Reid Calls Iraq War Lost; Alec Baldwin Rants to His Daughter
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Under fire and losing friends. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fighting for his job today. President Bush standing by his man, but for how long? Simmering trouble for a White House at war on this AMERICAN MORNING. Good morning to you. It's Friday, April 20th on what is going to be a beautiful day here in the nation's capital. I'm John Roberts in Washington.</s>KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: I'm Kiran Chetry in New York and I was just looking at that shot of the White House. It is absolutely beautiful today and a good way to end the week that has been such a tough week for so many. Maybe a little nice weather and some time to take a breather.</s>ROBERTS: Finally, as you know, down there in Blacksburg it was so cold, Monday it was snowing and then very cold for the rest of the week. So it will be good to finally be able to sort of shake loose the shackles of winter and finally get out there and enjoy a little bit of spring weather. Lots on our radar this morning. Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino straight ahead to talk about the White House's reaction to Harry Reid saying the Iraq war is lost. We'll also ask her about Alberto Gonzales, the hearing yesterday in the Judiciary Committee some people described as like clubbing a baby seal, Kiran.</s>CHETRY: It was brutal to watch and it will be interesting it see what happens today. I'm glad you're there. Also, there's more insight that we're gaining now on the suspect, Cho Seung-Hui of the Virginia massacre. New insight from people who knew him years ago and identified certain things about him that were troublesome way back when. So we're going to talk more about that.</s>ROBERTS: And here's something else. If you're in a big car, you think you're probably safe right, the bigger the better. Parents like to have their kids in SUVs and things like that. Wait until you see the results of some recent crash tests as to what are the most safe vehicles on the road and which are some of the dangerous. Size in this particular case doesn't necessarily matter, Kiran.</s>CHETRY: It makes you think. We're following the condition of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine who was in an SUV and sustained terrible injuries and still on ventilators.</s>ROBERTS: Going 91 miles an hour not wearing a seat belt, that's got to factor as well.</s>CHETRY: Doesn't matter how big your car is. You're not necessarily protected if you're doing that. Also we've been getting a lot of response and the blogs are just lighting up about Alec Baldwin's angry rant, spitting mad on a voice mail. Let's listen to a snippet.</s>ALEC BALDWIN: I'm tired of playing this game with you. I'm leaving this message with you to tell you have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you're 12 years old.</s>CHETRY: You just heard it. He said I don't give a damn if you're 12 years old. He's talking to his daughter in this. This was leaked his side is claiming, by his ex-wife, Kim Bassinger and her lawyers and it just - it really does makes you feel sorry for the little girl involved in this, what's been a well publicized, really brutal and contentious custody and divorce.</s>ROBERTS: I mean, that's just a stunning voice message to listen to. Of course, his attorney was saying it was leaked illegally. Kim Bassinger saying that the whole thing speaks for itself. We'll get into more of that a little bit later on, interesting debate coming up on that. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the center of a new political storm this morning. Here's what he said on the Senate floor yesterday. Take a listen.</s>SEN. HARRY REID (D) MAJORITY LEADER: As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course and we must change course.</s>ROBERTS: Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino joins me now from the north lawn of the White House. Dana, good morning. Thanks very much for joining us, really appreciate it. Let me ask you first of all, what is the White House saying about what Harry Reid said yesterday?</s>DANA PERINO, DEP. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SEC.: It sort of shocked my system. I had seen Harry Reid at the White House the day before, in which those sentiments were not expressed and his comments about the war being lost are in direct conflict with what commanders on the ground are saying and General Petraeus yesterday in his express opinion that we've got a lot of work to do but we're starting to see some signs of hope with the Baghdad security plan. It makes you wonder if this is his true feeling that he believes the war is lost, then is he going to have the courage of his convictions and be willing to suffer the consequences and actually de-fund the war?</s>ROBERTS: Let's take a look at the situation on the ground, though. You say that this so-called surge is working, that things are getting better. There are 182 people killed the other day in Baghdad, is that really getting better?</s>PERINO: I think that you have to take those things into consideration, of course. The violence is absolute abhorrent and you have innocent men, women and children in Iraq being attacked by a sworn enemy of the United States. That's al Qaeda. And so General Petraeus is saying that there are signs of hope in some aspects of the city, but there are very real challenges and the president is going to talk about that today.</s>ROBERTS: Let me ask you a little bit about Alberto Gonzales. The hearing yesterday, would you say that brutal would be an accurate way to describe it?