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Britain's Standoff With Iran; Iran's Revolutionary Guard; New CENTCOM Chief in Iraq; Tony Snow's Cancer has Returned
Aired March 27, 2007 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: They have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tense standoff. Britain says it will try diplomacy for now to win the release of a group of sailors and marines held in Iran.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A river of waste. Angry residents mob government officials after a sewage storage pond overflows in Gaza.
GORANI: A conflict over words. An American high school play about the Iraq war spurs a battle of a different kind.
CLANCY: And the rebirth of a British classic. China recharges the batteries of an iconic British sports car.
GORANI: Well, it's 5:00 p.m. in London, 6:00 p.m. in Gaza.
Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.
I'm Hala Gorani.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.
From Beijing to Baghdad, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
The warning is here. If diplomacy does not work, efforts to win the release of 15 British soldiers and marines could enter what's termed a different phase.
GORANI: As Britain suggests it may switch tactics to increase pressure on Iran, that country is giving new details about the condition of those Britons that were seized last week now.
CLANCY: Now, we're going to have all of that, plus some insight on the powerful elite forces that are keeping them in custody.
GORANI: First, Iran says the only woman in the group has been given privacy and that "all ethics are being observed." This is the first photo released of sea woman Faye Turney. It was taken in the year 2000.
Turney's husband, Adam, also in the Royal Navy, is on special leave to care for their 3-year-old daughter. He's issued a statement saying, "This remains a very distressing time for us and our family. We're grateful for the support shown to us by all the personnel involved."
CLANCY: Well, in an important move, Iran declared that all of the detainees are in good health, they are being treated humanely. But it is still not allowing Britain to see for itself, keeping the location off limits and under wraps.
As each day passes, frustration grows in London, leading Prime Minister Blair to talk of a different to end this standoff.
Libby Wiener has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIBBY WIENER, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): Four days after the missing navy personnel were seized from this waterway, there's still no word as to their whereabouts, and the British government's patience appears to be wearing thin. The prime minister warning this morning that it couldn't just continue to sit and wait.
BLAIR: What we're trying to do at the moment is to pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released, and that there is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them. And I hope we manage to get them to realize they have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase.
WIENER: Iran has said that it may charge the 15 sail sailors and marines with illegally entering its waters. Britain insists they were in Iraqi territory, but no diplomat has yet been allowed to see them.
MARGARET BECKETT, BRITAIN FOREIGN SECRETARY: We're pressing the Iranian government at a variety of levels to give us details of where our personnel are being held so that we can have consular access to check for ourselves that they're in good health, which is something we continue to be told.
WIENER: Up until now, the government has taken a softly, softly approach, but that appears to be changing.
(on camera): The British government is actually rather fed up with the way the Iranians have been behaving. They feel that they've been very conciliatory, that they've been using very diplomatic language in public. And what have they got for it? Well, absolutely nothing, because there's not even been any consular access to the 15 navy personnel who were seized.
They want to see more from Iran in the way of that sort of a diplomatic access, and they will -- if they do not get it, they will start using much stronger language in public. As to whether they will go further than that, I think at the moment, the government is very much wanting to pursue this along diplomatic lines. But I think we're going to see a very different tone in public over the next few days if there isn't any positive response from Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Libby Wiener there.
Now, one intriguing detail in this story, Iran has a navy, but it's not the navy that grabbed the British sailors and marines. It was the Revolutionary Guard, a different organization that also operates at sea. Now, the Guard seem to be at the center of every storm that blows in from that side of the Persian Gulf.
Jonathan Mann is here and he has some "Insight" -- Jonathan.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hala, President Ahmadinejad is a graduate, so are several members of his cabinet, and a lot of the most powerful people in Iran. We're not talking about a finishing school, though, or a fraternity here. We're talking about the Revolutionary Guard, the fighters Tehran trusts with its most important missions.
One of its founders is now a dissident in exile here in the U.S. who says the Guard has nearly taken over Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHSEN SAZEGARA, CO-FOUNDER, REVOLUTIONARY GUARD: Right now, the Revolutionary Guard is a kind of combination between KGB, Red Army, the Communist Party, and, of course, like the big industrial and the commercial complexes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: Nearly 30 years ago, when the Islamic revolutionaries took power in Iran, they didn't trust the army or police they inherited. They created their own army, the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.
In Farsi, the language of Iran, the Pasdaran. The guards, as well call them, created their own intelligence wing, then their own air, naval and ground forces.
