[Tony Harris, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
[Heidi Collins, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Thursday, January 11th. Here's what's on the rundown. The president's top war advisers selling his new Iraq strategy. Democrats criticizing the plan to send more troops into battle.
[Harris:] Grieving parents receiving a fallen Marine's Medal of Honor for heroism in Iraq. President Bush now heading to Georgia to meet troops bound for war.
[Collins:] The president rejecting the thrust of the Iraq Study Group recommendations. Reaction from a member of that panel this hour in the NEWSROOM. He's given the marching orders. Today President Bush visiting some of the troops called on to carry on his new Iraq plan. During his trip to Ft. Benning in Georgia, he's also meeting with families who lost loved ones in the war. More now from national correspondent Bob Franken.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] Now is the time to act.
[Bob Franken, Cnn National Correspondent:] They are avid supporters of the president, so David and Deborah Tanish's reaction to his speech last night was no surprise.
[David Tanish, Father Of Fallen Soldier:] I support him 100 percent on what he said tonight. I supported him 100 percent when he sent my son to war. And I still support him 100 percent even though my son died over there.
[Franken:] And those are his medals, right?
[David Tanish:] Yes, right there.
[Franken:] Their son, 33-year-old Army Sergeant Patrick Tanish, was killed by a roadside bomb near the Baghdad Airport almost three years ago.
[David Tanish:] Not a day goes by I don't think about him.
[Franken:] But unlike many who share their indescribable pain, they say their loss has strengthened their support for the war and the president. Unlike many others who now believe their loved ones lives were lost in a war that's a fallacy.
[Deborah Tanish, Mother Of Fallen Soldier:] It was not a folly, and we have to have stabilization in that part of the country now. And even if it were a folly, we are there now. We can't keep looking to the past. We've got to look at where we are now.
[Franken:] Later today, David and Deborah Tanish will come to Fort Benning and drive past the young soldiers who are in training now, many of whom will soon go to combat in Iraq. They'll be among those having a private meeting with President Bush.
[David Tanish:] I'm going to tell him that I support him 100 percent. That I will back him in any way possible that I can.
[Deborah Tanish:] And I'm going to say, "Mr. President, we, by no means, blame you for the death of our son."
[Collins:] Bob Franken joining us now live from Ft. Benning. And Bob, we know that the Tanish family is promising to welcome President Bush when he goes there. What kind of reception can he expect from others at Ft. Benning? They're getting ready, some of them anyway, to go on a third tour.
[Franken:] Well, as a matter of fact, it would seem that most of the people in the presence of the president are going to be polite, although there's a wide range of feelings among the people who have suffered as much as they have. Some are similar to the Tanishes, and many others of course we know about Cindy Sheehan and others have used this. They've found their meaning in all this by mounting anti-war campaigns. So there's a range of opinions.
[Collins:] And I know some of President Bush's troop surge is going to for Iraq, I should say, will come, obviously, from Ft. Benning, as we just mentioned. Many of them have been to Iraq on other tours.
[Franken:] They have been to Iraq on other tours. We were just at Ft. Stewart, which is the sister base both of them in Georgia and the 3rd Infantry Division is beginning its third deployment. Now, there are members of that unit here, and they are going to be going out probably in April. And now with this announcement of what amounts to additional troops for Iraq, a lot of people are going to see that they're going to be deployed again, long before they expected to. And they're going to have their time at home shortened. So they're not happy about that.
[Collins:] All right. Well, it's a difficult time. Bob Franken, thanks so much for that.
[Harris:] Now to Iraq, where plans on paper meet reality on the ground. How some of the troops already there are reacting to the president's plan. CNN's Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Correspondent:] Most of the troops we spoke to had not actually heard the president's speech. It did happen at 5:00 in the morning local time here in Iraq. However, they do now know that more troops will be arriving to the capital to help them complete their mission of securing Baghdad. Here's what some of them had to say this morning.
[Staff Sgt. Roy Starbeck, U.s. Army:] I just saw a lot more of the responses to the presidential address than I actually saw of the presidential address. And it's just it's really aggravating just listening to these people who have never been over here. And half of them really don't know what's even going on over here. Just either not supporting the war because they don't like the president, or not supporting the war just because they're Democrats, or supporting the war just because they're Republicans. And none of them are taking the time or energy to find out what's actually going on over here. Maybe come over here and take a look at what's going on.
[Sgt. Michael Casper, U.s. Army:] Really, we haven't really thought about it that much. Just mostly about it's trying out something new. Another strategy. I mean, if it works, it works. If not, we'll just have to figure something something else out.
[Lt. Charles Moffitt, U.s. Army:] I think it's a great idea if they utilize them properly. The more people to cover our backs, the more eyes we have on the streets, the less likely insurgents can successfully place them. We have seen from past operations, brigade- sized operations, that the more troop we have on the ground during that operation, the less likely we are to get hit while we're searching for our targets.
