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CNN Sunday Morning

Third Anniversary of Start of Iraq War;

Aired March 19, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On my orders, the coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: What were you doing three years ago today when coalition troops began the invasion of Iraq? Think about that for a second. Good morning everyone from the CNN Center in Atlanta. Good morning, I'm Tony Harris.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Betty Nguyen today. Before our top story, here is what's happening now in the news.

Differing views from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a retired army general. Rumsfeld writes in a "Washington Post" opinion piece that turning away from Iraq would be like handing post-war Germany back to the Nazis. In today's "New York Times" retired army major general Paul Eaton calls for Rumsfeld to resign. We'll have more on their war of words just ahead.

HARRIS: In the Middle East the militant group Hamas says it will present its cabinet to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas today. Abbas says he will accept the appointees, that's despite the fact that all of the cabinet members are Hamas loyalists. Moderate political groups refuse to join the coalition with the hard-line organization. That could bolster U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the new government. The U.S. Navy is swapping bullets with pirates off the coast of Africa again. The navy says two U.S. ships exchanged gunfire this weekend with a fishing boat off Somalia. One suspected pirate was killed, five others were injured.

ROESGEN: In Paris protesters and police clash over that proposed job plan for young people. Four officers and a dozen protesters have been injured, and a half million people were on the streets throughout the country. Young people in Spain took to the streets overnight again fighting for their right to drink in public. More than 80 people were hurt. Dozens were arrested after several Spanish cities passed new laws banning teenagers from drinking on the street.

HARRIS: Coming up this hour, three years after the U.S. invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, the war rages. We'll talk with our former Baghdad bureau chief for a look at the twist and turns that have many people shocked and awed over the ongoing conflict. Plus, racism charges add insult to injury for singer Hank Williams Jr. We'll tell you why the country crooner is sounding very angry notes. And sweet. This is what March madness Susan's all about. We're all over it in this hour of CNN Sunday morning.

ROESGEN: In Iraq Operation Swarmer forges ahead as the war reaches it's third anniversary. The joint U.S. Iraqi mission now is targeting the insurgency that has flourished since the start of the war. Dozens of people have been detained. In Baghdad Iraqi security forces found at least 22 bodies across the capital. Yesterday's discoveries were the latest in a string of killings blamed on sectarian violence there.

And across the world, anti-war rallies mark the anniversary of the war. In Malaysia's capital demonstrators assembled outside the U.S. embassy, and similar protests were held in New York, Washington, and Tokyo, just to name a few. Many protesters say they're encouraged that recent polls suggest public support of the war is fading. But what about the troops who are there? What are they thinking on this third anniversary of the invasion? Lieutenant colonel John Gentile is a squadron commander with the U.S. Army's 4th Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. He joins us via video phone from just outside Baghdad. Colonel, first tell us how long your squadron has been in Iraq and what action you've seen there?

JOHN GENTILE, LT. COLONEL, U.S. ARMY 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION: We've been here for about three months now. And of course, we've seen a lot. A lot of activity, and the squadron is doing a lot of great things, and I believe making a difference in the country of Iraq and its future.

ROESGEN: What are you doing there? What's your role there?

GENTILE: We are an armored reconnaissance squadron for the 4th brigade combat team for the 4th infantry division in southwest Baghdad. And we do a lot, like I said -- we patrol, we do reconnaissance, and we've been spending a lot of time the last couple of weeks doing combined patrols with the Iraqi security forces in our area.

ROESGEN: What's the morale like for your troops?

GENTILE: It's high. It's great. The soldiers are motivated. They want to go out on patrol. They're well-trained. They believe in what they're doing and they really feel just like I do, that we're making a difference here in the future of Iraq.

ROESGEN: How does it affect the soldiers when you hear about the anti-war protests going around the world now?

GENTILE: I don't think most of my soldiers have had the time to read about those anti-war protests. And what I read in the papers this morning is at least the numbers -- the number of protesters weren't really that high, so that does not affect us at all here.