These military exercises last month, that's not the regular army. That's the Revolutionary Guard. At about 150,000 men, it's roughly half the size, but much better equipped, than the army itself.
What you don't see when they parade is all the money in their pockets. The guards are rich as revolutionaries go. They actually run commercial companies, dozens of companies, making things from car parts, to doing engineering and construction. But their real business is protecting and extending the Islamic revolution.
They clamp down on domestic opposition and they infiltrate abroad. The Guard's international wing, the Quds force, is believed to have backed the Mujahedeen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, to the east. Further west, much further west, they were behind the Muslims who fought to create their own state in Bosnia.
Coming back closer to home, in Lebanon, they helped create the Party of God, Hezbollah. And they're behind Hamas in the Palestinian territories. They're also suspected in places ranging from Saudi Arabia to Sudan. And most infamously, they are said to be arming the insurgents in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we do know is that the Quds force was instrumental in providing these deadly IEDs to networks inside of Iraq. We know that.
And we also know that the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government. That's a known. What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds force to do what they did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: The Security Council sanctions adopted over the weekend went after Iran's nuclear program. But that's not even a separate story. The Guard has a key role in that, too.
So, the sanctions freeze foreign assets and restrict the travel of the Guard's leadership, and will also cut into a key source of their funding, the international arms trade. Just about every story in Iran these days seems to take you back sooner or later to the Revolutionary Guard -- Hala.
GORANI: Well, Jonathan, let's talk about the Security Council resolution and those sanctions against Iran. Will they have an impact on the country as a whole, or are they designed to have an impact on the Revolutionary Guard? How's it going to work?
MANN: They're designed to impact the leadership and the Revolutionary Guard, in particular. Whether that will actually succeed is anyone's guess, because it really depends on how revolutionary the guards are.
If these really are the zealots they once were, the men who are acting, they hope, in god's name, really going after their bank accounts and their international travel may not really seem all that punishing to them. There are a lot of people though who say that the real business of the Revolutionary Guard, though, is now business, that they care more about making money than making mayhem. And those sanctions really will go after the cash, and that's where their heart is.
So, we'll see, I suppose.
GORANI: Absolutely.
Jonathan Mann with some "Insight".
Thank you, Jonathan.
CLANCY: All right. Well, it's all about Iraq and what's going on there. And there's more violence to report today.
Two car bombs targeting markets killed at least 30 people in the northern city of Tal Afar. Fifty people were also wounded in that incident.
In all now, at least 52 people have been killed in violence today. Most from suicide bomb attacks.
Meantime, the head of the U.S. Central Command tells CNN there's a lot of work to be done in Iraq by everyone before security and stability are returned to that country. He spoke with CNN's Kyra Phillips in a broad-ranging interview just hours ago.
Kyra joins us now live from Baghdad.
Admiral Fallon tackled the regional challenges as well, didn't he, Kyra?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He sure did. He talked a lot about Iran. Or Iran, as a matter of fact.
As you know, Iran continues to fuel the violence here. And dealing with that country is high priority on the admiral's "to do" list.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: What are you going to do about Iran? They are helping the militias, they're involved in this country, they're contributing to this war.
ADM. WILLIAM FALLON, CENTCOM COMMANDER: The question is, what's Iran going to do about their behavior? Iran specifically has been unhelpful. We know it, and we've made it known that we know it, and not going to tolerate it. This -- we cannot have them aiding and abetting with tactical and weapons help to the killers here, injuring and maiming not only our people, but Iraqi people.
PHILLIPS: Would you consider war with Iran?
FALLON: Well, we're not interested in a war. We've got a conflict going here that we've got lots of folks tied up trying to fix. We have another conflict in Afghanistan. I'm headed over there tomorrow to take a look at that. But Iranian behavior has been not only unhelpful, but detrimental to peace and progress.
Now, Iran sits in a neighborhood of other countries. And my intention is to go around and meet the leaders of these countries in the region, and I'm going to talk to them about that.
Two things on my agenda, if you would. One is to get help from these countries for this place, for Iraq. The other one is to help us to deal with this Iranian behavior, to try to see what we can do to make these folks realize they've got -- they have aspirations to be somebody big? You've got to act like a -- like a big boy. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And Jim, a big reason why Admiral Fallon was selected to head CENTCOM is because of his knowledge and his relations with trying to deal with Iran. As you know, there are two battle groups out in the waters right now.
