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CNN Saturday Morning News

Novak Zone: Interview with Rick Atkinson

Aired April 10, 2004 - 09:00   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANN ANCHOR: Good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and if you're just waking up on the West Coast, yes, it's early, 6:00 a.m. Thanks, all of you, for starting your day with us.
Here are top stories.

In Iraq, Australian TV is showing footage of an American who says he was taken hostage when his convoy was attacked. He's believed to be one of those who has been missing since a fuel convoy was blown up yesterday near the Baghdad airport. Others are also missing and considered unaccounted for.

German officials say two of their men are missing in Iraq. The security officers were assigned to the German embassy in Baghdad. German media reports the two were in a convoy from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad when they disappeared.

U.S. soldiers say they have retaken key sections of the city of Kut in southern Iraq. Shi'ite militia had driven Ukrainian forces out earlier in the week. About 1,000 soldiers, who had been preparing to go home, instead had to race to Kut to restore order.

U.S. Marines in Fallujah have put their offensive against insurgents there on hold, at least for now. One objective is to permit humanitarian aid into the city. Coalition commanders also hope it will lead to an end to the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY SPOKESMAN: If the ceasefire holds, talks regarding the reestablishment of legitimate Iraqi authority in Fallujah will begin. This action is being taken with the expectation that enemy elements in Fallujah will also honor the ceasefire.

Irrespective of the ceasefire, coalition forces will always retain the inherent right of self-defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Televised images of three Japanese hostages in Iraq have provoked large antiwar demonstrations in Tokyo. Abductors say the hostages will be killed tomorrow unless Japan withdraws its troops from Iraq, which Japan says it will not do. Today's protests coincide with the arrival of Vice President's Dick Cheney in that country. He's scheduled to meet with Japanese leaders on Monday.

CNN is tracking the volatile and rapidly changing events in Iraq by the minute. Keep it right here throughout the day for the very latest news.

In a moment, we'll be speaking with the Baghdad bureau chief for "TIME" magazine, and we'll continue to get expert guidance on the military situation with retired brigadier general David Grange.

Well, more on the latest from Iraq in a moment.

But first, the Bush administration is facing mounting pressure to explain its actions before 9/11. Two days after the 9/11 panel grilled national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, those wanting to know what the president knew and when he knew it are finding some answers in a classified document.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, and joins us live. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CNN has confirmed the highlights of that top-secret presidential daily brief that was handed to the president one month before the September 11 attacks. In that brief, there are various scenarios of al Qaeda's intentions to strike inside of the United States.

Now, that brief is entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the U.S.," and it includes the following.

An intelligence report received May 2001, indicating al Qaeda was attempting to send operatives to the United States through Canada to carry out an attack using explosives, that this information was passed on to law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Second, that al Qaeda had been considering ways to hijack American planes to win release of operatives in 1998 and 1999.

Third, that Osama bin Laden was set on striking the U.S. as early as 1997 through early 2001.

Fourth, that some intelligence suggested that suspected al Qaeda operatives were traveling to and from the United States, were possibly U.S. citizens, and may have had a support network inside of the U.S.

And, finally, that at least 70 FBI investigations were under way in 2001 regarding possible al Qaeda cells or operations in the United States.

Now, sources who are aware of this brief say that some of this intelligence is uncorroborated. They say none of it specifically deals with the September 11 plot. As you know, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said that she characterized it mostly as a historical document, that it did not have the kind of detail that they felt that the administration would have been able to prevent such a thing as September 11.

We should tell you that the document, we expect, will be declassified probably in the next couple of days. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux from Crawford, Texas, thanks very much.

Well, time now for a look at some of this week's developments in the war on terror.

In England, police say they foiled a plot that could have poisoned thousands on the subway.

Police in Italy and Spain are on alert this Easter weekend. In Italy, security has been beefed up ahead of the pope's Easter Mass at Saint Peter's Square.

And in Germany, the only man convicted in the 9/11 attacks has been released from prison while awaiting a retrial.

And here in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security announced a new round of mock-terror exercises that will take place next April in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Most hostilities in Iraq over the past year have been within the geographic center of the country, an area often referred to as the Sunni triangle.

Brian Bennett is "TIME" magazine's Baghdad bureau chief, and he joins us live from the Iraqi capital with his perspective on the situation in the country.

Good to see you, Brian. Well, how are the people...

BRIAN BENNETT, BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Glad to be with you.

WHITFIELD: How are the people in Baghdad responding to the military buildup in the Sunni triangle?

BENNETT: Well, right now, the Baghdad's streets are pretty much empty. A lot of people are staying home, a lot of shops are closed. There's been heavy, heavy military operations in the west of Baghdad, on the road heading out to the Sunni triangle, and also in the north of Baghdad, to combat some of the unrest that's been going on there.

WHITFIELD: And what are some of your colleagues, I know you've got "TIME" magazine correspondents and photographers throughout much of Iraq. What are some of your colleagues saying about some of the more volatile places like Kut and Fallujah?

BENNETT: It's been very difficult to work for the last few days. I went to Najaf on Wednesday. You can hear behind me a Humvee blaring a warning to people coming into this neighborhood right now. Around the Palestine and Sheraton Hotels, they've closed down the streets.

So it's very difficult for vehicles to come into this area. They're warning people that the Mehdi army might try to come into the hotel and possibly take hostages. And this looming threat has kept a lot of journalists inside their hotels, and certainly inside the confines of Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: So then how is that jeopardizing coverage, knowing that there is this looming threat of hostage-taking?

BENNETT: It certainly is keeping journalists from going out and reporting the story firsthand. There are embedded journalists inside Fallujah, and some of the air publications have journalists with the Iraqis inside Fallujah to report that story.

When I was in Najaf on Wednesday, I didn't see any other foreign journalists inside the city at that time. Some journalists are going down to Karbala for the holy day tomorrow, to cover that event. But most of the journalists are going to stay, that I've talked to, are going to stay in Baghdad for the next couple of days until the situation stabilizes.

WHITFIELD: And since I know you were staying close to home, so to speak, as are a number of other journalists, has anyone had a chance to really get a pulse of the citizens there in the Baghdad area about what their feelings are about this tactic that some military strategists are believing is a new tactic as of late with this threats of hostage-taking and the successful, so far, hostage-taking of the three Japanese?

BENNETT: Well, most of the Iraqis I've spoken with in the last couple of days are horrified by the prospect that hostages are being taken. Even some members of Muqtada al-Sadr's, Sadr militia are unhappy about the hostage-taking and the taking of journalists. They think it's a dark stain on their movement and what they're trying to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brian Bennett of "TIME" magazine, the Baghdad bureau chief. Thanks very much for joining us, and be safe.

BENNETT: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Well, for a closer look at the military operations in Iraq, let's go to our military analyst, retired Army brigadier general David Grange. He joins us again from Galina (ph), Illinois.

You've -- we've been keeping you very busy this morning. Thanks again for hanging in there. Oh, now you've got a nice little outdoor backdrop with the sun coming up. All right...

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), U.S. ARMY: That's a future workplace.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, not bad, then. Not bad digs at all. All right, let's talk now about Fallujah because that seems to be an area where the military buildup is indeed in place. The people of Fallujah, as we heard from our Jim Clancy earlier, have said that they feel like this is collective punishment, that there is this military buildup. Is this intensity overkill?

GRANGE: Yes, I can -- I can't hear you very well. But the buildup in Fallujah, obviously, to try to break down this insurrection that's taken place there. One of the biggest problems on this ceasefire that may come about is that they may -- the insurgents may use the time to regroup, refit, rearm.

So I think the commander on the ground is going to have to take his time to evaluate -- a little bit of time to evaluate. And if they don't cooperate, then he has to keep the momentum of the attack.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about Kut, if you can hear me OK. On Kut...

GRANGE: I can.

WHITFIELD: ... we know -- OK. We know that coalition forces have said that they have taken control of two out of three bridges there. They have taken control of a radio station. How significant are these developments in trying to win some control of Kut?

