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American Morning
A Frantic Search; Four Years of War in Iraq
Aired March 19, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And a frantic search. New clues today in the search for a Boy Scout missing in bone-chilling conditions. We'll have an update expected this hour.
We're live from North Carolina, Baghdad, Tehran and the White House on this "AMERICAN MORNING."
Good morning to you, it's Monday, March 19th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
We begin this morning with Kyra Philips who is reporting from Baghdad for us.
Good morning to you, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And I'm being told we're just getting pictures now out of Kirkuk, oil-rich Kirkuk, I should point out. That's 150 miles just north of Baghdad.
This is what we know right now about these explosions. Five blasts, we are told, coming out of Kirkuk, three car bombs, 15 people now reported dead, 35 additional Iraqis injured. We're told that one of those explosions was targeting an Iraqi police unit there in Kirkuk.
We're also bringing you information today about a Shiite mosque in Baghdad, very close to the Shorjah marketplace, one of the most popular marketplaces in central Baghdad. Six people killed, 32 people injured, mostly, rather, worshippers at that mosque. The bomb, we're told, planted at the entrance of that mosque.
Other reports of violence today, the mayor of a Shiite village kidnapped and murdered. Four Iraqis killed, including a mother and a daughter in random mortar attacks. Also, an Iraqi killed in a drive- by shooting.
And now getting reports of two Iraqi soldiers killed in Tikrit, the home town of Saddam Hussein.
Four years ago when this war started, I remember being on the "USS Abraham Lincoln" never thinking that I would be here on the ground, going into the fifth year of this war, seeing so many violence and seeing so many Iraqis displaced by what is happening here in Baghdad and outside, throughout Iraq -- Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Kyra Phillips for us this morning. Thank you, Kyra, for the update.
Just a short time ago, I talked with the Ambassador, David Satterfield. He is the Iraq coordinator for the State Department. We talked about the situation for refugees in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB. DAVID SATTERFIELD, STATE DEPARTMENT'S IRAQ COORDINATOR: Iraq today is not Vietnam in 1975. Iraq is not a collapsed state. It's a state with a sovereign government. It's a state where the population, who have not felt secure, have found refuge immediately adjacent to that country's border, unlike the situation in Vietnam. And it's a situation where the best possible resolution, the resolution we still hope can be achieved, is for those individuals, who have crossed the border to neighboring countries, return to their homes, not the United States, but to their homes in a stable and more peaceful Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: That was Ambassador Satterfield. He also says, despite the violence, there are some encouraging signs there is progress being made in Iraq. He points to the national Iraqis in which 12 million Iraqis voted on their new parliament -- Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: New this morning, a suicide bomber, apparently Taliban, attacking a U.S. embassy convoy in Afghanistan. It happened along a road leading out of Kabul to the Bagram Air Base. Several are confirmed hurt, including one American. Police there now say no one was killed. We're watching that one for you.
Now, to the frantic search for a Boy Scout. After two bone- chilling nights in the rugged North Carolina woods, 12-year-old Michael Auberry, has been out since Saturday. He just vanished in the midst of a camping trip in Doughton Park, North Carolina, near the state line with Virginia.
"AMERICAN MORNINGS's" Bob Franken is live now from McGrady, North Carolina.
We expect a briefing from some of the officials there shortly. Bob has been talking with them all morning.
Bob, what do we know?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Behind me, Miles, you see what is really the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And it is in that area that the young Boy Scout has been missing since Saturday.
Searchers have focused on about 5,900 acres in that area. They're telling us that they're going to expand. They're operating very methodically now that the light has come out again. They're going to probably double the number of people that go in there.
Obviously, they're concerned, but they have not given up hope yet. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID WELDON, SEARCH COMMANDER: Any time you have cold temperatures and you know somebody has been out in the environment over this period of time, it is definitely a concern of ours.
FRANKEN (voice-over): Twelve-year-old Michael Auberry disappeared Saturday while on a camping trip with his Boy Scout troop in the mountains of western North Carolina. Park rangers say the boy apparently wandered away from the group after lunch. Search crews have been combing rugged terrain.
WELDON: This is definitely wilderness. It makes it difficult to do searching, especially at night. We want to keep them on the main trails because we have drop-offs and you've got laurel thickets that are hard to see at night.
FRANKEN: On Sunday, searchers found footprints that matched the shoes that Michael was wearing. They also found his mess kit less than a mile away from the campsite.
With temperatures dropping into the 20s overnight, the search continued. Michael has been alone in the wilderness for more than 40 hours.
