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Your World Today
Bush to Announce Withdrawal to Pre-Surge Levels; Japan's PM Resigns
Aired September 12, 2007 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Heeding the general's advice. The U.S. president is expected to withdraw troops to pre-surge levels, but many lawmakers say, that's not good enough.
JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: View from Iraq. Young people there outline their doubts, their dreams, and hopes for the future, in a world where chaos is the norm.
GORANI: A jolt of deja vu. A massive earthquake rattles Indonesia, triggering flashbacks of the devastating 2004 tsunami.
CLANCY: And once again, fab or flab. Britney Spears is being skewered for bad dancing, bad lip syncing and her figure is under fire.
It is noon right now in Washington, 8 p.m. in Baghdad. Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe. I'm Jim Clancy.
GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani. From Jakarta to Johannesburg, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
CLANCY: Rolling back the surge, U.S. and Iraqi officials talking today about sending tens of thousands of American troops home by next year.
GORANI: Well, those forecasts follow a progress report as it's called by the top U.S. general in Iraq. Who says the surge, according to him, has been largely successful.
CLANCY: President George W. Bush expected to adopt his general's recommendation to withdraw some of the 30,000 troops, the additional troops, that were sent in by next spring. And that would bring U.S. forces to pre-surge levels.
GORANI: Iraq's national security adviser says he believes such a reduction is possible, as Iraqi forces shoulder more responsibility. He also says that by the end of 2009, there could be as few as 90,000 coalition troops left in Iraq versus 160,000 now.
CLANCY: Like the Bush administration, he is appealing for some patience.
MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Our real problem here is people do not understand how difficult and how complicated the situation in Iraq is. And this is the problem. People tend to oversimplify what's going on in the country. We're talking about 1,000 year legacy of problems and you cannot do this, you cannot solve these problems over the next three -- or in the -- in three or four years' time. So, we need patience.
GORANI: We need patience says Mowaffaq al-Rubaie. What are U.S. lawmakers saying? They had the chance, of course, to grill General David Petraeus as he delivered his Iraq progress report on Capitol Hill, and with all the cameras rolling, the high-profile hearing was the perfect stage for some senators running for president to air their concerns and make their points. Here's Candy Crowley.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The campaign trail moved indoors Tuesday, with five of the '08 presidential candidates in the spotlight of the Petraeus hearings.
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: I don't seem to get an indication, don't get a feeling here, there's any real opportunity or optimism, that this is going to get better.
CROWLEY: It was campaign-light, similar substance without the fierce rhetoric sometimes heard in town hall meetings across Iowa and New Hampshire. Talking to a crowd of anti-war democrats is different than talking to a diplomat with a portfolio under his arm and a general with ribbons on his chest.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: This is not a criticism of either of you gentlemen, this is a criticism of this president and the administration which has set a mission for the military and for our diplomatic forces that is extraordinarily difficult now to achieve.
CROWLEY: With more than 60 percent of Americans opposed to the war, the hearing was not expected to, nor did it ever change the ever- hardening positions of the '08 democrats.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: If, in fact, the circumstances on the ground are exactly what they are today, in March of next year, will you recommend the continuation of somewhere between 130,000 and 160,000 American troops being shot at, killed and maimed every day there?
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: Mr. Chairman, it's a pretty big hypothetical.
BIDEN: Well, I don't think it's hypothetical. If they're the same.
PETRAEUS: I would be very hard-pressed to recommend that at that point in time.
CROWLEY: While the democrats used the Petraeus hearings to air their opposition to the war, Republican Senator John McCain found reinforcement, the kind he rarely gets along the campaign trail.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe we cannot choose to lose in Iraq. And I will do everything in my power to see that our commanders in Iraq have the time and support they request to win this war. GORANI: All right, well, Candy Crowley joins us now live from Washington. These hearings, these three days of hearings, do they have the ability, do you think, to change any minds on Capitol Hill?
CROWLEY: Democrats or the Republicans for that matter. They are pretty much where they were before these hearings began. Now, what, of course, the Bush administration is hoping is that the Petraeus report and what the president says tomorrow night will be enough to hold on to republicans without whom President Bush couldn't carry out this policy certainly when there begin to be votes next week or the week after up on Capitol Hill and certainly on the Senate side. What the Bush administration hopes this all did was to hold on to those Republicans.
GORANI: Now, of course, many of these senators who were grilling David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker are also running for president. Can these hearings have a measurable impact on the presidential race, Candy?
