White House Could See Major Staff Changes
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our top stories now in the news, two American soldiers are being charged with abusing detainees in Southern Afghanistan. The soldiers who haven't been identified are accused of hitting detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach. U.S. military officials say none of the detainees required medical treatment. An emotional memorial service today in Montgomery, Alabama for Rosa Parks, the woman who inspired the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. This evening, and tomorrow, Parks' body will lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.. And a FEMA building in Hyattsville, Maryland is evacuated today after mysterious fumes overcame scores of employees. At least 30 people were sent to the hospital. Investigators found a gasoline can on the roof near the fresh air intake of the building's air conditioning system. But they're not sure yet if that was the source of the fumes. Is a White House shakeup in the works? Lewis "Scooter" Libby is out. Are more of the president's men in trouble? This hour, we'll talk to both our White House correspondent and a "Time" magazine reporter about rumblings that changes could be on the agenda.</s>JJ RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm JJ Ramberg in Goulds, Florida where Hurricane Wilma devastated the winter vegetable crop. I'll have a live report for you coming up soon.</s>GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Gary Nuremberg at the United States Capitol where the nation is preparing a final and unique tribute to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.</s>WHITFIELD: And treasure hunts, meet the man who found the lost SS Republic and all its millions. Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more straight ahead. New questions today about the president's inner circle and word of a possible shakeup at the White House. It follows what some are calling the week from hell. The White House is rocked by scandal with Vice President Dick Cheney's top aid Lewis "Scooter" Libby indicted in connection with the CIA leak investigation. Carl Rove, the president's top political adviser, though not indicted, remains under scrutiny. And according to "Time" magazine chief of staff Andrew Card is getting some of the blame for bungling the response to Hurricane Katrina and for the botched Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers. "Time" reports the president will reveal a new agenda and a possible change in staff as early as January. Well, covering all aspects of this story, "Time's" Mike Allen joins us in a moment, but first let's find out what our own Dana Bash is hearing at the White House. And Dana, how damaging does the White House see this week's revelations?</s>DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this past week's revelations I think you nailed the way you described it as the week from hell. That's certainly the way they feel it was here at the White House. And let's just take sort of the two issues that they need to deal with separately. First -- the two issues being staff and agenda. First an agenda. Of course, January brings the State of the Union Address. And that is when all presidents, including this president, will likely come up with new agenda items. But the question for Mr. Bush is much mover immediate. He needs to hit the reset button right away, as early as tomorrow. And White House aides say to expect a Supreme Court pick, somebody to replace the debacle, really, that was the Harriet Miers nomination. That, of course, made part of last week the week from hell. To do that as early as tomorrow. And the president is expected to pick somebody who likely has a pretty clear tried and true conservative record. The short list includes people, people who many conservatives have heard of and certainly appreciate. The other issue is the staff. And Bush aides say they understand that the president understands many people, gray beards as we call them, from the outside say that the president must shake up his staff because this is part of the problem, that many of them have served for quite a long time at full tilt, including his chief of staff and that perhaps they do deserve some of the blame for bungles like Katrina and other I issues. What I'm told is that will likely happen towards the end of the year but not immediately.</s>WHITIFELD: And Dana, the president reportedly is saying he really doesn't want to reshuffle. He wants to keep things as is. But because of so much pressure and because of these problems within the past week, there is some advice being given to him that he has to reshuffle. Is this advice coming from inside the administration? Or are they from colleagues or mentors outside of this administration?</s>BASH: At this point, it seems to be mostly from outside. But I can tell you that I talked to one Bush adviser who said, look, the president is disappointed in some of his staff in the way things have been handled. The many, many political problems that the president has faced over the past month, two months. And that the president understands that there are many issues and one is that people are simply just tired. So they say that the president -- look, he's known for loyalty. And some think maybe he won't replace anybody in his staff because of that. But other officials here say they also understand that he needs to do what he needs to do. And that might and very well likely will include replacing some top officials, including his chief of staff by the end of the year.