ROESGEN: You know, what's the average age of your soldiers? GENTILE: Oh, I'd say probably 22 to 23 years old.

ROESGEN: Young guys, seeing their first tour of duty, or is this the second go-round for you?

GENTILE: Young men and women. Probably about 60% of the soldiers in my squadron are on their second tour in Iraq.

ROESGEN: How do you keep their morale strong? How do you keep them going?

GENTILE: Well, the morale is strong. The way we keep morale high is by having a good disciplined unit, like we have, with a mission, with a purpose. We have good food here. We've got good living conditions, we're well-trained, our equipment is sound. We work together with the Iraqi security forces, and that's how we keep morale up because we know we're making a difference here.

ROESGEN: OK, Colonel John Gentile, thank you for joining us. Stay safe over there.

GENTILE: Thank you, ma'am.

HARRIS: Well, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is coming under fire for one of his former generals. Retired army major general Paul Eaton is calling for Rumsfeld to resign. In an op-ed piece in today's "New York Times," Eaton says, quote, "Rumsfeld is not competent to lead our armed forces. First, his failure to build coalitions with our allies from what he dismissively called "old Europe" has imposed far greater demands and risks on our soldiers in Iraq than necessary."

President Bush goes back on the road tomorrow to deliver what's being called an upbeat speech on Iraq. Mr. Bush is expected to focus on the progress being made there. Let's get a preview from CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. Well, three years after the Iraq war began, President Bush finds his approval ratings below 40%, way down in large part, of course, by the Iraq war. Now, that is why we are seeing this administration taking part, essentially, in another all out campaign to try to turn around public opinion.

In fact, in this morning's "Washington Post" defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld in an opinion piece said, quote, "the terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case. Fortunately, history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on web sites or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and perspective to measure accurately."

Nevertheless, officials here at The White House readily acknowledge that the images of sectarian violence coming out of Iraq are certainly powerful, that they are having an effect. President Bush, in fact, in his radio address yesterday called them horrific. So what The White House hopes to do is to broaden the lens in the words of one senior administration official, provide a wider perspective. And it was just this past week, in fact that, we saw, of course, the Department of Defense tout and provide video of Operation Swarmer, showing Iraqi forces taking part along with U.S. forces in that operation.

And that is part of the message that President Bush is going to be delivering at his speech tomorrow in Cleveland. That, in fact, he is encouraged by the response by the Iraqis to the violence that's been taking place. Now, a senior administration official says expect the president to point to specific case studies, if you will, tangible examples of how United States is making progress in the administration's view.

This is also going to be, of course, a chance for the president to look back and reflect on what has been learned. The bottom line, though, Tony, the speech tomorrow, another chance for the president to appeal to the American people for patience. Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's White House correspondent Elaine Quijano. Elaine, thank you. And stay with us. We'll talk to former CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf, she now studies Iraqi politics and the insurgency as a press fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations. Her unique perspective at the bottom of the hour.

And we want to hear from you. What would help the situation in Iraq? Give us some ideas. We could all use some good ones. Email us weekenweekends@cnn.com.

ROESGEN: Now some other stories making news across America. In South Carolina the man accused of kidnapping two teenage girls and sexually assaulting them in an underground bunker has been denied bail. Kenneth Hinson appeared before a judge on those charges yesterday. He faces another bond hearing tomorrow on burglary charges.

A new study criticizes FBI spending on computer upgrades. The report questions $17 million spent on the virtual case file program. That program was launched before the FBI's mission changed after 9/11. The report also says that more than 1,200 pieces of equipment just can't be accounted for. The FBI says its own audit has accounted for most of the equipment.

In Texas the ex-husband of Andrea Yates has a new bride. Rusty Yates married Laura Arnold yesterday in the same church where the funeral for his five children was held. The retrial of his former wife for the drowning deaths of those children starts tomorrow.