CROWLEY: I don't think so, unless you sort of see a marked change in public opinion. In the end, I think everybody came out where they were in the presidential race. It didn't really favor anybody. What it did was sort of solidify their opinions. Certainly taking control of the limelight, helps. We see Barack Obama today going out and giving a major speech on Iraq, what's billed as a major speech. So kind of using that limelight to push forward their own ideas on how to get out of Iraq.
GORANI: All right, Candy Crowley reporting live from Washington. Thanks very much.
Jim.
CLANCY: Well, President Bush is set to make the troop announcement official during a speech Thursday night. Now, you can see that at 9:00 p.m. eastern for viewers in the U.S. That's early Friday, 0100 hours GMT right here on CNN for international viewers.
Now, an amazing scene in Iraq and for a young Iraqi boy, this could be the biggest day of his life. Last month we brought you the incredible story of a 5-year-old named Youssif. He was badly disfigured after hooded gunmen set him ablaze. Apparently another horrifying sign of the deep divisions in Iraq. Our story brought a flood of offers of help from you. And now he finds himself far from home, about to begin treatment.
Arwa Damon brings us the latest chapter in this saga and she's near Los Angeles, California, right now.
Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, it has been a phenomenal, amazing journey for Youssif and his family, one that took 24 hours for them to get from Amman Jordan, to here in California, but one that really left the family speechless. They could not believe that this dream was actually coming true. They kept saying that they need to pinch themselves to bring themselves back to reality. And this is a dream that they risked their lives to take, telling their son's story to the world in hopes that someone would step forward and offer to help. And, in fact, there was this massive outpouring of support from viewers, as you just mentioned, from organizations, really worldwide, funding now is going to be provided by the Children's Burn Foundation. And they took a great pains to make sure that when the family arrived here, their every need was going to be taken care of.
CLANCY: Youssif, did you get a chance, it looked like you got a chance to talk to him a little bit. What did he tell you?
DAMON: Well, Jim, I actually traveled with him and with the entire family. And Youssif really went from being fairly sullen and withdrawn in the beginning of the journey to completely opening up and then come the time when he arrives at his new home, again, thanks to the Children's Burn Foundation, he was just so overwhelmed, because they had filled the house with toys. This child that should have by all means been exhausted after this journey just couldn't stop playing with his sister. There was screaming and laughter in this house. The entire family just so overjoyed, just so expressive through their laughter, through their actions, too overwhelmed really to put that in towards, but so refreshing to see this family that has suffered so much finally being able to enjoy themselves.
And we also have to mention here that the U.S. embassy also played a great role in expediting the family's travel papers and bringing them to America. And, again, the Children's Burn Foundation really trying to pay attention to every single detail that would make their stay here as comfortable as they possibly could.
CLANCY: Arwa Damon, take a little bit of credit yourself, because you brought this story to us. You brought it to the world. And he's benefiting for it.
Now, if you would like to help young Youssif and other burn victims like him, just go to our website, CNN.com/impact. And click on the Iraqi burn victim. There's information about the Children's Burn Foundation and other organizations trying to make a difference.
GORANI: All right. There's a lot of news today, a lot of ground to cover. Terrifying moments in Indonesia, Jim, after a massive quake struck just off its southwestern coast, the second time in just a few weeks.
CLANCY: And really flashbacks of the devastating 2004 tsunami. Had to be unavoidable for a lot of people there. But it would appear right now the danger's passed.
GORANI: Right, well, still, at least three people, though, have been killed. The initial 8.2 magnitude quake struck in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra. You see on it the map.
CLANCY: Now one of our I-reporters, 12-year-old in Singapore, Clarissa Lee shows us what it's really like. This incredible video taken during the quake. You can see the fish tank and the chandelier swaying back and forth.
GORANI: Power was knocked out in some areas near the quake's epicenter and there were reports of cracks in buildings as a result. Now, if you're in the earthquake zone or if you lived through this and you have pictures or video of its impacts, please send them to us.
CLANCY: Now, just head to our website, CNN.com and click on the "I-report" logo. Again, do not put yourself in any danger while you're trying to get a picture or video here. Don't, for instance, try to enter a building that appears unsafe. But we would love to hear from you, see your pictures if you do it safely.
GORANI: A lot more ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY.
CLANCY: From the United States, a tale of kidnapping and torture and racism. Police are calling it a hate crime.
GORANI: We take you to Japan where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calls it quits after less than a year in office. Why so soon?