PHILIP MCGLAMORY, SEARCH VOLUNTEER: Probably scared right now. I mean being 12 years old, and in the woods that you don't know everything. And it getting dark. Yes, I would probably be a little scared.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Inevitably, there are questions about the possibility of foul play. Investigators, police officials say they've been looking into that, but, thus far, found no indications. This is anything about a young Boy Scout who wandered away from his troop -- Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Well, let's hope it's their lucky day. Thank you, Bob Franken in North Carolina -- Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a story that's surely to be developing all day. The Justice Department is expected today to release the documents that have been requested by Congress about the firings of those eight federal prosecutors. It is setting up what could be a major showdown between the Bush administration and Congress.
White House correspondent Ed Henry is live for us this morning from Washington, D.C.
Good morning to you, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. You're right. A critical day, indeed, for the White House. Do they turn the corner on this controversy or does it continue to build, drip, drip, all week and ultimately force their hand, force the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales?
A lot will rest in terms of Gonzales' fate on what White House Counsel Fred Fielding says this week. He is expected to give an answer to Democrats on the Hill about whether Karl Rove and two others will testify. Will they testify also under oath and in public?
The White House very eager to limit that testimony as much as possible to make sure that this does not become a fishing expedition for Democrats, go into all other kinds of other areas with Karl Rove.
But Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy is making it clear. In his words, he's tired of half truths from the White House. He wants Rove and others in public, under oath.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I've reached a point where I'm not here to negotiate. I want the answers. They can either supply the answers voluntarily or we'll subpoena them. It's as simple as that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, a vote on those subpoenas expected it come Thursday. And Leahy has some political cover here, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Senator Arlene Specter indicating he wants Rove, Harriet Miers, others to publicly testify.
And another big wild card, a portion of all this, is the fate of Kyle Sampson. You remember the former chief of staff to the attorney general? He resigned last week. Democrats think he was the fall guy. There are some indications he may testify voluntarily, without a subpoena.
If he's to talk, obviously a lot of question about whether he will implicate others or if he will take the blame for this -- Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: We've got all these e-mails. A new round of an e- mail dump coming out. Any indication this early on about what exactly is going to be found out today?
HENRY: No. Each time, in each twist and turn here, there has been something unexpected. The White House thought they had gotten ahead of this a couple of times last. And in each time, there's another dump of documents. There was new revelations that sort of twisted the story, turned the timeline on its head, if you will.
Also, another problem for the attorney general is that, it's not just about he U.S. attorney story. There's a lot of anger, bipartisan anger on Capitol Hill about a series of stories -- misuse of the PATRIOT Act, also on the terrorists surveillance program. Lawmakers on the Hill feeling like the attorney general stiffed them, did not give them answers. That's why this is all built up, pent up. And it's all being let out over this U.S. attorney story -- Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: If history is any gauge, there will be more to talk about as soon as those new e-mails come out.
HENRY: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry for us this morning. Thanks as always, Ed.
HENRY: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: There's nothing fair about war, but add this one to the mix. The war in Iraq, now four years old, is impacting more families in rural areas than in cities.
Jason Carroll with a closer look at this surprising detail.
Jason, good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And it is surprising to see, Miles.
You look at the list of U.S. war casualties and you see they come from every major city you can think of.
When you take a closer look, you see that rural communities are shouldering a heavier burden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Inside this rural Vermont home, Josh Johnson's boots are where he left them more than a year ago. His jeep sits in the garage untouched.
CRYSTAL ROYEA, JOHNSON'S SISTER: Some days you think, wow, he's going to walk in. But in the back of your mind, you know it's really not going to happen.
CARROLL: Johnson was killed by a rocket propelled grenade a year ago last January. He was 24.
LAURA ROYEA, JOHNSON'S MOTHER: If it wasn't for my other children, I never would have made it this far. I couldn't have handled it. I wouldn't be here. It's devastating.
CARROLL: The Johnsons' pain is felt by many families in similar situations across rural communities in the United States.
A recent study shows a disproportionate number of Iraq War casualties are from places like Johnson's hometown, Richford, Vermont, a farming community of roughly 2,200 people.
Bill O'Hare, co-author of the study, using statistics from the Department of Defense.
BILL O'HARE, STUDY AUTHOR, CARSEY INSTITUTE: The death rate for rural soldiers is about 60 percent higher than the death rate for urban soldiers. CARROLL (on camera): The study also shows of rural areas, the state of Vermont has the highest rate of casualties, followed by Delaware, South Dakota and Arizona.
