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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

War Crime or an Act of Self-Defense?; President Reportedly Plans to Nominate Condoleezza Rice to Replace Powell

Aired November 16, 2004 - 05:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead, war crime or an act of self-defense? An Iraqi insurgent is killed at point blank range by an American Marine.
Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Besides the portable Breathalyzer, this is one of the neatest things I've seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oxycontin's got it. Viagra will, as well. It's even been on an episode of "CSI Miami." It is the size of a Tic Tac and it could save your life. So what is it?

Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's huge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Apparently size does matter. When it comes to mobile phones, some say bigger is better.

It is Tuesday, November 16.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

I'm Carol Costello in New York.

Thank you for waking up with us.

There is a lot going on this morning, so let's go right to the headlines now.

A new battlefront opens up in Iraq this morning. The U.S. military says American and Iraqi troops have started an offensive in Mosul. It's aimed at securing the northern city from insurgents.

Chicago's Midway Airport back to normal this morning after a security scare. Apparently somebody walked away with a bag that had been flagged for extra screening, so authorities evacuated the airport and grounded all planes.

It's back to business today for the House and Senate. Congress is returning for a lame duck session. Law makers have a lot on their plate, including 9/11 reforms and key spending bills.

NASA will try again today to make aviation history. It plans another test flight of what's billed as the world's fastest jet. An electrical glitch scrubbed yesterday's launch. The so-called scram jet is capable of going 10 times the speed of sound. Wow!

To the forecast center in Atlanta -- good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: See, and we heard that they couldn't find Wiley Coyote to drive it. That was the thing. We didn't realize it was an electrical problem. OK.

COSTELLO: Gotcha.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: No doubt you've heard of this by now. There have been scores of deadly shootings by U.S. troops in the battle of Falluja. But one of them, captured on videotape, is getting extra attention from the military.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the story. And we want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Friday, U.S. Marines stormed a Falluja mosque after taking fire from insurgents inside. The Marines killed 10 fighters and wounded five others, who were given some medical treatment and left to be picked up later. The next day, last Saturday, a different Marine unit went back into the mosque in response to reports insurgents had returned. Gunfire could be heard as the Marine unit that had been there Friday and an embedded television reporter arrived at the mosque minutes later.

As they entered, three of the previous day's wounded lay dying, apparently shot again. It's unclear the Marines who were already there knew the wounded had been captured and disarmed the day before. One severely wounded man is then shot in the head by one of those Marines at point blank range.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED) playing like he's dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). He's dead now.

MCINTYRE: CNN has chosen not to show the actual killing due to the explicit nature of the video. Afterward, one man tells the television reporter in Arabic that he was among the prisoners captured on Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened?

MCINTYRE: When the TV reporter relays that to the Marine, he replies, "I didn't know, sir. I didn't k." That Marine, who's said to have suffered a gunshot wound to the face the day before, is now under investigation. If he knowingly shot a wounded captive who did not pose a threat, it would be a war crime.

LT. COL. BOB MILLER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: They would have to be using force in self-defense, yes. Enemy wounded, and in this case insurgents, who don't pose a threat, would not be considered hostile, generally. I think that's a fair statement.

MCINTYRE: The investigation will determine if the Marine violated any rules or should be charged with any crime. The Marines point out that in the fog of war, it's not always clear who is a threat.

In a separate incident the same day, a Marine was killed and five others wounded when they came across a dead body that was booby- trapped.

(on camera): U.S. commanders are worried about the impact of the video, which seems to show a prisoner being unjustly killed. They're worried that instead of surrendering, it could encourage the insurgents to fight on to the death.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: We'll have more on the fallout from the Falluja shooting coming up on DAYBREAK. And we'll go deeper into the war in Iraq. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us from London for "The War Room." That's in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Back here in the States, it's no secret, more high ranking officials are leaving the CIA. The shakeup in the spy agency comes as new director, Porter Goss, takes over the reigns. The latest to resign, the two top leaders of the CIA's clandestine service. Sources tell CNN the two had clashed with aides to the new director.

Earlier, Deputy Director John McLaughlin announced he's resigning.

