cnnbottom line. my handle is christineromans. for the silent generation, here is our fax number. just kidding. if you want to know more about the topics we cover here, don't forget about my new book with ali velshi. it's called how to speak money. it's a guide to all of these issues affecting you no matter how old you are. have a great weekend, everybody. >> we are at the top of the hour. the senate is getting to work getting some something done for you. you're seeing a live pictures of a debate going on on the senate floor. what happened minutes ago is they voted to extend that payroll tax cut. if they had nop not, that would mean if it's not extended, your paycheck will go up january 1st. they have passed it. that's good news. still, the house has to pick the

it up, as well. still, we're not done. much more in just a moment on capitol hill. also, this is a brave marine. but this time, b he's pretty brave to ask the first lady of the united states to the ball. he asked her out. we'll see how this is played out. also, for keyby bryant, we know how this is going to play out. his wife, vanessa, has now filed for divorce. details on why in just a moment. but from the cnn center, this is your saturday morning. so glad you could spend part of your weekend with us. one down, one to go. after minutes to go, the senate approved one of the bills in front of them. today and so far this morning, it was that payroll tax extension. that means your paycheck should stay about the same, but only for the next couple of months. if it had expired, then the government would have been taking a bigger chunk out of

your paycheck. the average american family would see about $1,000 increase in their paychecks per month. the house has to take this up, however. expected to do that next week. the payroll tax extension is expected to pass and it did. what are we expecting in the house maybe come monday? >> t.j., that's actually a very unclear still at this moment. since this extension agreement came late last night, we've been trying to find out how this is going to play out in the senate. it is not clear yet. coming out of the meeting early friday morning of house republicans rank and file republicans were not happy about the idea of a short extension, kind of the kicking the can down the road, not helping recovery, not helping recovery and they will not support it. this is before the details of how exactly what is involved in

the short-term provision had come out. so many did want see happy about it friday. speaker boehner said if the senate sent over a short-term provision, he was going to attach a keystone provision. in the end, the keystone provision was included in this final bill for this two-month deal. so it's unclear if that's going to be enough to win over enough republicans to push this through. i guess if we had to guess, we would say that this short-term extension would get -- would get democratic support. but, again, how much is unclear. you have to hit that threshold of 218, if you will, over in the house. we're trying to find out exactly how it's going to play out and exactly when the house will come in to consider it. >> you mentioned that keystone provision. a lot of people have been hearing this over the past couple of weeks. the keystone pipeline is supposed to run from canada down to texas, supposed to create thousands of jobs in this cup. environmentalists have questions

about it. we heard from senator mcconnell about it in a moment. let's listen to it and i'll bring you back in. >> i have no idea why it could be called controversial. the labor unions like it, many democrats want it. it strengthens our national security by decreasing the amount of oil we get from unfriendly countries and it wouldn't cost the taxpayers a dime, not a dime. auto private sector project ready to go. all we're doing is saying the president has 60 days to decide whether the project is in the national interests or not, 60 days for the president to make a decision one way or the other. and since most of us have not heard a good reason from the whitho block it, i'm very hopeful tt thing for the country and get this crucial project under way. >> we hear him there refer to this 60 days. we thought this would be delayed until after next year's

elections. so they're certainly moving it up. does that give the president, the white house enough time and do they at all plan to adhere to that 60-day timeline? >> the key provisions seem straightforward, but there's a lot at play. there's a few things going on for this. this is a win for republicans because as you heard senator mcconnell say, it's a job creator, they believe. and they've been demanding and insisting on it all along. many democrats are opposed to that bought they don't think it's related to the payroll tax issue. number two, the president had decided to put off deciding on this pipeline for further environmental review. republicans dispute that and say it's politically motivated. but putting that aside, i was speaking to administration officials last night and they say with the keystone provision in it that says that it's going to really cut the tooims time that they would have to kind of

study this, it's almost certain that the state department and the president would not be able to approve it because the state department has put out a statement saying if you cut this time in half, you don't give us the amount of time we need to review this, we're not going to be able to review it. a win for republicans, but democrats say they were able to go along with it being included in this bill because the way the provision is written, it gave the president leeway to block it, major leeway in his decision, t.j. one down. the work continues for the senate. kate baldwin, we'll check in with you again. thank you so much. >> okay. we're coming up on six minutes past the hour now. we'll pick up on presidential politics. mitt romney picked up the endorsement of south carolina governor nikki hayden. >> it is with great pride, great respect, great support that michael and i are very proud to say that we are endorsing governor mitt romney for