(voice-over): The study found men and women from rural areas join the military looking for opportunities not found in their small communities. The same was true for Josh Johnson.
L. ROYEA: He wanted to make something with his life. And here in these little towns, there's nothing.
CARROLL: Vermont is known for its progressive stands on social issues. More than 30 small towns passed resolutions calling on impeaching the president over the war.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT: The war becomes very, very personal when in a small, rural state, people start dying because, you know what? Everybody -- if you don't know the person, you know the family.
CARROLL: And the family's pain.
L. ROYEA: I miss just being with him and hearing him laugh, seeing his smile.
CARROLL: So, for now, Josh Johnson's personal things remain where he left them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: The Johnsons told me that Josh really liked to draw. They were thinking he might choose a profession that involved that. But, again, they say that he saw the military as a better way out of Richford.
MM. O'BRIEN: Just seeing those boots there, that's a tough picture.
CARROLL: It really was. It really was.
M. O'BRIEN: How does the family feel about the war effort right now?
CARROLL: His mother supported his initial decision to join the military. She supported the war. And now she's at the point where she feels it is time for the troops to come out and come home.
M. O'BRIEN: Is she becoming increasingly vocal about it?
CARROLL: She's very vocal about it. In fact, Josh's grandfather, who we didn't get an opportunity to get in the piece there, was even more vocal about it.
When you look at these small towns, patriotism is very, very high.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Jason Carroll, thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING," rain and snow for the start of the workweek. Start of spring, too. Chad Myers is going to tell us where, straight ahead this morning.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fighting for his job now. Senate Democrats want testimony under oath from White House aides about those fired U.S. attorneys.
Plus, it could be the first time the words were ever uttered in the Supreme Court, "Bong hits for Jesus. Yes, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, yes, it was the first time.
And that is not the only unusual thing about this case. It's all strange. We'll tell you what is happening there.
You're watching "AMERICAN MORNING." The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Most news in the morning right here on CNN. U.S. airways putting extra flights on the tote board today, trying to clean up a mess that left thousands of its customers stranded. Bunch of snow storms over the weekend caused the problems.
In Baghdad, at least six are dead, 30 injured after a bombing inside a Shiite mosque this morning.
It's about quarter past the hour right now.
Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center. He's been watching all things weather for us.
That U.S. Airways thing, they decided to fly. Jetblue said no flights.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Correct.
M. O'BRIEN: And sort of, in a way, overreacted a little bit, but nobody stranded, at least.
MYERS: Right. They got people in and out in other ways. And then the problem is they got -- U.S. Airways got in trouble because they couldn't get planes into places. And obviously that computerized system they were using also gave them a problem.
Miles, I thought you were going to talk to me about the big Airbus, A380. We'll talk about that in the next half hour, too. Big plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean, 36,000 feet, 453 knots right now, going to JFK. Five hundred people on board. Boy, that is just a big guy out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Can't wait for that. All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Those subpoenas could be coming this week for key members of the Bush administration. Senate Democrats are demanding answers about the firings of those federal prosecutors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, (D), VERMONT: I want testimony under oath. I am sick and tired of getting half truths on this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont.
What legal options does the White House have?
Savannah Guthrie, of "Court TV" is in Washington, D.C. this morning.
Savannah, always nice to see you. Good morning, good morning, good morning.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, "COURT TV": Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with subpoenas. If you're subpoenaed, do you actually have to testify?
GUTHRIE: Well, most people do, you or I would have to testify if we were subpoenaed by the Congress. But the wrinkle here is that these are White House officials and so they potentially could invoke what is called executive privilege. That's something that's grounded in our Constitution, the separation of powers. It's the notion that the White House officials, the executive branch, should be able to keep some presidential communications secret and not be encroached on by either the courts of the Congress in form of subpoenas.
So this sets up a showdown between one branch of government against another. Whether Congress can force people, like Rove and Miers, to come to Congress and testify.
S. O'BRIEN: For the White House, this is a story that's not going away.
Let's talk about another story, the Supreme Court case over a student -- well, I guess he was a student. He is now graduated from high school -- who unfurled a big giant banner that said, "Bong hits for Jesus." This was when the torch was coming through, the Olympic torch was coming through. His principal suspended him. Ripped down the sign, I guess. Suspended him from school, as well.