CLANCY: And in England a judge considers manslaughter charges against the grandmother of a toddler killed by the family pit bull. We're going to tell you his chilling sentence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to CNN international. And YOUR WORLD TODAY.
GORANI: All right, we bring you the stories the world wants to know. This hour, welcome to our U.S. viewers. We take you to Russia. There have been some major changes in Russian politics today. The Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has offered his resignation to President Putin. Mr. Putin has accepted it. The Kremlin has already put forward its choice for replacement of prime minister. Victor Zubkov is a longtime associate of President Putin. Less than six months from now Russia will choose a successor to Vladimir Putin.
CLANCY: If that was a political bomb calling for the government to push it aside, well there was a real bomb in Russia. It reportedly tested what is being called the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever. State television quoting a Russian general saying the air-delivered bomb is comparable in strength and efficiency to a nuclear weapon. Nicknamed the dad of all bombs, it's reportedly four times more powerful than its U.S. counterpart. The report says the Russian bomb explodes into a mushroom cloud and unleashes a massive shock wave with a blast radius of a third of a kilometer.
GORANI: Well, a string of embarrassing scandals, a humiliating electoral defeat and a surprise resignation at the very top. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he is stepping down. Hugh Riminton joins us from Tokyo with the latest on the prime minister's resignation and what's next for the ruling liberal democratic party there. Why did Shinzo Abe step down now, Hugh? HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's an astonishing fall from grace. He's only been in power for a year. In fact, fractionally under a year. He came in with high hopes with a 60 percent approval rating but he's really simply just been dogged by scandals that have resulted in a number of his ministers departing, political gridlock, his own poll numbers starting to fall and then in July the opposition sweeping it through in the upper-house elections. It all just seemed to become too much for him. But even then his resignation announcement today seemed to catch people, this in the world's second largest economy, completely by surprise.
SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Given the current circumstances, it is very difficult to win the support and confidence of the general public. So it has been difficult for me to move forward with my reforms powerfully. Therefore I think it is time that I took the appropriate measures to make a breakthrough and that's the decision I've made.
RIMINTON: His strong support for the U.S. war on terror in particular his desire to maintain logistical support for the effort in Afghanistan certainly figured in the big face-off that led to his departure. That will now go to his successor. He will stay on in office until his successor is chosen and the critical point is next Wednesday, that's when the liberal democratic party elects its president who would normally be expected to take over the top job.
GORANI: How will this change things in Japan, that Shinzo Abe was a strong supporter of the war on terror in Afghanistan, how will this change things that Abe is now gone?
RIMINTON: He very much wants the close support for of the U.S./Japan alliance to continue by his successor. But of course that's going to go out of his hands. His front-runner to succeed him at the moment is the former foreign minister Taro Aso. He also has been a strong supporter of the U.S. alliance and if he gets the job one can presume he will continue on to push that forward. But there's a hostile, assertive opposition which claims that the logistical support even for the war in Afghanistan is a breach of Japan's pacifist constitution. So that is a fight that is still not yet fully resolved.
GORANI: All right, we will wait and see and continue to report on this story. Hugh Riminton on the ground in Tokyo. Thank you.
CLANCY: All right, got to take a short break here, Hala, but still ahead, a case that really shocked England.
GORANI: A tragic tale about a toddler mauled to death by the family pit bull. Was her grandmother partly to blame?
CLANCY: Also coming up ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Americans that die there, I'm sorry for them. Everybody dies here.
CLANCY: An uncertain future in a violent world. Young men and women talk to us about growing up in Iraq. So this is the first room that I really wish nobody had to use.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But, first, a check on the stories making headlines right here in the United States.
The Iraq war and plans AND withdraw troops, senior administration officials tell CNN President Bush is prepared to endorse the withdrawal of as many as 30,000 U.S. troops that could return home next summer. The president is expected to make the announcement in a prime-time address tomorrow night. Democrats say the withdrawals are merely drawing back additional troops deployed in January.
Senator Barack Obama is talking about his plan for pulling troops out of Iraq. We'll bring you live coverage of his comments from Iowa. We expect to hear from him at 2:30 eastern. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley will be along with some analysis on that.
Army investigators on the ground in Alabama right now. They're trying to determine whether fog was responsible for the crash of an army helicopter. The chopper based at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, went down near Skyline, Alabama, killing all three people on board. It struck a power line and then crashed into a field. Thick fog covered the area at the time. But the local coroner said it's too soon to say whether that caused that crash.
