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CNN Saturday Morning News

Leading Democrats Oppose Troop Increase in Iraq; President Bush & Iraq; Soldier Hero

Aired January 06, 2007 - 07:59   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," another American reportedly kidnapped in Iraq, along with two Iraqi interpreters. Wire services report that two men believed to be the Iraqis were later found shot dead in Basra. No word yet on the fate of the U.S. contractor. An American Embassy spokesman says officials are investigating the reports.
Outrage over the Saddam Hussein hanging angering Iraq's prime minister. Nuri al-Maliki is saying in a speech this morning that the execution was a domestic matter for the people of Iraq. He also says he could be forced to reconsider relations with any country critical of the execution.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, news this morning concerning Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. A statement from the Chicago- based religious group says Farrakhan is recovering after 12 hours in surgery. No word on what kind of surgery. Now, last year, Farrakhan issued a statement saying he is seriously ill but didn't provide any details.

Delaware senator Joseph Biden ready to join the 2008 presidential race. The veteran Democrat is expected to form a committee at the end of the month to pursue the presidency.

That's about the same time Kansas senator Sam Brownback will join the crowd. The conservative Republican is expected to officially kick off his campaign January 20th.

HOLMES: Slain Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams will be buried today in his hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas. The 24-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting in Denver early New Year's Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at this beautiful row of plows. Don't you get a little wistful just looking at them parked here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, if you ask me, they're better parked where they are than having to be out on the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, those are snow plows parked. They remain idle. Salt sits unused and millions of Americans are left wondering, where is winter?

NGUYEN: Hey, all I have to say is, enjoy the break while you can.

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: Because don't you worry, old man winter will come again.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is January 6th, 8:000 a.m. in balmy New York. And we say that because it's around 70 degrees -- or it's going to be today.

6:00 a.m. in snow-covered Colorado.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for starting your day right here with us.

NGUYEN: The South cleaning up from strong winds, tornadoes as well. Denver digging out from still more snow. And the Northeast wondering, where is winter?

Skating rinks and ski are resorts are hurting from unseasonably warm weather in the area. New York expected to hit 70 degrees today. Yes, it is only January 6th. Seventy degrees, really? The calendar says January, but it's still feeling more like April in some places.

HOLMES: So what is behind all the wacky weather? Our meteorologist, a little wacky at times as well...

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No question about it.

HOLMES: ... Reynolds Wolf, he joins us now to talk about just what is going on -- Reynolds.

WOLF: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.

A look now at some of the stories shaping the fight for Iraq.

Another stern warning from Iraq's prime minister this morning. Nuri al-Maliki now calling for a more aggressive security crackdown on Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents in Baghdad. The plan calls for U.S. troops to back Iraqi forces in the operation.

Meanwhile, President Bush moving closer to a final decision on a new strategy. That strategy likely to include at least 20,000 more U.S. troops. The announcement is expected to come next week.

The president's plan will be front and center on Capitol Hill Thursday. That's when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to answer questions on Iraq from Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.

And Democratic leaders aren't waiting for the president to officially announce that new strategy. They're already blasting one of the expected proposals: the increase in troop strength.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new House speaker put the president on notice. Congress will keep funding the Iraq war, but he has to better explain his policy.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We are not going to be in a position of saying to him your plan has been successful so far. Here is a blank check for you to continue endlessly.

BASH: That, hours after Nancy Pelosi joined the new Democratic Senate majority leader warning the president in this blunt letter not to raise troop levels in Iraq. They called surging troops a serious mistake and a strategy that you have already tried and has already failed.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The surge is a bad idea. The president has said he was going to listen to his commanders. If he's listening to his commanders, he can't do this. I know he's shuffling some in and out, obviously because they're not telling him what he wants to hear.

BASH: On that the president's shakeup of his military team, the House speaker said the general now in line to take command in Iraq has an excellent reputation but has disappointed her in his latest mission.

PELOSI: General Petraeus has been in charge of the training. I think we need to see something better than we've seen from him now.