GRANGE: Well, I think it's just a matter of time. Keep in mind, part of the movement of the coalition forces has to do with the civilian population. In other words, try to do the missions without harming civilians to the best of their ability.

And so they'll go in and take key terrain, bridge sites, road intersections, radio stations, television stations, government buildings. They'll go into the key nodes, and then they'll work out from there, if they have information on groups of insurgents that are, in fact, conducting combat operations.

WHITFIELD: All right, General Grange, thanks very much. We're going to join you again in about 30 minutes or so, so keep tight there in a very windy situation there in Galina, Illinois.

Well, we want to know what you think of the conflict in Iraq. E- mail us your comments at wam@CNN.com, and we'll read them later on this morning.

Honoring those who served during another time. We'll take a look at the meaning behind the World War II Memorial. The monument's sculptor joins us live.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE," NBC)

DONALD TRUMP: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lessons learned. What you need to know to never hear those words in your job, hopefully. And good morning, Las Vegas. Or maybe you can say good morning, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Rob, I'm sorry, good morning to you.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fred. Good morning to you as well.

It's Easter weekend. It's Masters weekend. Weather may be affecting you. So we'll go over that in just a second. And if you're in Vegas, doesn't necessarily affect you at all. KBBC is our affiliate, and, yes, there's the Strip, the MGM, all the works. Good morning, Vegas. We'll be back with a full weather update in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Walking the links one last time. A golf king says goodbye to the Masters. The details when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating developments in Iraq now, coalition officials are making a new appeal for a ceasefire in Fallujah after a week of fierce fighting there. Coalition troops are searching for two American soldiers and a number of civilian contractors after an attack on a fuel convoy near the Baghdad airport.

A man who appears to be an American hostage has been shown on Australian television.

Italian troops in Nasiriyah have a surprise visitor today, Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi is making an unannounced visit. He's expected to fly back to Rome this evening.

And Germany says two of its security officers are missing in Iraq. The two disappeared as they were driving on a convoy from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad. Foreign ministry officials say the rest of the convoy made it safely to the embassy.

While the battle in Iraq continues to capture today's headlines, the spotlight falls briefly on World War II. The nation gets its first peek at the soon-to-be-completed Washington memorial dedicated solely to the veterans who fought in that epic confrontation.

Crews have been working day and night constructing the National World War II Memorial. The monument honors both the sacrifices of those on the battlefield as well as the resolve of the people at home.

The man responsible for the sculpture is architect and sculptor Raymond Kaskey, and he joins us now from our Washington bureau.

And this must be a really great feeling that the fruits of your labor are about to be complete and there for the public to see.

RAYMOND KASKEY, SCULPTOR, NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL: Yes, it is. It's -- I must add that I am not the only one responsible for all the sculpture. I have an atelier of three other sculptors that I've worked with on and off for the past six years. So, yes, it's a feeling of exhilaration, but it's also a kind of letdown, because it's been my life for the past six years.

WHITFIELD: A letdown because now it will be, I guess, over, in a sense, in terms of the creative juices going and this collaboration between you and other team members to make this happen?

KASKEY: Exactly. And the architect as well. As I said, it's been my life, and it's, you know -- what do I do next now?

WHITFIELD: So describe...

KASKEY: And it's been very intense.

WHITFIELD: So describe the feelings, then, that you've had, as you look at this nearly complete project, knowing that you have put your heart and soul into it for so many years now.

KASKEY: Well, it's exhilarating. The fact it's going to be there for the next 100, 200 years is kind of hard to comprehend. I mean, I've spent many a sleepless night wondering how it's all going to come together, and to see it finally happen, you know, it's just mind-boggling.

WHITFIELD: And we're looking right now at a view of one of the centerpieces, the eagle, the spread eagle, as it's being hoisted into place. Describe what the inspiration for that marker was for you.

KASKEY: Well, that was the first piece that Friedrich Schein Floring (ph), who was the design architect, asked me to do. It's to celebrate the victory of the fighting man. And, you know, it's the traditional symbol of the laurel, you know, to the victor belongs the laurels.

This bronze wreath, which is about 10 feet in diameter, is horizontally supported by four American eagles on top of 18-foot bronze columns to form this canopy inside the victory arch. There's one for the Atlantic front, one for the Pacific front.

And I got this idea, like, right away, three days after I really began working on this. And it was one of those lucky breaks, because the rest of the sculpture, the memorial, was an uphill slog, frankly, took years to realize that -- this piece took years to construct. But I felt about 4.5 tons lighter when this eagle finally landed.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And what did you make this eagle out of? What material?

KASKEY: Well it was sculpted in clay. The original -- I mean, it was a step-up process. My original design was a model about this big, about six inches high, and it went through a series of stepping up to get to the final size.

But, yes, this was made in clay and then cast in bronze. WHITFIELD: And real quick, you said this entire memorial is fit with a number of symbolic gestures, the eagles, the spread eagle, and even the victory arch. And now how about the wall of stars, quickly?

KASKEY: The wall of stars was Friedrich Schein Floring's idea, which honors the sacrifice of the 400-and-some-thousand killed in World War II. The star, gold star was put in the window if you lost somebody in World War II, and this seemed like a fitting continuation of that symbol, but on a more monumental scale.

And it forms a bas-relief on the main axis in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which you can't get more prominent than that. So this had to be absolutely perfect.

WHITFIELD: A beautiful and fitting tribute, a memoriam to the lives lost, and the many lives that were devoted to the World War II. So, Raymond Kaskey, this -- one of the sculptors of a team of sculptors who have all been involved in this project, thanks very much for joining us from Washington, and congratulations on now a job complete.

KASKEY: Thank you. You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Violence in Iraq. Will a ceasefire offer calm in Fallujah? We're keeping you updated on the latest news from Iraq when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Easter weekend. Let's talk a little weather.

MARCIANO: Let's do that. Some folks going to get wet on their way to church, or maybe have the Easter egg hunt...

WHITFIELD: Wear a nice umbrella...

MARCIANO: ... on indoors.

WHITFIELD: ... or not wear one, but you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: We wear the coat.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MARCIANO: I know what to do with the umbrella. I just put it up.

WHITFIELD: Hold it.

MARCIANO: Hey, iN Vegas, we take you there once again. Maybe you're spending the holiday there. You know, from my uncle, the casino would be church. So, good morning, Vegas. KVBC (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- they probably do.

WHITFIELD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: All right. I'm not going to say which uncle, but he knows who I'm talking about.

Here you go, weather headlines, check it out. We do have some action across Denver, Colorado. Feeling like spring, yes. Some snow. They do get snow in April, especially in the mountains. They'll get it today.

Texas thunderstorms, a wet Easter, as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) across the South, not only across the South, but across much of the East as well.

A cold rain across much of Kansas down through Oklahoma, and some of that cold air will be sliding into Texas, and that may pop up a couple of thunderstorms today with this system heading off to the East.

But across the West Coast, good morning, to you folks, it's getting early, or it's getting later. You'll be dry.

East Coast dry today, but I think much of the East Coast will at least see some showers tomorrow. Some showers in Miami this morning, 88 degrees expected in Orlando, 63, not a bad-looking day across much of the Northeast today, just some clouds rolling in.

And a few more cities for you. St. Louis, you'll be wet today on and off, 54, Memphis National, wet as well. And Denver sticking out like a sore thumb there, 30 degrees, and over to Vegas, you'll get up to about 79, 80, could set some records in Portland, Oregon, 66 degrees expected in Los Angeles.

We'll try and improve the Easter forecast for you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, folks are counting on it.

MARCIANO: But it'll be dry in Vegas, though.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

MARCIANO: Uncle.

WHITFIELD: No need to wear umbrellas there.

MARCIANO: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

MARCIANO: See you in a little bit.

WHITFIELD: No matter how much money you lose or how much you imbibe, et cetera.

MARCIANO: It's all entertainment.

WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, thanks a lot, Rob.

MARCIANO: Yes.

Well, updating the latest developments in Iraq right now, coalition officials are offering militants a ceasefire in Fallujah after a vicious week of fighting.

Two security officers assigned to the German embassy in Baghdad are apparently missing. The two German security personnel disappeared while driving from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad in a convoy.

