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Latest On Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Surprise Visit To Iraq; Bash Discusses Interview With Vice President Cheney About Bush Administration's Secret Domestic Spy Program; Tips On Shopping For Gadgets; Rumsfeld Speaks From Iraq

Aired December 24, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld makes more stops on his Christmas goodwill tour of Iraq. He's spending time with U.S. troops in the northern city of Mosul this morning. We'll have a live update on Rumsfeld's visit in just a few minutes.
It's almost one year since the Indian Ocean tsunami swept away more than 200,000 lives. The earthquake spawned wave struck a dozen South Asian countries last December 26th. And a year later, results of massive relief efforts in Sri Lanka and Indonesia's Aceh Province, hardest hit by the tsunami, have been mixed.

The bodies of all of those killed in a plane crash in Azerbaijan have been received. The Turboprop aircraft disappeared from radar about five minutes after takeoff from the Azerbaijan capital of Baquba. The plane dropped from the sky about 25 miles from the Baquba airport. All 23 people on board are dead.

It is 3:00 p.m. in Bethlehem, 8:00 a.m. here on the East Coast. And the countdown is on for all of you last minute shoppers out there. Only one day left to buy the perfect gift.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, December 24th, Christmas Eve.

Good morning, everyone.

I'm Tony Harris.

Betty Nguyen has the weekend off.

And thank you again for joining us on this Christmas Eve.

It is the day before Christmas and around the globe people are gathering for shopping and shows. In the little town of Bethlehem, it is 3:00. Thousands of tourists are gathering to remember Jesus' birth.

It is a beautiful day in Detroit, where it is 8:00. People there and everywhere might consider doing some last minute shopping. Retail experts hope that's the case, because it is Saturday. More bargain hunters will be out.

And if you haven't reached your destination, the weather should be OK while you travel. AAA estimates more than 63 million people will travel at least 50 miles during the Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa season.

Let's check in on weather conditions as you do that traveling this weekend.

Bonnie Schneider upstairs in the CNN Weather Center for us -- good morning, Bonnie.

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HARRIS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is celebrating Christmas Eve with the troops in Iraq today. Rumsfeld is now in Mosul, after leaving Baghdad. He's dining with the troops there today.

CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us live from Baghdad with more on Rumsfeld's visit -- Aneesh, good morning.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, good morning to you.

As you say, Secretary Rumsfeld in the northern city of Mosul.

We have new video now of his time in Baghdad meeting with U.S. troops here in Mosul. He is expected to meet and greet with the soldiers, to serve them some lunch. We also know he had breakfast with intelligence officers, talking about how to get better intel on the insurgency here.

Last night, the secretary dined with Iraq's political leadership.

The headline of the trip, of course, so far, has been Secretary Rumsfeld's announcement that the president has approved an adjustment in the number of battalions in Iraq as we head into next year. They have brought the number of 17 down to 15. That means roughly 7,000 U.S. troops will not be coming to Iraq. It also means the number of troops in this country will go below, marginally below the baseline we've seen all year of about 138,000.

So Secretary Rumsfeld making that announcement. Also saying that further reductions will be looked at as we head into next year. Those, of course, are based on any number of conditions on the ground, not the least of which is the status of Iraq's security forces, which, while improving, do remain disparate in their effectiveness. There are those who are able to conduct independent operations. The Pentagon numbers them at about one battalion. There are others who are literally learning on the front lines.

So the 216,000 plus Iraqi security forces still have wide varieties of experience. Evening that out will be a key element next year, as will how quickly the permanent government in Iraq takes hold of the country -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Aneesh Raman for us.

Aneesh, thank you. And coming up tomorrow morning, we have a special holiday reunion for you. Through the magic of technology, we will reunion a soldier in Iraq with his family back here in Atlanta. Sergeant Lloyd Swain, seen here on the right, will join us from Baghdad. His parents and two sons will join us here at the CNN Center. And you can be a part of the family reunion tomorrow morning during our 7:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

U.S. Islamic groups say they're disturbed to learn about an FBI program which, sources say, is checking for radioactive dirty bombs. Government sources tell CNN the FBI has been monitoring dozens of Muslim related sites for suspicious radiation levels since 2002 without warrants. Those sites reportedly include mosques, homes and businesses. Sources say the monitoring has taken place outside more than 100 sites in the Washington, D.C. area, and also locations in Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York and Seattle.