And in Florida more trouble with a grass fire. The grass fire has burned several acres of a popular Miami Dade County park. Heavy smoke there caused the officials to say let's evacuate the park and nearby residents were urged to stay indoors. But no homes were in any danger. And the fire crews stayed on the scene overnight to make sure that the fire didn't flare up again.

In Atlanta a political forum in the race for mayor of New Orleans. Several New Orleans mayoral candidates came to Atlanta with a chance for evacuees forced out by hurricane Katrina to hear from them. Mayor Ray Nagin tried to highlight the progress that he says the city has made in rebuilding, but one of his challengers says New Orleans has lost credibility.

HARRIS: And still ahead, country singer Hank Williams Jr. is fighting mad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANK WILLIAMS, JR., MUSICIAN: I guarantee you my blood pressure went up about 50 points when they told me what this person had done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: His blood pressure went up when someone suggested that he's a racist and said it on radio. That story is next.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And at this time we've got some strong storms in Texas, the possibility of some flooding in Arkansas, some heavy snow in the northern plains, but in New York this morning it is beautiful. Here's a shot that we have over lovely Central Park. Skies partly cloudy. Highs expected to reach the mid to upper 40s. Your complete forecast is coming up in just a few moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets on military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Do you remember where you were when you heard those words from the president? Look back at perhaps more importantly. A look ahead, this "CNN Sunday Morning."

ROESGEN: And welcome back to "CNN Sunday Morning." Here are the top stories this morning. Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld responds to war critics in black and white. Writing as a guest columnist in today's "Washington Post." Rumsfeld says if Americans were to turn away from Iraq, it would be, in his words, the modern equivalent of handing post-war Germany back to the Nazis. The U.S. Navy fought it out with pirates off the coast of Africa. The navy says two American ships exchanged gunfire over the weekend with a fishing boat off of Somalia. One suspected pirate was killed, five others were hurt. In the Middle East, the militant group Hamas says it will present its cabinet to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas today, and Abbas says he will accept the appointees.

Middle East experts say Hamas' efforts to bring other parties into the government have failed and that could isolate it internationally and lead to a cutback in desperately needed foreign aid. HARRIS: Fighting words coming out of Hank Williams Jr. The country star is fighting back after a phony claim to a radio station, a call that painted Williams as a racist. CNN's Kareen Wynter has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Football fans know him from his call to action on Monday night. Country music fans already knew him. A hit maker and former hell-raiser with tunes like "All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over Tonight." But this week's events revealed a different side of Hank Williams, Jr., serious, subdued, and angry about a call to a radio station that sparked rumors across Memphis.

WILLIAMS: It's quite unfortunate that there are some people that want to cause trouble.

WYNTER: The phony claim? That Williams didn't want black hospital staff to treat his injured daughters. That claim he says is absolutely false.

WILLIAMS: I challenge you to interview anyone in this hospital. Please do. About what they think about Randall Hank Williams Jr. and what he thinks about folks.

WYNTER: Williams had trouble containing his emotions when he talked about the two African-American women who found his injured daughters.

WILLIAMS: Rosemary and Terika. Rosemary was holding the most severely injured girl and praying because they thought she was going to die there.

WYNTER: As he ended the news conference, Williams revealed his daughter Holly's reaction to the vicious claim about her father.

WILLIAMS: Whoever made that statement, dad, what an [ bleep ]. Thank you very much.

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And now here are a couple reasons to stay right here with CNN this morning. At the half hour take a look at what's happening in protest to the Iraq war in cities and towns across America and across the world.

HARRIS: Yeah, really. And oh, so many baskets, so little time. The mighty fall in the last seconds of play. The madness of March, that's just minutes away.