[Damon:] A vast majority of the soldiers here do realize that a purely military solution is not going to solve the capital's problems. A lot of it does lie with Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, whether or not he lives up to his promises, commitments, and is able to fully implement his Baghdad security plan. A lot of these soldiers are on their second, if not third, tours of duty here. They have heard plans that sound great on paper when outlined at the senior government levels. However, when it comes down to implementing them on the ground, oftentimes it plays out very differently. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
[Harris:] The war in Iraq, billions of dollars spent, countless lives impacted. The number most familiar to Americans, the U.S. death toll. It now stands at 3,018. Less publicized, the number of Iraqis killed. The exact number unknown. Estimates range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. More than 3.5 million Iraqis are said to be displaced. In fact, the United Nations says as many as 50,000 civilians flee their homes every month.
[Collins:] On this morning after the big speech, the big push on Capitol Hill. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and defense chief Robert Gates appearing before lawmakers. Live pictures now from Rice's appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The reception from the Democratic-controlled Congress? Less than enthusiastic by some.
[Sen. Joseph Biden , Foreign Relations Chairman:] We heard a plan to escalate the war. Not only in Iraq, but possibly into Iran and Syria as well. I believe the president's strategy is not a solution, Secretary Rice. I believe it's a tragic mistake.
[Condoleezza Rice, Secretary Of State:] Let me be very clear. We all understand that the responsibility for what kind of Iraq this will be rests with Iraqis. They are the only ones who can decide whether or not Iraq is in fact going to be an Iraq for all Iraqis, one that is unified, or whether they are going to allow sectarian passions to unravel that chance for a unified Iraq.
[Collins:] Want to get more now from perspective of the White House. Our Elaine Quijano is standing by for that. Good morning to you, Elaine.
[Elaine Quijano, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Good morning to you, Heidi. Well, one day after the president officially unveiled his plan to send more than 20,000 additional U.S. forces to Iraq, as you heard just a moment ago from the hearings on Capitol Hill, the political debate certainly is intensifying. But, of course, it's not just Democrats who are voicing doubts about the president's plan. It is Republicans as well. Now, last night, President Bush said that those U.S. forces would have a clear mission assisting Iraqi troops in securing Baghdad, in particular. Democrats, those you heard, continue to argue that they believe sending more troops would not be an effective strategy. But a prominent supporter of a troop increase, Republican senator John McCain, said the stakes in Iraq are so high that the president's plan, he believes, should be given a chance.
[Sen. John Mccain , Arizona:] I believe that under the Constitution, the Congress has the right to cut off funding. They did that during the Vietnam War. I also believe that if those if that vote is successful, then those who were the proponents of it then assume the responsibility for the consequences of failure. I'd like to see us give this new strategy an opportunity to succeed.
[Quijano:] Meantime, this morning, here on the White House campus, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoing the president's message yesterday, trying to cast this new plan for Iraq as an Iraqi initiative. Here is Secretary Rice from earlier today.
[Rice:] Among Americans and Iraqis, there is no confusion over one basic fact: It is the Iraqis who are responsible for what kind of country Iraq will be. It is they who must decide whether Iraq will be characterized by national unity or sectarian conflict. The president has conveyed to the Iraqi leadership that we will support their good decisions, but that Americans' patience is limited.
[Quijano:] Now, as for President Bush, we saw at the top of the show he is working now to build public support for his new plan, heading to Fort Benning, Georgia, today. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as you noted, continuing her testimony on Capitol Hill at this hour. Starting tomorrow she will travel to the Middle East to visit a number of capitals to try to garner international support for the president's plan Heidi.
[Collins:] Elaine, as we heard her speak about that trip and regional diplomacy in her opening remarks, what does she have to say about the prospect of reaching out to Iran?
[Quijano:] Well, essentially, she reiterated the administration's line that it is only when Tehran comes out and verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment program that in fact the United States will go ahead and talk with Iran on a number of issues. She said in the briefing today that she would meet with her Iranian counterpart any time, anywhere, to discuss any issues between their countries, but if and only if Iran first verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment program Heidi.
[Collins:] Diplomacy that has never changed on the part of the White House. All right. Elaine Quijano live this morning. Thank you, Elaine.