The FBI denies having a program that specifically targets a group based on ethnic, political or religious beliefs.

The government's anti-terror activities are getting a lot of attention lately and the Bush administration top officials are taking note. Vice President Dick Cheney is defending President Bush's domestic eavesdropping program. That's the program which allowed the National Security Agency to listen in on domestic calls without a warrant.

Cheney made his comments during a rare one-on-one interview with CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash in Pakistan.

Dana joins us live from Washington with details -- and, Dana, was the vice president open to this conversation and willing to be sort of fulsome in the discussion with you?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's always an interesting interview, that's for sure, Tony, certainly tough, especially when it comes to the topic of the day, which is the NSA, the executive order allowing the NSA to essentially spy or surveil inside the United States when they are -- people are talking to, perhaps, they say, members of al Qaeda or anybody else abroad.

So, one of the many questions for this White House, as you know, is why, in fact, they felt the need to go around what is existing, the existing law in place and process in place, which is known as the FISA court. Because that does allow for warrants, within minutes sometimes. And even if U.S. officials don't feel that they have minutes, they can get a warrant after the fact.

So the question I asked the vice president is given the fact that this process is in place, why they felt the need to put in place this executive order.

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DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We made the decision that when we have somebody inside the United States who's in touch, not just overseas, but who's in touch with a terrorist or a terrorist suspect or an al Qaeda affiliate, that, in fact, that's proper. And the president has authorized the NSA to be involved in looking at that transaction.

If we had been able to do that before 9/11, we might have been able to pick up on the two hijackers who were in San Diego in touch overseas with al Qaeda individuals or organizations.

It is good, solid, sound policy. It is, I'm convinced, one of the reasons we have not been attacked for the last four years. It's absolutely the right thing to do.

BASH: You talked about the fact that you briefed Congress voluntarily, that you do have a review process.

But let's just say in 10 years or a few years a president is elected who doesn't want to do those things, but you've given him this kind of power.

What happens then?

CHENEY: Well, it will be up to him whether or not he uses it.

BASH: Does it concern you that maybe it's somebody if you met, you wouldn't even necessarily trust with that kind of power?

CHENEY: Well, the fact is the law is the law. The constitution is there. It's been adhered to and followed in this case. And, you know, when you go to war, when you're attacked in your homeland, when you lose 3,000 people in a couple of hours one morning and you're faced with the possibility that that same organization might try to attack the United States with an even deadlier weapon, perhaps a nuclear weapon, if they could get their hands on it, or a biological agent, you have to actively and aggressively go after the terrorists.

Now, after 9/11, the 9/11 Commission criticized everybody in the government because you didn't connect the dots. Now we're connecting the dots and they're still complaining. So it seems to me you can't have it both ways.

The fact of the matter is this is a good, solid program. It has saved thousands of lives. We're doing exactly the right thing. We're doing it in accordance with the constitution and the laws of the United States. And it ought to be supported.

This is not about violating civil liberties, because we're not. This is about defending the country against further terrorist attacks. And that's exactly what we're sworn to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Tony, you can excuse the noise there. We should tell you that that interview was conducted in Pakistan while the vice president was looking over some U.S. military operations that are helping to clean up the earthquake there. So those were helicopter noises that you were hearing. But the vice president, on the NSA issue, did point to two main reasons he believes that they do have the legal authority. One, as we've heard from the White House this past week, that they point to Article 2 of the constitution, saying that the president is commander- in-chief and sworn to support and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But the second is a resolution passed by Congress in the days after September 11 which gives -- Congress gives the president all means necessary to take on the terrorists.

Well, those legal arguments and others, as you know, Tony, have been called weak at best by many Democrats, even some Republicans who are really upset about this whole issue.

And on that point of the resolution, Senator Tom Daschle, who was the December leader at the time when they negotiated that, he came out at the end of the week saying that they actually talked about this issue and that the White House explicitly, as far as the Democrats were concerned, were not given the authority to wiretap in the United States. And, in fact, that was explicitly not put into this resolution.

So, again, a lot of discrepancies on exactly what that whole resolution means and what kind of authority it does give the White House.

HARRIS: And, Dana, this debate just rages on. It really does.

CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash for us this morning.

Dana, thank you.

BASH: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: And now stories making news this Christmas Eve across America.