It's not just the CIA that's facing a shakeup. Big changes are in store for President Bush's cabinet, as well. Secretary of State Colin Powell has resigned. Sources tell CNN the president plans to nominate National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to replace Powell. He joins a parade of other departing cabinet members, including Education Secretary Rod Paige, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. Commerce Secretary Ron Evans and Attorney General John Ashcroft are also leaving.

The nomination of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state could come as early as this afternoon. Rice has served as national security adviser during the entire Bush administration. She's the first African-American woman to hold the post. Rice enrolled in college at the age of 15. She served in the original Bush administration as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and then she went on to become the provost at Stanford University before joining the George W. Bush campaign in 2000. Rice turned 50 on Sunday.

But who will replace Rice as national security adviser? Well, administration officials tell CNN that Rice's top deputy, Stephen Hadley, will step in to take her place.

But at least one former secretary of state says the shakeup could lead to trouble ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE EAGLEBURGER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: If the rumors prove correct and her deputy becomes the National Security Council adviser, what you've got there is, you know, everybody is going to speak the same language, talk the same things and I think what that means is that whatever influence, for instance, Colin Powell had is going to be much less under these new circumstances. It is not that I dislike Condoleezza Rice. I think, however, she is not the person for that job for these reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Stephen Hadley has been with Rice since she took over as national security adviser. He also served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy for the first President Bush.

Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to stay on the job, though, until his successor is confirmed. He's pushing for new peace efforts in the Mideast in the wake of Yasser Arafat's death. But after Arafat and after Powell, will those efforts get off the ground?

CNN's Guy Raz joins us now from Jerusalem...

Hello, Guy.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Colin Powell's resignation hasn't come as much of a surprise to the political players in this region. It's long been assumed that Colin Powell would be one of the first administration officials to leave in any second Bush term. But that said, some Palestinian officials are privately lamenting his imminent departure. Colin Powell was regarded as one of the few moderate voices in the administration by Palestinian officials. Of course, he was instrumental in pushing the Bush administration to adopt the road map for peace, the plan that calls for an independent Palestinian state by the year 2006.

But that said, his departure won't necessarily have an earth shattering impact on the peace process. Colin Powell has been largely absent from the region for the past two years. In fact, his last trip here was some 18 months ago, and it's largely been assumed that U.S. policy vis-a-vis the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been determined in the White House and not in the State Department.

But, Carol, what has changed in the region, of course, has been the passing of Yasser Arafat, somebody that the Bush administration regarded as the main obstacle to a negotiated peace settlement. And there's been some speculation that Colin Powell will visit the region next week, will meet with Palestinian officials in an attempt to bolster this emerging leadership.

Now, when it comes talk to -- when it comes time to talk about a possible successor, of course, Condoleezza Rice is the name on everyone's mouth. Condoleezza Rice has had close ties with Israeli officials for more than a decade. It's long been thought that she has been key, instrumental in developing U.S. policy toward the Middle East and has had very close ties to members of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's inner circle.

Now, for its part, the Palestinian Authority is urging any successor to Colin Powell to take a more balanced approach to U.S. policy when it comes to the Middle East. One senior Palestinian official telling us he hopes that any successor to Mr. Powell will reengage in the peace process -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Guy Raz reporting live from Jerusalem.

Thank you.

Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, more on the rapidly changing face of the Bush cabinet and what it means at home and abroad.

We'll be joined by syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams and radio talk show host Nancy Skinner.

The CIA has been taking it on the chin and some say the spy agency deserves it. The former CIA official who until last week headed the agency's hunt for Osama bin Laden responds to some of the big changes in the intelligence community. We've got that coming up.

Also, preventing drug theft -- a new FDA initiative makes use of the computer chip technology. That's later.

Plus this -- little, bit, really big? What's your choice when it comes to telephones you can take with you? We'll tell you about one effort to target a certain market of phone users.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: U.S. military officials say the Iraqi city of Falluja is secure. But in the same breath they say it's still a dangerous place. Gunfire, rocket fire is still reverberating in parts of the city.

Let's get the latest now from our Jane Arraf.