Even non-basketball fans got to love an upset. So many of them are breaking hearts. This March Madness interview, who picked Wichita State over Tennessee? Hold your heads high. Who would have thought it? Do we have a graphic here? Where are we with our sort of weekend madness "CNN Morning Team" brackets, polls, and scores? Let's see. First page of the leader board, Jim Witkowski. Jim just joined the team as you know, crack writer, great writer. Katie Baratone, super star producer, second there. Oh, T. Harris. Yeah, first page of the leader board. Reynolds, you were leading yesterday, weren't you?

WOLF: Yeah. Tennessee got me, big-time.

HARRIS: And let's see, page two, oh, Deidre, our director, our beloved director. Hi, Deidre.

WOLF: Be ashamed, be ashamed.

ROESGEN: That's all right. She can come from behind, can't she?

HARRIS: No, no.

ROESGEN: Yes.

HARRIS: She's behind, and that's where she lives, and that's where she'll stay.

ROESGEN: Can't she catch up at this point, is it too late to catch up?

HARRIS: It's much too late for Deidre. And it always has been. Thank you for that.

ROESGEN: No. Were you a Wichita fan?

HARRIS: No, no, I think I -- yes, yes, maybe. I don't even know who I picked in the early rounds. I'm all about the final four.

WOLF: They're SEC, so I'm kind of biased toward the SEC. SEC and ACC, Duke is my team. I'm Duke, Coach Krzyzewski, great man, great school.

HARRIS: Well, here's the thing. We're doing, let's say we're going to do it just because we just love doing it. Here we go. Reynolds just joined us last weekend, and so teachers, professors, everybody who has ever known him has been sending us emails, and as chance would have it, we have Paige Griffith, who was on our national desk, who actually went to school with this cat, and brought in the year book, and there you go.

WOLF: It's amazing that she still speaks to me.

ROESGEN: It's amazing you still speak to her.

WOLF: Oh I do. The lens on the camera actually was destroyed immediately after this photograph.

ROESGEN: You know you look really -- you look kind of shy there.

WOLF: You think so?

HARRIS: Take it from a man who appreciates great hair. You have always had great hair.

ROESGEN: You've always had great hair, yes.

HARRIS: It's a fabulous thing. So, and there you go, and there he is. Before, now, then, and now. Reynolds Wolf, CNN star weather man.

WOLF: A little flexing there. That's a catastrophe. That's the kind of thing you put on your door if you want people to show up. I mean that's hideous.

HARRIS: A catastrophe.

WOLF: I'm very thankful that my wife did not see those pictures prior to the time that I proposed to her.

ROESGEN: You look fine. You look great.

HARRIS: It's just our way of saying welcome to the morning team. That's it. It's just our way.

WOLF: That is just hideous, man. It's just weather time. Let's get right to it. Okay, from one nasty storm to another one. We've been dealing with some rough weather over the lone star state of Texas, some strong thunderstorms. The result could be some flooding into Arkansas, and into north Texas, right along the red river valley. But we're talking about also the possibility of seeing more rainfall into Oklahoma City where they need it. Remember, they had some fires there just last week, so this is certainly going to help. We're talking about entirely different type of precipitation, farther to the north. We're talking about some snowfall into Nebraska all the way up into parts of the big sky country. They could see anywhere from one to three to four inches of snowfall. Some places could have snow up to 15 inches in the northern plains.

Now highs today around the country, 28 degrees in Billings. Cold morning there. 41 in Salt Lake City. Some upper 50s from San Francisco all the way down through Los Angeles, 59 degrees. 61 in Phoenix, valley of the sun will not be too sunny. Partly cloudy skies. 52 in Seattle up by the space needle. Meanwhile, in Boston, 37 degrees, the highs. Make your way over to Chicago, 43. 48 in St. Louis, 54 in Atlanta. Chance of showers in Atlanta later on in the day, but for Washington D.C. and New York, we're talking about some 40s, some 50s.

Same story for Philadelphia, will be absolutely beautiful. Miami, you lucky dogs. 82 degrees, absolutely beautiful. We did have some fires again in the Miami area. We're going to get a little bit of relief later on in the week in the form of some showers, but for the time being, it will stay sunny and dry. That is the very latest in the forecast nationwide. Let's send it back to you guys at the news desk. Goodness, gracious.