In New Mexico, four people have been arrested and authorities are looking for at least one more person. It's all in connection with the theft of 400 pounds of explosives from an Albuquerque company. Officials didn't say what the thieves planned to do with the explosives, but they say the theft is not related to terrorism. The explosives have been recovered.

Tips are coming in, but Florida authorities still haven't found an accused serial rapist who escaped a maximum security jail in Miami Tuesday night. Police say dozens of tips have been called in since Reynaldo Rapalo used bed sheets to climb down the jail's roof. Rapalo is accused of raping seven girls and women ages 11 to 77 in the Little Havana neighborhood.

In New Orleans, it's good-bye curfew, hello night life. Last night, for the first time since hurricane Katrina, the city's celebrated Bourbon Street bars and other businesses could stay open throughout the night. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called off the curfew and is also announcing that residents will now be allowed to stay overnight in more areas of the city. With Christmas only a day away, we've got some sounds of the season coming up. At 10:00 a.m. Eastern, composer, singer, wonderful player Jim Brickman and his gift of music.

And you know what? That brings us to our e-mail question this morning. What is your fondest Christmas memory? E-mail it to us, weekends@cnn.com. We will be reading your replies throughout the program this morning.

Plus, the clock is ticking. So for all of those last minute shoppers out there, Robin Liss has some hot deals for you.

Good morning, Robin.

ROBIN LISS, CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ANALYST, WW.DIGITALCAMERAINFO.COM: I've got my coat, my coffee on my hot beverage warmer and my children's ATM machine so I can take my money and shop. I'm going to show you all these deals, coming up after the break.

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HARRIS: That's a fine Christmas. Do you know what that is? Good morning, everyone. Me, too.

If you're just joining us, we're getting in some new video from Iraq. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is meeting with U.S. troops stationed in Mosul right now. And we're actually awaiting to hear remarks from the defense secretary to the troops. And when we get to that portion of this tape, whatever we're doing, we'll bring you back to this. So stay with us.

Other news now, Santa Claus does security sweeps. Huh? In Jakarta, Indonesia, authorities there are worried Islamic extremists may try another Christmas terror bombing, as they did five years ago.

Meanwhile, Bethlehem bustles this Christmas Eve, as people gather in Manger Square to begin celebrating the birth of a child considered by millions around the world to be the prince of peace.

And time is running out. But even if you've waited until the last minute to do your holiday shopping, don't despair. From iPods to beverage warmers, we have some great bargains to share with you. So grab your wallets and get ready for some hot deals.

Joining me now is consumer electronics expert Robin Liss. She is the founder and president of Digitalcamerainfo.com.

Robin, good morning. Merry Christmas to you.

LISS: Good morning, Tony. Merry Christmas.

HARRIS: Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Now, here's the thing, we know this is the very last minute here. This is the last day you can do some of this shopping. So are there some basic ground rules for sort of last minute gadget shopping?

LISS: Sure. So, Tony, I came up with some basic rules if you're getting some gadgets at the last minute. The first one is think general interest. So, you know, music and movies -- everyone loves them.

HARRIS: Yes.

LISS: So if you get gadgets in that area, it's sure going to be a hit.

The second rule is think about compatibility. For example, if you're buying a memory card for a digital camera, make sure the person you're buying that card for has a compatible camera.

HARRIS: OK, OK.

LISS: Now...

HARRIS: OK.

LISS: Now, third, a lot of people are looking for the Xbox 360, and a lot of popular gadget gifts that are sold out. So consider an IOU. In fact, most of these gadgets are going to be replaced in about two weeks at the Consumer Electronics Show. So prices are going to plummet.

HARRIS: Right.

LISS: So this way, if you give an IOU, you can save some money.

HARRIS: OK. Now, Robin, I see you have some things in front of you. Let's go to some of those. And one of these great gifts, particularly last minute or any time, probably, is this iPod with video?

LISS: Right. So here's what I say. If you can't figure out a gift, give them an iPod. It might just be the most uncreative gadget gift out there, but because everyone likes them and they're kind of cool and popular and well marketed, it's a great choice. What Apple did this year is they added video support to the iPod. So do you like -- you probably don't like "Desperate Housewives," Tony. But do you like "Law and Order?"

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. That's a good show. Yes.

LISS: So with the iTunes Music Store, you can download songs from -- videos and TV shows, excuse me...

HARRIS: Wow!

LISS: ... from NBC and ABC and watch them on this little device.

HARRIS: OK, now, I don't want to run out of time here, but I see you have -- as we widen out the shot a little bit there, you've got an ATM in front of u. I know my daughter has one of those.

