Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Reaction and Analysis to Imam's Interview on Islamic Center Project; Countdown to Koran Burning; Hoosiers Talk Politics

Aired September 09, 2010 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (vice-over): This is the man at the center of the Ground Zero mosque controversy. He breaks his silence exclusively on CNN. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, he's insisting the Islamic center mosque must remain where the planned construction is, claiming that it could inflame extremists if he's forced to move it now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: And good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Thursday. It's September 9th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. We're going to have more on our exclusive interview with the imam in just a moment.

But first, this morning's top stories for you. Here's what happen while you were sleeping. The pope, presidents, now Sarah Palin all calling on the pastor of a small Florida church not to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday, nine years after the September 11th terrorist attacks. But Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center says he's not convinced that backing down now is the right thing to do.

CHETRY: President Obama has fighting to keep Congress in the hands of his party laying out new proposals to fix the economy and also calling out Republican leader, John Boehner, in the process. Can Democrats make the economy work for them in the midterm elections? We're live in Washington just ahead.

ROBERTS: When no one else can or will help, you call in a humanitarian aid team, a group of vets who came to the rescue in some of the most remote and dangerous places in the world. Our Kaj Larsen will follow them on a mission to Pakistan after one of the worst natural disasters in history.

CHETRY: Actually, he's blogging about it as well, and you can check that out plus join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amfix.

ROBERTS: Up first, this hour, the mosque is not moving. The developer behind the Islamic center being built near ground zero breaking his silence in an exclusive interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

CHETRY: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf says that his center will remain where it is and that switching locations now would be caving to extremists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, THE CORDOBA INITIATIVE: I am extremely considerate to sensitivity. But I also have a responsibility. If we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse. The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack. And I'm less concerned about the radicals in America than I am concerned with the radicals in the Muslim world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: The imam also went on to say that, quote, "nothing is off the table" and if had to do it over again he would choose another location, but to move now would inflame radicals. He claimed that if he knew this development would have caused so much pain, he actually wouldn't have done it in the first place.

ROBERTS: We're pleased to have Soledad O'Brien with us this morning. You've interviewed this fellow a number of times. You know him quite well. Your impression of him and the message he was delivering last night?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think he was really trying to sort of have a conversation in the midst of a lot of yelling and screaming about an issue that's become a flash point.

And I think the surprise to the people working on the Islamic cultural center and mosque that they didn't really expect it. He's a guy working on peace and tolerance and building bridges overseas in the Muslim countries and here in the United States.

But I think that the fallout surprised them has sort of taken them aback. And really, probably the headline from last night was, you know, it's become ratcheted up to the point of national security. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUF: Our national security now hinges on how we negotiate this, how we speak about it, and what we do. It is important for us now to raise the bar on our conversation --

O'BRIEN: What's the risk? When you say national security, what's at risk?

RAUF: As I mentioned, because if we move, that means the radicals have shaped the discourse. The radicals will shape the discourse on both sides. And those of us who are moderates on both sides -- you see, Soledad, the battle front is not between Muslims and non-Muslims. The real battlefront is between moderates on all sides of all the faith traditions, and the radicals on all sides.

The radicals actually feed off of each other. And in some kind of an existential, they need each other. And the more that the radicals are able to control the discourse on one side, it strengthens the radicals on the other side, and vice versa. And we have to turn this around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: So it's interesting, he talked about moving the location now and all the potential problems it could pose. I know that Governor Paterson said that perhaps he'd be willing to help them find a new location.

One of the things in the op-ed that he wrote in "The New York Times" talking about his deep concern that people in the community, especially families who lost loved ones in 9/11 feel comfortable with it. Where does it all come together at this point?

O'BRIEN: That is the $64,000 question. How do you navigate all these things? People who I think very generally feel that sensitivity has not been broached appropriately.

Other people who feel like, listen, if you just yank the center, you send a very dire message overseas, one that's going to have serious ramifications, not just Americans here, but servicemen and women serving overseas.

I think that's where they are now. How do you navigate this? It's less to me where does ground zero end. Here, there, six more blocks. What is it? And more about how do you navigate your way out and negotiate your way out on a tricky situation so you can have a win-win on all fronts. That's kind of a tricky question.