There's the USS John Stennis, and also the USS Dwight Eisenhower. They've been carrying flight operations, keeping an eye on Iran. And a lot of people have asked, why did you send out that second carrier? Because he used to be the head of PACOM, Pacific Command, before he came to CENTCOM, so he was involved in moving those carriers out to the region.
He knows what he's doing and he knows that he's keeping an eye on Iran, and that's exactly what those battle groups are doing.
CLANCY: Well, everybody's keeping an eye to see how, you know, the U.S. military is doing as it increases its forces on the ground in Baghdad. Most of the bombings we were talking about earlier were actually outside of Baghdad, but I understand there were some arrests, there was some action, perhaps with some good news here today.
PHILLIPS: Well, a coup for military forces, according to the military. They say that the Sunni insurgent cell that actually specializes in suicide car bombs, one of the cell leaders was arrested. And then we were told that there were an additional three arrests made with that cell leader because of intelligence that came from that individual.
Now, since November, this cell is responsible, we're told, for 900 Iraqi deaths. Almost 2,000 wounded, a lot in the Shia Sadr City area. Got the cell leader, three others arrested. It all happened in Adhamiya.
CLANCY: Kyra Phillips reporting to us there live with the latest from the head of CENTCOM.
Kyra, as always, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And right now we want to get you to Washington, D.C. Senator Jim Webb holding a briefing, his first comment since his aide, Phillip Thompson, was arrested yesterday trying to bring a loaded gun into the Russell Senate Office Building.
Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SEN. JIM WEBB (D), VIRGINIA: The first is that we do have an amendment on Iran coming up over the next couple of days. It's something that I have worked on for a good bit of time. I hope, in all of the attention that's been given to the situation with my staffer, we don't lose sight of the importance of that legislation.
And secondly, the other piece of legislation that I have been working on with Senator Hagel, which will come to a vote over the next two days. I think those are both important pieces of legislation and, please, let's not forget that.
I find what has happened with Phillip Thompson is enormously unfortunate. I was in New Orleans from last Friday until yesterday evening. I was not in town. I learned about this when I was in New Orleans.
I want to emphasize, first of all, that Phillip Thompson is a long-time friend. He's a fine individual. He has worked for me since the beginning of the campaign last year. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.
I think this is one of those very unfortunate situations where, completely inadvertently, he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday.
He is going to be arraigned today. This limits my ability to discuss anything about the case in a specific way. I do not in any way want to prejudice his case, in the situation that he's involved in.
The other thing that I would say is that everyone here knows that I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, that I have had a permit to carry a weapon in Virginia for a long time, and I believe that it's important -- it's important for me, personally, and for a lot of people in the situation that I'm in, to be able to defend myself and my family.
Since 9/11 for people who are in government I think in general there has been an agreement that it's a more dangerous time.
Again, I'm not going to comment, again, with great specificity about how I defend myself, but I do feel that I have that right.
And if you look at people in the executive branch, look at the number of people who are defending the president and other members of the executive branch, there is not that kind of protection available to people in the legislative branch. We are required to defend ourselves, and I choose to do so.
With that, I'll take your questions.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
WEBB: I am not going to discuss specifics of this case. I do not want in any way to prejudice Phillip Thompson's situation. He is going to be arraigned today and anything that I say might affect his case. I'm not going to talk about it.
QUESTION: Do you, Senator, feel that you are above Washington, D.C.'s gun law?
WEBB: I'm not going to comment in any level in terms of how I provide for my own security.
QUESTION: Do you think the law needs to be changed so citizens can carry firearms?
WEBB: I'm a long-time believer in the Second Amendment. I believe that the Virginia law is a fair law. And I believe that wherever you see laws that allow people to carry, generally the violence goes down.
WEBB: And that's a long-held position.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: When did you give him the gun specifically? And when you gave it to him, can you tell us, did he have a permit to carry a concealed weapon?
WEBB: As I said, I can't comment on any aspect of the case.
(CROSSTALK)
WEBB: I can't. I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson, and that's all that I think I'll say. We had three cars on Friday that were being moved about because of my trip, and that is probably a reason that this inadvertent situation developed. And that's really the extent to which I think I should be discussing. That's really all I can say.
Thank you very much.
HARRIS: And there you have it. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia holding a briefing, making his first comment since his aide, Phillip Thompson, was arrested yesterday trying to bring a loaded gun into the Russell Senate Office Building.