He says that is a violation of his free speech. Five years later, it is finally in the Supreme Court. GUTHRIE: Yes, he is long gone from high school and, yet, this issue lives on. And the banner is kind of amusing. It's sort of nonsensical. He said he meant it to be ironic. He was not trying to promote drug use.
And yet, this case has the potential to be a landmark Supreme Court case on the issue of students' free speech rights.
The question is here because it wasn't happening at school. It was across the street from school. There were teachers and faculty. Many students were there.
On the other hand, how far can the school go in regulating the student's free speech rights? That's the issue before the court today.
S. O'BRIEN: It's very interesting. He was on a public sidewalk. So if someone else had unfurled that same banner, not a student, really would be a completely different case here.
It's made, you know, the whole strange bed fellow scenario. It's been kind of weird who is all getting together on this story.
GUTHRIE: It's very odd. Of course, the government is on the side of the school board and school officials. And anti-drug programs are on the side of the school board.
But wait until you see who is on the side of the student here. You've got the ACLU. And they're handling his lawsuit.
S. O'BRIEN: No surprise there.
GUTHRIE: But a lot of Christian groups, otherwise conservative groups, are siding with the student here. Of course, not because they support the message of bong hits for Jesus. But because they want to protect the student's free speech rights. Because next time, maybe it's not a sign about bong hits for Jesus, maybe it's a religious sign. They want to preserve the student's rights to have free expression, even in the school house gates.
S. O'BRIEN: I see. It could have implications for a bunch of students who decided to pray in class or something like that.
GUTHRIE: Absolutely. Other kinds of free expression, religious expression. What they don't want to set it up so school officials have broad discretion to ban all kind of speech just by saying it is offensive and undermines our mission.
And if they could do that, that would be the exception that swallowed the rule that students have free speech rights inside the school house gates, although not the same as an adult outside school.
S. O'BRIEN: He was trying to poke at his principal. He had no idea what kind of issues he would be raising five years after he pulled that.
Savannah Guthrie for us this morning from "Court TV. Always nice to see you, Savannah, thanks.
GUTHRIE: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Is it a big fat diamond in the sky or a flying white elephant? Either way, the 380 is coming. The 390 is coming. Live pictures of our flight explorer. See that big, big dot in the middle with the triangle. That's it. It's on its way to JFK. The red dot, right there on the left, 519 of your nearest and dearest friends aboard.
Ali Velshi will be here to tell you about the bumpy ride it created has for its manufacturer. "Minding your Business" ahead.
Stay with us for more "AMERICAN MORNING."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: All right. File this one under "better late than never." The Airbus A380 super jumbo jet makes its first commercial transatlantic flight. I almost sound like Miles O'Brien, don't I?
He's now 25 minutes past the hour.
Ali Velshi is here.
M. O'BRIEN: You mean that as a complicate, of course.
S. O'BRIEN: Of course.
ALI VELSHI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm watching you guys tracking this thing, this plane that's coming into JFK from Germany, except that it's kind of moot because it is two years late. And this thing has cost Airbus a lot of money.
It's a fascinating plane. There's no question about this thing.
MM. O'BRIEN: It's a spectacle.
VELSHI: It's a spectacle.
M. O'BRIEN: I mean it's a financial blog.
VELSHI: There are 550 people coming in on this plane, and that's crew and reporters and -- unbelievable.
It's got its problems logistically, first of all, because where do you park this thing. Where do you fly it? It's got to have gates. It's double-decker. It's got to have -- how do you unload hundreds of people off and on a plane like that? Who is going to accept the plane?
That aside, people really bought this plane. Airlines really, really wanted it. And it was just later and later and problem after problem. They have about 116 firm orders for this plane, but many dozens have canceled orders.
A business that has gone over to Boeing for its Dreamliner, which isn't nearly as big.
M. O'BRIEN: It's a whole different approach.
VELSHI: But new big planes are about efficiency. They're lighter and more effective. So this -- the landing of the 380 is a big deal because they want people to see it and say, "Oh, my God, that is incredible. What a big deal to have a plane like that."
And they're hoping to regain some of this romance that has just petered away.
S. O'BRIEN: How much time will it take to get 550 people...
VELSHI: That's part of the trip.
S. O'BRIEN: If you're in the last seat, what is that row 69X?
VELSHI: There's two planes coming in. One is coming into New York and the other one is Quantas (ph) coming into L.A.
S. O'BRIEN: One into L.A.
VELSHI: Yes, right, into L.A. L.A. will be the first landing in terms of where this plane actually works out of the United States. It will have gates there.