In south Florida, a hit-and-run accident comes to a dramatic end. Ft. Lauderdale police say the driver of this van was fleeing an accident and lost control. As you can see, he slammed right into that convenience store. The driver bolted. But was caught a short time later. No injuries are being reported.
A bus smashes into a store. Now investigators are trying to figure out what happened today in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's reported six people were taken to the hospital. There is no word on serious injuries in that one.
Well, there's trouble in Toyland. Toy company execs are on Capitol Hill right now. They are talking about those massive recalls. The CEO of Mattel is telling senators that he's committed to improving toy safety. The hearing comes a day after China agreed to take steps to eliminate lead paint in toys exported to the U.S. Millions of toys and jewelry containing the toxic metal have been recalled in recent months. The other big safety concern from those Chinese-made toys? A possible choking hazard.
Let's check in now with the CNN weather center to talk about the weather including a tsunami warning. Still no warnings now, right, Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, there are still watches out there. There still may be a wave out there in the middle of the Indian Ocean because I mean, okay, let's just change gears here. I was going to do weather. Let's do tsunami here. Let's do earthquake. There was an 8.2 earthquake not that far from where the earthquake that we know of that we all will never forget, the Banda Aceh quake was way up there, but not that far away. 8.2 earlier today, and they did issue tsunami watches, but they were quickly discontinued because this thing was so close to land, if the tsunami was going to hit, it was going to hit right now. By the time we got the watch out, it was too late.
But there still may be a wave going across the Indian Ocean. Still haven't seen too much significance. One report of about a two- foot wave in one of the harbors. We'll continue to watch it for you if any warnings come out.
Obviously this is not going to Hawaii or the Pacific Ocean, it's going the other direction towards India and Mumbai and maybe Africa. And Africa had a little tsunami from the big earth quake near Banda Aceh.
What we are watching now is tropical depression number nine which could easily today be Humberto. You say, I remember that from six years ago. Yes, not all of them retire. Only the big really bad storms get their names retired. Otherwise, they're recycled every six years.
But there it is right now. There you need to know, Houston, you need to be on your guard for flooding. Now, if you live in Houston or any of those surrounding communities, you know how quickly Houston will flood. Here's the rainfall right now. Not raining in Houston at this moment. Not yet. But it will. It will rain tonight as this comes onshore very close to Galveston. May come onshore as a named storm. If it does, it will be Humberto. If it doesn't, and it comes in as a tropical depression, then it's going to make some heavy, heavy rain. No matter what, it's going to make rain. It will be Humberto if it does. There's it is at 8:00, centered over Houston, Texas.
And, Don, I know you've seen it. We've shown it. I don't know how many times we've shown the Houston flooding, but when it rains there, the water goes up rather quickly and down as fast the same.
LEMON: I almost threw you for a loop.
MYERS: Everything I need is on the keypad.
LEMON: I like the way you say Humberto.
MYERS: Humberto!
LEMON: Thank you, Chad.
Promising signs after a crushing blow injured Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett voluntarily moved his arms and legs yesterday after suffering a spinal injury. We'll have the latest on his condition and talk to a spinal specialist on what doctors did to give. Him the best chance for recovery.
Also this, a random and vicious attack left an Iraqi boy severely disfigured. Youssif and his family have come to America for treatment, but it involves a lot more than doctor appointments. Imagine getting a family of from Baghdad to L.A. and then setting them up for what could be a very long time. We'll get more from the executive director of the Children's Burn Foundation.
Meantime, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLANCY: Wherever you are around the globe, welcome back. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.
GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.
Here are the top stories we're following this hour. Indonesia's social services department says at least three people were killed in the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck off the southwest coast of Sumatra. Strong aftershocks have been reported. But the tsunami alerts, thankfully -- that were initially issued -- rather -- thankfully, in the region have now been canceled.
CLANCY: A big political shake-up in Russia. President Vladimir Putin firing his long-serving prime minister. He nominated a relatively unknown cabinet official to replace Mikhail Fradkov. His name is Victor Zubkov and his nomination could mean Mr. Putin will back him as his presidential successor.
GORANI: A senior U.S. official says President George Bush will follow troop cut recommendations from his top commander in Iraq. General David Petraeus says he wants to withdraw the 30,000 troops that made up the surge by next summer.