Two U.S. soldiers and a number of civilian contractors are missing after their fuel convoy was attacked near the Baghdad airport. Australian TV interviewed a man who appeared to be an American hostage. He's heard saying, quote, "They attacked our convoy. That's all I'm going to say."

And we're asking the question all morning, what are your thoughts on the war in Iraq? We're receiving some of your e-mails at wam@CNN.com.

And Stephen writes from Tivoli, New York, "We're occupying their country, and they're resisting with the best weapons they have. Imagine if the situation were reversed, a bunch of foreigners with superior weapons taking over Washington, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and telling us that we had to have a foreign form of government. We'd be fighting them any way we could."

And John in Oneida, Illinois, says, "The concept of going to Iraq was correct but should have happened after bin Laden was taken care of. We need to finish the job, but with a new plan."

Well, thanks for your e-mails. And if you have any other thoughts you'd like to share, wam@CNN.com.

From jubilation a year ago to violence and unrest in recent days. Hear from one Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was there when Iraq fell. Rick Atkinson joins The Novak Zone straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're hired! You may not be working for The Donald, but we have some tips to make you the perfect apprentice for any job.

Well, welcome back. That's coming up.

But first, the latest news out of Iraq.

In Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition is extending a ceasefire request to militants in the Sunni stronghold of Fallujah. The 1st Marine Division has suspended its offensive there, but sporadic fighting continues. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt plans a news briefing from Baghdad at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. CNN will be bringing that to you live.

In the southern part of the country, U.S. forces say they've reclaimed most of the city of Kut. Ukrainian forces were overrun by a militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr earlier in the week. U.S. troops say they killed 17 militia fighters and captured another 55.

Two German embassy personnel are missing after setting off for Baghdad from the Jordanian capital of Amman. German foreign ministry officials say the rest of the convoy made it safely to the embassy.

A ceasefire appeal in Fallujah, the possibility more hostages, including some Americans, have been taken in Iraq. These are among the developments we're following for you.

And joining us to talk more about them is retired brigadier general David Grange, our military analyst.

All right, good to see you again, general.

Well, let's talk first about the hostage-taking, the threats of more hostage-taking. How does the U.S. try to make sure that all countries are on board, all countries who are part of the coalition forces, are on board about how to respond to hostage-takers?

GRANGE: Well, not every country has the same policy that we have, but most of the coalition forces, I believe, it's a no- negotiation policy. Some may break down and give in, but I -- the United States and of the others, like Great Britain, will not. I know that. It's the insurgents, they're going to continue to take hostages. It's a easy target, and it gives them some leverage.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk now about Fallujah and Kut, where apparently people of those regions have expressed their concern about how -- the beefing up of military presence there, and now even other Arab allies are saying they're concerned about the word "control" when talking about the control of the bridges, control of radio stations, et cetera. How does the U.S. get around, you know, this battle of semantics, so to speak?

GRANGE: Well, you know, the coalition's going to have to control key areas throughout these cities in order to stabilize the situation. And as soon as that's done, the word that needs to get out from authorities there in Iraq is that it will be turned back over to local Iraqi governmental leaders, but not those that are breaking the law of the land right now that's been established in the interim government.

And it'll be turned back over once it's stabilized. But that word probably could be you know, announced, put out to the people, much better than it is.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brigadier General David Grange, thanks very much.

The freedom celebration seen through many parts of Iraq last year are for many just a distant memory. Now unrest and violence are painting a new picture. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Atkinson was in the middle of the action a year ago as an embedded reporter. Now he joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of The Novak Zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone. Joining me is Pulitzer Prize-winner war correspondent Rick Atkinson of "The Washington Post," author of a new book, "In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat, Story of the Iraq War."

Congratulations on a terrific book, Mr. Atkinson.

RICK ATKINSON, AUTHOR, "IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS": Thank you, thank you very much.

NOVAK: Now, you, in preparing this book, you were an embedded correspondent with the famous the 101st Airborne. How did the soldiers of the 101st accept you?

ATKINSON: Generally with great magnanimity, I have to say. There were some skepticism, I think, about the embedding process generally. There were 777 embeds. It had never really been done on a scale like that, although the theory itself wasn't new.

But the 101st, beginning with Major General Dave Patreus (ph), and I was embedded with his headquarters, right on down to company platoon level, they generally saw the reporters as a conduit to the folks back home, a way of telling people what they were doing.

And I have to say that they were most generous across the board.

NOVAK: Now, your story ends with the end of the regular combat against the Iraqi forces and, of course, the war's extended on against the irregulars. How do you -- from your experience as an embedded correspondent, how do you think the 101st was able to cope with this new mission?

ATKINSON: I think they coped with it pretty well. The 101st left Baghdad in the end of April, they went up to Mosul, and they had the occupation responsibilities for northern Iraq. General Patreus was quite innovative, actually, in many of the things that he did up there. And he'd had experience in Haiti, he had experience in Bosnia, he has a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton. His dissertation was on the legacy of Vietnam. He'd thought about these things, he'd thought about peacekeeping, peace enforcement.

NOVAK: You are, besides being a reporter, you're a military historian, writing a trilogy on World War II. And Americans have become familiar with the 101st Airborne through the Stephen Ambrose's book "Band of Brothers," which was made into a HBO movie series. How do you compare these soldiers that you were embedded with, volunteers, with the largely draftee army that fought in France with the 101st?

ATKINSON: Well, superficially, at least, I think today's soldiers are quite different. They are volunteers, they all, in theory, at least, want to be there. They're better trained, better educated, better equipped, better led, I think, for the most part, than, say, the Army that went into North Africa in November of 1942.

On the other hand, an infantryman from the 101st in 1944 in Normandy would instantly recognize the cares, the overburdened waddle of infantrymen in Iraq in 2003 or 2004. They're cut from the same cloth in fundamental ways.

NOVAK: When the Screaming Eagles of the 101st came through Iraq, defeating the Iraqi army, were they greeted as liberators, as the civilians at the Pentagon predicted they would be?

ATKINSON: Initially they were not. And that caused great consternation when the 101st and the 3rd Infantry Division first blew into the country in March of last year. The hosannas and the welcoming crowds that had been predicted by the Pentagon and the White House were not there. And, in fact, there was gunfire, and there was great anxiety about the threat to the supply line back to Kuwait.

It took the suppression of the Iraqi fedayeen, these Ba'ath Party-affiliated irregulars, and the taking down of the major Shi'ite cities, Najaf, Karbala, and Jalah (ph), before the crowds first turned out, first by the dozens, then by the hundreds, and eventually by the thousands.

It was really quite something. There really was an air of liberation about it, and you saw soldiers become politically invested in the cause for the first time.

NOVAK: In view of that, did you expect anything like the difficulty that has been experienced over the last year in pacifying Iraq?

ATKINSON: To be honest with you, I didn't think that it was going to be a cakewalk. I really had trepidation about how it was going to turn out, and I had some cause for concern, as did senior commanders there, over whether they had enough forces to do the job that was necessary once the heavy combat had ended.

NOVAK: Well, as you report in the book, Mr. Atkinson, the Pentagon planners thought they could get this done with 30,000 troops. Was that -- did that ever seem realistic to you?

ATKINSON: It never seemed realistic, unless all of the most optimistic assumptions proved true. Optimistic assumptions like, it would be no residual resistance, there would be no insurrection. All of the weapons that were still floating around the country would somehow not fall into the hands of those who were opposed to American occupation.

NOVAK: Mr. Atkinson, in the last paragraph of your book, you quote General Patreus as saying, as to the future, "We've got to have the determination, perseverance, and patience." Do you think the American people have those qualities in dealing with this occupation of Iraq?

ATKINSON: That's a very hard question. I have my doubts, really, that Americans generally are going to see 615, 620 dead soldiers now as worth the price of trying to bring stability to a country that doesn't seem inclined to stabilize itself.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Rick Atkinson, author of "In the Company of Soldiers.