president of the united states. >> haley won south carolina governorship with overwhelming support. bigger endorsement up for grabs later today. the des moines register will pick up its candidate for endorsement. you're seeing some front-runners who are there, rick santorum, rick perry, michele bachmann but mitt romney is staying in south carolina. newt gingerich is in virginia there to sign a book signing for his wife's new children's book. so they all have a shot in iowa and we'll break all this down with maria cardona and lenny mccall sister. it's about 25 minutes from now they'll be with us. also in the philippines today, thousands of soldiers have joined the search and

rescue efforts. the country got hit by a major tropical storm. the nebs keep going up this morning. more than 430 people dead. that is according to the red cro cross. i did talk to one of our reporters on the ground, journalist maria ressa. she is in manila. >> the storm is supposed to exit this evening, but it's no longer really the storm itself, but its aftermath. we're turning to the aid and rescue workers who are looking for the hundreds missing. they're trying to supply drinking water. they're asking for volunteers to try to get food and clothes. friday night, the flood waters rose alarmingly fast reaching roof level while residents were sleeping. >> and we bring in reynolds wolf on that story. it's that flooding. ironic, too, one of the first things people need in a community is water. >> it's one of the first requirements that we have.

>> this scenario, it didn't even take ta direct hit by this. when you have the heavy rain that's on a rapid rate, with that, you have the heavy rainfall and then the flooding. now you have a nightmare scenario. i fear we're going to see these numbers increase. certainly it's a nightmare situation. let me show you if we can, we've got manila, take the top half, one of the outer bands came through manila and that was the thing that did the trick. the issue now, what's left of this is the town moving through vietnam. possibly affecting hoe see minute cihochimin city.

and the coroner has ruled last month's death of an a&m band member homicide. the coroner determined blunt force trauma as the cause of death. last night on ac 6 on 0, an internal medicine spoke about that autopsy report. >> anderson, they were severe. let me put it into perspective. mr. champion's blood count was approximately 13 grams of blood. by time that they performed the autopsy, it had dropped down to 7. that means that he lost approximately 6 to 7 pints of blood into the muscles where he was beaten. that's what caused this hemmoragic shock. it's the same thing as if he had bled to death. all the blood went to the bruising within the chest and within the arms within a matter of minutes. >> three people have been arrested in connection with a separate hazing incident at

florida a&m university. that happened roughly two weeks before champion's death. also, officials at the national sigma phi epsilon fraternity university officials say they respect and support the organization's decision. two former officials at penn state university will go to trial on perjury charges relating to the jerry sandusky child sex abuse scandal. former athletic director tim curley is scene on the left of your screen and gary shuldz schultz are both charged with failure to report a crime and lying to a grand jury. yesterday a judge ruled there is enough evidence for both men to go to trial. and some surprises in a fran

courtroom yesterday. pro baseball retired barry bonds was sentenced yesterday and is going to get two years probation and 30 days of house arrest. bonds is charged with obstruction of justice in the grand jury's inquiry into illegal steroid use by pro athletes. he was not found guilty on the harsher charge of lying to the grand jury that would have been a perjury conviction. 30 days house arrest. kuwait is the last stop for most u.s. troops returning home from iraq. and our own martin savage is there talking to some of the soldiers. a marine has a question for the first lady of the united states. do you want to go out on a date? i'm not kidding. we'll tell you what she said. and do a little more explaining, after the break. stay with us. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest.

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the war in iraq, officially over. all but a handful of u.s. troops will be home for the holidays. the last stop before getting on those airplanes is kuwait. that is where we find martin sach. >> in kuwait, the war and several times a day. for captain ben carpenter of texas, it ended around 10:00 on a friday morning when he and his company arrived after driving most of the night from a base in iraq. how did it go? >> very well. >> mostly the way you would like it to be. it doesn't take long to realize there was more to his journey than just a drive. >> what is that feeling like? is there any kind of real feeling as you make that crossing from iraq into kuwait?

>> a sense of relief in some respects. my guns tapped me on the shoulder and i thought, i didn't think that would be as big of a deal as it was, but that was something special. >> carpenter first came to iraq during the dark days of 2006. three deployments later, he feels good about was been accomplished. the war is over for you. >> it is, hopefully. >> it's a simple thing to say, but i mean, that's essentially kind of a big thing. >> you know, it is. we've been to -- we've been here for a long time. there are a lot of soldiers that aren't here today to see the end. >> you do get to see the end and that's something special. >> what lies ahead for you? >> well, we finish unloading our equipment and get on a plane and

fly home for for me personally, i'll go back and transition to my family and get out of the army shortly and go home. >> after 8 1/2 years, america's war in iraq is coming to an end. one convoy, one soldier at a time. martin savage, cnn, camp virginia, kuwait. meanwhile, the nation's first female soldier to be injured earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education. she made headlines back in 2003 when she was captured and tortured by iraqi soldiers and then was later rescued by u.s. forces and 18 other veterans congratulated from the happener's school yesterday. please be sure to tune in. stay with us today in the "cnn newsroom" special coverage of