CLANCY: It was a case that shocked England. A toddler mauled to death by the family pit bull. Wednesday a judge cleared the girl's grandmother of manslaughter charges saying she is going to have to live with the guilt of letting the dog come in contact with her granddaughter, for the rest of her life. But as Emma Murphy tells us, to the girl's father, that's not good enough.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SINGING)
EMMA MURPHY, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dancing and singing for her daddy, Ellie Lawrensen, delighting in the fun of Christmas. An excited giddy little girl looking forward to more presents and treats. Yet these are the last days of Ellie's life. By New Year's Day she was dead. Nine months on, the Christmas presents she never got time to open are left with the toys she once so enjoyed.
DARREN LAWRENSON, ELLIE'S FATHER: Just can't put into words what it's done to us. You know, Ellie was our alive, you know, and just -- just all what's happened, you know, it's just too hard to go on type of thing (ph).
MURPHY: Five-year-old Ellie died when she was savaged by her uncle's illegal pit bull terrier. It inflicted 72 separate injuries as she stayed at her grandma's house. Today her grandmother, Jackie Simpson, here in black, was cleared of her manslaughter by gross negligence.
(On camera): Jackie Simpson had drunk two bottles of wine and smoked ten joints on the night she let the dog in. However, she denied this had impaired her judgment. She directly contradicted her daughter's evidence in court when she said there was no family rule banning Ellie from having contact with the dog.
However, she did admit that she felt desperately responsible for the child's death, and irrespective of this verdict, will carry the guilt with her for the rest of her life. Today, Ellie's father spoke exclusively to ITV News about his disappointment at the verdict.
LAWRENSON: She's the grandmother. She's supposed to look out for Ellie and protect her, and stuff like that. After what she knew, and she did know everything about that dog, and she knew it must never come in the house. And she just -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I know people can say, oh, we have sympathy and stuff like that. But if it was your child and you knew, she knew, what that dog was capable of, then I'm afraid there can be no sympathy for her. I know, and she knows, she ended Ellie's life.
MURPHY (voice over): Darren Lawrensen insists that Ellie had not been near the dog since September and the whole family knew such contact was banned. All around his home are the reminders of the little girl he lost. The tiny trainers and ballet shoes left where she left them. Memories of how Ellie begged to stay with her grandma for a New Year's treat now haunt her father.
(On camera): It must be very difficult to deal with this.
LAWRENSEN: There was only two people we trusted, and that was Mam or mother, we didn't give it a second thought. We went away from there, as Ellie was going to bed, that dog is going to have no contact with her in four months, and within an hour, our Ellie's death, the most barbaric, horrible death imaginable. And, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I feel sorry for that.
MURPHY (voice over): Ellie's death has left every member of her family wrestling with their own guilt, their own regret, as they question what they could have done to protect the giggling little girl they now mourn. Emma Murphy, ITV News, Liverpool.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, now, to the latest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance. A Portuguese magistrate is now studying the case. The prosecutor handed the missing girl's case file to the judge hours after he received them from the police. Now, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann have been named suspects officially, but they were allowed to return to Britain pending further investigation.
The couple say they were not involved in the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter. She, of course, vanished from a resort hotel room in southern Portugal on May 3rd. A case that has really gripped the attention of people all across the UK, Europe and beyond.
Now, a short break. When we come back, young Iraqis are growing up in a world where there is no such thing as normal.
CLANCY: What sort of things have they seen? What are their hopes for the future? How do they have fun in a country where there is so much misery?
GORANI: All right, we're going to go to this story right now, actually. CNN's Aneesh Raman convened a round-table discussion and asked a cross-section of young Iraqis questions that you sent us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Have you noticed the security situation in your life improving in the past six weeks two to months?
MAIS ABDULLA, ATTORNEY: I can say that a lot of dangerous places that have now security. For me, I can say there's a lot of hope that this situation's going to be better.
MOHAMMED IBRAHIM, MEDICAL STUDENT: There may be a change, and maybe not due to the work of the government. Maybe due to -- the reason that I said to you, the season of education and the number (ph) of the people (ph) on the street (ph) is very reduced. So we can't say it's a remarkable change, we can say only change and we do not know the reasons.
ALI ABDUL KAREEM, POLICE CADET: The new government, you know, they cannot rebuild this country, in one year or two years.
RAMAN: This is a question that was sent in from James from Massachusetts in the U.S. And he asks, can you try to explain to Americans why you think there is so much fighting and division among the Iraqi people?
ABDULLA: We didn't have these things. We didn't have the divide between Sunni or Shia or Arab or Kurd, but it begun now.
IBRAHIM: Four years or maybe more, but it was I thought.