She's embedded with an Army unit in Falluja.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've just been speaking to Marine officials, in fact, and the Army and the Army sector that we are in. It is relatively quiet. But overnight the Marines have dropped J-DAMs, 500 pound bombs, on insurgent targets.

Major General Richard Natonski, who's commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, tells us that he believes the insurgency has been defeated, but it's going to be some time before civilians can come back again.

A civil affairs official with the Marines tells us they believe they could have water restored in just a few days. But electricity could take a couple of weeks and they still have the problem of keeping civilians safe.

Apart from the insurgents still here, there are land mines, explosives and other dangerous items at almost every turn in many neighborhoods.

COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Falluja this morning.

Thank you, Jane.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:14 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

One U.S. soldier is dead and another has been evacuated to a military hospital. Army officials say insurgents attacked a military convoy this morning just north of Baghdad.

Medical officials say it was a miracle no one was killed. More than 100 people were hurt in Australia when a high speed train flew off the tracks. No word on what caused this accident.

In money news, Wrigley cooks up a sweet deal to buy Life Savers and Altoids from Kraft Foods. It's paying a mint for the candy and mint businesses. This is about a $1.5 billion transaction. In culture, school kids on the go. A new study indicates 80 percent of students in grades seven through 12 are taking part in some type of organized after school activity.

And in sports, Barry Bonds is in seventh heaven. The San Francisco Giants left fielder is once again the National League's MVP. He's now won the title seven times. This latest is his fourth in a row.

MYERS: Nice job.

COSTELLO: That's amazing.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Hi, Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

The Eagles won big over Dallas yesterday. See, Donovan McNabb, 345 yards passing. Wow!

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you at this hour.

Certainly the CIA is in turmoil. A couple of high officials resigned; clashes in top level offices.

Let's go beyond the quick sound bite now.

CNN national security correspondent David Ensor spoke with Michael Scheuer, former head of the agency's Osama bin Laden unit.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MICHAEL SCHEUER, FORMER CIA OFFICIAL: The service as a whole, the clandestine service as a whole feels that it has been scapegoated to some extent by the 9/11 Commission, by the Shelby-Goss Commission, by the just the failure to recognize the number of occasions bin Laden could have been taken care of, all of which were supplied by the clandestine service.

So I think there's a sense of frustration there, sir. And now the uncertainty of a new management team.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is the reelection of George Bush good for the chances of decent policy, in your view, in the war on terrorism, or bad?

SCHEUER: I don't think there's a great deal of difference between the Democrat and the Republican on the policies bin Laden has identified as antagonistic and lethal to the Islamic world. Those are policies that have been in place for 30 years, whether it's manipulating oil prices from the oil producers to keep the price low enough for the Western consumer; our support for Israel, with almost no restraints; our willingness to support tyrannies in the Muslim world.

ENSOR: But are you saying you're against those policies?

SCHEUER: No, sir. I'm saying what needs to be said by our leaders, Democrat and Republican, that those are the cause of this war with bin Laden, not our democracy, not our elections, not our society. And the American people then, I think, should have a say on those policies. And if, at the end of the day, we want to continue those policies, that's fine. That's the way democracy works. But if they are reviewed and they are debated, the American people will at least know, go into this with their eyes open, into a bloody, endless war which can be held at bay militarily, but which cannot be won.

ENSOR: You write in your book, "This war has the potential to last beyond our children's lifetimes and to be fought mostly on U.S. soil."

SCHEUER: Yes, sir.

ENSOR: Really?

SCHEUER: I think that's correct. We have -- we don't have a choice between peace and war. This is a choice between war and endless war. What we need to do is to combine intelligence -- the work of the intelligence service, certainly more aggressive military activities and some consideration of changing policies.

The best we can hope for in the near term is to cut down the potential for bin Laden to grow in the Muslim world in the sense of his support.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And you can hear more from this former CIA official. He'll be the guest on "AMERICAN MORNING" in the 7:00 a.m. Eastern time hour.

You can super size your French fries, come up with a super duper game plan or just look pretty super with larger than life telephones. How the latest technology is taking on a big idea, when we come back.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Chad, are you out there? Are you...

MYERS: I am.

COSTELLO: ... out there in the ether? Oh, you're even -- oh, you're on the sofa set in Atlanta.

