. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.
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O'BRIEN: Companies are going green. Why? To make some green. A few minutes before the top of the hour, Ali Velshi with that.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Miles.
You know, the Environmental Protection Agency every year puts out a list of the top 25 consumers of green electricity. When they say green electricity, they mean electricity that's generated by wind, solar power, other sorts of geothermal renewable resources.
And for the first time two companies, not government agencies, are at the top of that list. The top name on the list is Wells Fargo, which got 42 percent of its power from wind in 2006.
And No. 2 is Whole Foods Market, which got 100 percent of its power from renewable resources.
The Air Force is No. 3, and the EPA itself, which puts out the list, is No. 4.
Now, when you go down that list there are other big names. Johnson and Johnson, Starbucks, Dupont, Sisco (ph), Staples. And it's a good question as to what it's about. With the rising costs of long- term energy, with electricity costs rising, it sort of makes more sense, because these renewable energy sources tend to be more expensive than traditional coal-fired energy or coal-fired electricity or natural gas fired electricity.
So, A, the increasing cost has made more sense, and, B, it seems to be good corporate citizenship in this time of, you know, increasing prices, increased prices and decreasing supply of energy. I guess a lot of these companies are saying, "Hey, look, it's not a bad thing to do."
Obviously, with companies like Whole Foods, which have some concentration on renewable resources, it makes a lot of sense. But that's a pretty significant development that two companies are now topping the list of the biggest consumers of renewable electricity in the United States.
O'BRIEN: Ali Velshi, thank you very much.
Some of the top stories of the morning. No. 1 on dot com's list right now, CNN.com's. Niki Taylor says she was slandered by the E! show. Do you watch the E! show?
NGUYEN: I don't.
O'BRIEN: Anyway, Niki Taylor, she's suing E! -- it's an entertainment network -- over how she was portrayed on a show called "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
NGUYEN: Kind of looks like something you might like, though.
O'BRIEN: Yes. I might be tuning in. Time to TiVo. Taylor says producers told her the show would focus on her clothing line and charities. A little bait and switch, however, she claims. Focused on her past hardships, calling her a celebrity who risked everything and lost.
NGUYEN: Another popular story on CNN.com we're looking at. World War II vet, 84 years old, wins a $254 million lottery. His name's Jim Wilson. His wife, Shirley, there -- cute couple -- and their three sons will share the jackpot.
He bought the $5 quick pick about an hour before the drawing last week. He has one of two choices, $254 million in 30 payments over 29 years or a lump sum worth $120 million before taxes. Take the lump sum.
O'BRIEN: And as an octogenarian, I would highly recommend...
NGUYEN: That's right.
O'BRIEN: ... the lump sum.
We're coming up at the top of the hour. Chad Myers at the weather center with a look at what's going on in the big weather story this morning.
Good morning, Chad.
MYERS: You can be so at times, Miles, so rude, you know? O'BRIEN: What, when?
MYERS: Because maybe that guy could buy himself such good medical, he could live for -- to be 130.
O'BRIEN: Well, just hedging your bets.
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