BASH: The Democrats told Mr. Bush his urgent focus should be on troop withdrawal starting in four to six months, a clear reminder the White House war strategy will now face heightened scrutiny in Congress, not just from Democrats. Republican senator and likely presidential candidate John McCain warned reported plans of a temporary surge of about 20,000 troops won't work because it's not enough.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It has to be significant and sustained. Otherwise do not do it. Otherwise, there will be more needless lost of American lives.

BASH: McCain favors committing 35,000 additional troops and even then...

MCCAIN: There is no guarantee for success in Iraq. From everything I witnessed on my most recent visit I believe that success is still possible, but it will be very difficult. BASH (on camera): Senators in both parties got a chance to directly challenge the president on his Iraq policy at a White House meeting. Two senators who were there say that Republicans were as skeptical and concerned as Democrats about his plans to send more troops in. One senator saying they made clear to the president it was a "big ask" and would be very hard to explain to constituents.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: The president will present his Iraq plan in a primetime address just days away from now.

CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us live with more on what we can expect.

Any word on what exactly is going to be in that speech?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we already heard the notion of a surge, Betty. Good morning to you.

First of all, the White House is rejecting very firmly the notion put forth by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that President Bush is pushing out generals who do not agree with him, particularly on the -- on the idea of a troop surge. In fact, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked about it yesterday, and he said bluntly, it wasn't true.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's inaccurate. It's just flat inaccurate.

General Casey is now going to be the chairman -- I mean, he's going to be the Army chief, the chief of staff for the United States Army. General Abizaid is somebody whose counsel we will continue to value and will listen to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, as for the president's new Iraq policy, that's expected to be unveiled in a primetime address to the nation next week. And it's expected to include -- at least we know the White House has been considering an idea -- of surging tens of thousands of U.S. forces, particularly to help stabilize Baghdad. But there's been concern, of course, among defense officials, as well as lawmakers, that once those U.S. forces are there, that they should have a very clearly defined mission and that, in fact, any military action should go hand in hand with political and economic steps.

So, those are the factors that the White House is weighing. We know this morning already the president has had meetings. We've seen the director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, as well as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among others, arriving here at the White House. But President Bush is expected to unveil that new Iraq policy Wednesday, possibly Thursday next week, as those details are finalized -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Elaine Quijano.

Elaine, thank you.

Well, what will the president's final decision about troop levels mean for American troops in Iraq? CNN correspondents discuss the possibilities on "THIS WEEK AT WAR," hosted by John Roberts. That is coming your way at 7:00 Eastern tonight.

A major embarrassment now for the U.S. Army. Take a listen to this.

It seems they sent out letters in December urging recently retired officers to re-enlist. But 75 of those letters went to the families of Army officers who were killed in Iraq. Another 200 went to wounded officers.

The Army is apologizing for the mistakes, saying they accidentally used an old list to generate those letters. The next step, they say, is personally contacting all of those families to offer a further apology.

Well, an upscale Atlanta suburb is the scene of an alleged high- price call girl service. So, just how high did some of those alleged rates go? We have those details next.

HOLMES: Plus, what prompted Florida police to taser a 69-year- old man? You're going to find out in three minutes.

NGUYEN: And think multitasking is a necessary part of your day? I do. Well, coming up, though, in 20 minutes, "HOUSE CALL" shows you how it could be making your life more difficult.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you multitask too much, you won't do anything well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY PORTER, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The lowest price that we were able to discover through our investigation was $500. And it would go as high as $10,000 or $15,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Fifteen thousand dollars.

Stories making news, or, I should say, raising eyebrows "Across America" this morning. Police say a former "Penthouse" centerfold was one of two women running a high-class brothel and call girl ring. The alleged ringleaders face numerous charges, including prostitution and drugs. Investigators say the clientele included doctors, lawyers and businessmen. They also could face charges.

Check this out. T.J. hasn't made an appointment here just yet, but it is a new hair salon in Salem, New Hampshire, called leather and lace.

Yes. And as you can see, the work uniform is, well, leather and lace. Well, some folks call it an outrage. Others are calling for an appointment to get their hair done.

Of course.

HOLMES: My hair is getting a little long right now, actually.

NGUYEN: Oh, stop it.