[Harris:] About-face. Al Qaeda targets not dead, the latest assessment following U.S. air strikes in Somalia. CNN's Barbara Starr is in the region and she joins us now live from Nairobi, Kenya. Barbara, if the air strikes miss their targets, will there be additional operations?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, Tony, I think everyone here in East Africa assumes there will be. Here in Kenya, a top U.S. government official told reporters on background earlier today, confirmed that the AC-130 gunship's air strike in southern Somalia did not kill the top three al Qaeda operatives that the U.S. might have been seeking, all linked to the 1998 embassy bombings here in Kenya and Tanzania. The official, in confirming that they did not believe those men had died in the strike, said, "The three high-value targets are still of intense interest. We are still in pursuit." So perhaps there's a hint about future operations. The men are well known to law enforcement and counterterrorism officials throughout the world. They are Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Salih Ali Salih Naban and Abu Tahal al-Sudani. Again, all want for attacks here in East Africa Tony.
[Harris:] Barbara, just one quick question. If the targets were not killed, do we know who in fact was?
[Starr:] Yes. There's a good deal of information available in terms of what the results of the attack were, but officials aren't saying how they know this. They say, first of all, they're convinced that they did not kill any civilians, but they will not say how they know that. They say they were going after a group of about 20 people that they believe were al Qaeda affiliated, and they say they believe they killed eight to 10 of them, but they will not identify them at this point other than to say they do not believe it's those three top al Qaeda operatives Tony.
[Harris:] CNN's Barbara Starr for us in Nairobi, Kenya. Barbara, thank you.
[Collins:] Quickly back now to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We are hearing Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, responding to Senator Chuck Hagel. Let's go ahead and listen in.
[Rice:] ... Prime Minister Maliki, is you have got to be even- handed in how you go after these killers, whether they are Sunni or whether they are Shia. And that is the obligation that he undertook and it is the assurance that he gave.
[Sen. Chuck Hagel , Nebraska:] Thank you. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
[Biden:] Gentlemen, these are really important exchanges, but if we're going to get to the junior members being able to ask their questions, I'm going to have to start to cut them off. And I'm reluctant to do it because this is something the American people should hear and understand. And so I'm sorry, but I'm going to try to try to get us back into the into seven minutes. OK? Senator Kerry.
[Sen. John Kerry , Massachusetts:] You had to put the hammer down now, huh?
[Biden:] I'm going to put the hammer down now. Yes, right.
[Kerry:] Madame Secretary, welcome. And we appreciate you being here. I'm going to try and summarize a couple comments, of thoughts, quickly, and then obviously try to get some questions. The time is so tight. With all due respect, I think you're splitting hairs a little bit in your answer to Senator Hagel. It is true that Iraq as a whole is not engaged in broadly, as you're saying, but the trend line is increasingly moving in that direction. And in places like Basra, the British are struggling, there's increasing violence in communities where there wasn't, and the level of violence, according to most people's standards, the testimony we had yesterday in this committee, is larger than classified civil wars and many other places historically. And the violence of Sunni on Shia is clearly sectarian and it is civil war between them. Low grade, still, but nevertheless civil war. The Middle East that Senator Dodd and I saw when we were there a few weeks ago, certainly the Middle East I saw, is very different from the one that I think you've described here today. Last night's speech by the president was very important. It was important for what it said and set out as a policy, but it was also important I, I think, for what it didn't say and didn't do. Many of us, as you know, in our own personal conversation, we've been looking for bipartisan way to approach this. I think the president lost an enormous opportunity last night for that bipartisanship. None of us want failure. There is a road to success in the judgment of some people. Conceivably, much more out of reach than it was at any point in time because of the failure to make the right choices and find that consensus to date. But last night, the president chose fundamentally to ignore the foundation built by the Iraq Study Group, the foundation built on a bipartisan basis here, and knowingly and willfully has divided the country yet again, and the Congress over this issue. We didn't find that bipartisanship. And what was particularly lacking, in my judgment and I don't understand it was the political diplomatic approach and solution here. Every general, you, yourself, the president has said there's no military solution. But last night the president didn't offer the diplomatic and political solution. And why there isn't a resolution on the oil revenue, why there isn't a resolution on the federalism, why there isn't a path to that through the summitry and the diplomacy necessary is really beyond a lot of people's understanding at this point. The Middle East we saw is a Middle East and if you measure a policy by what it's accomplishing, I mean, I hate to say it, but this policy is unbelievably off the mark. A failure. Hamas is stronger than at any time previously. Hezbollah is stronger than at any time previously. Iran is stronger than at any time previously. Iraq is more of a mess than at any time previously. That is the measure of a failure. And so the question is and here we have in "The New York Times" today a story saying that promising troop where's they aren't really needed. A story about how the government itself is saying we don't want them, and how they would like to run the war the way they want to, which I thought was the purpose of this exercise, but we're not going to let them. Now, I want to get to some questions. It's hard to do it in this time frame. But the president said last night that America's commitment is not open-ended. And if they don't follow through, they will lose the support of the American people and the Iraqi people. I don't want to debate with you whether or not they've already lost the support of the American people. I think it's pretty evident to most people that that's where we are, but what does it mean to say it's not open-ended? What is the accountability measure here? Are you saying if it's not open-ended that you're prepared to terminate it? Do you agree that it's not open-ended, first of all?
