[Tony Harris, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
[Betty Nguyen, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi Collins. You can watch event come into the NEWSROOM live on this Tuesday, April 8th. Here's what's on the rundown. The top commander in Iraq. His view of battle progress and troop withdrawal. General David Petraeus answers questions from your lawmakers this hour. We have live coverage.
[Harris:] A political combat. Intersecting with military strategy. The next commander in chief among the senators who will question the general.
[Nguyen:] The Olympic torch arriving in the U.S. Protesters angry at host nation China. Fired up in the
[Newsroom. Harris:] Billions of dollars, thousands of lives, countless questions, where do we stand in the Iraq war? And where, where are we headed? Just minutes from now on Capitol Hill, the view from the top two U.S. officials in Iraq, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify about fighting politics and the future. CNN correspondents are covering all the angles to walk us through all of this today. What will we hear and what does it mean? CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. Jill Dougherty is in Baghdad. Zain Verjee is at the State Department and Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill where three presidential candidates will be front and center today. We have a lot of ground to cover before the proceedings get under way at the bottom of the hour, so we're going to break down the war into smaller components. First, the military aspects. CNN's Barbara Starr at her post at the Pentagon. Barbara, good to see you. David Petraeus will report the situation is much better overall in Iraq, but certainly the last few weeks, have seen a sharp turn, uptick in the violence. What do we expect the general to say about this?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, Tony, good morning to you. General Petraeus is going to try to keep himself out of that political theater. It remains to be seen if he can do that. He will say that the surge is working, that it's bought the time for Iraqi political reconciliation and the Iraqis to get their security house in order. But he will get a lot of questions about, is that really the case, is that really what's happening, because this latest fighting in Basra and in Sadr City shows the Iraqis still have a long way to go before they're ready to fight for themselves independently of U.S. help and political reconciliation. There is a ceasefire, one day fighting the next, a ceasefire the next day pardon me political reconciliation still seems to be way off.
[Harris:] Yes. Barbara, a couple of follow-ups here. What about the Iranian threat and its impact on our involvement in Iraq? What are we likely to hear on this topic from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker?
[Starr:] I think right. I think that that is something very much to watch at this point. It was just last week, Tony, when U.S. forces got the biggest haul ever of IED components, those armor penetrating bombs, that they saying are being made and shipped in from Iran. Enough components to make about 1,000 of those explosively formed penetrators. General Petraeus, we are told, is very likely to talk very intently about Iran's continuing involvement in shipping weapons in and in supporting the Shia militia groups especially in the south.
[Harris:] And Barbara, we're going to hear a lot today about a pause, I'll ask you to explain that, but is it at all possible that further troop reductions could still come later this year beyond the reduction of the surge forces?
[Starr:] OK. Here's where we are on the calendar. General Petraeus's plan is to complete the withdrawal of the five surge brigades, those extra troops that went in, complete that by the end of July. Then, he wants a pause. Several weeks to just keep things status quo, assess the security situation especially with this latest fighting, see how things sort out before he makes a decision about any additional troop withdrawals. But look at the calendar, Tony. That takes you into later in the year. It takes about six weeks, at least, to get a single brigade out of Iraq. So perhaps the best he can hope for is one or two more brigades, but by the end of the year, by the end of the Bush administration, all indications are they're still likely to be at least 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq.
[Harris:] Terrific. Barbara Starr, teeing it up for us at the Pentagon this morning, Barbara, appreciate it. Thank you.
[Starr:] Sure.
[Nguyen:] OK. Now from the frontlines to the backrooms. The politics and diplomacy of war. CNN's State Department Zain Verjee has that angle.
[Zain Verjee, Cnn State Department Correspondent:] The U.S. military surge was supposed to give Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki and other Iraqi leaders breathing space to stop arguing and work together. But progress is painfully slow. A new report from the U.S. Institute of Peace warns, without political progress, the U.S. risks getting bogged down in Iraq for a long time to come.
[Phebe Marr, Policy Analyst:] There is a profound struggle for power going on among communities, among political parties, which frankly is not going to come to any end on our timetable.
[Verjee:] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been on the ground four times since January of last year, too few, her critics say, leaving most of the prodding to her ambassador, Ryan Crocker. The Bush administration admits key benchmarks have not fully been met. The U.S. urged changes to Iraq's constitution to attract more Sunnis into the Shia-led government. Aside from forming a review committee, nothing's happened. Iraq's parliament voted to allow former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party back in government, but the new law only applies to low-level party members. Washington pushed provincial elections to empower local leaders but factional disagreements have slowed that down. The Iraqi government is beginning to share oil revenue but hasn't nailed down a long-term deal. President Bush wants Iraqis to spend $10 billion on reconstruction. The government spent only a small fraction of that.