HARRIS: Just because we can. Just because -- I love me. I love me.

WOLF: Oh, gosh. This is just awful.

ROESGEN: No, no, no. It's worse when we pull out your high school pictures.

WOLF: Why don't we kind of zoom in and do this number.

HARRIS: Yes.

WOLF: That's what we should do. Kind of block out the old, bring in the new or the newer.

ROESGEN: It's okay. It's all right.

HARRIS: We love wearing it out. We just do.

ROESGEN: Coming up, three years and counting, American troops are still on the mission in Iraq, and it was almost three years ago that the president had a powerful message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended in the battle of Iraq. The United States and our allies have prevailed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, today the mission is far from accomplished. Plus, we are going global with Brenda Bernard. Brenda, good morning.

BRENDA BERNARD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Tony. It could have been the kiss of death. Why would a man plant kisses on a king cobra? We'll find out in going global just ahead on "CNN Sunday Morning."

ROESGEN: The U.S. Navy is reporting a skirmish with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia. The Navy says the pirates opened fire when navy sailors tried to board their ship. At least one of the suspected pilots was killed, five others wounded. None of our sailors were wounded.

HARRIS: In Spain this is the dramatic end to a nationwide bout of heavy drinking. Tens of thousands of young men and women called for a massive street party. The police were called once fires were set, and that ignited violent clashes in just two cities. 80 people were hurt, and 70 people were arrested.

We're watching an election today in Belarus. We have reports of heavy voter turnout in the former Soviet bloc country. The presidential election pits a hard-lining incumbent with close ties to the Kremlin against an opposition pushing for change. Western countries have forged close ties with the opposition.

ROESGEN: Anti-war protesters are demonstrating again today, marking the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion. Demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Malaysia chanting "stop the war" and "no blood for oil." One of the largest protests here in the U.S. took place in Chicago. More than 1,000 people marching through downtown yesterday demanding that we pull our troops out of Iraq. Demonstrators were also out in full force in California. Protests were held in San Francisco and elsewhere across the state.

HARRIS: Three years of war in Iraq have been marked by successes and setbacks from the unrelenting insurgency to the capture of Saddam Hussein. More than 2,300 U.S. troops have died since the start of the war, a war that began when bombs exploded in the predawn skies over Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): March 20th, 2003, A U.S.-led operation known as "Shock and Awe" marked the start of a campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. Within three weeks coalition forces were in Baghdad breaking Saddam Hussein's grip on the city. With that came cheers from the Iraqi people and scenes of jubilation, but that would soon change. The war's initial days turned into a long, hard slog toward democracy with troops fighting a vicious insurgency. The combat would officially be considered over just a month later.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.

HARRIS: The security situation would remain volatile. An attack on the United Nations headquarters in August 2003 left 23 people dead, including the U.N.'s chief envoy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got 'em.

HARRIS: The capture of Saddam Hussein just four months later seemed to be a breakthrough in the fight against insurgents, but the violence would continue, and with that came frustration from both the people of Iraq and coalition forces.

Between April and May of 2004 an unexpected scandal. Shocking images of Iraqi prisoner abuse by U.S. troops emerged, fueling tensions over the continued U.S. presence. In June of 2004 the coalition handed over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

And in January 2005 an estimated eight million people waving their purple fingers in the air, voted in Iraq's first democratic election since Saddam's fall. A year ago this week, Iraq's transitional parliament encompassing all its ethnic groups, met in Baghdad for the first time. Last October Iraqi citizens voted to approve a new constitution. And that same month Saddam Hussein went on trial facing multiple charges of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a mass killing of Shiite men for a failed assassination attempt in 1982. Two months later, in December, Iraqi citizens went to the polls again this time to elect a 275-seat parliament. But despite political process, weeks of sectarian violence in early 2006 put the country on the verge of civil war. And this past week, Iraqi and U.S. troops combined to launch, as the U.S. military calls it, the largest air assault since its 2003 invasion of Iraq, another massive effort to round up insurgents launching nearly daily attacks across the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And our guest this hour has been on the frontlines of the war in Iraq. Former CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is now with the Council on Foreign Relations, and she joins us from New York to talk about the anniversary of the invasion.