But very sophisticated because you're going to have entry points in all sorts of places, not one gate where everybody goes through and then splits off into four or five entry points.
Airlines have to figure out a way to really make this efficient, otherwise your first trip on a 380 might be your last.
S. O'BRIEN: Then, when your flight's delay, with all the lines, try to get rebooked. Oh, my gosh, with 550 people.
VELSHI: And the baggage -- how long is it going to take you to get your bag off that thing? And go through customs.
So it's a bit of an ordeal. Everybody's got to be on side. And Airbus has lost a lot of confidence because of the delay.
People, who were anxious about it and saying we're going to do this and make it work, a lot of those airlines said, we'll make something else work.
They also have a lot of cargo planes selling. It's a lot of space to be shipping stuff. So it's efficient. They may win as a result of this.
In the history of airplanes, a two-year delay doesn't turn out to be that much. But these are expensive and airlines are struggling. This could be it. We'll have to see. M. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali Velshi, thank you.
Top stories of the morning are coming up next. Developing story out of New York City. Those officers accused of shooting an unarmed groom-to-be. We'll tell you about the charges they face.
The search intensifies for a missing Boy Scout, two nights in the cold now, 20 degree temperatures.
You're watching "AMERICAN MORNING." The most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Morning. Welcome back, everybody. Monday, March 19th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: we're watching several stories that are developing this morning, all coming into us right now.
Searchers are going to be updating us in the next couple hours on that search for that little Boy Scout who's missing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He's been missing since Saturday. Very cold temperatures overnight.
M. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, more e-mail and documents due out in the controversy over those fired U.S. attorneys. The Attorney General Alberto Gonzales still fighting for his job. Key White House aides may be subpoenaed. S. O'BRIEN: Today begins the fifth year of war in Iraq. We'll talk with veterans straight ahead.
See how the aspirations of Senator John McCain could rise and fall with this unpopular war.
M. O'BRIEN: In New York City this morning, the cops responsible for that deadly shooting that triggered outrage are facing the music. They apparently have turned themselves in.
They are responsible for the shooting of three unarmed men in Queens in November. They fired no less than 50 shots. Twenty-three- year-old Sean Bell was killed on what was to be his wedding day.
The grand jury indictments will be unsealed in court a little later today.
CNN's Jim Acosta with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 500 undercover officers say, as they try to stop Sean Bell and his friend, Bell clipped one of the detectives with his car, triggering the gun fire. The barrage of 50 shots killed Bell and wounded his friends.
The civil rights community said the police had, once again, lost its trust.
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: One day, Nicole will have to tell this baby about her father. And have to tell Jada about her father.
ACOSTA: As for the officers, three of the accused, their lawyers say were indicted by a grand jury Friday. Detective Michael Oliver, who fired 31 times, pausing once to reload. Gescard Isnora (ph) and Marc Cooper (ph), who fired their weapons as well.
MICHAEL PALLADINO, DETECTIVES ENDOWMENT FUND: The message that's being sent by the indictments is -- will have a chilling effect not only have on New York City detectives and New York City Police, but law enforcement throughout the country.
ACOSTA: The Queens district attorney won't announce exact charges until 11:00 a.m. Monday. Reverend Al Sharpton says the family will make its next move after the indictments come down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And the district attorney here in queens is expected to detail those charges in less than three hours from now, and those detectives, as we've been reporting this morning, have reportedly turned themselves in -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jim Acosta in Queens, thank you.
(NEWSBREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Republican presidential contender John McCain facing some tough questions right now while the war in Iraq enters its fifth year today, with support dwindling. He's having to explain to crowds why he continues to back the fight and the escalation of troops.
Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Observe a moment of silence in the memory of this brave young man.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether it is the death of a local soldier or question from the audience, presidential candidate John McCain cannot avoid the subject even if he wanted to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will it be there possibly as long as our troops have been in Korea and Germany?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you do as our commander in chief to protect our troops.
CROWLEY: Traveling through Iowa aboard his bus, the Arizona senator ponders whether his fierce support of the war will hurt his presidential ambitions.
MCCAIN: I just have to do what I know is right and articulate what I think is right and best for the country. This is not a minor issue, it's a huge issue.
CROWLEY: Which is to say McCain believes the Iraq War has now become part of the broader war on terror.
MCCAIN: The consequences of failure are chaos, genocide, and sooner or later we'll come back and most importantly they'll follow us home.
CROWLEY: McCain is the war's most visible support at a time when only a third of voters think it was worth the price.