Rick Atkinson, the Army is stretched very thin right now. There's talk about the need for additional troops in Iraq. Do you think it is time to consider reinstituting the draft? ATKINSON: I think it's time to think about it. I don't think it's time to do it. I think that as we see a widening in the burden placed on those who must serve, those who serve in harm's way, and those who don't have to serve, and who don't feel the pain, who don't feel the sacrifice, then we're in danger of a disparity in the country that I think is politically hazardous.

So I don't think we have to reinstate the draft tomorrow, but I think that if, in fact, we're going to be fighting a global war, that it's very important that we look at it as a total war by the country, and that would require somehow widening the service obligations of everyone in the country.

NOVAK: Rick Atkinson, thank you very much.

ATKINSON: Thank you, Mr. Novak.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That hit TV show "The Apprentice," well, it might be wrapping up for the season, but that doesn't mean you can't take some of those lessons learned to heart. How to be the perfect apprentice, or the next CEO in any career, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, he didn't make the cut at the Masters. But after 50 years of playing in America's most prestigious tournament, Arnold Palmer went out swinging.

Here's CNN's Josie Burke.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the end of his final round at the Masters, the shin splints that made Arnold Palmer feel 74 years old disappeared. By the time he walked up 18 for the last time, a flood of memories made Palmer feel young again.

ARNOLD PALMER, FOUR-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: If you just use your imagination, you will understand that emotion. I've thought about how many times I've walked up that 18th fairway.

BURKE: Palmer may return to Augusta as an honorary starter in the future, or for a Tuesday night Champions Dinners. He says he won't play again, but promised he'd never really leave.

PALMER: I don't think that I could ever separate myself from this club and this golf tournament. I might not be present, I may not be here, but I'll still be a part of what happens here.

TIGER WOODS, THREE-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: Jack and I were talking about that, and, you know, how does he not give himself a hernia stopping a club that quick, you know? It -- for him to be out here playing, I mean, it's great for the game of golf.

BURKE: Friday may have also ended the Masters career of the man with more green jackets than any other. Six-time winner Jack Nicklaus said he might be done as well.

JACK NICKLAUS, SIX-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: This is Arnold's day. Let Arnold have his day. And that's fine. If I walk away, I walk away. I may have played my last round. We'll just see.

PALMER: It's done. And I won't say I'm happy it's done. It's time for it to be done for me.

BURKE: Palmer said the most meaningful part of his farewell was the fact that all of his children and all of his grandchildren were there to share it with him.

Josie Burke, CNN, Augusta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Time for a look at our top stories out of Iraq.

The coalition says it hopes to have the city of Kut under complete U.S. control soon. The U.S. has control of radio and television stations as well as a key bridge leading into the city.

Coalition forces have called for a ceasefire in Fallujah. A delegation of Iraqi officials entered the city this morning for talks aimed at reestablishing legitimate authority.

Two American soldiers and several civilian contractors are unaccounted for after their fuel convey came under attack near the Baghdad airport. Australian TV broadcast pictures of a man who may be one of the men from the convoy. In the tape, he's in the custody of armed insurgents on the road between Baghdad and Fallujah.

The season finale of one of the hottest shows on television is just a few days away. On Thursday night, we'll find out who billionaire Donald Trump will pick as his apprentice. That person will become the CEO of one of Trump's companies for a year, making $250,000.

So what does it take to become the perfect apprentice, and not just for Donald Trump, we're talking about any career you choose?

Joining us this morning to talk about it is the co-author of the book "Women for Hire." She is also CEO of the Women for Higher Career Expositions. Tory Johnson joins us this morning from our New York bureau.

Good to see you, Tory.

TORY JOHNSON, CEO, WOMEN FOR HIRE: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, in the show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump always starts each task with an edict like, Surround yourself with people you trust. You know, go straight to the top. These are lessons that all of us can apply to whatever profession we're in, aren't they?

JOHNSON: That's right, absolutely. And one of the first that we want to focus on is never to badmouth a former employer. A lot of times we've seen throughout the show, I think, that some of the women were the biggest offenders here. They would badmouth a colleague, and doing so often let the potential employer know that this might be the way that you're going to behave if you are hired for this position.

And blaming other people for your own shortcomings is often a red flag, so it's something you want to avoid.

WHITFIELD: And some of those players involved in that were Heidi and Jessie Omarosa and Tammy. You're seeing a little confrontation between Omarosa and Heidi there.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, likability, I imagine, is also very important. Likability among your colleagues as well as to your, you know, subordinates?

JOHNSON: Absolutely. You can't underestimate the power of likability. The two finalists, Bill and Kwame, are great guys. They're very smart, but they're also good people. They're well liked, well respected.

If you look at someone like Omarosa, on the other hand, she's somebody who often rubbed people the wrong way with a less-than- pleasing personality. And just because you are well liked doesn't mean that you're going to get the job. However, if you send off a negative vibe, it usually means you will not get the offer.

WHITFIELD: But then the flip side of that is, you're awfully likable, sometimes people interpret you as being someone they can walk all over too.

JOHNSON: Well, of course, it's important to have a good balance between being well liked and well respected. And I think that you see that in the finalists.

WHITFIELD: All right. Everyone in the process counts. What do you mean by that?

JOHNSON: That's right. It's not important just to impress the final decision-maker. It's important to impress everybody along the way, and not to take any conversation for granted, whether it's the receptionist that you first meet, or, in the case of two nights ago, we saw that two people were fired because they didn't do very well in interviews with four of the Trump deputies.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

JOHNSON: So it's important to make sure that you are respectful and strong in front of everybody who you meet with, not just the ultimate decision-maker.

WHITFIELD: All right. In this case, the pictures we're seeing George and Carolyn, who are kind of his, you know, right- and left- hand, you know, folks.

JOHNSON: That's right. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the process, it was important...

WHITFIELD: OK.

JOHNSON: ... to make sure that they witness the right thing in you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don't allow personal issue to affect your professionalism. Like what?

JOHNSON: That's right. We all have personal issues that we juggle during our professional performances. However, many times, some people are doing -- do a better job at balancing the two. For example, Heidi showed great poise when dealing with her mother's cancer. On the flip side, Omarosa used a seemingly small bumper, a small accident, and really milked it, if you will, to slow down her own performance, and ultimately that cost her her job, or her opportunity to get the job.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And to punctuate it all, Tory, you say, ask for the job, don't beat around the bush.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

JOHNSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some of the contestants actually bought themselves an extra week by being very strong and determined in the boardroom.

WHITFIELD: OK.

JOHNSON: And you can never leave any conversation or any interview without making it eminently clear you want the job.

WHITFIELD: You want that job.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

JOHNSON: Don't just assume that someone knows it. But be verbal. Make it clear that you want that opportunity.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tory Johnson, CEO of Women for Hire, thanks very much for helping us extract some of the valuable lessons of a hit TV show.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning once again. I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center.

Midsection of the country, some rainfall today, snow in Denver, Colorado. Winter not quite over just yet. And some thunderstorms are possible across southern Texas today as this storm slowly moves off to the east.

Most of the East Coast and West Coast looking dry today, but tomorrow could be a different story. Daytime highs for this Saturday afternoon, 52 in Chicago, near 80 here in Atlanta. Record highs possible across the Pacific Northwest, 80 degrees expected in Portland, and 72 in Seattle.

All right, Easter Sunday, here we go, that rainfall moves to the East Coast and across the Gulf Coast. This is where it will probably be the heaviest. And the upper Midwest looks to be cool but dry for Easter Sunday activities.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Rob.

Well, the latest now out of Iraq.

It's chilling video of a man who says he is an American hostage. It was shot by an Australian television crew. The man is believed to be one of those missing after an attack on a fuel convoy yesterday near the Baghdad airport.

Germany says two of its security people are also missing after their convoy was attacked on the way from Amman, Jordan, to the Iraqi capital.

In the southern city of Kut, the U.S. Army says it has retaken key parts of the town from a Shi'ite militia. The Army reports killing 17 Iraqi fighters and capturing 55. U.S. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt is expected to hold a news conference in about an hour from now. CNN will be covering that live for you beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

And thanks for joining me this morning on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'll see you in about 30 minutes for another update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 10, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANN ANCHOR: Good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and if you're just waking up on the West Coast, yes, it's early, 6:00 a.m. Thanks, all of you, for starting your day with us.
Here are top stories.