[Marr:] Reconciliation isn't going to come by sitting down at a table and signing a paper. It's going to come in over the long term, after quiet, after cutting deals.
[Verjee:] The U.S. points to progress outside the capital, where provincial leaders from different factions are cooperating.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] You know, sometimes it requires grassroots politics to get the folks in central government to respond.
[Nguyen:] And Zain Verjee joins us now live from the State Department. Zain, what do you expect to hear from Ambassador Crocker today, as he testifies?
[Verjee:] The State Department is telling us that he drafted it in Iraq and hasn't really shown it to anyone around here in this building, not even Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But what we understand from
[Nguyen:] To wait and see. OK. Zain Verjee joining us live. Thank you, Zain.
[Harris:] And now to Baghdad and the backdrop for the report, CNN's Jill Dougherty has the view on the ground. Jill, good to see you. What impact is the so-called troop surge having right now in Iraq and let's parse this out a bit. We're talking about the American troop surge and the surge of Iraqi security forces as well.
[Jill Dougherty, Cnn Correspondent:] Right. Well, if you look at just what has happened in the last few weeks, it looks as if there has been certainly more violence. And the question would be: is a surge actually overall working, is that something else that's happening, or is that really a breakdown in the effectiveness of the surge. That's the question that nobody really at this point can answer. But I'll tell you, Tony, when you see it on the ground here, you realize how really, really complex this is. Last night, fighting, lots of fighting, sporadic in Sadr City. You know, Basra, down in the south, is relatively calm now, but here it's in Baghdad and in the capital, very intense fighting and people are leaving that area. Then you had the latest wrinkle, which is the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was planning, he had called on his supporters, to turn out a million strong on to the streets of Baghdad tomorrow, Wednesday, and just this past hour, he called it off. Now is that a step forward, a step back? It's very complex politics and it's very complex militarily.
[Harris:] Jill, do we have any idea about this complex relationship that you're referring to? Who is making out, reaching out, making the connections with al-Sadr's people so that we get what we're getting here, a call for a mass demonstration and then a day later, we're calling the whole thing off? Do we have any idea what the back channel communication is?
[Dougherty:] That is very difficult to say because actually, there could be some going on, or it could be simply that chess match that al-Sadr is playing out. And certainly it's not only Muqtada al-Sadr. It's the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
[Harris:] Yes. Yes.
[Dougherty:] Because he is trying to project his power and say that, look, it may look as if there's a lot of violence, but actually, that's us, with progress going against the criminals and other elements.
[Harris:] Yes. I'm just trying to figure out who has al-Sadr's ear right now. Jill Dougherty for us in Baghdad, Jill, appreciate it. Thank you.
[Nguyen:] Well, you know, people will be listening very closely to three senators in particular today John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barak Obama. And CNN's Dana Bash joins us now live from Capitol Hill. And they'll be watching to see exactly how these three senators question Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] You're right, Betty. You know, and when you think about this, if you sort of take it up to 10,000 feet, if you will, and look at the kind of dynamic you're going to see today, it really is a reminder of how one of many ways this political year is extraordinary because you are going to have a chance, or at least voters will, have a chance to see all of the potential candidates for president on display in the very same forum, or at least the same kinds of forum, questioning the man who very much is going to determine help determine whether or not their argument, their political argument, is successful on the campaign trail. And boy, I mean, listening to these candidates on a host of issues, it is really is worth underlining how incredibly different and the divide, how deep the divide is, between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and John McCain are on this issue of the war in Iraq. So what you're going to see, I think, are two fundamental questions and issues that all of these candidates are going to get at. First, the fundamental question is, whether or not the so-called surge has been or is a success. Obviously John McCain argues all the time on the campaign trail that it is. And Democrats say, you know, it's not so much of a success because they point to, as Zain Verjee was talking about, the political progress that is so very much lagging that was supposed to be the whole point, they say, of this military surge. And the other fundamental, really the biggest question that these candidates are going to get at will try to get at with General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker is how and whether the troops should come home or should stay on their watch if they are the next commander in chief. We hear it time and time again from these candidates on the campaign trail, but now you're going to see them again in the same exact rooms making very, very different points. Listen to what both Hillary Clinton and John McCain, both of whom sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the first hearing this morning. Listen to arguments that they have made in teeing up this hearing.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] A year from now, if I'm the president, we're going to begin ending American military involvement in Iraq. I think that's the right decision for America, for our military and for the Iraqis who have to come to grips with the fact that, you know, it's up to them to decide how to use the freedom that they've been given. We cannot impose a military solution. That's obvious.