ROBERTS: Did had say anything about how you bring all the various Muslim and non-Muslim group together, because if you look at the "Washington Post"/ABC News poll, 66 percent of people across the country say it's a bad idea.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but a large percentage also say there is a right to do it, but it's the wisdom question. And that's that piece. I think that the navigating ought of that, that's the challenge. How do you figure out what to do and what to build and where exactly to build that will save face for everybody and make it OK on all fronts.

What he did say is there was a silver lining in this in that conversations about tolerances, about rights, about what is wise to do are conversations that we're having now which we haven't had before. If there's any silver lining, that's it.

Of course, sometimes I think it's hard to see that with people holding placards and yelling and screaming. We were scheduled to talk about 40 minute. And he opted to stay the full hour. He wanted to talk. Overseas, he felt he couldn't discuss it as well as he could fully back in this country and really kind of explain. I think people have to come together to figure out what's the way out. ROBERTS: Let's hear a little more of what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUF: I hope it dies down tomorrow because we need this dangerous discourse to die down. We need to build bridges, to build relationships, to build friendships and to build a new chapter in Muslim and non-Muslim relations.

O'BRIEN: Is this the right way to do that?

RAUF: How do you propose we do it? How do you propose we really engage? Soledad, we mustn't -- look, this is a natural engagement right now. How do we continue engagement is the question.

O'BRIEN: An engagement where people are furious, people -- many people on both sides of the issue are furious. Is that the kind of engagement you want?

RAUF: And that's not the solution. What is the solution to create an advancement of peace? We have to advance a discourse on peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: You know, it's also interesting, Soledad, Mayor Bloomberg who has come out in favor of having this built. He believes part of this is that it's a political year, and once the midterm elections are over, this will die down. Do you believe that?

O'BRIEN: I think there's no question. Remember, when they first announced the whole center, the front page of "The New York Times," there was not a word. And so there was a political element that got everybody riled. There's no question that politicians jumping on an issue for personal gain -- I'm stunned.

Does it go away? No, I agree with you. I just don't think that's going to happen. I think Mayor Bloomberg is putting it out loud, wishful thinking. I think the imam himself wishes that it would. I think that's unlikely. It's become a national issue. It's become bigger than a small piece of real estate in New York City.

ROBERTS: Great interview and great to finally hear from him. Soledad. Thanks for joining us. I know it was a late night for you.

The chorus of voices against a Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of the Koran on Saturday nine years after the September 11th terrorist attacks is growing louder this morning. We're learning that the president of Indonesia has written a letter to President Obama asking him to stop the event. The president of Pakistan, Zardari, is also weighing in.

Our Ed Henry working with sources at the White House is going to join us with reaction in just a minute.

And just speaking of Pakistan, an hour ago, the Pakistani interior minister asked Interpol, which is the international police organization, to step in. For now, the 9/11 book burning is scheduled to take place at the little tiny Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. Pastor Terry Jones says there's no reason to cancel his event, now claiming that his constitutional freedoms are being suppressed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY JONES: We have just been informed that without notice, our Web site provider called rapspace.com have just canceled us. That of course for us cancels our DoveWorld.org account, our Islamisthedevil.com account. Of course, you can imagine, we feel that is an indirect of course violation of our freedom of expression, freedom of speech, because they're trying to shut us down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: The pressure is mounting on Jones. The Vatican, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, all now weighing in. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin posted her opinion on the matter on Facebook. It reads, quote, "Book burning is antithetical to American ideals. People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is incentive and unnecessary provocation, much like building a mosque at ground zero."

And one footnote this morning. If Pastor Jones does burn 200 copies of the Koran on Saturday, a large Islamic group plans to replenish the supply with 200,000 copies of the holy book. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling its initiative "Learn, don't Burn" and will announce details about its counter- protest plans at a news conference in Washington today.

CHETRY: We've heard now from the developer of that Islamic center and mosque being built at ground zero where he says he's not changing the location. Within the Islamic community, there's debate about whether or not this location is the right one for a mosque so close to where the September 11th attacks took place. We're going to be hearing both sides of the issue when we come right back. It's ten minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's 13 minutes after the hour now.