Jane, great to see you, and, of course...

JANE ARRAF, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: We miss you around here. That's for sure.

ARRAF: I miss you guys.

HARRIS: I have to, first, ask you, so many images in that piece, and what are some of the images -- I'd love to be able to narrow it down with you to one or two, but give me a couple of the images that you will never be able to forget.

ARRAF: Gosh, you're right. There are so many. When you spend that much time in a place like that, you never actually fully leave, but those iconic images -- Saddam Hussein, that statue of the square falling. Fallujah, the elections, all of those snap shots that actually were really significant at the time, but the thing about Iraq is that it never fails to surprise, and that invasion has opened up countless dangers, but it's also opened up countless possibilities. This week, for instance, the rioting that we saw in Kurdistan. That was absolutely amazing. But think back on the Fallujah, probably -- it was one of the most vicious battles since the Vietnam War, and there have been many like that, and there probably will be many more. That's the thing.

HARRIS: You know, let me ask you, you were talking about "Operation Swarmer" in the last couple of days, and we're starting to hear some pretty heavy criticism of this operation as something akin to a photo op. What did you learn as you were embedded for that battle of Fallujah -- what were some of the lessons you learned about these big operations going into towns and trying to root out insurgents?

ARRAF: Well, I think the thing about "Operation Swarmer," and you are absolutely right, and this is sort of indicative -- just looking at pictures here of -- that appears to be Samarra, that first battle of Samarra. What we learned there was, essentially, how difficult it is to put U.S. forces on the ground in a place they don't know, going through very narrow streets there, and we don't know where the firing is coming from. But if you look at "Operation Swarmer," it's an indication that you take a, basically a routine operation, give it a snazzy name, and it's part of the job of, I think, the administration and officials who want to put forth that there is progress going on, and there is progress, but if you narrow it down, we first thought it was air strikes. It wasn't. It was air assault, which is essentially just means they're moving forces by air. And it's great that they have Iraqi troops to move. It's great that they're continuing these operations, but I think the thing is, it's operations similar to the ones they've carried out for the last three years, and it's significant that they're still having to carry them out.

HARRIS: Do you ever sit back wonder or say to yourself, how did we get here?

ARRAF: Oh, gosh, yes. You know, do you remember just after the fall of Baghdad, it seemed like anything was possible? And that was extraordinary enough. I think the fact that we're sitting back three years later and saying "how did we get here" goes back to the idea after the fall of Baghdad that things were going to be OK, that things were going to be relatively easy, and then it quickly became apparent that things were not going to be easy at all.

Now, two years ago I was covering the major Shia holiday Arbaeen that also falls tomorrow on the anniversary, and I remember going out in the morning with our crew and saying this is such a beautiful day, nothing bad could possibly happen. And, of course, as we got there, I saw incredibly moving ceremonies. There were explosions in the mosques, and the fall of this statue, if you look at that, I mean, it really is what we think of when we think of the invasion. But what's really important, I think, is that chaos you're also seeing in this picture, that chaos that really foretold the fact that it opened up a whole can of worms, a Pandora's box, and we just didn't know what was going to happen. We still don't know.

HARRIS: Yeah. Jane, what -- what is life like, life as you remember it from your days in country for ordinary Iraqis trying to get on with their lives, trying to feed their families from day to day? Describe what that's like when you're living with an occupation, when you're living through, now insurgent violence, and now sectarian violence?