You heard the senator say that he has a lot of faith and respect for Thompson. He calls him a fine individual, that he wouldn't discuss the particulars of the case because he didn't want to prejudice the case. Thompson will make his first court appearance in federal court this afternoon.
Let's sort of backtrack just a bit and give you a bit more of the information about this case that we know.
Webb's office says the incident was an oversight by Thompson. A congressional official who has been briefed by law enforcement told CNN earlier that the handgun belonged to the senator.
Thompson was driving Webb to one of Washington's airports earlier Monday morning -- this according to this official -- when Webb remembered he had the gun on him. The official says Webb gave the gun to the aide, although some conflicting information in the briefing just moments ago from the senator.
A couple of questions out there. Does the senator actually have to register that weapon in Washington, D.C.? Maybe still an open question. And then the question is, did Thompson have a permit to carry a concealed weapon?
So those are some questions that will be answered later this afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the "NEWSROOM".
Don Lemon is here now to get you caught up on other news happening.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And we're following this story this afternoon. The White House saying presidential spokesman Tony Snow's cancer has returned and has spread to his liver. A growth removed from Snow's abdomen yesterday was found to be cancerous. A White House officials say Snow is vowing to beat the disease again. The treatment plan hasn't been decided. But just a short time ago we talked to an Emory University doctor about possible treatment options.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. OTIS BRAWLEY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Almost certainly he's going to get more chemotherapy. Hopefully, we all have to hope, that there was just one lesion and the surgeon was able to get the entire lesion out. There are some people who can do very well. Very well meaning they can actually even be cured if there's one lesion to the liver which is resected. But more often than not, if there's the one lesion there in the liver, there's additional disease in the abdomen. Assuming, again, that this is a relapse of his colon cancer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. And we'll bring the White House briefing to you live when it happens. The briefing now, you can take a look, reporters and producers there are getting ready to talk to Dana Perino, who will probably fill in for Tony Snow while he is gone. And we are told that Tony Snow is walking around. He's doing well. But not much more was released about his condition after that. Snow underwent surgery two years ago for colon cancer and doctors gave Snow a clean bill of health before he took the White House job and that was last year.
And just a short time ago we heard from Virginia Senator Jim Webb. Jim Webb is defending one of his aides who's now facing weapons charges. The aide, Phillip Thompson. He is scheduled to appear in court about an hour from now. Now he is accused of entering a Senate office building with a fully loaded pistol that belongs to Webb. Just moments ago these words from Senator Jim Webb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JIM WEBB, (D) VIRGINIA: I find that what has happened with Phillip Thompson is enormously unfortunate. I was in New Orleans from last Friday until yesterday evening. I was not in town. I learned about this when I was in New Orleans. I was in emphasize, first of all, that Phillip Thompson is a long-time friend. He's a fine individual. He has worked for me since the beginning of the campaign last year. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I think this is one of those very unfortunate situations where completely inadvertently he took the weapon into the Senate yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Jim Webb speaking moments ago.
Let's go now to the White House briefing and Dana Perino.
DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE SPOKESWOMAN: You'll remember that he said that the doctors had found a small growth that they had seen over a series of CAT scans and MRIs that had been identified on his abdomen. It was in the area where his pervious cancer had been located. And Tony called us this morning and informed us that despite all of our best hopes and expectations that his doctors, unfortunately, learned that the growth was cancerous and there has been some me metastasis, including to the liver.
This news has obviously saddened everyone at the White House, from the president and the first lady, his team, the entire staff. The outpouring has been quite amazing.
You heard from the president in the Rose Garden. Of course, all of Tony's family is in our prayers. The president said, Tony, stay strong. I know a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you and we'll all look forward to the day when Tony can come back and take the podium again. Believe me, we're looking forward to that.
I spoke to Tony briefly this morning at around 9:30 a.m. He told me he was up, walking around and comfortable. He will remain in the hospital for several days. That was already part of the plan because it was major surgery that he had. He did not have a lot more detail. I will try to answer your questions as best I can. But to the ones that I can't answer, I will endeavor to get you the answer or I'll just have to tell you that we're not going to be able to answer those questions. Some of them are privacy concerns and health-related.
If you know Tony, then you know that he's a fighter. He plans to take this on with the advice of his doctors. They are in consultation right now talking about an aggressive treatment to go after the cancer that he said will likely include chemotherapy, but that could include other things as well. And when I have more on that, I can provide that to you as well. All of us, we gain a lot of strength from his optimism. He told me that he beat this thing before and he intends to beat it again.