The imam who's developing the Islamic center and mosque near ground zero finally speaking out, doing it exclusively here on CNN, blaming the controversy over his project on politics, claiming a change of locations for the mosque right now could be dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUF: Our national security now, it hinges on how we negotiate this, how we speak about it, and what we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: Here to break down the comments of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is Akbar Ahmed. He's a professor of Islamic Studies at American University, author of "Journey into America" as well. He's against building the center and mosque near ground zero.

And Zeenat Rahman, who is the director of policy for the Interfaith Youth Corps is with us this morning. She supports the Imam's right to build on the site. Great to have you both of you here.

Zeenat, maybe you can start us off here. Is this a matter of national security, building this mosque in this location and how it's talked about here in America?

ZEENAT RAHMAN, DIRECTOR OF POLICY FOR INTERFAITH YOUTH CORE: Well, I think to suggest that any major policy issue that the United States takes on anything is not -- doesn't have major foreign policy implications is simply naive. Of course this issue is being watched the world over.

I think what's the bigger issue at hand and the bigger issue at stake is what is the future of the Muslim-American community in this country. Will we be able to integrate and be included and treated as our fellow neighbors are and be able to worship and build freely, or are we going to be given conditional rights to be able to build things only when convenient?

ROBERTS: Certainly, that's a topic that's right up of your lane there, Akbar, with your new book, "Journey into America." But on this issue of national security, do you believe this mosque is an issue of national security?

AKBAR AHMED, PROF. OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, AMERICAN UNIV.: I found this argument very curious, John, because he seemed to be arguing that public opinion in the Muslim world is crucial to the building of a structure which has not really been built. It's an idea right now. And at the same time disregarding the sentiments of the majority of the American people. About 70 percent are against the mosque and not because they're necessarily against mosque building, but against a mosque that is so close to Ground Zero.

I think the nuances have been left out in the imam's responses. I've been a diplomat, and I've never heard this argument before that a construction that has yet to be created is somehow jeopardizing the national security of the United States of America.

ROBERTS: Right. And, Zeenat, you mentioned that the world is watching which is what Imam Feisal said last night. Certainly, the world is watching when it comes to this proposed Koran burning in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday. But does the Muslim world really care where a mosque is built in New York City?

RAHMAN: I mean, I don't think it's about the principle. Or I don't think it's about the success or failure of this one project. I think it's about the broader conversation. And as you brought up, John, the Koran burning is an example of this. Will the forces of inclusion allow Muslim-Americans to thrive in this country? And, you know, I don't think that the Muslim-American -- I don't think that Imam Feisal is suggesting that Muslims abroad are more important than what Americans think here. We know that the Muslim-American community here is eight to 15 million people.

And I was in a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday in which he said anti-Muslim bias is one of the most important issues that he is personally dealing with.

ROBERTS: Sure.

RAHMAN: And that this is a civil rights issue of our time. And so I think when you have, you know, hateful people, burning acts -- sacred texts of Muslims, that's an alarm bell. And that suggests that there's a big chasm between Muslim-Americans and our fellow citizens.

ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, you know, bias against any group is a huge issue in this country. Ambassador Ahmed, Imam Feisal acknowledged, and Soledad O'Brien had to push him on this, but he acknowledged that had he known that this would create such an uproar, he wouldn't have gone ahead and done the project. But he seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place now. Do you think based on this realization that "I wouldn't have done it had I known" that he shouldn't go ahead with it now?

AHMED: But that is precisely my point, John, that he is well meaning. I have no doubt about his intentions. As a Muslim, I would always support any mosque being built anywhere. At the same time, he did not think through the consequences of the action. He's dug himself into an impasse. If he goes ahead, there's trouble. If he gives it up, there's trouble because a lot of Muslims including myself will say, a mosque is being denied and he really has not come up with a solution because he did not consult me, he did not consult the Muslim community. And yet, he has dragged the Muslim community into this controversy.

The burning of the Koran is something entirely different.

ROBERTS: Yes.

AHMED: That is crossing a red line. And I think most Americans therefore condemn that. Forget the Muslims who are absolutely shocked and very unhappy about that suggestion of the pastor. But the mosque has much more nuance to it and we should constantly tease out these nuances. Because frankly speaking, John, both Muslim leaders like Rauf and non-Muslims have to be much more sensitive to the cultural context in which the debate about Islam is being conducted. I am very dismayed about the levels of Islamophobia, the intensity and the levels, and yet, we seem to be fueling this very fire. And paradoxically, the imam seems to be doing it with his project, paradoxically because he is a man of peace as he constantly reminded us last night.

