Vice President Biden Visits Iraq
SANCHEZ: All right. Let's go to Iraq. Vice President Joe Biden is in Baghdad as American troops prepare to end their combat role tomorrow. This is Biden's sixth trip to Iraq since being sworn in as vice president. He is there to witness the transition of power to Iraqi security forces. Fewer than 50,000 American troops remain in Iraq for Operation New Dawn. New Dawn is about advising, training, and assisting Iraqi troops, not combat. That's what we are told. Meanwhile, the Iraqis are busy putting on a show of force themselves meant to show that they are ready for the responsibility of protecting their own country. The first Iraqi tank exits -- units will put on an exhibition for the media, with the U.S. military closely watching. They have the firepower and the armor, but do they have what it takes to defend Iraq from the insurgents? Joining us now to discuss this is our Pentagon correspondent who has obviously followed this very carefully, Chris Lawrence. Chris, you're on the ground there in Iraq. What are officials there saying about Iraq's readiness?</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, it's a great question. You know, just a couple minutes ago, we just confirmed that two mortars have landed in the Green Zone just in the last hour, since your show went on the air. So, obviously, security is a big, big issue here in Baghdad. Now, publicly, the top Iraqi officials, like the prime minister, the defense minister, they're saying, look, things are OK. We can handle this. Privately, some lower, but yet still senior Iraqi officials are saying they are extremely worried, and they think the decision for the U.S. to pull down, to draw down while the Iraqi government is still not fully formed is about as bad a decision as the decision back in 2003 to disband the Iraqi army after the invasion. Now, I did spend the last couple days embedded with the U.S. troops down south. U.S. military commanders are a little more upbeat than some Iraqi officials. I was talking with the troops who are actually living with some Iraqi troops. And they say, look, a couple years ago, you couldn't even get these guys to stand a watch. Now they're actually developing their own intelligence, going after their own leads. They're taking the lead on some of these missions, coming up with their own sort of battle plans. They think they are further along than they're being given credit for -- Rick.</s>SANCHEZ: Hmm. What -- well, here's what I think a lot of folks are confused about. We keep reading that the troops that will remain, the 50,000 or so, really are going to be there in a training and an assisting and an advising capacity. Well, if the Iraqi troops can't hold their own against the insurgents, what -- what -- what is the threshold for them to suddenly become combat forces once again, and we're back where we were before this drawdown?</s>LAWRENCE: It's a great question, and it's going to be done on a case- by-case basis. Here -- here's what's happening, Rick. You know, this big ceremony that's going to happen in just a couple days from now and the big changeover tomorrow night is largely symbolic, in that a lot of this change already happened. They have already shifted from the combat role to the advise and assist. Look, it's the same soldiers. There is not a special class of adviser/soldier and fighter/soldier. I was talking to some of these guys who are doing this -- this assisting role. They're on their fourth deployment here to Iraq.</s>SANCHEZ: Hmm.</s>LAWRENCE: I mean, they were in some of the most vicious battles. These are combat-hardened soldiers here. What they're doing is, instead of -- think of it like this: same convoys, same patrols. The roles have switched and flip-flopped. So, instead of the U.S. being the first through the door, they're behind the Iraqis, coaching them, guiding them, giving them advice. Think of it sort of that way.</s>SANCHEZ: Hmm. Well, the president is going to be talking about this tomorrow. He is going to address the nation tomorrow at 8:00 p.m., special edition of RICK'S LIST, actually. It's all going to be President Obama. We are going to carry it live right here at 8:00 p.m. Chris, thanks so much. Appreciate your insight on this. Meanwhile, a smash and grab is caught on camera. Did you see it? And it's all over glasses? It makes you wonder, huh? Glasses? We are going to explain this one just a little bit. Also, Education Secretary Arne Duncan is touring the country. Back to this mission of restoring our schools, and who is at fault? Is it us as parents? Is it the teachers? Is it the system? Is it the government? Is it the politicians? Graham Flanagan has been traveling with him and he gives us a live report on this in just a little bit. Also, as we go to break, here is how to put today's newscast together. Time now for what we here call "The Rick Vid."</s>SANCHEZ: -- as a nation, especially, have a history with hurricanes. And we know what they have done. I mean, you go back to, you know, the big names, whether it's Betsy or Andrew or Katrina, we -- we have a visual script in our head of what a hurricane did either to us or to someone that we know.</s>SANCHEZ: So, once we hear the word hurricane, you know, you don't have to set up the whole story for them.</s>SANCHEZ: It's already there. So, yes, I -- I -- I'm big on, any time you got a hurricane out there, even if you think that you're smarter than your viewers -- "No, that's not going to hit anything" -- no, no, you give them the facts and you let them come up with a decision for themselves, so that they can make decision for themselves.