In Iraq, Australian TV is showing footage of an American who says he was taken hostage when his convoy was attacked. He's believed to be one of those who has been missing since a fuel convoy was blown up yesterday near the Baghdad airport. Others are also missing and considered unaccounted for.

German officials say two of their men are missing in Iraq. The security officers were assigned to the German embassy in Baghdad. German media reports the two were in a convoy from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad when they disappeared.

U.S. soldiers say they have retaken key sections of the city of Kut in southern Iraq. Shi'ite militia had driven Ukrainian forces out earlier in the week. About 1,000 soldiers, who had been preparing to go home, instead had to race to Kut to restore order.

U.S. Marines in Fallujah have put their offensive against insurgents there on hold, at least for now. One objective is to permit humanitarian aid into the city. Coalition commanders also hope it will lead to an end to the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY SPOKESMAN: If the ceasefire holds, talks regarding the reestablishment of legitimate Iraqi authority in Fallujah will begin. This action is being taken with the expectation that enemy elements in Fallujah will also honor the ceasefire.

Irrespective of the ceasefire, coalition forces will always retain the inherent right of self-defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Televised images of three Japanese hostages in Iraq have provoked large antiwar demonstrations in Tokyo. Abductors say the hostages will be killed tomorrow unless Japan withdraws its troops from Iraq, which Japan says it will not do. Today's protests coincide with the arrival of Vice President's Dick Cheney in that country. He's scheduled to meet with Japanese leaders on Monday.

CNN is tracking the volatile and rapidly changing events in Iraq by the minute. Keep it right here throughout the day for the very latest news.

In a moment, we'll be speaking with the Baghdad bureau chief for "TIME" magazine, and we'll continue to get expert guidance on the military situation with retired brigadier general David Grange.

Well, more on the latest from Iraq in a moment.

But first, the Bush administration is facing mounting pressure to explain its actions before 9/11. Two days after the 9/11 panel grilled national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, those wanting to know what the president knew and when he knew it are finding some answers in a classified document.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, and joins us live. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CNN has confirmed the highlights of that top-secret presidential daily brief that was handed to the president one month before the September 11 attacks. In that brief, there are various scenarios of al Qaeda's intentions to strike inside of the United States.

Now, that brief is entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the U.S.," and it includes the following.

An intelligence report received May 2001, indicating al Qaeda was attempting to send operatives to the United States through Canada to carry out an attack using explosives, that this information was passed on to law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Second, that al Qaeda had been considering ways to hijack American planes to win release of operatives in 1998 and 1999.

Third, that Osama bin Laden was set on striking the U.S. as early as 1997 through early 2001.

Fourth, that some intelligence suggested that suspected al Qaeda operatives were traveling to and from the United States, were possibly U.S. citizens, and may have had a support network inside of the U.S.

And, finally, that at least 70 FBI investigations were under way in 2001 regarding possible al Qaeda cells or operations in the United States.

Now, sources who are aware of this brief say that some of this intelligence is uncorroborated. They say none of it specifically deals with the September 11 plot. As you know, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said that she characterized it mostly as a historical document, that it did not have the kind of detail that they felt that the administration would have been able to prevent such a thing as September 11.

We should tell you that the document, we expect, will be declassified probably in the next couple of days. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux from Crawford, Texas, thanks very much.

Well, time now for a look at some of this week's developments in the war on terror.

In England, police say they foiled a plot that could have poisoned thousands on the subway.

Police in Italy and Spain are on alert this Easter weekend. In Italy, security has been beefed up ahead of the pope's Easter Mass at Saint Peter's Square.

And in Germany, the only man convicted in the 9/11 attacks has been released from prison while awaiting a retrial.

And here in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security announced a new round of mock-terror exercises that will take place next April in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Most hostilities in Iraq over the past year have been within the geographic center of the country, an area often referred to as the Sunni triangle.

Brian Bennett is "TIME" magazine's Baghdad bureau chief, and he joins us live from the Iraqi capital with his perspective on the situation in the country.

Good to see you, Brian. Well, how are the people...

BRIAN BENNETT, BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Glad to be with you.

WHITFIELD: How are the people in Baghdad responding to the military buildup in the Sunni triangle?

BENNETT: Well, right now, the Baghdad's streets are pretty much empty. A lot of people are staying home, a lot of shops are closed. There's been heavy, heavy military operations in the west of Baghdad, on the road heading out to the Sunni triangle, and also in the north of Baghdad, to combat some of the unrest that's been going on there.

WHITFIELD: And what are some of your colleagues, I know you've got "TIME" magazine correspondents and photographers throughout much of Iraq. What are some of your colleagues saying about some of the more volatile places like Kut and Fallujah?

BENNETT: It's been very difficult to work for the last few days. I went to Najaf on Wednesday. You can hear behind me a Humvee blaring a warning to people coming into this neighborhood right now. Around the Palestine and Sheraton Hotels, they've closed down the streets.

So it's very difficult for vehicles to come into this area. They're warning people that the Mehdi army might try to come into the hotel and possibly take hostages. And this looming threat has kept a lot of journalists inside their hotels, and certainly inside the confines of Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: So then how is that jeopardizing coverage, knowing that there is this looming threat of hostage-taking?

BENNETT: It certainly is keeping journalists from going out and reporting the story firsthand. There are embedded journalists inside Fallujah, and some of the air publications have journalists with the Iraqis inside Fallujah to report that story.

When I was in Najaf on Wednesday, I didn't see any other foreign journalists inside the city at that time. Some journalists are going down to Karbala for the holy day tomorrow, to cover that event. But most of the journalists are going to stay, that I've talked to, are going to stay in Baghdad for the next couple of days until the situation stabilizes.

WHITFIELD: And since I know you were staying close to home, so to speak, as are a number of other journalists, has anyone had a chance to really get a pulse of the citizens there in the Baghdad area about what their feelings are about this tactic that some military strategists are believing is a new tactic as of late with this threats of hostage-taking and the successful, so far, hostage-taking of the three Japanese?

BENNETT: Well, most of the Iraqis I've spoken with in the last couple of days are horrified by the prospect that hostages are being taken. Even some members of Muqtada al-Sadr's, Sadr militia are unhappy about the hostage-taking and the taking of journalists. They think it's a dark stain on their movement and what they're trying to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brian Bennett of "TIME" magazine, the Baghdad bureau chief. Thanks very much for joining us, and be safe.

BENNETT: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Well, for a closer look at the military operations in Iraq, let's go to our military analyst, retired Army brigadier general David Grange. He joins us again from Galina (ph), Illinois.

You've -- we've been keeping you very busy this morning. Thanks again for hanging in there. Oh, now you've got a nice little outdoor backdrop with the sun coming up. All right...

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), U.S. ARMY: That's a future workplace.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, not bad, then. Not bad digs at all. All right, let's talk now about Fallujah because that seems to be an area where the military buildup is indeed in place. The people of Fallujah, as we heard from our Jim Clancy earlier, have said that they feel like this is collective punishment, that there is this military buildup. Is this intensity overkill?

GRANGE: Yes, I can -- I can't hear you very well. But the buildup in Fallujah, obviously, to try to break down this insurrection that's taken place there. One of the biggest problems on this ceasefire that may come about is that they may -- the insurgents may use the time to regroup, refit, rearm.

So I think the commander on the ground is going to have to take his time to evaluate -- a little bit of time to evaluate. And if they don't cooperate, then he has to keep the momentum of the attack.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about Kut, if you can hear me OK. On Kut...

GRANGE: I can.

WHITFIELD: ... we know -- OK. We know that coalition forces have said that they have taken control of two out of three bridges there. They have taken control of a radio station. How significant are these developments in trying to win some control of Kut?

GRANGE: Well, I think it's just a matter of time. Keep in mind, part of the movement of the coalition forces has to do with the civilian population. In other words, try to do the missions without harming civilians to the best of their ability.