The other thing that I would say about Tony Snow is that he doesn't skip a beat. He had obviously been paying attention to the news and he was really fired up about the Iraq War supplemental. And I said that I would make sure that I delivered the president's message today regardless of this. So if you'll bear with me.
I don't know if you were able to see it given the news this morning, while we were all focused on Tony, the president did issue a statement of administration policy on the Senate's Iraq War supplemental. And just a couple of points and I'm going to read it from this just a little bit just to make sure I fulfill my promise to Tony and make sure that you heard this before we go to questions.
The administration strongly opposes the Senate bill. The legislation would substitute congressional mandates for the considered judgment of our military commanders. The bill assumes and forces the failure of a new strategy even before American commanders in the field are able to fully implement their plans.
Regardless of the success of our troops are achieving in the field, this bill would require their withdrawal. This and other provisions would place freedom and democracy in Iraq at grave risk, embolden our enemies and undercut the administration's plan to develop the Iraqi economy. If this legislation were presented to the president, he would veto the bill.
The war supplemental should remained focused on the needs of the troops and should not be used as a vehicle for added non-emergency spending and policy proposals, especially domestic proposals which should be fully vetted and considered on their own merits. This bill adds billions in unrequested spending that is largely unjustified and non-emergency. And because of the excessive and extraneous non- emergency spending it contains, if this legislation were presented to the president, he would veto the bill. Congress should reject this legislation and promptly send the president a responsible bill that provides the funding and flexibility our troops need and without holding funding for the troops hostage to unrelated spending.
And with that, I'll go to questions.
Jennifer.
QUESTION: Thanks, Dana.
Our thoughts really are with Tony. So, pass that on. We appreciate it.
PERINO: Absolutely.
QUESTION: Two quick questions if you're able to answer them.
During the surgery, do you know if they were able to take the area out of the liver that was cancerous? And you mentioned that it had spread to areas including the liver. Does that mean it's gone beyond to other areas?
PERINO: I can only -- I don't know the answer to the first question, in regards to if they did any further surgery on the liver at the time. Again, if I can find that out, I'll let you know. If I can get back in touch with him today.
What he told me is that the small growth that they had found was in the general area of where the first cancer had originated those years ago. And that when they went back in, even though the blood tests had been negative and the PET scans had been negative for cancer, that they discovered it was cancer and then he said, and it had spread to the liver and there has been some metastases, plural. So I -- that's as far as I can go on that.
Kevin.
QUESTION: Dana, do you have a sense of how his treatment might differ this time versus the first occurrence of cancer?
PERINO: I don't. I know that he's working with the same doctors -- at least a core of the same doctors that he worked with before. And so, obviously, they were successful in their first attempts to beat it back those couple of years ago. I think it was just last month that he had reached the two-year mark of being cancer-free.
So he just said that he's in consultations with his doctors and I think that they'll -- it will take some sometime, I think, for them to figure out what's the best course of treatment. But as soon as I can tell you and to the extent that he's comfortable with me being able to share that with you, I will do so.
QUESTION: And, Dana, where other than the liver? You said metastases, plural.
PERINO: I don't know. He didn't say.
Jonathan.
QUESTION: Dana, just two questions.
One, when was this growth first detected? And then, a question about the first episode. Do you know at what stage the cancer was at the time in 2005, if it had actually . . .
PERINO: Stage three, that first -- when he was first diagnosed those years ago, it was stage three. I do not know what stage this cancer is that they found.
QUESTION: When was it that they first detected the growth?
PERINO: This new growth that they just -- all I know is that he said in a recent series of CAT scans and PET scans and MRIs, we have found a small growth in my lower abdomen. I don't know specifically, but I do know that as a cancer patient, and many others who either have cancer patients in their family or are survivors themselves, you get regular checkups. And he would go in for a checkup every three to four months. And I believe that this goes back maybe just a couple of the tests before that. They've been keeping an eye on this growth.
QUESTION: How big was the growth, Dana? PERINO: On Friday he said that it was about the size of the tip of his pinky finger. And so -- I don't know, his pinky finger is probably a little larger than mine.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) family. Obviously his wife (INAUDIBLE).
