Defense Secretary Rumsfeld makes Surprise Trip to Iraq
COOPER: And we have breaking news to report. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Iraq on a surprise visit. CNN's John King joins us from Washington with details. John, what do you know?</s>JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, just moments ago our pool producer, who happens to be from CNN, Sally Hohn (ph), calling in, confirming the Secretary of Defense's plane, Donald Rumsfeld has in fact landed in Baghdad, Iraq. Now, the Pentagon not announcing this trip in advance because of security precautions. You were discussing some of them the newer ones, just earlier tonight, this new tape from al-Zarqawi in Iraq, saying that one of the reasons he thinks the insurgents should rise up is because of these visits by key Western officials, like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld, of course, in Iraq at a very difficult political time for the Iraqis, for his president back here in the United States, President Bush; and certainly Secretary Rumsfeld, himself. The new Iraqi unity government just put together. One of the questions Secretary Rumsfeld, of course, has for that government, how much longer do you think you will need all these U.S. troops? The new prime minister telling CNN just the other day, he thinks 18 months or so. That may not be an answer that satisfies voters back here in the United States this election year. So, at a time when Secretary Rumsfeld is under fire, himself, and the president says he has confidence in him, this will be a trip watched very closely over the next couple of days. He will meet with Iraqi government officials and also, of course, meet with U.S. troops on the ground.</s>COOPER: That's what I was actually going to ask next. I mean, do we know how much of this is to meet with Iraqi government officials and try to sort of stress, you know, how closely the administration is watching what their moves are on the ground? Because the administration is basically pinning all their hopes on the Iraqis' ability to form some sort of, you know, coalition government.</s>KING: You're absolutely right. And we have been down this path before, either just after Iraqi elections or just after the formation of the appointment of a new political leader in Iraq. The hopes rise in the Bush administration that the Iraqi government will get up and running, that the Iraqi people will have more confidence in that government, and perhaps popular support for the insurgency will fail. We have been down this road several times before. And given that it is an election year here in the United States, it is three and a half years into the war. Fifty-five percent of the American people saying in our new CNN poll, they think it was a mistake top send in U.S troops; 58 percent in that poll, saying neither side is winning. The United states, of course, there you see the number for, Is it a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq? A majority there. Who's winning in Iraq? The fact that 58 percent say neither side is a damning number for the Bush administration, more than three years into this war, Anderson. So, most importantly, from a policy perspective, is the answer Secretary Rumsfeld gets from the new Iraqi leaders about how long will they need U.S. troops, what steps will they take to try to end the sectarian violence in their own country? And, of course, always on these trips, he then will try to go give a pep talk to U.S. troops. That, from a public perspective, are the best pictures of these trips. Very important, of course, to the troops, some of whom are on their third, even fourth deployments in some cases. But the policy aspect, the meetings with the Iraqi government, trying to then come back to report to the president. Does he think this time -- does the government think this time this Iraqi government actually will get up and running? That is the big question. Not only facing the Iraqi government, but certainly the president of the United States. And again Secretary Rumsfeld is in the hot seat himself. Many retired military officials saying he should have been fired a long time ago. The president says no.</s>COOPER: And of course, the background of this is the politics of all this. You talked about the policy and the public. The politics of the trip, how much of is it to sort of shore up support, or if that is in fact what he needs to do among generals on the ground or among troops on the ground or at least just reinforce the notion that he is still the president's man. Secretary Rumsfeld, just for our audience who is just joining us, we can say now, has landed on a surprise trip to Iraq. John King reporting. Thanks, John. On the same day that Secretary Rumsfeld visits Iraq, the most- wanted man in Iraq showed his face, really for the first time in a new terror message. That is coming up. Plus this...</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute. Is this a camera? Look. Look! Am I playing? Karla, is this a camera?</s>COOPER: They're not playing, neither is law enforcement. Alleged car thief, there, noticing there's actually a camera in the car that they've just allegedly stolen. A car stolen every 25 seconds in this country. Sometimes the thief is caught with a camera. We'll show you what the cops are doing in what they call bait cars. And the dissatisfied students who plot to turn up their schools, turning to the internet for information and community, of all things, next on 360.