ARRAF: I left there just a few months ago, and I keep in touch with friends there, and I'm going back in a few months, and things haven't substantially changed, except that where there was really a refusal, I think, on the part of Iraqis to say, yes, this is civil war, they're now starting to talk about this being a low-grade civil war. But day to day, you know, the thing that is really hard to get across in a television piece, was one of the most frustrating part of covering Iraq, is that you can't really put across the texture. You can talk about the car bombs, you can talk about the explosions, but I always made a point of trying to go back when I could to the site of the explosions we covered, and there you would see people doing things like we're seeing here. Which is essentially sweeping away the glass, getting out their shovels and going on with life as normal as it can be, because it does become almost normal, no matter how horrific it is, and that says one of the very sad things.

HARRIS: Jane, one final question. Give me -- give us all something, one thing, that you think, having been in country, if you could change one thing right now, do one thing right now that you believe would make a significant influence and a significant impact on what is going on in country right now, what would it be?

ARRAF: Gosh, if I had to choose one and that's a really tough question, Tony. This week we're looking at the third anniversary of the war, and we're also looking at a -- political parties that are trying to form a government. And military leaders like to say that most of the battle against an insurgency is a political fight with a military component. It would be that these leaders in Baghdad would be able to get together and actually form a government that will take them forward.

These are very inexperienced politicians. They're people connected to different factions and they have to realize they have to take that risk of making compromises and coming together. There's not a whole lot of optimism on the part of Iraqis that they will do that, but it's absolutely essential.

HARRIS: She's still ours, Susan. Jane Arraf. Jane, great to see you.

ARRAF: Thanks, Tony. It's great to see you.

ROESGEN: Interesting interview.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer will have much more on the Iraq war anniversary today on "Late Edition" and among his guests there, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi. He'll be talking about the recent violence in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED CHALABI, IRAQI DEP. PRIME MINISTER: And there is no civil war here. There is some sectarian violence because of the tensions that have been built up on both the CPA and the interim government. You must remember that under the interim government and CPA, there were major military operation involving the use of aircraft bombarding Fallujah and Najaf. Najaf twice and that exasperated sectarian tensions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: You can you see the entire interview on "Late Edition" starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: Well, strange transition, but I've got to make it. In case you like snakes, but especially if you don't...

ROESGEN: Well, a garden snake is one thing, a cobra is something else. Is this guy brave or crazy? What is he doing? A strange relationship between a man and a snake when we go global.

HARRIS: Yeah, and just ahead, it's all about hissing and kissing. I don't know if that helps or hurts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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ROESGEN: Checking our top story on this third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defends the war. In a column in today's "Washington Post," Rumsfeld says progress has been made in Iraq over the last three years, and he says turning away now would be like handing post-war Germany back to the Nazis.

Convicted rapist Kenneth Henson will have a second bond hearing tomorrow. He was captured Friday after a four-day manhunt. He's charged with abducting two teenage girls and assaulting them in an underground dungeon behind his South Carolina home. Bail was denied at an initial hearing yesterday.

And people are back home this morning in Florida after a grass fire there threatened to get out of hand. The firefighters have the latest fire contained, but it ate up more than 500 acres and led to the evacuation of about 300 homes.

And we're "Going Global" now for a look at some other news around the world. We've been focusing, of course, Tony, on the Iraq war this morning, but it's also an important day for Palestinians.

HARRIS: It is. The new cabinet is soon to be announced and Brenda Bernard joins us from the International Desk with details.

Brenda, good morning.

BERNARD: Good morning, Tony.

The militant group, Hamas, is preparing to present its cabinet to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, today. And Abbas has said he will accept the appointees. Here's the problem, though, all of the cabinet members are Hamas loyalists because moderate political groups refuse to join a coalition with the hard-line organization and that could bolster U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the new government. So it looks Hamas is in for a rough go at it.

The French government is facing an ultimatum today follow massive protests in which about half a million people took to the streets demanding officials scrap a new labor law that cuts job security for young workers. Those protests ended in violence overnight, and unions today are threatening a general strike unless the government responds by tomorrow

And Tony and Susan, if you thought had you to do a lot for a kiss, take a look at this man.