[Sen. John Mccain , Presidential Candidate:] There are those who today argue for a hasty withdrawal from Iraq. Some would withdraw regardless of the consequences. Others say that we can withdrawal now and return if trouble starts again. What they're really proposing, if they mean what they say, is a policy of withdrawal and reinvade. If we withdrawal hastily and irresponsibly, we will guarantee the trouble will come immediately.
[Bash:] And Betty, that is the substance of the argument that the candidates make. Obviously a big thing is also going to be the stage craft and the atmospheric, the kind of sense that they give or don't give to voters. They hope that they could be the best commander in chief to deal with a situation like this Betty.
[Nguyen:] Wow. Voters will definitely be watching very closely today, as will we. Dana Bash joining us live, thank you, Dana.
[Bash:] Thank you.
[Harris:] Let's go get a check of weather now. Boy, some severe weather is moving across the Plains, Oklahoma, Arkansas, again. Boy, in the bull's eye. There he is. Rob Marciano, the jacket's off. This is...
[Nguyen:] I know you know it's serious when the jacket is off.
[Harris:] Yes.
[Rob Marciano, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yes. I don't think I'm going to bring the jacket tomorrow.
[Nguyen:] Uh-oh.
[Harris:] That's OK.
[Nguyen:] That's not a good sign. Absolutely. Thank you, Rob. Well, security concerns in San Francisco to tell you about. Preparing for Olympic protests there. The flame did arrive in the city just a short time ago and CNN's Kara Finnstrom joins us now live in San Francisco this morning. A lot of people have been watching closely to see if we're going to see the type of protests we've seen in London in Paris.
[Kara Finnstrom, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. A major protests expected later today into tomorrow which is when that torch relay is actually expected to begin at around 1:00 local time, Betty. But earlier this morning we do have some videotape of the torch arriving here in San Francisco. It was brought in a plane, the flame was brought in a lantern knot, carried in by an entourage of handlers, who were quickly whisked behind closed doors, and then whisked through customs and out a back door. It was a relatively uneventful arrival for this torch which has generated so much controversy overseas sparking those major protests in England and then in Paris. In Paris, some of those protesters blocking the route of the relay and then some of them actually trying to grab at that torch. Here in the San Francisco area yesterday, a small, but very well organized protest. Three people scaling up the Golden Gate Bridge, unfurling some banners and also a Tibetan flag, saying that they were protesting the human rights record of China. Now thousands more protesters are expected to take to take today and tomorrow as that relay gets under way. Police here say they are taking lots of extra precautions. They're going to have some extra patrols on the streets. They also are going to have some ambulances and fire fighters in place along the route, and they've also already shortened this parade route relay route, rather, from eight miles to six, and Betty, they say they may also make some other changes during the day as conditions warrant. But one other piece of information to pass along to you that we did learn this morning is that one of those 80 torch bearers that were scheduled to carry this flame tomorrow has actually dropped out. They won't give us an official reason, but the parade organizers tell us that they could certainly understand why anyone with all of the protests that have taken place in different parts of the world would want to do so.
[Nguyen:] Yes, I was reading that today, too. And I heard yesterday as well, maybe you can verify it, that the head of the Olympic Committee says that he may even decide to cut short this relay around the world.
[Finnstrom:] Yes. That those discussions are expected to take place Friday, which is huge. I mean, it shows just how serious they take these protests. Of course, this is expected to take place tomorrow here. So at this point, those discussions, it does not appear will impact the relay here in San Francisco.
[Nguyen:] Yes. But what happens there may impact that decision on Friday. So we, of course, will be watching. Thank you, Kara. And CNN will bring you live coverage of the Olympic torch relay through San Francisco throughout the day tomorrow. And you know, if you would like to see the complete Olympic torch relay route, here's what you can do. You can check it out at CNN.com. There's a special report there. It's called "Countdown Olympics 2008." You can find an interactive guide and you can send and share your iReports as the torch passes through your area. That's at CNN.comolympics.
[Harris:] More children found and removed from a Texas ranch. The compound is where members of a polygamist sect lived. Well, Texas Family Services officials now say they have 401 children in protective custody, all of them considered to be at risk for harm or victims of abuse or neglect. Authorities are still searching for more children who may still be at the ranch. Police are interviewing some of the women who also lived there. The original raid was prompted by a phone call from a 16-year-old girl last week who said she gave birth to a 50-year-old man's child. Authorities aren't sure if she is among the women now staying at an area shelter.
[Nguyen:] Answering to Congress. He is off the frontlines and in the political trenches. General David Petraeus, live testimony, begins at 9:30 Eastern in the
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