ROBERTS: Zeenat, finish this off here with a quick thought on this proposal for the Koran burning on Saturday. Just how potentially inflammatory could that be globally? RAHMAN: So, I mean, I think what I'm heartened by is -- are all of the acts of interfaith solidarity that I've seen as a result of this in this country and I think that that is what is the best thing about America. And I think if we live up to our value of religious freedom and religious pluralism, where people from different faiths come together and stand in solidarity with one another to enforce one another's rights that that is an important message to send. And it kind of defuses and takes out of the conversation bigots and hateful people who will say things about Islam and you will not be able to change their minds. But the vast majority of Americans are obviously bridge-building and want to bridge the conversation.

ROBERTS: Right.

RAHMAN: The gap of understanding between the Muslim community that lives in this country and about Islam more broadly.

ROBERTS: Zeenat Rahman and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

RAHMAN: Thank you, John.

AHMED: Thank you, John.

ROBERTS: All right. See you again soon.

RAHMAN: Good to be with you.

ROBERTS: Kiran?

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: All right. For Republicans in Indiana, the time is now. And our T.J. Holmes is on the CNN Election Express this morning. You're in Indianapolis. And are they having some high hopes for this midterm elections there's, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you better believe they have high hopes, Kiran. The Republicans are enthused. And they think they have good reason to be. But I'm here in Indianapolis, our fourth stop in four days on the Election Express bus. And I am standing in the very place where President Obama was standing two years ago, just two weeks before he was elected.

Why did he come here then? Why maybe he should come back here now. Things are a lot different. I'll have the story coming up. Live report on the Most News in the Morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Twenty-four minutes past the hour right now. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

Rolling into the Hoosier State this morning as CNN Election Express is on the road again. And today, we're in Indiana, as the election season heats up. And up for grabs, the U.S. Senate seat that Democrat Evan Bayh gives up after announcing in February that he's chosen not to seek a third term. There's also nine seats at stake, and those races could hold more significant meaning as a Republican minority could become a majority.

Our T.J. Holmes is Indianapolis this morning to give us the lowdown. So, are they fired up there?

HOLMES: Fired up, well, the Democrats at least at this point. And Republicans, they're all fired up. You know, the politicians, necessarily.

The people don't seem too fired up just yet about things. You know, most folks not so excited about midterms, not as much as into the midterms that they are doing to presidential election cycles. But still, they have a lot at stake even if they're not fired up.

Now, let me tell you what's at stake in this state. You talked about that particular Senate seat and we talked about the possibility of Republicans taking back the Senate. Well, one of the ways they could do it is with seats like this. You mentioned Evan Bayh. He is leaving that seat so it's open right now. And the Republican, Dan Coates, who is running for that seat against Brad Ellsworth, the Democrat -- the Republican has a 20-point plus lead, if you read most of the polls right now. So they think this is a pretty safe seat they could pick up.

But I'll tell you again where I am here. We're in Indianapolis. This is the fourth stop. We're talking four cities, four states in four days on the Election Express bus, but only one reporter left standing, that would be me today. And where I am standing right now, this is American Legion Mall. You might not recognize it necessarily from looking around me right now. But let me take you back to two years ago, and you'll probably recognize it from then.

Look at this. This was two years ago, about two weeks before the presidential election. President Obama came here, well, then- candidate and Senator Obama, came here to this very spot, had a rally that police estimated some 35,000 people attended. It was a ruckus rally. A lot of young people. Energetic crowd. But this thing was important because this state was up for grabs. And it shouldn't have been, a lot of people would say, because this state voted Republican for 44 straight years before it voted for that Democrat, President Obama for president.

Now, I told you, most of the people not necessarily fired up here, but we talked to some of them. And a lot of young people, a lot of students to see what was on their mind, they're worried about jobs right now, of course, because they're entering the workforce, and they've got a lot to worry about, they think, at least. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MERCHO: People are telling me it was so hard to find a job that it was just like, maybe I should go back to school for a little bit. I thought about getting my masters for a minute. Well, yes, I mean, it played a little bit. Definitely, a little bit of role in deciding to go back to school. HOLMES: How scary is that, man, if you go through four or five years of school, again close to graduation. And you're like, oh, snap, it's hard to find a job right now? How scared are you?