HOLMES: Well, we need to take you to Tampa now, where a couple of police officers apparently felt threatened by an elderly man swinging his cane. According to the report, a 69-year-old man tried to hit two officers and another person with his metal cane.

They asked him to drop it. He refused. And they tasered him.

NGUYEN: Really?

HOLMES: He's now charged with felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

All right. Moving on to Long Island, New York, now.

A 14-year-old boy who is hearing impaired is barred from taking his assistance dog to school. His parents have been fighting the issue for more than a year. School officials say the boy doesn't need the dog to attend classes. The state is looking into whether the school is violating his rights.

NGUYEN: And just in case you were wondering, the 2006 word of year -- Plutoed. Yes, that is according to the American Dialect Society.

This year, some big-time astronomers decided Pluto is no longer a planet. So now if something loses its value, it's Plutoed out of there.

You're so Plutoed.

Well, we want to know what your pick for the word of year would be. Would it be Plutoed? Or do you have something better?

But just a note to the wise, keep it clean. Would you? This is a family show.

E-mail us those words at weekends@cnn.com.

HOLMES: A family show. Did you see the video of the barber shop?

NGUYEN: Yes, but...

HOLMES: OK.

NGUYEN: ... it's not X-rated.

HOLMES: I do need a haircut though.

NGUYEN: Stop it.

HOLMES: OK.

Well, if you are in one of the few places with snow this winter, you've got a great workout just outside your door.

Carol Costello shows us in today's "Bod Squad."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snowshoeing, anybody can do it and it's a lot of fun.

Are you having fun, Amy?

AMY SMITH, SNOWSHOER: I'm having a great time.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Snowshoeing is a total body workout, and it's ideal for people who love to be outdoors. And anybody can do it, including Amy Smith, who is six months pregnant.

SMITH: It looks like a lot of fun, especially since I can't ski right now. So it looks like a good way to get some low-impact exercise.

COSTELLO: Today, snowshoes are designed to be lighter and more comfortable. Most people can burn a minimum of 600 calories per hour. It's easy to increase the intensity of your workout just by hiking up a hill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're working your upper body, your lower body. Your working your buns, you're working your hamstrings, you're working your calves.

COSTELLO: And Joel's (ph) best beginner tip, keep your feet pointed straight ahead and stand tall with good posture. If you have knee problems or ski injuries, snowshoeing is a good low-impact workout. But perhaps the best reason to go snowshoeing is the fun factor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah! All right!

COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, he has been deployed overseas six times and received three Bronze Stars. Check him out. And now Sergeant 1st Class Michael Fouse is getting thanked on a national stage this weekend.

You can smile, Sergeant.

HOLMES: Hey, there he is.

NGUYEN: We're going to talk to him next.

HOLMES: Also, still ahead, why your bathroom medicine cabinet is actually one of the worst places to keep your pills.

And then, also coming up a little later this morning...

GERRI WILLIS, HOST, "OPEN HOUSE": Coming up at 9:30 Eastern, "OPEN HOUSE." It's a new year and new worries for homeowners. We'll check out the right way to approach the buying and selling of your home.

Plus, why the top Home Depot executive made a ton of money as the value of your house may have gone down.

And curing the holiday hangover from bills. We'll tell you how to wipe out that debt.

That's "OPEN HOUSE," 9:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, from Operation Enduring Freedom to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sergeant 1st Class Michael Fouse has not only stepped up to serve his country, he set an example for a lot of folks. Serving not one tour, not two, not three, not four. Not even five. Six tours overseas since 2001.

And he is not alone. Sergeant Fouse is one of 80 U.S. servicemembers actually being honored today at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where he is joining us now live this morning.

Sir, good morning. You're looking good. Good to see you. Thanks for being here.

SGT. 1ST CLASS MICHAEL FOUSE, 95TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BRIGADE, U.S. ARMY: Good morning, T.J. Thank you for having me.

HOLMES: Well, sir, the group that's going to be there with you being honored, some 80 or so service members, they have 116 overseas tours between all of you. You have six of them.