home from iraq. 17 minutes past the hour now. and the question i've been asking all morning, would you ask your boss's wife out on a date? would you do it if your boss was the president of the united states? that is what happened, folks. this was yesterday at a toys for tots event in washington and there he is, the brave young man, 20-year-old marine lance corporal aaron lease, he asked first lady michelle obama to accompany him to the marine corps ball next year. the first lady, she had cameras around, responded to him, said she would love to. leaks, meanwhile, is going to be leaving for afghanistan next month. he does plan on being back in time for the ball which is, again, next november. are you ready for that holiday cheer? we've got some here for you. call her santa with a twist. one shopper is making the season a whole lot better for some

families and she's doing it with one layway payoff at a time. the droid razr by motorola. the newest droid armed with motocast. granting you wireless access to files on your home computer from almost anywhere. 4g lte equipped to pull pictures, music, and movies. all at mind-melting speeds. powered by verizon, this droid is too powerful to fall into the wrong hands.

she said don't pay that. i'm going to pay it for you. >> she said the only thing you can do for me is to give back.

>> i love this stuff, with republic olds. >> i can't believe your mom is that incredible that she would go and do those kind of things. i mean, just remarkable. >> that was a trick. >> put it on layway. >> it is cool, though, the time of the year that you actually see some of the very best of people that come out. >> it's an amazing thing. >> we seem to see so much back and forth. we don't treat each other well a lot of times. it's graze to see a story like that. >> and many will be out there today trying to treat their family to some great things. if you're making your way up michigan avenue, guess when you're seeing? snow. light snowfall is moving out of chicago. but if you happen to be in south bend, maybe even over michigan, all of this is moving in your direction. saginaw and flint, detroit, a

little break for the time being, but take a look at what we've got. a little more precipitation is forming farther back to your west in toledo and cleveland. yes, it's going to be the snow. what we're seeing over the next several hours is that snow beginning to taper off. possibly more snow developing over extreme southern california. just in the east of san diego. you might be seeing snow develop in the highest elevations. in parts of florida, it's not snow we're talking about, obviously, but it's going to be rain and sticking around. this weekend, repeat performance. similar culprit, the frontal boundary is lingering over part of the sunshine state. rain will be with us for a good part of the weekend. 38 degrees will be your high in chicago. 42 in boston. 44 in new york. 52 in memphis. back over to texas in both dallas and university, you'll be in the 50s and 60s. 62 in san francisco. 52 in portland. what a beautiful spot and 63 in new orleans. t.j., that is the latest from

your forecast. let's send it back to you. >> thank you, kind sir. see you again shortly. the 22 minutes past the hour. the army private accused of leaking thousands of documents to wikileaks, expected back in court today. we will have those details for you shortly. but first, news about a legendary singer, etta james. we're told she is now in the fight for her life. ♪

about 24 minutes past the hour now. he is the most notorious teen burglar in our time. yesterday, the courthouse in washington state, so-called the barefoot bandit, he pleaded guilty to all 33 state charges. he was facing more while dodging police on a two-year manhunt that included stealing cars, boats and a plane. he was captured in the bahamas last year after capturing a stolen plane. any money or books he makes on his crime will be given to victims of. cnn's brian todd was in court yesterday. >> he sad sat upright in court gave crisp yes, sir answers when asked if he understood the charges against him wear thick framed glasses. private bradley manning appeared pro bust and laser focused.

as manning took notes, his attorney came out firing, laying down an early mark on how tough he'll be. the defense lawyer accusing the investigating officer who is essentially the judge of being bias against manning. that officer, lieutenant colonel paul almonza is an official at the department of justice which is conduct ago separate investigation of wicky leaks. a former navy jag officer says that shouldn't raise red flags. >> that's a broad brush. that's a broad accusation of bias. we didn't hear any facts that related him specifically to this case or to the facts of the c e case. >> that providing officers points out he's in a completely different division of the justice department and refuses to pull himself off the case. dozens of supporters continue their fervent plea for fro come.