MERCHO: That is pretty scary, man. I'm not going to lie. It's like it's kind of a wake-up call.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, a wake-up call, Kiran, and a lot of young people right now, a lot of them deciding, we talked to yesterday, to stay in school a little longer, waiting on the job market to improve. You'll hear a little bit more from some of those students later. Also, I'll be talking to you as well throughout the morning and throughout the day about in particular those congressional races and that Senate seat that's up for grabs here in Indiana. As always, a battleground state, Kiran.

CHETRY: Some people are going back to school. They're seeing where the jobs are in health care and information technology and saying OK, my sociology degree is not helping me out here. Maybe I have to go back to school.

HOLMES: You know, you made a great point. We just hopped upon a group of people sitting down yesterday eating, and it was about 10 of them, all of them had just gone back to nursing school, the health care. You hit it right on the head. They think those jobs will always be available so they're deciding to make a career change.

CHETRY: Wow. A lot to consider because also you're racking up more student debt at the same time. But interesting stuff. T.J., thanks so much.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: Also, if you want to see more on this, you can always get the latest political news on our Web site, CNN.com/politics.

ROBERTS: People are going to keep getting sick, no question about that.

Well, they go in fast, they go in fearless. Our newest correspondent Kaj Larsen follows the A-Team of humanitarian relief into the deepest darkest areas of Pakistan after the floods there.

It's 28 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Crossing the half hour. It's time for a check of our top stories this morning and it's a CNN exclusive. New information this morning about the process by which this Islamic center and mosque may or may not be built near Ground Zero.

Feisal Abdul Rauf is the developer. He chose to sit down exclusively with CNN and talk more about everything that's been going on after weeks of silence, he's using strong words to describe the center saying that building it now is a matter of national security. The imam also says that he regret the project has caused so much pain.

ROBERTS: A lot of people are saying that former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater is not a hero. Every single passenger and crew member has been interviewed. No one on board the plane will back up Slater's story of what led to his infamous slide pulling incident.

A judge is allowing Slate to get a mental health evaluation which could also allow him to avoid jail time.

CHETRY: What's the number one university in the world? Well, it's not Harvard anymore. The Ivy League university is no longer number one, according to a new survey out. The University of Cambridge in the U.K. beat it for the first time ever. A list also shows in Asian schools on the rise, with five in Hong Kong, making the top 200 pick.

CHETRY: So if you got that quarter million dollar education, you might want to go to England.

United Nations Secretary-General says the flooding in Pakistan is the worst natural disaster he has ever seen. Many places have been abandoned by rescue teams either because they're too remote or just too dangerous.

CHETRY: And that's where these guys come to help. A group of veterans with a special set of skills. They don't ask questions. They don't hesitate, they just pack up and go. Our newest correspondent Kaj Larsen also went with them on a mission and he joins us from Islamabad this morning. Explain a little bit about how it is they're able to pack up to areas that so many organizations simply can't get to.

KAJ LARSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you hit the nail right on the head, because of their military background, they're able to use their training and some of their techniques to move light and to move fast. So I was able to immerse myself as a member of this group and make the arduous journey, not just to Pakistan, but to some of these remote areas and use them as a lens through which to see some of the devastation of the floods.

Here's the first part of my journey into Pakistan with Team Rubicon right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARSEN (on camera): I'm packing for Pakistan.

(voice-over): I'm a member of the charity group Team Rubicon. A group made of veterans of some the most elite fighting forces in the world. No longer working for the military, we're now doing something different, using military training and logistics and technical skills to conduct humanitarian missions in some of the world's most remote and dangerous countries.

(on camera): About five days ago, I got a call from them, they're sending a team to deploy to Pakistan to assist with the victims of the flooding disaster there.

(voice-over): I headed to the airport to meet up with other Team Rubicon members who had volunteered for the Pakistan operation.

(on camera): LAX.

(voice-over): At the airport were two other teammates, including former Marine William McNulty.

WILLIAM MCNULTY, TEAM RUBICON: I spent eight years in the Marine Corps reserve. I became an intelligence specialist. It's been in our experience that we can respond to national disasters faster than larger NGOs. So basically we bring these skills that were developed on the battlefield.