Because of his years as a Vietnam POW and his staunch support of the military, McCain strategists believe voters will give him leeway on Iraq. Regardless, he where is he is.
In the community centers and town halls of Iowa and New Hampshire, John McCain generally enters the room to Tom Petty's, "I won't back down."
MCCAIN: This conflict we are in between good and evil, between the forces of radical Islamic extremism that are trying to destroy America and everything we believe in. I'm qualified, I know the face of war and I know the face of evil . I will win. We will win and we will never surrender.
CROWLEY: Candy Crowley, CNN, Mason City, Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we'll tell you what veterans of this war have to say on this somber anniversary.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, we hear a lot from the politicians, the protesters and the Pentagon brass, but on this fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, what are the men and women who have actually done the hard and very dangerous work thinking?
Captain Scott Stanford, who served with the National Guard in the Al Anbar province, joins us from Los Angeles.
In Washington this morning, Colonel Alan King. He served with the 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion. He wrote a book, by the way, "An American Soldier's Battle for the Hearts Minds in Iraq."
Also in Washington, Sergeant Kayla Williams. She of the 101st Airborne. She penned the book "Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army."
Good morning to all of you. We're glad you're with us.
I want to begin with you, Captain Stanford. At this point do you feel as if the troop buildup and the new strategy in Iraq is working?
CAPT. SCOTT STANFORD, ARMY NATL. GUARD: Well, not being on the ground, I couldn't really say, but the fact that they're asking for more people already, and it was something that was supposed to last until the summer, and now it's just basically an indefinite escalation of a plan that hasn't changed. It's still the same failed policy as before. You know, I have a lot of confidence in the soldiers, sailors and marines that are there on the ground. They're doing hard work. But they haven't been given the tools and the leadership that they need to get the job done there.
M. O'BRIEN: Colonel King, a lot of the criticism of the troop buildup is it's too little too late. Would you go along with that?
COL. ALAN KING, U.S. ARMY: Well, you know, whether it's little or late, General Petraeus is the right leader at the right time. And I think the indications proves that at this point in time, that there's a lot of interagency coordination, and that there seems to be some progress.
M. O'BRIEN: But as far as specifically, this strategy of increasing the number of troops at this juncture, do you think it's going to make a real difference? We've been reporting about an awful lot of violence, some of it moving out of Baghdad.
KING: I think you will that there's going to be some stabilization within Iraq. It's going to give them -- or in Baghdad, particularly, and give them the opportunity to do some of the reconstruction that we could have done in the last couple years, and then we'll be able to expand from there, as the Iraqi security forces are able to take over.
M. O'BRIEN: Sergeant Williams, you served under General Petraeus in the 101st Airborne in the invasion timeframe. Are you a firm believer that he is the right person to be leading the strategy in Iraq right now?
SGT. KAYLA WILLIAMS, U.S. ARMY: Absolutely. I really hope that if anybody can make a difference, it's him. He was widely respected for the job that he did while we were over there. I was proud to serve under him, and I sure hope if anybody can turn it around at this point, it's General Petraeus.
M. O'BRIEN: What are your thoughts on this troop buildup?
WILLIAMS: Unfortunately I am afraid that it just -- it is too little, too late. I think that it's unfortunate that General Shinseki wasn't listened to at the beginning. We should have had a lot more troops when we went in to be able to sustain an occupation in a country as large as Iraq. And just I really do hope that there is now a political will within Iraq. Hopefully the tribes are going to start making a difference, like it seems, like, maybe happening in Anbar, and there will a political solution as well.
M. O'BRIEN: Captain, do you think there is any likelihood of a political solution any time soon. And while I ask you that question, let me give you a field promotion. Let's say you're chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Captain Stanford, right now, what would you advise the president to do right now?
STANFORD: Well, you know, I'd be speaking way above my pay grade if I knew that.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's a hypothetical -- run with it.
STANFORD: I'd advise the president to pay attention to the more than 1.6 millions veterans that came back from this war. I mean, the most egregious thing is that after four years we're still completely unprepared in this country to deal with this the flood of veterans that are coming back. It's not a new situation at this point. What you're seeing at Walter Reed is just the tip of the iceberg when you're talking about the chronically underfunded Veterans' Administration, et cetera. In terms of what's happening in Iraq, I could only talk to you as a foot soldier, and I really would want to...
M. O'BRIEN: Well, foot soldiers often know more a lot more than their superiors. If you could offer up one piece of advice that you feel is not being used right now, what would it be?