And so they'll go in and take key terrain, bridge sites, road intersections, radio stations, television stations, government buildings. They'll go into the key nodes, and then they'll work out from there, if they have information on groups of insurgents that are, in fact, conducting combat operations.

WHITFIELD: All right, General Grange, thanks very much. We're going to join you again in about 30 minutes or so, so keep tight there in a very windy situation there in Galina, Illinois.

Well, we want to know what you think of the conflict in Iraq. E- mail us your comments at wam@CNN.com, and we'll read them later on this morning.

Honoring those who served during another time. We'll take a look at the meaning behind the World War II Memorial. The monument's sculptor joins us live.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE," NBC)

DONALD TRUMP: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lessons learned. What you need to know to never hear those words in your job, hopefully. And good morning, Las Vegas. Or maybe you can say good morning, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Rob, I'm sorry, good morning to you.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fred. Good morning to you as well.

It's Easter weekend. It's Masters weekend. Weather may be affecting you. So we'll go over that in just a second. And if you're in Vegas, doesn't necessarily affect you at all. KBBC is our affiliate, and, yes, there's the Strip, the MGM, all the works. Good morning, Vegas. We'll be back with a full weather update in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Walking the links one last time. A golf king says goodbye to the Masters. The details when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating developments in Iraq now, coalition officials are making a new appeal for a ceasefire in Fallujah after a week of fierce fighting there. Coalition troops are searching for two American soldiers and a number of civilian contractors after an attack on a fuel convoy near the Baghdad airport.

A man who appears to be an American hostage has been shown on Australian television.

Italian troops in Nasiriyah have a surprise visitor today, Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi is making an unannounced visit. He's expected to fly back to Rome this evening.

And Germany says two of its security officers are missing in Iraq. The two disappeared as they were driving on a convoy from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad. Foreign ministry officials say the rest of the convoy made it safely to the embassy.

While the battle in Iraq continues to capture today's headlines, the spotlight falls briefly on World War II. The nation gets its first peek at the soon-to-be-completed Washington memorial dedicated solely to the veterans who fought in that epic confrontation.

Crews have been working day and night constructing the National World War II Memorial. The monument honors both the sacrifices of those on the battlefield as well as the resolve of the people at home.

The man responsible for the sculpture is architect and sculptor Raymond Kaskey, and he joins us now from our Washington bureau.

And this must be a really great feeling that the fruits of your labor are about to be complete and there for the public to see.

RAYMOND KASKEY, SCULPTOR, NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL: Yes, it is. It's -- I must add that I am not the only one responsible for all the sculpture. I have an atelier of three other sculptors that I've worked with on and off for the past six years. So, yes, it's a feeling of exhilaration, but it's also a kind of letdown, because it's been my life for the past six years.

WHITFIELD: A letdown because now it will be, I guess, over, in a sense, in terms of the creative juices going and this collaboration between you and other team members to make this happen?

KASKEY: Exactly. And the architect as well. As I said, it's been my life, and it's, you know -- what do I do next now?

WHITFIELD: So describe...

KASKEY: And it's been very intense.

WHITFIELD: So describe the feelings, then, that you've had, as you look at this nearly complete project, knowing that you have put your heart and soul into it for so many years now.

KASKEY: Well, it's exhilarating. The fact it's going to be there for the next 100, 200 years is kind of hard to comprehend. I mean, I've spent many a sleepless night wondering how it's all going to come together, and to see it finally happen, you know, it's just mind-boggling.

WHITFIELD: And we're looking right now at a view of one of the centerpieces, the eagle, the spread eagle, as it's being hoisted into place. Describe what the inspiration for that marker was for you.

KASKEY: Well, that was the first piece that Friedrich Schein Floring (ph), who was the design architect, asked me to do. It's to celebrate the victory of the fighting man. And, you know, it's the traditional symbol of the laurel, you know, to the victor belongs the laurels.

This bronze wreath, which is about 10 feet in diameter, is horizontally supported by four American eagles on top of 18-foot bronze columns to form this canopy inside the victory arch. There's one for the Atlantic front, one for the Pacific front.

And I got this idea, like, right away, three days after I really began working on this. And it was one of those lucky breaks, because the rest of the sculpture, the memorial, was an uphill slog, frankly, took years to realize that -- this piece took years to construct. But I felt about 4.5 tons lighter when this eagle finally landed.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And what did you make this eagle out of? What material?

KASKEY: Well it was sculpted in clay. The original -- I mean, it was a step-up process. My original design was a model about this big, about six inches high, and it went through a series of stepping up to get to the final size.

But, yes, this was made in clay and then cast in bronze. WHITFIELD: And real quick, you said this entire memorial is fit with a number of symbolic gestures, the eagles, the spread eagle, and even the victory arch. And now how about the wall of stars, quickly?

KASKEY: The wall of stars was Friedrich Schein Floring's idea, which honors the sacrifice of the 400-and-some-thousand killed in World War II. The star, gold star was put in the window if you lost somebody in World War II, and this seemed like a fitting continuation of that symbol, but on a more monumental scale.

And it forms a bas-relief on the main axis in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which you can't get more prominent than that. So this had to be absolutely perfect.

WHITFIELD: A beautiful and fitting tribute, a memoriam to the lives lost, and the many lives that were devoted to the World War II. So, Raymond Kaskey, this -- one of the sculptors of a team of sculptors who have all been involved in this project, thanks very much for joining us from Washington, and congratulations on now a job complete.

KASKEY: Thank you. You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Violence in Iraq. Will a ceasefire offer calm in Fallujah? We're keeping you updated on the latest news from Iraq when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Easter weekend. Let's talk a little weather.

MARCIANO: Let's do that. Some folks going to get wet on their way to church, or maybe have the Easter egg hunt...

WHITFIELD: Wear a nice umbrella...

MARCIANO: ... on indoors.

WHITFIELD: ... or not wear one, but you know (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: We wear the coat.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MARCIANO: I know what to do with the umbrella. I just put it up.

WHITFIELD: Hold it.

MARCIANO: Hey, iN Vegas, we take you there once again. Maybe you're spending the holiday there. You know, from my uncle, the casino would be church. So, good morning, Vegas. KVBC (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- they probably do.

WHITFIELD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: All right. I'm not going to say which uncle, but he knows who I'm talking about.

Here you go, weather headlines, check it out. We do have some action across Denver, Colorado. Feeling like spring, yes. Some snow. They do get snow in April, especially in the mountains. They'll get it today.

Texas thunderstorms, a wet Easter, as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) across the South, not only across the South, but across much of the East as well.

A cold rain across much of Kansas down through Oklahoma, and some of that cold air will be sliding into Texas, and that may pop up a couple of thunderstorms today with this system heading off to the East.

But across the West Coast, good morning, to you folks, it's getting early, or it's getting later. You'll be dry.

East Coast dry today, but I think much of the East Coast will at least see some showers tomorrow. Some showers in Miami this morning, 88 degrees expected in Orlando, 63, not a bad-looking day across much of the Northeast today, just some clouds rolling in.

And a few more cities for you. St. Louis, you'll be wet today on and off, 54, Memphis National, wet as well. And Denver sticking out like a sore thumb there, 30 degrees, and over to Vegas, you'll get up to about 79, 80, could set some records in Portland, Oregon, 66 degrees expected in Los Angeles.

We'll try and improve the Easter forecast for you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, folks are counting on it.

MARCIANO: But it'll be dry in Vegas, though.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

MARCIANO: Uncle.

WHITFIELD: No need to wear umbrellas there.

MARCIANO: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

MARCIANO: See you in a little bit.

WHITFIELD: No matter how much money you lose or how much you imbibe, et cetera.

MARCIANO: It's all entertainment.

WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, thanks a lot, Rob.

MARCIANO: Yes.

Well, updating the latest developments in Iraq right now, coalition officials are offering militants a ceasefire in Fallujah after a vicious week of fighting.

Two security officers assigned to the German embassy in Baghdad are apparently missing. The two German security personnel disappeared while driving from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad in a convoy.