PERINO: I don't. I know that Jill Snow, his wife, is with him at the hospital today when I spoke to her. Obviously this is a family that has been through a lot. And I've never seen such a close-knit family. They really just love each other so much. They're very supportive. You know, this -- being the press secretary to the president of the United States is not an easy job, but Tony really cut out time for his family whenever they possibly could. And they were very close. And so I'm sure that this is difficult for them and I know that they appreciate all the prayers that people are offering.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) did he express that he was feeling ill prior to the surgery or anything that might have been -- looking back now . . .
PERINO: No. He said that he felt fine. He said that he felt fine.
Helen.
QUESTION: How does the president feel about his Republicans on The Hill tossing the ball back to him and letting him hold the bag, basically, on a veto on pullout, which is against the will . . .
PERINO: Yes, the president reporting this morning that . . .
QUESTION: Against the will of the American people.
PERINO: Yes, I read a reporting this morning that indicated that somehow the Senate Republicans were defying the president. Actually, that's not the case. In fact, last week, when the president met with the Senate Republican leadership, they talked about needing to go ahead and get this vote over with and get the bill to the president's desk so he could veto it so that they could go on and get to the business of presenting the president a clean bill.
QUESTION: So it was a plan, (INAUDIBLE).
PERINO: Yes, and if you look to the president's remarks on Friday, he indicated that.
Let's go back and . . .
QUESTION: Doesn't this go against the will of the American people who want a pull out?
PERINO: I think that the president has been very clear that they don't want to pull out if it means losing and the president has said . . .
QUESTION: Losing? Losing what? PERINO: The president's made it clear that the goal is to make sure that we can stabilize Baghdad especially so that the politicians in Baghdad can do the work that they need to do in order to reconcile politically and get the economic engine going so that the security situation can not only stabilize in Baghdad, but then spread throughout the country.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
PERINO: We understand fully the sacrifice that our men and women and the innocent Iraqis are paying. We do.
April. We'll go back to Tony.
QUESTION: Yes. Now that Tony's become more of a public face for cancer and it's shaking the White House, can we expect the White House, as it does with other health issues like heart awareness, heart health awareness, can we expect to see something from the White House as to something on cancer prevention? Something that's been a pet project of Tony's.
PERINO: It's a great question. Obviously the president and Mrs. Bush do lots of different focus --- as Mrs. Bush really focuses on heart health for women. And we have, obviously, AIDS prevention issues. It's a good question about cancer prevention. I think -- well, one thing I know for sure for myself and my team and our team at the White House, everybody, we are much more aware about cancer and also about the treatments that people get and the things that a family goes through when they go in for their checkups and there's that huge sigh of relief that they have whenever that test comes back negative.
And so it's a great question. I don't have any specific programs to think about right now. But I know that we have had some increases in cancer funding and especially cancer research funding. And I'll work Tony Frado (ph) and we can get you the details on that.
Let's go (INAUDIBLE). Anybody else on Tony?
Cheryl. Cheryl, then Connie.
QUESTION: Dana, a couple of more questions on Tony. He went for a series of checkups recently. There were -- a couple weeks ago he told us he was going off to Walter Reed. And then I believe he went back again for an MRI. Did something come up at that Walter Reed checkup that then prompted this?
PERINO: No. From what we told me, and from what I understood, and, again, I'm not a doctor, so I probably didn't ask all the right questions. But he had had the CAT scan and/or the MRI, I don't know if anyone else remembers, but he had the CAT scan. And because the growth -- they continued to see it and they had seen that it had grown over that time period between the last checkup, there was a decision to do a PET scan and possibly -- I don't know when the MRI came in. Maybe around the same time.
But the PET scan was, as I understand it, a more in-depth look at to what was going on with the growth. And so he did that PET scan. And it was from there that they decided and weighed options about how to go in and tackle it.
QUESTION: And also, last Thursday when Elizabeth Edwards made her announcement, Tony spoke rather eloquently about her. And it was only the next day, Friday, that he told us that he would himself be going in for surgery. Did he talk at all about this being on his mind on Thursday as he was speaking about Elizabeth.
PERINO: It was on his mind. He had been wrestling with the decision with his doctors. I think that early on Tony Snow had decided, given the options, whether laparoscopic surgery and just doing a biopsy or going in and doing the full surgery, that that was something he and his family and his doctors had to weigh.
And Tony decided, I think he told you last week, that he was very -- he's an aggressive cancer patient. And once that you decide to be that optimistic person that you have the will to live, that you are a person that's a really good patient for the doctors. And he decided he wanted to do the full-blown surgery.