</s>PERINO: I didn't have an opportunity to see the whole hearing. I've heard different varying accounts. I would think brutal might refer to Alec Baldwin's voice mail message that he left to his daughter. The hearing they had in the Senate yesterday was a long time in coming. It is understandable that the senators had been frustrated and that had built up over time. But the attorney general once again, apologized for his earlier comments that were confusing to the Congress. He also apologized to the U.S. attorneys who were involved in the matter. It was never the intent of the Justice Department or this administration to hurt their reputations or hurt their families and he also proved, once again, that there is no credible allegation of anything improper happening or any wrongdoing. I think that's what -- after the heat, after the heat of the testimony yesterday and in the brighter light of day this morning, I think that people will realize that it's critically important that this Justice Department continue to move forward on aspects of fighting terrorism, fighting crime and protecting our children from predators.</s>ROBERTS: Dana, the closest thing that Gonzales said to a friend on the Republican side yesterday was Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. I want to play just a little bit of a sound from Senator Coburn of Oklahoma. Take a listen to this, what he said.</s>SEN. TOM COBURN (R) OKLAHOMA: I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered. And I believe the best way it put this behind us is your resignation.</s>ROBERTS: Dana, is it time for Alberto Gonzales to go? I know that Coburn represents a wing of the party that has never really been in love with this guy. But when you've got people like that saying things like that, is it time for him to go because he's a distraction to the White House?</s>PERINO: The president has full confidence in Attorney General Gonzalez. They spoke yesterday after the president returned from Ohio and the president was very pleased that the testimony was finally given and that the attorney general was forthcoming and honest with the members. Obviously, there are some members who disagree and they don't want him to be the attorney general of the United States, but the president has full confidence in him.</s>ROBERTS: Dana, thanks very much for joining us this morning, really appreciate it. Have a good weekend.</s>PERINO: Bye.</s>ROBERTS: Bye bye. Kiran.</s>CHETRY: Today is a day of mourning for 32 students and teachers killed at Virginia Tech. We also want to let you know that CNN has decided not to air any further video that was sent by the killer to NBC News. But we did want to learn more about the killer's background, his hometown, his high school. Were there any signs? AMERICAN MORNING's Sean Callebs is live in Chantilly, Virginia where Cho Seung-Hui went to high school. Sean, what are you hearing from people that knew him then?</s>SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, we're here in front of the high school where Cho went to school and we talked to a handful of people who saw him almost every day and the one thing that we're hearing from these people that he was just a mystery. He was a loner who didn't talk to people, this despite the fact that a lot of people reached out over the years trying to involve him in basketball games, get him involved in the science club. The one thing that people say, he was simply quiet. So people wonder, did anyone know the real Cho Seung-Hui?</s>CALLEBS (voice-over): This is how the world will remember him, sullen and snarling, casting a wide net and blaming those who he says pushed him over the edge.</s>REGAN WILDER, CLASSMATE: You have to wonder what went so wrong in his life that this was ultimately the decision he made to get revenge for whatever it was.</s>CALLEBS: And now Regan Wilder wonders if anyone really knew Cho Seung-Hui. They went to the same middle and high schools before moving on to Virginia Tech.</s>WILDER: If you ask anybody about him that graduated with him or went to school with him, he was just known as that kid that didn't speak. He never spoke. And that's how everyone remembered him.</s>CALLEBS: That is until now. Cho was born in South Korea in 1984. His family moved to the U.S. in 1992, eventually settling here in Centreville, Virginia, where his parents worked at a dry cleaners.</s>EBRAM HAKIM, CLASSMATE: Thought he was pretty normal, other than that the fact that he didn't know any English. That's why he never talked to anybody.</s>CALLEBS: Cho was quiet, even though he was often at this local basketball court, refusing to join games. Cho did pick up a nickname walking to the bus stop each day.</s>JOHN WILLIAMS, CLASSMATE: We called him the trombone kid because he would walk with his trombone all alone.</s>CALLEBS: But there were worse names leveled by others. Cho they say was often picked on and taunted because he was such a loner.</s>WILLIAMS: Such a quiet, shy kid like that is such an easy target and he took it and took it and took it and built up all of that anger and whatever he felt inside and then, you know, someone like that is going to explode. It's destined to happen.</s>ROBERTS: What a tough time for people associated with this high school. They simply don't like all the unwanted attention. There's also a great deal of sadness here, as well. If you look behind me, a couple of makeshift memorials on rocks. Two names painted on there. Reema Samaha and Erin Peterson, two students who also went to the school. Police say that Cho gunned those two students down on Monday, as well. Very difficult time here, Kiran. I'm sure a lot of people here are glad that CNN is not going to be airing the pictures of Cho. To them, they've seen simply too much this week.</s>CHETRY: Very, very true, Sean Callebs, thanks so much for that look. John?</s>ROBERTS: All right, thank you. Before you back out of the driveway this morning, you're going to want to see how your car stacks up in a test of the safest and deadliest cars on the road. Here's a hint, bigger is not always better. You've got to hear this to believe it. A venomous, vicious voice mail from actor Alec Baldwin to his 11- year-old daughter. How is he going to explain this? You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.