Two U.S. soldiers and a number of civilian contractors are missing after their fuel convoy was attacked near the Baghdad airport. Australian TV interviewed a man who appeared to be an American hostage. He's heard saying, quote, "They attacked our convoy. That's all I'm going to say."

And we're asking the question all morning, what are your thoughts on the war in Iraq? We're receiving some of your e-mails at wam@CNN.com.

And Stephen writes from Tivoli, New York, "We're occupying their country, and they're resisting with the best weapons they have. Imagine if the situation were reversed, a bunch of foreigners with superior weapons taking over Washington, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and telling us that we had to have a foreign form of government. We'd be fighting them any way we could."

And John in Oneida, Illinois, says, "The concept of going to Iraq was correct but should have happened after bin Laden was taken care of. We need to finish the job, but with a new plan."

Well, thanks for your e-mails. And if you have any other thoughts you'd like to share, wam@CNN.com.

From jubilation a year ago to violence and unrest in recent days. Hear from one Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was there when Iraq fell. Rick Atkinson joins The Novak Zone straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're hired! You may not be working for The Donald, but we have some tips to make you the perfect apprentice for any job.

Well, welcome back. That's coming up.

But first, the latest news out of Iraq.

In Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition is extending a ceasefire request to militants in the Sunni stronghold of Fallujah. The 1st Marine Division has suspended its offensive there, but sporadic fighting continues. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt plans a news briefing from Baghdad at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. CNN will be bringing that to you live.

In the southern part of the country, U.S. forces say they've reclaimed most of the city of Kut. Ukrainian forces were overrun by a militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr earlier in the week. U.S. troops say they killed 17 militia fighters and captured another 55.

Two German embassy personnel are missing after setting off for Baghdad from the Jordanian capital of Amman. German foreign ministry officials say the rest of the convoy made it safely to the embassy.

A ceasefire appeal in Fallujah, the possibility more hostages, including some Americans, have been taken in Iraq. These are among the developments we're following for you.

And joining us to talk more about them is retired brigadier general David Grange, our military analyst.

All right, good to see you again, general.

Well, let's talk first about the hostage-taking, the threats of more hostage-taking. How does the U.S. try to make sure that all countries are on board, all countries who are part of the coalition forces, are on board about how to respond to hostage-takers?

GRANGE: Well, not every country has the same policy that we have, but most of the coalition forces, I believe, it's a no- negotiation policy. Some may break down and give in, but I -- the United States and of the others, like Great Britain, will not. I know that. It's the insurgents, they're going to continue to take hostages. It's a easy target, and it gives them some leverage.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk now about Fallujah and Kut, where apparently people of those regions have expressed their concern about how -- the beefing up of military presence there, and now even other Arab allies are saying they're concerned about the word "control" when talking about the control of the bridges, control of radio stations, et cetera. How does the U.S. get around, you know, this battle of semantics, so to speak?

GRANGE: Well, you know, the coalition's going to have to control key areas throughout these cities in order to stabilize the situation. And as soon as that's done, the word that needs to get out from authorities there in Iraq is that it will be turned back over to local Iraqi governmental leaders, but not those that are breaking the law of the land right now that's been established in the interim government.

And it'll be turned back over once it's stabilized. But that word probably could be you know, announced, put out to the people, much better than it is.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brigadier General David Grange, thanks very much.

The freedom celebration seen through many parts of Iraq last year are for many just a distant memory. Now unrest and violence are painting a new picture. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Atkinson was in the middle of the action a year ago as an embedded reporter. Now he joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of The Novak Zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone. Joining me is Pulitzer Prize-winner war correspondent Rick Atkinson of "The Washington Post," author of a new book, "In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat, Story of the Iraq War."

Congratulations on a terrific book, Mr. Atkinson.

RICK ATKINSON, AUTHOR, "IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS": Thank you, thank you very much.

NOVAK: Now, you, in preparing this book, you were an embedded correspondent with the famous the 101st Airborne. How did the soldiers of the 101st accept you?

ATKINSON: Generally with great magnanimity, I have to say. There were some skepticism, I think, about the embedding process generally. There were 777 embeds. It had never really been done on a scale like that, although the theory itself wasn't new.

But the 101st, beginning with Major General Dave Patreus (ph), and I was embedded with his headquarters, right on down to company platoon level, they generally saw the reporters as a conduit to the folks back home, a way of telling people what they were doing.

And I have to say that they were most generous across the board.

NOVAK: Now, your story ends with the end of the regular combat against the Iraqi forces and, of course, the war's extended on against the irregulars. How do you -- from your experience as an embedded correspondent, how do you think the 101st was able to cope with this new mission?

ATKINSON: I think they coped with it pretty well. The 101st left Baghdad in the end of April, they went up to Mosul, and they had the occupation responsibilities for northern Iraq. General Patreus was quite innovative, actually, in many of the things that he did up there. And he'd had experience in Haiti, he had experience in Bosnia, he has a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton. His dissertation was on the legacy of Vietnam. He'd thought about these things, he'd thought about peacekeeping, peace enforcement.

NOVAK: You are, besides being a reporter, you're a military historian, writing a trilogy on World War II. And Americans have become familiar with the 101st Airborne through the Stephen Ambrose's book "Band of Brothers," which was made into a HBO movie series. How do you compare these soldiers that you were embedded with, volunteers, with the largely draftee army that fought in France with the 101st?

ATKINSON: Well, superficially, at least, I think today's soldiers are quite different. They are volunteers, they all, in theory, at least, want to be there. They're better trained, better educated, better equipped, better led, I think, for the most part, than, say, the Army that went into North Africa in November of 1942.

On the other hand, an infantryman from the 101st in 1944 in Normandy would instantly recognize the cares, the overburdened waddle of infantrymen in Iraq in 2003 or 2004. They're cut from the same cloth in fundamental ways.

NOVAK: When the Screaming Eagles of the 101st came through Iraq, defeating the Iraqi army, were they greeted as liberators, as the civilians at the Pentagon predicted they would be?

ATKINSON: Initially they were not. And that caused great consternation when the 101st and the 3rd Infantry Division first blew into the country in March of last year. The hosannas and the welcoming crowds that had been predicted by the Pentagon and the White House were not there. And, in fact, there was gunfire, and there was great anxiety about the threat to the supply line back to Kuwait.

It took the suppression of the Iraqi fedayeen, these Ba'ath Party-affiliated irregulars, and the taking down of the major Shi'ite cities, Najaf, Karbala, and Jalah (ph), before the crowds first turned out, first by the dozens, then by the hundreds, and eventually by the thousands.

It was really quite something. There really was an air of liberation about it, and you saw soldiers become politically invested in the cause for the first time.

NOVAK: In view of that, did you expect anything like the difficulty that has been experienced over the last year in pacifying Iraq?

ATKINSON: To be honest with you, I didn't think that it was going to be a cakewalk. I really had trepidation about how it was going to turn out, and I had some cause for concern, as did senior commanders there, over whether they had enough forces to do the job that was necessary once the heavy combat had ended.

NOVAK: Well, as you report in the book, Mr. Atkinson, the Pentagon planners thought they could get this done with 30,000 troops. Was that -- did that ever seem realistic to you?

ATKINSON: It never seemed realistic, unless all of the most optimistic assumptions proved true. Optimistic assumptions like, it would be no residual resistance, there would be no insurrection. All of the weapons that were still floating around the country would somehow not fall into the hands of those who were opposed to American occupation.

NOVAK: Mr. Atkinson, in the last paragraph of your book, you quote General Patreus as saying, as to the future, "We've got to have the determination, perseverance, and patience." Do you think the American people have those qualities in dealing with this occupation of Iraq?

ATKINSON: That's a very hard question. I have my doubts, really, that Americans generally are going to see 615, 620 dead soldiers now as worth the price of trying to bring stability to a country that doesn't seem inclined to stabilize itself.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Rick Atkinson, author of "In the Company of Soldiers.