LARSEN (voice-over): Former Iraq vet Matt Pelak tells me how this mission differs from the military.

MATT PELAK, TEAM RUBICON: It's good to come to an area like this and not have a gun in my hand and be able to actually just get down and help people. And not have people look at you with fear but with hope.

LARSEN: With the team assembled, first stop, Dubai.

(on camera): I think hour 23 of our journey to Pakistan. In the meantime, some of us are resting.

Just arrived to Islamabad Airport, loaded all of our gear into the team van and we'll be heading down south to get closer to the affected areas where the aid work is going to begin.

(voice-over): We began the long drive to southern Punjab, a place where international aid is desperately needed for hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis. But the problem is, many western doctors are wary of coming here because of the precarious security situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, you know, assess the risk involved. We mitigate what risks we can. We accept a certain level of risks in line with the mission and then we act.

LARSEN: Concerns about security are constant here. Upon our arrival, there had been three bombing in three days with more than 100 people killed.

(on camera): As we're driving to the areas in the southern Punjab region that are most affected by the floods, there's this long continuous line, it's practically a mile long, of trucks that are delivering aid to the region. I mean, just the sheer volume is incredible. There must have been 100 trucks just waiting to try and get supplies into the affected area.

(voice-over): After 8,000 miles and three straight days of traveling, Rubicon finally arrives to a remote village that even a month into the floods is yet to receive medical aid. Undaunted by State Department and military warnings about security, the team begins saving lives. Dr. Eduardo Dolhun is a member of the team. DR. EDUARDO DOLHUN, TEAM RUBICON: So what we're going to do, this is going to be de facto triage area. We'll make the diagnosis, write the prescriptions.

LARSEN: As the team begins to set up a clinic in the abandoned building, the victims start arriving.

(on camera): Well, what's the issue with this guy?

The baby is totally floppy, it's totally unresponsive.

Yes, we're going to bring this baby to see Dr. Dolhun right now. Over here.

DOLHUN: The baby's not even (INAUDIBLE) So we have a baby that is 10, 11 months old, having diarrhea for four to five days with vomiting. We now have a situation in which she is probably borderline to death, severe dehydration to a point that the baby is -

LARSEN (voice-over): It is here, despite all the concerns about safety, the Taliban threat, militants and sectarian violence, the real threat Team Rubicon finds is that of children and the elderly dying of dehydration. It's simple logistics, lives can be saved if aid can get there.

For all their skills, it's risking the journey to the victims that maybe the team's greatest act on this mission. As baby Ali, just one of 2,000 villagers Team Rubicon will treat this day fights for survival.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LARSEN: John and Kiran, it's actually hard on video to capture the scale of the devastation that's happening on the ground here in Pakistan. But we were able to get up close and personal to talk to some of the victims of the flood and in some cases, administer aids to them.

Now, tomorrow, I'm going to be continuing my journey through the eyes of Team Rubicon, and we'll talk to other victims and to push further into the hinterland to find out what's happening in the rural areas of Pakistan. And, of course, we'll get to see the resolution of what happens to nine-month-old baby Ali.

CHETRY: All right. Well, of course, we're hoping that he's OK. And that all of those children and all of the people suffering are OK. As you said, the team is treating thousands a day which is wonderful. Stand by, we're just going to take a quick break, Kaj, when we come back, we're going to check in with you a little bit more about your journey. Just coming up in two minutes.

38 minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: 41 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We want to be joined again by Kaj Larsen. He's our newest correspondent, he's live in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he followed a group of veterans going on a dangerous rescue mission in the country. You talked about how it's difficult on video to even capture the scale and scope of the devastation in Pakistan.

How is that team prepared to handle these challenges they're facing there?

LARSEN: Well, Rubicon is doing their absolute best. But at the end of the day, a small team can only make so much difference. The problem here in Pakistan is that the sheer number of resources are vastly outweighed by the need of the Pakistani people for help. So Rubicon's doing their best to get supplies to those they can reach, but there's still much more help needed.

ROBERTS: Kaj, in these natural disaster incidents we see security being a problem. Remember the U.N. team in Haiti -- there was a team of doctors -- who didn't want to stay the night. They bugged out of the area they were in, the triage tent. Our Sanjay Gupta ended up staying the night with some patients together with our CNN crew.