ABDULLA: Yeah, that's what I can tell you.
IBRAHIM: Now, it's a mere fact.
ABDULLAH: Yeah, it's a fact. And you stand in front of it, because you're not acceptable for it.
IBRAHIM: Sure, no one accepts it.
ABDULLAH: Yeah.
IBRAHIM: Everyday, from the outside, you accept it, no one that is Iraqi will accept that.
RAMAN: How divided are people along those lines? Those Shia and Sunni lines?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't reach it, in my capital, yes, it's true.
RAMAN: There are certain areas you can't go as a Shia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should just separate? I don't believe in that, in either my country, I don't think that Iraqis are the ones who made this thing. I think it just comes from outside Iraq.
RAMAN: Let's go to one more e-mail question we've had. It comes from Michelle. She said, "I'd like to first ask them, what they think is the solution to end the fighting and the violence?"
IBRAHIM: Michelle, the question is a question of all the Iraqi people. So I am an Iraqi, I can't answer. I just -- I can only question -- answer the question, to everyone who can answer me.
RAMAN: Do you think that individual Iraqis can affect the situation? Or is it out of your hands?
IBRAHIM: They cannot do anything. They can ask, they can ask the very question only.
RAMAN: Do you think -- and we'll go down the line -- do you think there is any politician right now that can do what you need, that is working in the best interests of you? The Iraqi people?
IBRAHIM: No, no.
KAREEM: Basically not -- not all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think really.
RAMAN: I want to play our first video question from Matthew Rankan (ph), he's a junior at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My question for you would be -- how do you see this war in Iraq ending? And what are you and your friends and family doing to help make that come true? As you know, we have lots of soldiers over there who are risking their lives and dying so you can live in a freer country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About the Americans, that die here, I'm sorry for them, you know. Everybody dies here. Iraqis die, and everybody dies, you know. It's really painful for their families. But the thing that has to end, like, what we going to do, as you said, like, we just have to make some more safety things. IBRAHIM: Everything have a beginning and an end. But, the problem is wait. When and who will make the difference? My friends say that we won't come, maybe 20 years, or 30 years. No, not only the time (ph). We need good people to do that.
RAMAN: Let's go to one more e-mail question we've had. It comes from Shane in Arkansas. "Do you think American troops should leave or stay?"
IBRAHIM: Leave, but not now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The American soldiers in Iraq, is more, more injuries for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: Fascinating. We get to hear there what young Iraqis have to say.
GORANI: All right, but also, we are going to take a short break.
And up next, he's been called one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate. Republican Senator Jeff Sessions will tell us what he thinks of what General David Petraeus had to say about Iraq and the planned troop drawdown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (MUSIC, SINGING): If there's a bustle in you hedge row don't be alarmed now.
CLANCY: Oh, you're old if you remember this one. Just can't get enough of "Stairway To Heaven". Well, you don't just have to turn to classic rock stations anymore to hear it. Soon you'll be able to get the real thing, live. We'll have the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: Are we going to continue to invest American blood and treasure at the same rate we're doing now? For what?
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: The surge must not be an excuse for failing to prepare for the next phase of our involvement, whether that is a partial withdrawal, a gradual redeployment, or some other option.
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: Americans want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Can we get a longer-term vision? Can we get a longer-term plan? Can we say, yeah, we can be down to half our troops in three years?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right, welcome back. You're hearing some of that Senate hearing with General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador to Iraq. You're with YOUR WORLD TODAY and you're with CNN International. You're very welcome.
CLANCY: And some of the people that you heard there were conservative members of the president's Republican Party. And you can see there, how they're not happy with what is going on. A new political battle clearly shaping up in the U.S. Congress over Iraq.
But how much did these hearings really change anything? Let's bring in the Republican Senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions. A staunch conservative. A staunch supporter of President George W. Bush.
Did you think that anything changed in all of this? Will as a result of this the Republicans have a bit of better time holding the line?
JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: I think the Republicans, and all members of the Senate really, and the house, were utilizing this period of time of General Jimmy Jones' report last week, the General Accounting Office, the Government Accountability Office's report last week, and now Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus, to really take a hard look at how we are doing. What is happening?
And I got to tell you that news is incontrovertible that it does appear that we had some real progress in recent weeks. General Petraeus is using a sophisticated counterinsurgency plan, based on a manual that he personally wrote. And it does seem to be making some progress. And violence is down. And he's able, good news, to announce that he plans to recommend and is recommending a 30,000 troop reduction so --
CLANCY: Is it --
SESSIONS: Those were good things to hear out of that -- that -- those hearings. And I think it has given us some comfort that a situation that looked for a while to be getting away from us is coming under control.