Rick Atkinson, the Army is stretched very thin right now. There's talk about the need for additional troops in Iraq. Do you think it is time to consider reinstituting the draft? ATKINSON: I think it's time to think about it. I don't think it's time to do it. I think that as we see a widening in the burden placed on those who must serve, those who serve in harm's way, and those who don't have to serve, and who don't feel the pain, who don't feel the sacrifice, then we're in danger of a disparity in the country that I think is politically hazardous.

So I don't think we have to reinstate the draft tomorrow, but I think that if, in fact, we're going to be fighting a global war, that it's very important that we look at it as a total war by the country, and that would require somehow widening the service obligations of everyone in the country.

NOVAK: Rick Atkinson, thank you very much.

ATKINSON: Thank you, Mr. Novak.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That hit TV show "The Apprentice," well, it might be wrapping up for the season, but that doesn't mean you can't take some of those lessons learned to heart. How to be the perfect apprentice, or the next CEO in any career, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, he didn't make the cut at the Masters. But after 50 years of playing in America's most prestigious tournament, Arnold Palmer went out swinging.

Here's CNN's Josie Burke.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the end of his final round at the Masters, the shin splints that made Arnold Palmer feel 74 years old disappeared. By the time he walked up 18 for the last time, a flood of memories made Palmer feel young again.

ARNOLD PALMER, FOUR-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: If you just use your imagination, you will understand that emotion. I've thought about how many times I've walked up that 18th fairway.

BURKE: Palmer may return to Augusta as an honorary starter in the future, or for a Tuesday night Champions Dinners. He says he won't play again, but promised he'd never really leave.

PALMER: I don't think that I could ever separate myself from this club and this golf tournament. I might not be present, I may not be here, but I'll still be a part of what happens here.

TIGER WOODS, THREE-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: Jack and I were talking about that, and, you know, how does he not give himself a hernia stopping a club that quick, you know? It -- for him to be out here playing, I mean, it's great for the game of golf.

BURKE: Friday may have also ended the Masters career of the man with more green jackets than any other. Six-time winner Jack Nicklaus said he might be done as well.

JACK NICKLAUS, SIX-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: This is Arnold's day. Let Arnold have his day. And that's fine. If I walk away, I walk away. I may have played my last round. We'll just see.

PALMER: It's done. And I won't say I'm happy it's done. It's time for it to be done for me.

BURKE: Palmer said the most meaningful part of his farewell was the fact that all of his children and all of his grandchildren were there to share it with him.

Josie Burke, CNN, Augusta, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Time for a look at our top stories out of Iraq.

The coalition says it hopes to have the city of Kut under complete U.S. control soon. The U.S. has control of radio and television stations as well as a key bridge leading into the city.

Coalition forces have called for a ceasefire in Fallujah. A delegation of Iraqi officials entered the city this morning for talks aimed at reestablishing legitimate authority.

Two American soldiers and several civilian contractors are unaccounted for after their fuel convey came under attack near the Baghdad airport. Australian TV broadcast pictures of a man who may be one of the men from the convoy. In the tape, he's in the custody of armed insurgents on the road between Baghdad and Fallujah.

The season finale of one of the hottest shows on television is just a few days away. On Thursday night, we'll find out who billionaire Donald Trump will pick as his apprentice. That person will become the CEO of one of Trump's companies for a year, making $250,000.

So what does it take to become the perfect apprentice, and not just for Donald Trump, we're talking about any career you choose?

Joining us this morning to talk about it is the co-author of the book "Women for Hire." She is also CEO of the Women for Higher Career Expositions. Tory Johnson joins us this morning from our New York bureau.

Good to see you, Tory.

TORY JOHNSON, CEO, WOMEN FOR HIRE: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, in the show "The Apprentice," Donald Trump always starts each task with an edict like, Surround yourself with people you trust. You know, go straight to the top. These are lessons that all of us can apply to whatever profession we're in, aren't they?

JOHNSON: That's right, absolutely. And one of the first that we want to focus on is never to badmouth a former employer. A lot of times we've seen throughout the show, I think, that some of the women were the biggest offenders here. They would badmouth a colleague, and doing so often let the potential employer know that this might be the way that you're going to behave if you are hired for this position.

And blaming other people for your own shortcomings is often a red flag, so it's something you want to avoid.

WHITFIELD: And some of those players involved in that were Heidi and Jessie Omarosa and Tammy. You're seeing a little confrontation between Omarosa and Heidi there.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, likability, I imagine, is also very important. Likability among your colleagues as well as to your, you know, subordinates?

JOHNSON: Absolutely. You can't underestimate the power of likability. The two finalists, Bill and Kwame, are great guys. They're very smart, but they're also good people. They're well liked, well respected.

If you look at someone like Omarosa, on the other hand, she's somebody who often rubbed people the wrong way with a less-than- pleasing personality. And just because you are well liked doesn't mean that you're going to get the job. However, if you send off a negative vibe, it usually means you will not get the offer.

WHITFIELD: But then the flip side of that is, you're awfully likable, sometimes people interpret you as being someone they can walk all over too.

JOHNSON: Well, of course, it's important to have a good balance between being well liked and well respected. And I think that you see that in the finalists.

WHITFIELD: All right. Everyone in the process counts. What do you mean by that?

JOHNSON: That's right. It's not important just to impress the final decision-maker. It's important to impress everybody along the way, and not to take any conversation for granted, whether it's the receptionist that you first meet, or, in the case of two nights ago, we saw that two people were fired because they didn't do very well in interviews with four of the Trump deputies.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

JOHNSON: So it's important to make sure that you are respectful and strong in front of everybody who you meet with, not just the ultimate decision-maker.

WHITFIELD: All right. In this case, the pictures we're seeing George and Carolyn, who are kind of his, you know, right- and left- hand, you know, folks.

JOHNSON: That's right. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the process, it was important...

WHITFIELD: OK.

JOHNSON: ... to make sure that they witness the right thing in you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don't allow personal issue to affect your professionalism. Like what?

JOHNSON: That's right. We all have personal issues that we juggle during our professional performances. However, many times, some people are doing -- do a better job at balancing the two. For example, Heidi showed great poise when dealing with her mother's cancer. On the flip side, Omarosa used a seemingly small bumper, a small accident, and really milked it, if you will, to slow down her own performance, and ultimately that cost her her job, or her opportunity to get the job.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And to punctuate it all, Tory, you say, ask for the job, don't beat around the bush.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

JOHNSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) some of the contestants actually bought themselves an extra week by being very strong and determined in the boardroom.

WHITFIELD: OK.

JOHNSON: And you can never leave any conversation or any interview without making it eminently clear you want the job.

WHITFIELD: You want that job.

JOHNSON: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right.

JOHNSON: Don't just assume that someone knows it. But be verbal. Make it clear that you want that opportunity.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tory Johnson, CEO of Women for Hire, thanks very much for helping us extract some of the valuable lessons of a hit TV show.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning once again. I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center.

Midsection of the country, some rainfall today, snow in Denver, Colorado. Winter not quite over just yet. And some thunderstorms are possible across southern Texas today as this storm slowly moves off to the east.

Most of the East Coast and West Coast looking dry today, but tomorrow could be a different story. Daytime highs for this Saturday afternoon, 52 in Chicago, near 80 here in Atlanta. Record highs possible across the Pacific Northwest, 80 degrees expected in Portland, and 72 in Seattle.

All right, Easter Sunday, here we go, that rainfall moves to the East Coast and across the Gulf Coast. This is where it will probably be the heaviest. And the upper Midwest looks to be cool but dry for Easter Sunday activities.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Rob.

Well, the latest now out of Iraq.

It's chilling video of a man who says he is an American hostage. It was shot by an Australian television crew. The man is believed to be one of those missing after an attack on a fuel convoy yesterday near the Baghdad airport.

Germany says two of its security people are also missing after their convoy was attacked on the way from Amman, Jordan, to the Iraqi capital.

In the southern city of Kut, the U.S. Army says it has retaken key parts of the town from a Shi'ite militia. The Army reports killing 17 Iraqi fighters and capturing 55. U.S. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt is expected to hold a news conference in about an hour from now. CNN will be covering that live for you beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

And thanks for joining me this morning on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'll see you in about 30 minutes for another update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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