</s>WHITFIELD: Dana Bash at the White House, thanks so much. Well, the CIA leak investigation is seen as one contributing factor as we hear Dana say leading to the possible changes. Former ambassador Joe Wilson, the husband of Valerie Plame, wrote an op ed article for yesterday's "Los Angeles Times" explaining how he reacted to her cover being blown. Valerie told me, quote, "later that this was like being hit in the stomach. Twenty years of service had gone down the drain. She wondered how her friends would feel when they learned that what they thought they knew about her was a lie," end quote. Joe Wilson will be a special guest in "THE SITUATION ROOM" tomorrow. Look for that interview at a special time for "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's indictment in the CIA leak investigation, or at least in connection to, is just one of the setbacks for the Oval Office. Mike Allen co-wrote the "Time" magazine article on the White House's regrouping strategy. He's with us now from Washington. And Mike, in your article, you describe the president as losing confidence in almost everyone except for his wife, the first lady and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. What are you learning about the possible reshuffling of some people?</s>MIKE ALLEN, TIME: Well, good afternoon, Fredricka. And if the president makes changes, and I think he will, it won't be because of pressure or advice from outside. This president, as you know, doesn't tend to react well to that. And that's why I think any changes you will see, will be gradual. I'm told they don't want to look panicked because they aren't panicked. But overtime, I think you are going to see changes. The chief of staff, Andrew Card, Secretary Card as he's known around the White House, has served almost a record length of time in this job. He's been with the president from the beginning. And he's wanted to be Treasure Secretary for a long time. And I think it may not be long before the president takes the opportunity to nominate him for that. And I'm told that could happen as soon as January.</s>WHITFIELD: And what about for the likes of like a Karl Rove? Might this mean, while we may hear that Andy Card might get a Treasury Secretary appointment, as far as Karl Rove, will his role in any way change or be diminished or would he be reassigned?</s>ALLEN: Yeah Fredricka, that's a very interesting question. I'm told that Mr. Rove has the last government job that he's going to have. I think his next pursuit will be private. We have no idea what the timing of that is. But one thing we discovered in researching this story, is the president is a little lonely at the moment. That it's Mr. Rove, Secretary Card, Vice President Cheney who are the people he relied on most for advice. And each of them has had a role in one of the triplets that's besetting him playing Katrina and Miers. And so the president at a time when he most needs advice, when he most is trying to restart the administration on a better foot, each of those aides has, as one person put it to me, something that they're wearing.</s>WHITFIELD: And so your sources are also telling you that perhaps come January, this might be an opportunity for this Bush White House to relaunch itself. In what way aside from the usual State of the Union Address?</s>ALLEN: Yeah Fredricka, someone used the expression with my colleague Karen Tumulty, pressing the reset button which gives you an idea how they feel about how things are going. I think people in the White House are extremely optimistic that probably tomorrow, maybe the next day, when the president nominates a conservative to the Supreme Court, that that's going to help a lot. The president's traveling, as you know, South America, Asia, in November. December's holidays. So the president will do some foreshadowing of his agenda in those months. But I think in January is when he is really hoping to start afresh with new policies. Among the things that are being looked into is some sort of tax reform, broad based tax reform which Republicans feel would be a great issue for them to have in a midterm election year. They had been hoped to do immigration. I don't think the president has decided whether or not to proceed with that, because it splits the party regionally and ideologically. And so that might be a tough one.</s>WHITFIELD: Mike Allen of "Time" magazine. Thanks so much. I liked the line in your story where you also say this could be a point of no return or a turning point. We'll all see, won't we.</s>ALLEN: Have a great week, Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: Tanks a lot. You too.</s>ALLEN: Well, new concerns today about detainees being mistreated, this time in Afghanistan. Two U.S. soldiers are facing charges for allegedly assaulting a number of detainees in custody in the southern Oruzgan Province. The detainees in question did not require medical attentions. They were allegedly punched in the chest, shoulders and stomach. The U.S. military is now investigating. And now to Iraq and a new report on civilian casualties. Officially, the U.S. military does not track civilian casualties, but a Pentagon report recently delivered to Congress shows roughly 26,000 Iraqis have been killed or wounded by insurgents, since last year many from roadside bombs. CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us from Baghdad after being embedded with U.S. troops hunting improvised explosive devices -- Aneesh.