STANFORD: Get the men, women over there off the streets that are right there in front of the Iraqis. You know, they're doing a difficult job, and they're doing it the best they can, but the fact is it's gone too wrong at this point. The Iraqis feel they will be better off without us right there. We need to put the money, I think, into special operations forces, just get into training, make sure that the Iraqi military and police forces are up to our ethical standards so that they can go forward and deal with their own countrymen. But at this point, it's too little, too late, and we've got our own people in harm's way unnecessarily.
M. O'BRIEN: So pull them out? Would you say bring them home now?
STANFORD: Bring them home.
M. O'BRIEN: Colonel, what do you think? Bring them home?
KING: Absolutely not. I think that you'll find if we were to pull out today that there'd be a proxy war between the neighboring countries that would take place in Iraq and it would destabilize the Middle East. I think you'll find that it will increase the price of gas, which is a primary concern for many Americans, even my driver this morning said that gas was a concern, and that's absolutely positively to happen if we were to pull out today.
M. O'BRIEN: So keep them in, or send -- would you suggest, if you were in charge now, would you suggest even more troops? KING: No, I'd say stay the strategy that General Petraeus has laid out. I think that we're seeing that there's some progress that's being made, and we'll be able to expand the circle from there. As Sergeant Williams said, that the tribes are starting to take hold, particularly in Al Anbar, and we're seeing a lot of progress in that area, and we're finding that there's more interagency coordination than there has been in the past.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Sergeant Williams, your turn to weigh in on this. What advice would you give if the highest authorities in the land were listening to you right now?
WILLIAMS: If the political will were there and the U.S. Army wasn't already pretty overstretched, I would say to send in more troops. I actually really disagree...
M. O'BRIEN: How many more? What would you say? How many more? Six figures?
WILLIAMS: No, not six figures. But I would double the troops that are there, but I don't think that we have those troops available. I really disagree that our troops shouldn't be out in the streets. I think that they should be more visible. They should be helping the people feel secure, able to go shopping, take their kids to school and feel safe and secure, which just isn't happening right now.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, one more round of questions for you all. And I just want to get your sense of just your thoughts. Captain Stanford, four years ago I doubt you predicted that we would be having this conversation and this scenario would be under way right now. This is a sad anniversary, isn't it?
WILLIAMS: It's very sad, particularly for me, vis-a-vis my time over there and the troops that I served with.
You know, in four years in World War II we were able to simultaneously defeat two of the most formidable war machines on the face of the planet. And like the sergeant said, it has to do with political will to get the job done, and it also has to do with, you know, our executive leadership asking us to make the sacrifices that are necessary in order to accomplish what we're supposed to accomplish over there.
Now, what that is anybody's guess still at this point, which is one of the main problems. But it is a sad anniversary for me personally, but also as a soldier, part of the greatest army in the world, full of the greatest people I ever met in the world, and we could have done better if we had the tools, and the people and the resources to begin with.
M. O'BRIEN: Colonel King, your thoughts on this anniversary.
KING: Well, you know, looking back at it was a spectacular time as we crossed over. The Iraqi people were absolutely positively ecstatic that we were there. And I've always said we won the war in Iraq on May 1st. We decisively defeated the Iraqi military, but the war for Iraq began, and the objective at that point was the Iraqi people, and once you win them, the insurgents have no where to lay their claims, and we're a lot -- we're seeing progress that's being made, whether it's four years too late, too soon, you know, the fact is that we are making some progress.
M. O'BRIEN: Sergeant Williams, final thought.
WILLIAMS: I feel so lucky at this point to have been there in those early stages when as Colonel King said the people were happy to see us. Everybody that I spoke to -- because I did speak Arabic -- wanted to tell us why they were glad Saddam was out of power. It was incredibly depressing for me to watch it begin to fall apart while I was there, and get worse and worse after we left. And I really hope that at some point, some of that initial hope, and enthusiasm and belief that the future could be better will return to Iraq, and I sincerely hope that it is a better future for all the Iraqi people, and the soldiers that we have coming home do get treated better than the ones who have gotten hurt and come back already.
M. O'BRIEN: Good thoughts, good panel. Maybe we'll get the three of you back here some time when it seems appropriate. Thanks for your time this morning.
Captain Scott Stanford, Colonel Alan King, and Sergeant Kayla Williams. All this morning for us here. We appreciate their time -- Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: This just in to CNN, President Bush will make a statement this morning. We're expecting it at 11:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Let's get right to White House correspondent Ed Henry who is covering the White House for us this morning.