HARRIS: All right.

BERNARD: He is kissing a cobra. The Malaysian snake charmer planted 51 kisses -- 51, on the face of a 15-foot-long venomous king cobra. He did it in just over three minutes.

HARRIS: Guess you get a date wherever you can. I don't know. It must be -- well, it's tough sometimes, I guess.

BERNARD: Yeah, well he says he's trying to set a world record.

HARRIS: Oh, oh, oh.

BERNARD: And for interest in Asian reptiles, Tony.

HARRIS: Gotcha. OK.

BERNARD: I know you think you've done kissed a few snakes in your day, but this was the real deal, Tony.

HARRIS: Gotcha, gotcha.

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ROESGEN: I don't know if it's spurning interest in Asian reptiles, I think we just look at it as crazy.

HARRIS: Nuts. Nuts.

Brenda, thank you.

BERNARD: You're welcome.

HARRIS: America speaks out when we come back. Your email thoughts on this, the third anniversary of the war in Iraq, and here's what happened three years ago.

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BUSH: On my orders coalition forces have begun striking selective targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war.

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ROESGEN: Now time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

Good morning, Howard.

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN "RELIABLE SOURCES": Thanks, Susan. Coming up, three years and counting in Iraq. Should all the pro-war pundits acknowledge they were wrong about how easy the mission would be? Plus a live report from Baghdad and what the "New York Times" got wrong about a famous photo from Abu Ghraib. We'll also talk with a Boston columnist about how he narrowly escaped getting whacked by the mob. And Mike Wallace signs off. Did the "60 Minutes" icon change TV journalism for the better? All ahead on "Reliable Sources."

ROESGEN: All right. That's "Reliable Sources" coming up at 10:00 Eastern, followed by Wolf Blitzer and "Late Edition" at 11:00 and then "On the Story" at 1:00. So, stay tuned to CNN as we go in depth on the stories of the day.

HARRIS: Let's get you upstairs as quickly as we can to Reynolds Wolf for another check of weather.

Reynolds, good morning.

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ROESGEN: Yeah, cherry blooms in Washington. Snow in Montana. It's got to be spring.

WOLF: Yeah, you can find something around the country you're going to like. No question about it.

ROESGEN: OK.

HARRIS: Thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

HARRIS: Good morning. Good fun.

All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts in our email question of the day. What would help the situation in Iraq? And Randolph from Memphis writes, "Islamic Peacekeepers! If nations like the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia wish to garner goodwill with the U.S. they should volunteer Islamic peacekeepers to keep order and allow our soldiers to take the targets off their backs."

ROESGEN: And then this one, we have "True democracy can flourish in Iraq only with key infrastructure and institutions are restored. This means a massive rebuilding effort to rebuild with was destroyed during the illegal conflict." HARRIS: And this from Major who writes, "Murtha," he's referring to Congressman Murtha, "has it partly right; redeploy troops, including domestic redeployment for security ops at home. Continue training of Iraqis with multilateral input and perspectives in light of other mid-east nuclear threats."

Major, thank you, and thank you all this morning for your emails to our question: What would help the situation in Iraq? And I suspect there will be a lot of conversation on that topic throughout the day.

ROESGEN: The third anniversary of the Iraqi invasion. A lot of people thinking about where they were when that happened and where we're going from here.

HARRIS: Great to have you here. Great to have you in here for Betty.

ROESGEN: Thanks Tony. Thanks for having me.

HARRIS: Come on back and see us real soon.

ROESGEN: I don't think I can get up this early again. I appreciate it.

HARRIS: OK.

ROESGEN: It's been fun.

HARRIS: Still ahead "Reliable Sources" is next followed by "Late Edition" and "On the Story" so don't go anywhere.

ROESGEN: And Fredricka Whitfield then will be with you all morning with live news updates.

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