</s>ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good afternoon. As you mentioned, we've never seen the Pentagon issue a public estimate of Iraqi civilian casualties. This one came tucked away on page 23 of a 44 report page report issued to Congress earlier this month. That total number you mentioned of 26,000 Iraqis either killed or wounded since January '04 is based on daily averages. In January of '04, the daily average of Iraqis either killed or wounded was some 26. That number rose to 64 by early September of this year ahead of the country's constitutional referendum. Now other groups have put the total number of Iraqi civilian casualties higher. It is virtually impossible to know the true number just because of the logistics of this entire situation. It is, though, the first public estimate we've seen from the U.S. military. Now in meantime in the Iraq capital today, the brother of one of Iraq's vice presidents was assassinated earlier today in the western part of Baghdad. Gali Abdul Mehdi (ph) was killed alongside his driver after unknown gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. We have seen other relatives of Iraqi politicians targeted before. Officials say they are easier to get to than those who have incredibly high security. Also today in the eastern part -- I'm sorry, in the western part of the capital, Iraq's deputy trade minister was injured after his convoy came under attack. Two of his bodyguards were killed. In all, in some three incidents in the capital today, Fredricka, some seven Iraqis were killed.</s>WHITFIELD: Wow. And Aneesh, you were with U.S. troops when we hit that devastating marker of 2,000 U.S. troops killed since the war began. What was it like being with those troops?</s>RAMAN: Well, they certainly knew that that unfortunate mark was coming. They obviously hoped it would not come so soon. I was with members of the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment of the 3rd ID. They are based in the northern part of Babel Province, just south of the capital and they are in an incredibly difficult fight. Fourteen of their troops in the regiment were killed in just some 45 days this summer from IEDs. Thirteen of them from these improvised explosive devices. So they are going out into this area which the military says is a staging ground for a number of insurgent group, for their attacks in the capital. They're finding these IEDs, just hours later another one is planted. And when I talked to them about this marker of 2,000, you really get the sense for the majority of those I spoke to, this fight is essentially about keeping the guy to their left and their right alive, making sure that the numbers don't go any higher. And that is what they're hoping to is just make it back to families as quickly as they can -- Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Aneesh Raman, thank you so much from Baghdad. A U.S. marine died after an IED attack in Baghdad this weekend. When American soldiers are killed in either Iraq or Afghanistan, the nation's highest ranking military officers are determined to honor their sacrifice. That's a lot of funerals to attend, but some think the Pentagon seems committed to do. Here's our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So many funerals. So much grief. The Army has been at war in Iraq for nearly three years, and for those three years, it has been burying its dead. Since the beginning of the war, the Army has assigned a general to each funeral. Each time to render final honors.</s>MAJ. GEN. WAYNE ERCK, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: This particular funeral, Lieutenant Colonel James was in my division. He was a battalion commander. So, I knew him personally. I knew the family personally. And this is the only place I would want to be today right next to him.</s>STARR: It's an extraordinary mission for the nation's highest ranking officers. More than 200 Army generals have now journeyed often on a moment's notice to towns across America meeting widows, moms and dads they may not even know, telling families the Army is sorry for their loss.</s>MAJ. GEN. GALEN JACKMAN, U.S. ARMY: There is not a general officer in the United States Army who would not drop what they're doing to participate in a funeral.</s>STARR: Major General Galen Jackman escorted former first lady Nancy Reagan to President Reagan's funeral. He has now attended four funerals here at Arlington. This senior officer says the heartbreak of death so young is tough for everyone.</s>JACKMAN: You see them, lance corporals and sergeants and private first classes and so most of these young men and women are probably anywhere from about 18 to 23-years-old.</s>STARR: It begins with a phone call from Major Holly Gay whose job is to make sure there is a general for every family who wants one there. She says it's the hardest job she has ever had. (on camera): How many funerals have you coordinated for?</s>MAJ. HOLLY GAY, U.S. ARMY: Too many. Too many.</s>STARR: Give me a ballpark.</s>GAY: Well, you know, if it's been about 15 months, over 700.</s>STARR (voice-over): The names and faces of the fallen are very personal even after 2000 deaths.</s>STAFF SGT. TERRELL GANT, U.S. ARMY: You see some of these young soldiers being in the army for a year, a couple of months and to see what's actually happened, how the sacrifice they have made, you always think it could be you.</s>STARR: One reason for the effort? It keeps senior officers in touch with the grief of a life lost.</s>GAY: Because when you go to the funeral, understand the sacrifices that the soldiers and their families are going through.</s>STARR: Confronting the last full measure of devotion, the generals say they will keep coming to each funeral for each soldier for each family. Barbara Starr, CNN, Arlington National Cemetery.</s>WHITFIELD: Neighborhood tragedy after a 19-year-old allegedly goes on a shooting rampage in an upscale California neighborhood, a man and his daughter are dead. Neighbors are now asking why. We'll go live to Los Angeles for details. Crops ruined after Wilma tramples Florida farmland. How bad is the damage? And the search for gold, a man's quest fulfilled after finding treasure off the Georgia coast. He'll join us live this hour on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.