[Rice:] Of course it is not open-ended.
[Kerry:] All right. If it's not open-ended, does that mean you're prepared if they fail to pull out, to terminate? What is the what is the accountability mechanism?
[Rice:] Senator, I think it's best to leave the president's words as the president's words. I do think that the accountability rests in two places. First of all, I think the Iraqis now know that if they don't succeed in returning security to their population, then their population is not going to support them.
[Kerry:] And what are we going to do? That's the big issue to the United States Congress.
[Rice:] It's a democratic process. And secondly, we will have an opportunity as this policy unfolds. It's not going to happen overnight, as it unfolds, to see whether or not in fact the Iraqis are living up to the assurances that they gave us.
[Kerry:] And what if they don't?
[Rice:] Senator, I don't think you go to plan B. You work with plan
[A. Kerry:] That's not a plan B. That's a very critical issue here.
[Rice:] You work with plan A and you give it the possibility of success, the best possibility of success. And I want to emphasize, it's not just about Baghdad. There are other elements to this policy, and I really think it's important not to underestimate the importance of relying, of course, on the Maliki government in terms of Baghdad, but also relying on the local councils and the local leaders of Baghdad through the expansion of PRTs there, relying on the local leaders in places like Anbar to do the kinds of things that they started to do.
[Kerry:] But, Madame Secretary, with all due respect, I mean, all of that is good. I think those PRT teams are terrific. And I think the effort of those folks out there is courageous, unbelievable. But they can't do this. If Abdul Aziz Hakim and SCIRI have a grand design for a nine- province state that is Shia in the south, to the exclusion of adequate support to the Sunni in Baghdad and the central government you know that. They can't do it. If Muqtada al-Sadr has ambitions with respect to the country, and the Sunni aren't brought to the table with the sufficient stake that they feel they're sharing, that's the fundamental struggle here.
[Rice:] I agree...
[Kerry:] The president didn't address it.
[Rice:] No, the president did address it. He talked about the need for the national oil law.
[Kerry:] The need for it, but not how it's going to happen. And why do we have to wait three years to have that?
[Rice:] We're very much well, because it's actually a very difficult thing, Senator, in a place where they've never solved their problems by politics to ask them to take one of the most fundamental issues facing the country, which is how are they going to divide the one strong resource they have, which is oil. And it's remarkable what's remarkable is that the oil law that they are now close to finalizing is not a sectarian oil law. It, in fact even though the Kurds might have been expected, as some have said they would, to insist that they will simply control all the resources themselves, that's not what the oil law does.
[Kerry:] I understand what the framework for it is. But the question is, why is there not the political resolution on the table that assures Americans that the fundamental struggle between Sunni and Shia and the struggle within Shia I mean, the president talked last night about this war as if it's sort of a single war, the Green Zone government struggling for democracy, versus everybody else. Really, there are four several wars.
[Biden:] Senator, your time is up.
[Kerry:] There's a war of Sunni on Shia, there's a war of Sunni and Shia on American occupiers. There's a war of Syria, Iran, engaging with...
[Rice:] Senator, I think everybody understands that, but you asked me about the political reconciliation.
[Kerry:] Well...
[Biden:] Senator, I'm sorry, your time is up. We're just not going to be able...
[Rice:] All right. Well, can I answer?
[Kerry:] Well, could you just speak to the political piece, please?
[Rice:] Yes. The political piece, it is composed of the following elements: the national oil law, which is the remarkable law in that it does not take a sectarian cast; a new de-ba'athification policy which already has allowed the a number of officers to return to the armed forces and pensions to be paid, and there will be further effort on that; a commitment to provincial elections, which the Sunnis feel will be important to writing the disproportionate disproportionately low share of their representation in provincial councils because they boycotted the elections early on. These are the elements of a national reconciliation plan. And I don't think, Senator, it can be imposed from the outside. I do think the Iraqis themselves...
[Collins:] Listening now to more from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And these are the hearings on the administration's plan for Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice responding at the moment to Senator John Kerry and some questions that he had. We will continue to monitor that for you. The Iraq Study Group, they advised the White House. And now that the president has decided on a strategy, a member of the panel visits the NEWSROOM. That's coming up. And promises, promises. The president's plan depends on Iraqi action. Can the struggling government make it work? We will talk with Iraq's top diplomat in the U.S. ahead in the
[Newsroom. Harris:] Looking for hope in embryonic stem cells.
[Unidentified Male:] I believe I'll walk again. I believe this very firmly.
[Harris:] More federal money for stem cell research, it's on the House agenda today. Details in the NEWSROOM.