Why in the world do you have so many? And tell us kind of where you've been and how you ended up with that many overseas tours. FOUSE: Well, I originally started out in U.S. Army Special Forces, in this Special Forces group out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. And deploying is just the nature of being in Special Forces. When you raise your hand to volunteer for Special Forces, you're raising your hand to volunteer to deploy wherever the nation requires you to go, wherever they need you. So that's kind of how it happened.

HOLMES: Now, do you think sometimes maybe your wife would wish you didn't put your hand up and put your hand down? You all have been married -- I think it's 12 years. You have two daughters.

And how does that play into the family? I mean, that's a -- that's a lot of overseas tours, and that's a lot of being in the danger zone when you have a family.

FOUSE: It's very true. My wife was actually very -- still is very supportive of me doing this. She encouraged me initially to go for -- go for my dreams, do what I wanted to do. And my daughters both understand fully the extent what I do and how absolutely important it is to the nation and the world that individuals like myself and the other 80 that are here with me here at the All-American Bowl, that we step up and do what we do.

It's a very important thing. And my wife and my children understand that. And they're fully supportive of that and very proud of the fact that I serve.

HOLMES: And, sir, of course, as you know -- and it's not your job to get involved with -- but there's certainly so much debate about the war and where -- and the war on terror and the direction it's going, and if it's going well in Iraq, and so on and so forth. Do you get caught up and follow that debate so closely? And does that shape or shake your confidence at all in that mission when a lot of people will agree right now that it's not going that well?

FOUSE: Well, my personal opinion is I just try not to follow what I hear in the news, what I see on the news as far as how the war is going, because I have a jaded picture, a different picture of what the war looks like. It's -- what I see and what other people see are entirely different.

So, I just try to not let the media form my opinions. And I would hope that the American public would form their own opinions about how things are going.

HOLMES: Well, let's wrap up by talking about today, Sergeant Fouse.

You're going to be honored there with some 80 other servicemembers. What's it like to be honored, to -- I mean, you do what you do, and you don't ask for attention. But when you get it like this, what kind of a day is this for you?

FOUSE: It's very humbling. It making me feel rather small, actually. It's an honor that I wasn't expecting. And it's just something that's incredible. And I can't describe how honored I am to be here, to represent my brothers that are down range right now and those that didn't come back.

It's just -- it's an incredible honor to be here for them. Not just for myself, but for all of those that are doing what I do.

HOLMES: Well, Sergeant Fouse, a lot of us are -- just find it admirable, you doing what you do and doing so many tours. You -- it sounds like you're probably doing some more.

Sir, you take care of yourself. And really, thank you for your service. And good luck today.

FOUSE: I appreciate it, T.J. Thank you very much for this opportunity.

HOLMES: All right. I'll hand it back over to Betty now.

NGUYEN: All right.

Well, protecting your prescription pills, trimming your waist, and stopping our multitasking ways? Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "HOUSE CALL" show you how to start your year off right. That is in just five minutes.

Also, coming up at 9:00 Eastern, the power of the Internet versus one model's private moments on a beach with her boyfriend. Yes, a bit steamy. What YouTube is being ordered to do now.

And one hour from now, what's the very first thing you should do to pay off that holiday debt? Well, Gerri Willis has the answers. That's in today's "OPEN HOUSE."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: "Now in the News," another American reportedly kidnapped in Iraq, along with two Iraqi interpreters. Wire services report that two men believed to be the Iraqis were later found shot dead in Basra. There's no word yet on the fate of the U.S. contractor. An American Embassy spokesman says officials are investigating the reports.

The Army now offering an apology for a mistaken plea to re- enlist. The letter was sent to 275 Army officers who were either killed in Iraq or wounded. The Army says they accidentally used an old list to generate the letters last month.

Check this out. The South cleaning up from strong storms and tornadoes in the Northeast, wondering, hey, where's all the winter weather? Powerful storms swept from Louisiana to South Carolina yesterday. And the Northeast today unseasonably warm. Temperatures are going to be 70 in New York today.

For more on today's weather forecast, let's throw it over to Reynolds Wolf at the weather center. (WEATHER REPORT)

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