MYERS: Yes, they moved me downstairs because they didn't like me up there anymore.

COSTELLO: We like to make you run down the stairs. You get your morning exercise that way.

MYERS: That's all right, I need the exercise.

COSTELLO: Did you hear about these new cell phones that are out? You know, cell phones are becoming tinier and tinier.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Well...

MYERS: The new ones have wheels.

COSTELLO: Exactly. They're so huge you need wheels to carry them around. But a lot of people really like them.

CNN's Andrew brown takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It looks like a regular phone that sits on your desk. But his hand set is a mobile phone. You can take it anywhere -- make calls, take calls, impress your friends and complete strangers. BEN SCHWALL, JABLOTRON: Anything that you can do with a cell phone, you can do with this, except maybe put it in your pocket.

BROWN: The device, made by a Czech firm called Jablotron, is meant to be easy to operate. The buttons are big. So is the display. And text messages can be typed on a traditional keyboard.

SCHWALL: This is not only large, but it's uncomplicated.

BROWN: That doesn't mean all consumers want this phone. Here is a mobile phone. But when it comes to the gadget giggles, Hollywood's actually begun ridiculing small phones and phones packed with high performance chips are now competing against much simpler devices with just one or two functions. This mobile device, developed in Hong Kong, features a button elderly users can press to reach an emergency call center.

DUNCAN CLARK, TELECOM ANALYST: There's increasing desire by the hand set vendors to find these pockets, untapped pockets of customers. And to do that, we really need to understand the specific needs and demographics of those people.

BROWN: Jablotron's phone is already being sold to older consumers in Europe. And some seniors in Asia are giving it the thumbs up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good. No hands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you strap it from your belt.

BROWN: Jablotron says a lot of people prefer to just use the phone at home. On the Hong Kong subway, which is full of mobile users, you won't find many commuters yapping away on a Jablotron. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like those phones.

BROWN: Why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're huge.

BROWN: Huge enough not to loose. It's hard to imagine someone forgetting a phone this size. Or is it?

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: That thing is huge.

MYERS: It could be a fax machine.

COSTELLO: I know. It would be a lot easier to use, though, Chad.

MYERS: Yes, for someone with like all thumbs like me.

COSTELLO: Well, exactly. You know, I have a cell phone that's so small it's hard to read the display thing that comes up.

MYERS: Well, now those Blackberries are so sublimely small you can't get your fingers in between the little letters.

COSTELLO: I know.

Which leads us to our fun e-mail Question of the Morning. Pocket size or super size -- which gadgets do you prefer? Send your thoughts to us. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

Some bad vibes at the Vibe Music Awards taping in California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You gone and messed up my rap, man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Producer Quincy Jones and rapper Snoop Dogg left the stage after this fight broke out during the ceremony. They were about to honor Dr. Dre with a lifetime achievement award. Instead, the show was halted while people in the audience began fighting and throwing chairs. Police say a man was stabbed. He's in the hospital this morning in stable condition. The show will go on, though. It airs tonight, Chad.

MYERS: Good thing it was on a 24 hour delay instead of just seven seconds...

COSTELLO: It's just incredible.

MYERS: Because they wouldn't have made it. COSTELLO: No, I don't think so.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

A changing of the guard on Capitol Hill. Think there's something funny about Colin Powell's resignation? Jeanne Moos goes looking for the answer. We'll show you what she found.

From New York and from Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Arming yourself with the right products can make your travels easier and more relaxing, according to this year's "Money" magazine's gift guide.

MEGAN JOHNSTON, WRITER, "MONEY": "Money" magazine went in to find the best few things that a traveler could either bring on board or check. So we chose the Travel Pro Platinum 4SE Expandable Roll Aboard Suiter because at 22 inches, it's the largest roll aboard bag you can bring on board.

The Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones allows you to sit in complete silence on an airplane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But if it's too quiet, you can plug your Bose headphones into your Panasonic LS50 portable DVD player and watch a movie.

JOHNSTON: "Money" magazine really liked the Panasonic Portable DVD LS50 because it has a seven inch screen, which is bigger than a lot of other models at that price point and also has a battery life of about 60.5 hours.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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