He need to get some things in order and he needed to make sure he talked to the president. He needed to -- he wasn't sure when the -- on Thursday, I can tell you, he wasn't sure when the surgery was going to be. I believe they were still talking with the surgeons to figure out schedules.
QUESTION: Hey, Dana, do you remember that moment, a quite emotional moment, where he's talking about Elizabeth Edwards and he paused. Was he aware of something at that point that was causing such emotion for him?
PERINO: No. if you remember -- well, I think anyone who's a cancer survivor, and I am not one, so I cannot put myself in their shoes, but any time I think that you're talking about a fellow human being -- and I don't know how well he knows the Edwards family, but I think that you have a kinship and an understanding and a connection that maybe some of us don't have. And, of course, I'm sure he was thinking of his own family and he knew that he had made the decision to go in for the surgery.
But remember, he told all of us not to jump to conclusions because the blood tests and the PET scans had been negative for cancer. And he really believed that the best thing to do for himself and for his family was to aggressively go after the cancer and just to see -- I'm sorry, aggressively go after the growth, see if there was any problem with it, and unfortunately, there was.
QUESTION: Did he talk to you today about a feeling of shock? I know that when I spoke to him he seemed -- he was very upbeat about it. And he told us all that, you know, don't jump to conclusions, as you said. So did this -- how did he take this news?
PERINO: Our conversation was, you know, about five to six minutes long. When I talked to him, he had already talked to the president. It's hard for me to describe if he was shocked or not. Disappointed, surely. But resolute and almost immediately ready to get up and start fighting.
Like I said, he said, you have to make sure that you deliver the message on the Iraq War supplemental. But in addition to that, he had said that his doctors are top notch and that they were already in consultations. So they did the surgery yesterday and within, you know, a 12-hour period they're already discussing the treatment for the way forward.
Jonathan.
QUESTION: Is it his expectation, his desire to be back here on the job while he undergoes this treatment? I mean, obviously, we don't know what the treatment is yet, but if that is physically possible, is it his desire to be back here?
PERINO: Well, I certainly hope so. But he -- I can't say what his treatment is going to be because he hasn't decided yet. And I did talked to Dr. Tubb (ph), just to understand the range of possibilities with chemotherapy treatment and he doesn't know what the doctors are going to decide, but it just depends on what they decide to do and what the needs (ph) are.
I do know that Tony Snow loves this job. He says it is the best job he's ever had in his life. He, in fact, has called it communications Disneyland. So he loves the job. And I think his intention, of course, is to come back. The president wants to have him back, as you heard today. So as soon as we have more on that, we can let you know. But the intention is that he'll be back and I just don't know when.
QUESTION: Is he watching you now, you think?
PERINO: Is he watching me now? He's probably sleeping. I hope he's not watching me now, I'll start blushing.
Connie, go ahead.
QUESTION: Thank you. And by the way, we are all sorry and we appreciate you (INAUDIBLE).
PERINO: Thanks.
QUESTION: A few questions. Abdominal surgery is really painful. What is being done to control the pain? (INAUDIBLE)
PERINO: (INAUDIBLE), I don't know. I don't know the answer to what's being done to control the pain. I'm sure his doctors are taking very good care of him. And if he's in pain, that they're addressing it.
QUESTION: And one more. He may give financial (INAUDIBLE) the White House and the government doing anything to help compensate (INAUDIBLE)?
PERINO: Tony Snow is paid the salary that he's paid and he has health insurance. And I'm sure he's taken care of that way. QUESTION: Dana, how bizarre is this for you?
PERINO: How bizarre is this me?
QUESTION: Yes, I mean, now, suddenly you're up there. It's an incredibly intense time as far as the administration goes and I'm sure you weren't prepared to . . .
PERINO: Anticipating this?
QUESTION: Yes.
PERINO: As my team laughs. But the great thing about the White House is the people that you work with. That is by far what everyone says whenever they leave, the thing that they miss the most are the people that you work with. And we are so supportive of each other. And Tony has really given all of us a lot more opportunities as deputies and we have tried to step up to the plate where he has allowed us to or given us opportunity to.
And so, for me, I don't have really any other feeling but a concern for Tony. A little bit shock for myself. I thought he was going to call back and they were going to say, oh, he was fine, you know, no problems. And so all of our energies are going to be concentrated on making sure that we do the job Tony would want us today and we'll make sure that we try to fulfill every need that you have and that the president has and we'll be in touch with him for advice.
Roger.