CLANCY: Give it a hard look, though, senator. What is really on offer here really a troop reduction? Let's listen to what the House speaker had to say, Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The president added 30,000 troops and now he's saying a year and a half later, nearly two years later, we'll be back to where we started from. I mean, please, it's an insult to the intelligence of the American people that that is a new direction in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: Would you concede that this isn't really a reduction of U.S. troops? It's just the end of the surge that's being offered?
SESSION: Well, in a way, that's correct. In a way it's a reduction of troops. This was a surge, I always considered it a bitter pill to have to increase the troops. We had hoped to be drawing down last year. But last year was a bad year in Iraq. We've seen, you know, the violence in Baghdad was just really horrendous.
CLANCY: But Senator Sessions...
SESSIONS: Now he's talking about bringing that number down 30,000. He said by March of next year he hoped to announce further reductions.
CLANCY: Senator Sessions, do you ever think that this war's going to achieve what the administration set out to do?
SESSIONS: Well, it's not going to achieve everything that the administration hoped for, no.
CLANCY: What do you think it will achieve?
SESSIONS: Well, I asked this question of General Jimmy Jones and his 20-member commission, did they think that we had the opportunity, a realistic possibility, of achieving a successful outcome in Iraq, that included a decent government, that functioned and was an ally of ours. General Jones said, yes. And he asked if any members of his panel disagreed. Nobody in the 20-member panel disagreed.
General Petraeus likewise said the same. That's a fundamental question, because I think last fall members of Congress and members of the public at large actually believed and we were all worried that this thing was in a state of disarray that could -- could turn badly in a hurry.
CLANCY: All right, the view from the Republican Senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions. I want to thank you very much for being with us.
I want to also take our viewers quickly here to the White House. Tony Snow, battling cancer, about to step aside from his role as spokesman for the White House, giving his last press conference there, talking with reporters last time in his official capacity. He's got a lot of friends there at the White House. Among all of the different correspondents that are there. Wishing him the best.
GORANI: All right. We're going to take a break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY. When we come back, we're going to switch gears, and we're going to look at a whole lot of "Led".
CLANCY: Led Zeppelin, that is. We're going to tell you about plans for their big reunion concert when we come back. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): If there's a bustle in your hedge row, don't be alarmed now --
CLANCY: Ah, the old FM radio days. It's been a long time since I heard these guys rock 'n' roll.
GORANI: Yeah, you were a deejay, right?
CLANCY: Well, sort of. News director, whatever.
GORANI: Whatever, same difference.
Anyway, 12 years it's been, but the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin are getting back together for one night only. Get your tickets.
CLANCY: That's right. They are one of the legendary rock groups. Their manager has just announced that singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones are going to reunite for a single show in London. And, yes, Hala, I'm sure they will play "Stairway To Heaven."
GORANI: All right, everybody knows that one, even if you're not very familiar with Led Zeppelin. They'll be joined onstage by Jason Bonham. He's the son of the band's original drummer. The concert is scheduled for November the same month that Led Zeppelin's Greatest Hits album is due to hit stores.
Hmm, there seems to be some marketing strategy behind it perhaps. Page and Plant have gotten together over the years, but this will be Led Zeppelin's first reunion with all the surviving members since they were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame 12 years ago.
Let's get more on this. We're joined by Anthony DeCurtis from "Rolling Stone" magazine.
Anthony, thanks for being with us.
ANTHONY DECURTIS, "ROLLING STONE": Oh, my pleasure.
GORANI: Are you excited at this reunion? Or do you see this, as some German rock critics have called the Rolling Stones or Phil Collins just geriatric rockers who should pack it up?
DECURTIS: No, I think, Led Zeppelin, obviously, is one of the most important bands in rock history. They haven't reunited really before, except, you know, on occasion. This is an appropriate occasion. I think it's a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun that he would provide the inspiration for something like this.
GORANI: Yes, because, give us an idea why they are reuniting. This is for a musical promoter, a band promoter, that they credit for part of their success as well, so this is also not just going to the ticket sales, and the money raised. It's going for a worthy cause.