I'm wondering about, the militaries can-do attitude here saying, OK, there's a certain level of risk. We're willing to accept it, we're going to go in and get the job done?

LARSEN: Yes, I think that's absolutely right, John.

In this case, it's partially the fact that Rubicon were one of the few western aid organizations that were really willing to go and help. There are traditional NGOs on the ground here in Pakistan. But as far as the fast response like you saw in Haiti, the security concerns here are just too daunting for many aid workers to come.

CHETRY: Another question is, a month out, why isn't the Pakistan government, military, anyone able to do more at this point? We understand a logistical nightmare when it was still, what, a fifth of the country was flooded.

Now that we've seen the waters recede and we've seen, you know, these pockets of need, why can't they do more?

LARSEN: I think it's important to understand that there's really two disasters here. There's the disaster in the north which is an infrastructure problem. The infrastructure has been devastated. And there's a disaster in the south, which is the desperation problem. The south is still flooded and the people there still require immediate emergency aid.

So part of the problem is despite all of the efforts here which are genuine and are ongoing, again, the sheer amount of need and the sheer volume of water that hasn't receded has really prevented a lot of forward progress on this issue.

ROBERTS: I'm interested, too, Kaj. You said in your piece that they were able to treat 2,000 people in the course of a day. How are they able to carry with them enough supplies to treat that many people?

LARSEN: Well, to be totally frank, we carried most of it on our back. One of the major, major issues facing Pakistanis who are affected by the floods now are the increasing incidence of water-borne diseases. Dehydration is something that was saw that was rampant among the populations that we visited. The key to treating dehydration is something called oral rehydration therapy. For Rubicon, we carried as much as we could. We humped it just like we did when we were in the military and we delivered as much as we could to the people that we saw.

CHETRY: Another key is the water purification tablets, right? Because you can take so many more with you. I think right behind you, right there, we were hearing a baby cry in the background, or somebody crying out.

If they do get that hydration, if they are able to get treated for what many of us don't think of as a deadly illness - diarrhea - are they going to be able to make it through?

LARSEN: Well, it is quite in fact a deadly illness here. If the incidence of cholera -- and there's been a few isolated incidences of cholera in the northwest frontier providence and we're seeing increasing numbers throughout the country. But for the elderly, for small children, for anybody who's already malnourished, dehydration can indeed, be deadly.

I think ultimately what you're going to see is that we can prevent an immediate escalating death toll by treating people for dehydration. But the other problems are still latent and they're still important and that's the nutrition, the medicine that they need for other diseases and the very basic simple shelter. Most of these people are living on the side of the road without any shelter.

CHETRY: All right. Kaj Larsen, a great look into the struggle that's going on and the brave people that are putting their own lives on the line to try to help.

Thanks so much.

Also, Kaj posted two blogs on our web site about his trip to Pakistan which you can check out at CNN.com/amfix.

It's 46 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 49 minutes after the hour.

One of the names most synonymous with communism now says, well, maybe it's not the best system after all. Fidel Castro recently told an American reporter from the "Atlantic" magazine that communism is not effective. Could things be changing in Cuba?

Our Shasta Darlington joins us now on the telephone from Havana. Shasta, this is quite extraordinary to hear that Fidel Castro say that communism doesn't even work for Cuba anymore. How significant is this comment being seen?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, John, it was a pretty cryptic comment. It was really a one-liner, if you will. He was talking to this journalist about the Middle East and about the overriding fear -- this is his obsession now -- that the world is on the brink of nuclear war, nuclear disaster. And this journalist is an expert in Middle East affairs, turned to him and said, well, another question, do you believe the Cuban model is still worth exporting? And out of the blue, Castro answered, the Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore. But that's the one line.

What he appears to be saying is that the communist economic model that he introduced after his revolution 50 years ago, has in some ways failed the country. And this is definitely surprising coming from Fidel Castro.

But, in fact, we've heard similar comments from his younger brother and successor President Raul Castro. He's already introduced fairly modest reforms, some private enterprise in very small areas like barbershops, taxis, and especially in agriculture.

Like I said, I think the surprising thing here is that it would come from the man who set the system up, that we should be careful here. He's not saying we're throwing communism out the window. What they're talking about more it appears to be is the economy.