QUESTION: Would the president be considering a visit to him in the next few days or early next week?
PERINO: We'll let you know. I know there's nothing on the schedule. Now, remember, Tony didn't tell you where he was. And if we take the president, then you'll know where he is.
QUESTION: When I asked him Friday, he wouldn't say either.
PERINO: No, he doesn't want to say.
Ken.
QUESTION: Dana, do you know enough about what's in Tony's short- term future to know whether he will be in a position to be in daily contact with the White House or s he at a place . . . .
PERINO: Seems so. I don't know for sure, but it seems so. I mean I talked to him. He talked to the president in the 7:00 hour this morning. He talked to me at 9:30. And, again, he said none of us should bug him for details about his medical condition. But I think that if we need him, we need his advice, I am sure that if we need to find him, we can. But it's just too early to say.
QUESTION: He's making the afternoon meeting this afternoon by phone.
QUESTION: Has (INAUDIBLE) discussed what the survival rate is for cancer victims who have had cancer in the past (INAUDIBLE)?
PERINO: I'm sure all of you have access to medical experts or medical correspondence that I'd have to refer you to them. I know of no such thing.
QUESTION: For viewers who want to send a good well wish, a card, anything like that, can you . . . .
PERINO: Can I look into that and figure out the best way to do that and we'll get you a good address to make sure -- make sure they get there.
Jim.
QUESTION: Are we ready to . . .
PERINO: I don't know. Lester, are yours on Tony or no?
QUESTION: Yes. It begins with Tony. But I'll . . .
PERINO: Why don't we save you till the end. Best for last.
LEMON: All right. White House Spokesperson Dana Perino giving us information about her colleague, Tony Snow, saying that he is in the hospital, he is resting comfortably and she's hoping he is not listening to that, otherwise that she will blush. She gave us many more details about his situation, which we will talk about in just a few minutes.
We have with us Dr. Otis Brawley from Emory University. An oncologist there. He's going to talk to us about that. Give us all the specifics. You're not going to miss anything. The CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this break.
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LEMON: Video now of White House Spokesperson Tony Snow before he announced that his cancer had recurred again. That they had found another instance of cancer in his body.
Dana Perino having a press conference just a short time ago, saying that she spoke to Tony Snow this morning at about 9:30. He was resting well. He spoke to the president about 7:30 this morning.
Of course, Tony Snow, when announcing this, had said that he didn't think it was cancerous but wasn't sure. So when they removed this new growth from his abdomen region, doctors did find that it was cancerous.
Joining us now is Dr. Otis Brawley. He's an oncologist at Emory University.
They said that the growth was about the size of his pinky finger, the top of his pinky finger. But the word that I picked up on that Dana Perino used, not sure if she's intentionally used it, was metastases and not metastasize. Not one.
DR. OTIS BRAWLEY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: That's right.
LEMON: And so, if so, what does that mean for Tony Snow?
BRAWLEY: Well, if one has a metastasis, one spread to the liver and one removes it, there's actually a 10 to 15 percent long-term we'll even say cure with that. If one had more than one metastases, the likelihood of cure is very, very small.
LEMON: Very, very small. OK. So we're saying that he has a growth. Different, you say, even though it was found on his liver, it's different than liver because it's not liver cancer, it's a growth that had spread.
BRAWLEY: Yes. This is colon cancer which has spread to the liver which is treated very differently and has a different prognosis than primary liver cancer. Normally we speak in the vernacular where we will call this liver cancer. It really is not. It's colon cancer which has spread to the liver.
LEMON: Which has spread to the liver. Just so our viewers will know, in 2005, Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy and then just recently they said, I believe it was last Thursday or so that he had passed the two-year clean mark and then now getting this disease. What does this mean for someone recurring cancer in that area -- I hate to talk about chances of survival. You said it's definitely treatable but not in most cases curable. He's got a long road ahead of him, its what I'm saying (ph).
BRAWLEY: That's right. The mindset that we like to get into when we're talking about anyone who has disease which has recurred, especially recurred in multiple places, is we want to give chemotherapy, give other treatments to both alleviate pain and suffering and try to prolong life. We're not going to be doing things with curable intent.
LEMON: Dr. Otis Brawley, an oncologist from Emory University, thank you so much. He's going to join us a little bit later on in our 1:00 hour. So we thank you.
We're also going to update you on this story out of Florida. One suspect was taken into custody in a bank robbery of a commercial bank in Florida. Details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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