DECURTIS: Yeah, the money's going to a charity in the name of Ahmet Ertegun who is the founder of Atlantic Records. He was somebody, you know, that was instrumental of Ray Charles and many, many other important artists whom Led Zeppelin revere. And then later on, during the rock era, he signed Led Zeppelin and was a big supporter. Ahmet famously called by Mick Jagger, my wicked uncle, who, you know, was the kind of guy that really knew music, knew the industry and Led Zeppelin revered him. And I think he's providing the inspiration.
GORANI: What is your favorite Led Zeppelin song? (LAUGHTER)
DECURTIS: Well, you know, there really are a lot.
If you had to name one. Are you going, first of all, to this concert?
GORANI: If you had to name one? Are you going, first of all, to this concert?
DECURTIS: Well, you know, it was just announced five minutes ago. So I haven't organized it yet.
GORANI: OK.
DECURTIS: But, yeah, I certainly hope to.
But, you know, there's plenty of them. I think that, you know, I mean certainly "Stairway to Heaven" is one of them and, you know, "How Many More Times." There's you know, Led Zeppelin made a lot of great songs.
GORANI: Let me ask you now. They split 27 years ago. VH1 viewers voted Led Zeppelin the best-ever hard rock band. Why do you think that there is such nostalgia still in 2007 for these rock bands that were formed essentially in the late '60s and early '70s? I'm talking about, of course, The Rolling Stones, but also Led Zeppelin and others. Do you think it's because we don't have original music today?
DECURTIS: I don't think it's about -- I don't think necessarily it's about the original music today. But I think that, you know, so many of the bands who are around today were influenced by these bands. And, you know, they're the first generation of rock bands really to have these kind of long careers.
Led Zeppelin, you know, by not reuniting over time, you know, they never did many interviews, they were always was an air of mystery around them. So in their case, I think there's a sense of, you know, genuine enthusiasm. So, you know, just that idea of kind of touching the flames. You know, they were an extremely important band.
And, you know, people would love the opportunity to see them. Obviously, this is one show. But I think there are certainly rumors and a lot of hope that there will be a tour.
GORANI: All right. Well we'll wait and see. Anthony DeCurtis from "Rolling Stone" magazine, thanks so much for being with us.
DECURTIS: Thank you very much.
CLANCY: Anthony didn't say it there, Hala, but it reminds us of the time when we could remember our favorite Led Zeppelin song.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, people just can't stop talking, though, about Britney Spears. I'll tell you that.
GORANI: All right. I remember my favorite Britney Spears song, but, of course, now she's given them another opportunity with a comeback that she might wish to take back.
CLANCY: Jeanne Moos looks at it like no one else can.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): That song Britney sang? Oh, she got it all right, "Lard & Clear", chortled the "New York Post." TMZ.TV was outright mean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know they made stripper wear for Butterball turkeys.
MOOS: And the celebrity disher, Perez Hilton, scrawled "Help" and "Mess", over with photos manipulated to make Britney Spears look even bigger than the original pictures.
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": This was the big comeback? The only thing she was coming back from was the buffet table.
MOOS: At the buffet table of pop culture there were those who saw it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
MOOS (on camera): I take it you saw it?
(Voice over): And those who didn't, but heard about it.
(on camera): You didn't?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, but I hear she was fat.
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK, "THE VIEW": I bet there is not one man criticizing her for being fat, right now. I bet it's women and that's sad. That women turn on women who call each other fat, when they're not. She's not fat. She's has had two kids!
MOOS: Well, actually, there were men who were critical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The body looked terrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She should get out of that outfit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If she's flaunting it, it's appropriate to talk about it.
MOOS: It sure got talked about on "Late Night".
DAVID LETTERMAN, THE LATE SHOW: She was rolling around on the floor like speared sea life.
MOOS: And to think, just last year, Letterman was kissing Britney's hand and telling her --
LETTERMAN: Well, you look great!
MOOS: Back when she was pregnant.
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: Don't worry, Dave, it's not yours.
MOOS: From laughing with her to laughing at her. On YouTube a guy who calls himself Chris Crocker (ph), cried on Britney's behalf.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her song is called "Gimme More" for a reason, because all you people want is more, more, more, more! Leave her alone!
MOOS: But leaving her outfit alone didn't seem to be an option.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, you're going to be wearing a bra and bikini underwear in front of God and the world, you got to the be in better shape than that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When she started making the hip moves, the belly flopping was more obvious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad, somebody should have put her away somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: The overwrought --
GORANI: Leave her alone!
CLANCY: In YOUR WORLD TODAY. That's it for this hour. I'm Jim Clancy.
GORANI: And I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN, a lot more after the break.
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