And Raul Castro said over and over again that the state is to present. They do everything from repairing shoes to running supermarkets to running luxury hotels. And that they've got to pull back. He said up to one-fifth of the state jobs could become redundant. So, that's a lot of jobs out there. One million, in fact.

When Fidel Castro gave this comment it was during this interview last week. But Goldberg has published parts of the interview on his blog. So we're getting this peek into what he's interested in, his obsessions, and it's really also the first time that he's commented on domestic issues since his big comeback in the last couple of months, John.

ROBERTS: Shasta Darlington for us this morning from Havana.

Shasta, thanks very much. Great to talk to you this morning.

It's a matter of national security. That claim coming from the man who is developing an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. He's breaking his silence and defending his project. Ahead, his exclusive interview with Soledad O'Brien. 51 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

The president's come out with a new economic proposal. Nearly every day this week he's on the road, he's speaking in front of audiences, trying to explain why economic policies of his administration will help the economy. As we know, economic issues are a big concern for most Americans and could be the downfall for Democrats in the midterm elections.

As CNN's Jim Acosta tells us, the party's scrambling for answers and running out of time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one of President Obama's favorite one-liners when it comes to the economy.

OBAMA: Do we return to the same failed policies that ran our economy into a ditch, or do we keep moving forward with policies that are slowly pulling us out?

ACOSTA: Problem for Democrats is that the country is still stuck in that ditch.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who's locked in a tight battle for re-election, acknowledged to me in a recent interview, he, too, is disappointed in the recovery.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: We've done OK, but not well enough. We've - we've gotten back 3.5 million of the jobs we've lost. We have a long ways to go to catch up.

ACOSTA: Even though his home state of Nevada holds the dual distinction of having the nation's highest unemployment and foreclosure rates, he doesn't think the voters should blame him.

ACOSTA (on camera): Why should voters send you back to Washington, given that record?

REID: Well, I think it's pretty clear to them that I didn't cause the problems.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Just a few feet away from Reid's campaign event, we found a group of homeless people camping out. That's where we met Richard.

ACOSTA (on camera): Any message that you would give to the, you know, people who are running for office these days and what they should do for folks who are in your predicament?

"RICHARD", HOMELESS: Just if you guys get out there, and if you hear me, if you guys can help out the homeless out here. We're -- we want help, and we need it.

ACOSTA: Times are tough.

"RICHARD": Yes, it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suzanne Kosmas has different priorities.

SUZANNE KOSMAS (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE, FLORIDA: People in this district are mad, and I'm mad too.

ACOSTA (voice-over): For Democrats these days, running for re- election means running for your political life. In their campaign ads, some in the party are not just saying they're mad.

REP. WALT MINNICK (D), IDAHO: I've had to say no far more than I said yes.

ACOSTA: Other Democrats are running against the president's agenda, as the Republican National Committee points out in its own video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why I voted against the $3 trillion budget.

ACOSTA: That may explain why even the president is starting to say he doesn't have all the answers.

OBAMA: Not everything we've done over the last two years has worked as quickly as we had hoped.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: The president would like to make the next two months not about how the economy is doing - we all know how that is -- but how things will be different if the Republicans take back the Congress. From the fate of the Bush tax cuts to new stimulus measures, the president wants a lively debate on whose got the best ideas for getting out of the ditch.

But, Kiran, the problem for the president is the Republicans he keeps talking about, aren't really on the minds of many Americans. He mentioned John Boehner the House Minority Leader like eight times in his speech. But people don't really know who John Boehner is even though he could be the next speaker of the House.

CHETRY: They know they don't have a job. Those Democrats running ads saying, hey, I voted against this, I voted against this as well.

Is that going to hit a nerve with local voters?

ACOSTA: You have a lot of democrats running these days on local issues. They're trying to denationalize the elections. So, yes, I think you're going to see ads like that coming out for the next eight weeks. You're going to have Democrats running ads, basically saying, I didn't vote for the president every time when it came to health care and the stimulus and so forth.

In some of those races it might work but it's going to be a tall order.

CHETRY: All right. Interesting interview you did with Harry Reid, as well.

Thanks, Jim.

Of course, you can always get the latest political news on our web site CNN.com/politics.

Two minutes until the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)