LISS: Right.

HARRIS: And the only thing that would make it better is if it's loaded with cash.

LISS: This is great for kids. It's a great way to teach kind of responsible spending. This is the My ATM. It's $40. You get a little card here, which you put in. And you can deposit money and take it out. A great way to teach your kids good financial spending and values.

HARRIS: Now, what if you can't get one of those Xboxes? What do you do then?

LISS: So now this is the hottest portable system. It's the Sony PSP, $250. It takes these discs and it can even play movies on this little guy. The games are really fun, amazing graphics. It's kind of like the PlayStation, but portable.

HARRIS: Right.

Hey, that -- that store Brookstone, that's always a great place to go...

LISS: Right.

HARRIS: ... if you need a last minute gift.

LISS: You know what I say is if you can't figure it out, go to Sharper Image or Brookstone...

HARRIS: Right.

LISS: The gifts are kind of crazy. They might not actually use them. But they'll look cool. So the first one we have here is the beverage warmer. So, for an office environment, who doesn't like coffee or tea, you know?

HARRIS: Right.

LISS: Perfect gift.

The next one, pedometer. It counts your steps with a radio for working out. But be careful with this one because you don't want to send a message that someone has got work out and lose a little weight.

HARRIS: Right. LISS: So you might take this one delicately.

HARRIS: How about portable DVDs?

Are they hot this year?

LISS: This is great for your kids.

Do you go on road trips, Tony?

HARRIS: Oh, yes.

Oh, yes.

LISS: So this is the Samsung seven inch DVD player. It's got two headphone out jacks. So two kids can listen to this at the same time. It's only $180 and it's got this wide screen seven inch screen. So it's a really impressive product, I think.

HARRIS: You know what? That's great. That is wonderful. So there you go. If you need a last minute gift, Robin has laid it out there for you, an entire agenda of gift items that you can purchase today. Get to the malls, do your shopping.

Robin, good to see you, as always.

And Merry Christmas to you.

LISS: Nice to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: Don't forget our e-mail question this morning. What is your fondest Christmas memory? Let's put the address up there, weekends@cnn.com. A good break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: On this Christmas Eve, gather round for some stories of good cheer. Wishes of a bike for Christmas comes true for thousands of kids in Texas. Elvesandmore.org played Santa, with volunteer elves assembling 13,000 bikes to hand out to Houston neighborhoods.

The holiday came early for a good Samaritan in California. Nelson Santos, well, his truck was stolen last week while he was helping rescue a family from an overturned vehicle. Wow! Friday, Santos got the keys to a full sized pickup donated by other good Samaritans.

And keep your eye out in Pennsylvania, the countryside there, for Santa and his alternate sleigh, a 1946 Army Jeep all decked out for the holidays with six shiny reindeer and Rudolph out front.

And get ready for some sticker shock. As heating bills continue to soar, coming up at the top of the hour, we'll tell you how to put a freeze on your home heating bills.

And "HOUSE CALL" is coming up next. Elizabeth Cohen is here with a preview.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks. Today's show is a special "HOUSE CALL."

Just about one year ago, a powerful tsunami ravaged the coasts of countries in South Asia. A year later, we're taking you back.

There never was that second wave of disease experts were so worried about. Instead, homelessness and depression plagued some communities. And, of course, families are still searching for their loved ones.

But there's more. There are some amazing signs and stories of recovery and hope for the future.

That's coming up on "HOUSE CALL."

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HARRIS: And let's take you down to Mosul, Iraq, as you listen to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as he talks to the troops.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: ... season when everyone reflects on things that are important, family and friends, your colleagues and those no longer with us.

It's also a time, I think, when you can reflect on what a very special place the United States of America is. In this long war against terrorists and violent extremists -- and it will be a long war, let there be no doubt about it -- what makes our country so special is our free way of life. And that, of course, is precisely what the enemies of freedom are trying to deny us.

Put simply, the purpose of terrorism is to terrorize. People think that terrorists, the purpose is to kill people, but it isn't. It's to terrorize. It's to alter people's behavior. It's to make free people do something other than be free people.

It's to try to alter our behavior in a way that will inflict their dark vision upon us. And let there be no doubt if the United States were to withdraw from Iraq today, the terrorists emboldened by their victory would attack us elsewhere in the region and at home in the United States.