Good morning to you, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Soledad.
This is an add to the president's schedule. He had no events scheduled previously to deal with the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. The beginning of that war, but now we have confirmed he will be speaking, as you noted, 11:30 a.m. Eastern here at the White House.
We're also told right now the president is behind closed doors in a National Security Council meeting with Secretaries Rice, Gates, his national Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, of course, getting an assessment of the situation on the ground, and then we're told the president is going to have a secure video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, obviously, again, trying to get an update of the situation on the ground. The White House trying to put it out there. The president, obviously, put the image out there. He's on top of the situation, getting these up to-the-minute developments. Big contrast to originally, where it looked like he was not really going to do anything privately or publicly to really mark this anniversary.
That statement then 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time here in the Roosevelt Room. We're told it's going to last about five minutes. The president is going to give the American people an assessment of where he thinks things are. He of course is going to thank the U.S. troops, more than 3,000 who have lost their lives, thank them for their sacrifice. But also a lot of tough questions out there for this president about the fourth anniversary of this war. A lot of the predictions that he and others in his administration made, obviously, not turned out to be true in terms of the length of this war, or the cost of the war -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Does that mean after his five-minute statement, Ed, he's going to be taking some of those tough questions?
HENRY: Well, it's unclear, he's going to speaking to what's known as the travel pool. That's a small group of reporters. It's totally up to the president at that point after the statement whether or not he will take any questions. In a situation like this, it's usually the norm that the president ends up making a five-minute statement, and then turns away. We'll see whether or not he takes any questions. But it's a very small group of reporters. It will completely be up to the president whether or not he faces any of those tough questions -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry at the White House for us. Ed, thanks, as always.
HENRY: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" is just a couple minutes away and Heidi Collins is at the CNN Center with a look at what they've got ahead for you.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
That's right, the war's fourth anniversary all morning in the NEWSROOM.
Plus, 50 rounds fired, a groom shot dead by police after his bachelor party this morning. New York prosecutors expected to announce indictments against three of those police officers.
Boy Scout search -- 12-year-old Michael Auberry goes missing in the North Carolina mountains. We'll have the very latest on that.
And also, good neighbor policy -- this woman goes next to door to deliver not one, but two babies. Happens all of the time, right? Mom couldn't make it to the hospital, thanks to Friday's big snowstorm. Tell you that story, as well.
Tony Harris joins me in the NEWSROOM. We'll have all of that, top of the hour on CNN -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thank you very much. Yikes. I guess she didn't have an epidural then.
COLLINS: Probably not.
S. O'BRIEN: If you're having the babies on the couch, you don't get the drugs.
M. O'BRIEN: Too late for that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Ahead this morning, a little lesson on retirement. We'll tell you what you need to know to make sure you've enough money so you can comfortably enjoy never working again.
AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
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S. O'BRIEN: Now, to our series where we look at your money and tell you how to make the most of it when you're in your 30s, your 40s and your 50s.
This morning, managing your 401k. Here's CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: In your 30s, even though retirement seems years away, the time to start saving is now. The best way is by contributing to your 401k, if that's available to you. Since your contributions come out of your paycheck before taxes, you get an immediate tax break, and you could get a matching contribution from your employer. That's free money. Many companies throw in 50 cents for every dollar you save, sometimes up to 6 percent of your salary, and the money in your 401k grows tax free.
In your 40s, if you've moved from employer to employer you may have 401k accounts scattered among several companies. You should consolidate these accounts into one right away. Roll them over in a trustee-to-trustee transaction. That means you never touch the money. If you do, you'll have to pay taxes on your gains, making the changes easier than you think. Direct your new company to arrange the transfer with your old employers.
When you hit your 50s, you may be tempted to tap your 401k to help pay the big bills that come up at this age, like college tuition or medical bills. Control the urge. Dipping into your retirement savings before you're 59 1/2 means you'll have to pay income taxes and possibly a 10 percent penalty. You're much better off tapping other savings or the equity in your home.
Gerri Willis, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a quick look at what NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. A fifth year of war begins in Iraq with bloodshed -- a mosque attack, a triple car bomb.
Prosecutors fired -- the Justice Department expected to give Congress another batch of documents today.
British police using new X-ray technology to stop sex traffickers.
Coming to America -- the world's largest passenger plane making inaugural flights today to New York and Los Angeles.
You're in the NEWSROOM, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
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