We will win this war. It's a test of wills. And let there be no doubt, that is what it is. It is not a competition between big armies, big navies, or big air forces.

Generations before you have persevered and prevailed. And they, too, were engaged in a test of wills. Their success wrote the history that made America what it is today. And had they not persevered, there either would not be an America, or the world would be a totally different place.

In this fight, the vast majority of the Iraqis stand on the side of freedom. Think of what they've done. Millions of Iraqis have braved the threats of violence, of assassination and flocked to the polling sites, many of them waving purple index fingers as a symbol of their defiance.

The Iraqi security forces, each one of them a volunteer just as each one in this hall is a volunteer are taking on greater and greater responsibility. You know that. You're working with them. You're assisting them.

Hopeful Iraqis are starting businesses, opening schools and clinics, farming. Flying up here this evening, we came over those fields and saw people out there working and tending herds and planting. Hopefully, looking to their future.

The overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people say that things are going well in their lives and that they look forward to their future as free people. You folks have helped to liberate 25 million human beings, people that did not have hope before.

It's a mission that matters to all of us the defeat of terrorists who threaten our country and who threaten free people everywhere. In the struggle between freedom and tyranny, freedom ultimately prevails. It prevails because of the dedication and the perseverance of those wearing America's uniforms.

The task has fallen to you to keep America that very special place that millions of people around the world look to in times of turmoil and tragedy. In this holiday season, there is no better gift that you can offer your families than what you are giving them today.

One day, some years out, you'll have children. One of them will come home with a textbook. And there in a -- there will be a chapter on Iraq. And it will talk about the Saddam Hussein regime and hundreds of thousands of dead people killed by that regime in mass graves. And it will talk about the struggles, the victories that was achieved over Saddam Hussein, that regime and the struggles that have helped Iraq along its path to democracy, ushering in a new chapter, a new hopeful era, not just in Iraq, but in the Middle East.

And each of you will be able to - excuse me - will be able to look down at your children or your grandchildren and say that you were there.

Well, thank you, that you helped to make that possible, which you have done. And you helped to bring freedom to literally millions of human beings, men, women, and children that you see in the streets, that you in fact, someone here was awarded a medal today for saving the life of one of those children.

You'll look back with a great deal of pride on the history that you've made. And you are making history. That is what you're doing. And it is a proud history indeed.

The folks who have preceded you and been engaged in these battles in Afghanistan here in Iraq and elsewhere around the world are certainly all in our thoughts and prayers. And those that have been lost, we think of as well. And certainly their mission is in your hands. And that mission is to offer once dark corners what Abraham Lincoln called "a new birth of freedom".

For Iraq to be sure, for Afghanistan to be sure, for this region and also for people around the world who hope for freedom and strive for freedom. Certainly no one more than you deserves the Christmas wish of tidings and joy, for that's what you have selflessly given to 25 million Iraqis.

May you have a very happy holiday this day. And may you continue to live in freedom and peace in the decades ahead. A world that you have helped make better and a world that is grateful to you for that.

I have -- I've lived a long life. And as I think about it, it's hard to think of anything I've ever done that is as important or as -- gives me as much pleasure as working with each of you doing what you're doing. You do it so well. You are so professional. You're well trained, you're well led. And you have set an example in the world that will be remembered.

When you read things or hear things that express a doubt about the future here in Iraq or in Afghanistan, know that there have always been doubts expressed. There have always been those who have suggested that the cause could not be successful, that the cause would be lost.

And in fact it was the people who persevered that proved them wrong. And the great sweep of human history is for freedom. And we're on the side of freedom. And you and our country will prevail. God bless you all. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: A reflective Donald Rumsfeld this morning from Mosul in northern Iraq. The Secretary of Defense acknowledging that this is a season of reflection and that the troops are no doubt reflecting on family, friends, and lost colleagues. The Defense Secretary reminding the troops of the fight, of the battle that's been waged and the battle still ahead, reminding the troops of who the enemy is and his intentions.

Maybe this is the quote from the talk, "we will win this war". The Secretary of Defense saying that this is a test of wills. Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Mosul, Iraq. He is still talking and perhaps taking a question or two. Let's listen in.

RUMSFELD: All right. Thank you again. I'm delighted to be with you. I'm proud to be with you. And I'm proud to be working with you. Thank you.

HARRIS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrapping up his comments to the troops in Mosul this morning. Actually, it's evening in Iraq.

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