but it appears this hearing to determine whether manning will be court marshalled will roll on. manning, charged with 22 counts in the largest intelgz intelligence leak in u.s. history, hundreds of thousands of documents published on wikileaks.org. his attorney now gives a hint of what tack he'll take, saying this case rises and falls on whether information was properly classified. >> they shouldn't have been of a classified nature and they didn't do any harm to national security. >> but michael nevara says that may be countered by prosecutors. >> we don't know what all the evidence is regarding potential harm to national security or intelligence interests. at this point, i think the jury is still out on that. >> michael nevarre says bradley manning's attorney is planting seeds, signaling his challenging this at every step. if manning is convicted of the most serious charge, aiding the

enemy, his most likely sentence will be life in prison. as we get closer to the bottom of the hour, i know what you're thinking. what is herman cain up to these days? now that he's out of the presidential race, we'll let you see and hear his latest project. also, maria and lenny time. they're standing by. we had another great debate, debate number 813 in the republican presidential calendar. and it turned out to be a doozy, as well. our conversation with our good friend, after the break. stay with me. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] oh what fun it is to ride. get the mercedes-benz on your wish list at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho!

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we're at the bottom of the hour. welcome back, everybody. thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us. time now for our saturday morning political discussions with two of our dear, dear friends here. marie kwla cardona and republican strategist lenny mccall sister. first, i have something i want to play for you guys. senator mccain on the senate floor talk about this nearly $1 trillion spending bill. you let me know if he sounds happy. >> here we are again. a bill, 1,221 pages long. not one member of this committee has read. of this body has read. 1,221 pages representing $915 billion of the taxpayers' money and here we are with not an amendment, i didn't -- we do

have a few minutes to debate. 15 minutes. 15 minutes to consider a document 1,221 pages long representing $915 billion of the taxpayers' money filled with unauthorized, unrequested money. $100 million for the next generation bomber which the air force says they don't want examine they don't need. some cockamamie outfit like a combat dragon which would be crop dusters equipped with weapons. it's outrageous. i have amendments to save the taxpayers billions of dollars that's associated with this bill, but never mind because we're going to go home for christmas. well, all i can tell you, i'm going home to a state where they don't have enough in the book banks to take care of the homeless this year. i'm going home to a state where half the homes are under water. what have we done? we've just billions and billions

of taxpayer money on projects that are either unneeded, unwanted, unrequested and this system is broken. this system is broken. >> well said. but what do we do, maria? because we told the american people, getting close to a shutdown, there's a deal, a crisis averted. no government shutdown, but we're in the same displays with the bill that has waste in it. what do we do, maria? >> and that's a question i would ask senator mccain. would he rather shut the government down? what's interesting, he talks about projects in there that either weren't needed or the air force didn't want when he was one of the senators who went to bat for a project that the defense department said was absolutely unnecessary in the last go-around. so i think both sides are guilty

of this, t.j. i'm putting it at the republicans' seat. they have been working with the president and working with democrats on what needs to be done to create jobs to avert these government shutdowns and to work together in a bipartisan manner to find solutions for the american people. >> go ahead, lenny. i was trying to hit on it. and i know you're a democrat, maria, and i respect that. but still, here, lenny, on the principle of it, we give these guys credit saying, agree, they worked it out, but the system is the same. we're getting nowhere. what did he talk about, a crop duster with weapons on it? >> i'm sitting there and listening to maria and she's this close to agreeing with me is 00%. but as americans, let's drop the partisanship for a second and look the politicians in the eye in washington, d.c. and saying,

if you didn't waste so much time bickering with each other and you spent more time leading this nation, we won't have to were about reading a 1,000 page bill in 15 minutes. i commend what senator mccain is saying on the back end of this, but where was he and leaders when it came to the front end of this? as we move into 2012, i know people are going to contend with each other. the win that somebody get in office and lead from a humble standpoint instead of doing the bickering back and forth for gainsmanship. that's why what he said makes sense, but seems a little hollow right now. >> 2345 ree ya, what was your political highlight of the week? >> the iowa debate. michele bachmann took it to her colleagues on that stage, especially newt gingerich on the

issues of fannie mae and freddie mac and his hypocrisy there as well as late term abortion as well as ron paul on his policies in iran. if she had done that from the get-do, she might be more ahead in the polls. but i have to give her credit for taking it to her lesion issues that i think are important for conservative voters in iowa. >> lenny, what stood out for you this week? >> it's basically can the mouth from the south hold off the stormin norman for the past four years. we're going to find out in iowa. >> we're going to find it out. nobody has voted yet. and we know these things can be up in the air. but lenny, right now, how does this race look to you? does anyone have treatment now 20 make, really, some kind of a change or maybe some kind of head away two weeks before they start voting?

>> smur, there's some people that can do it. perry, when you look at the leads shrinking, it's not because they gained so much. look at rick perry starting to gain points again. all of a sudden, he's in fourth place, he's a factor. don't be surprised if perry does better than we thought he would in a couple of weeks and perhaps uses that bank roll that he has to try to rebuild his campaign. that's probably the one to watch. can gingerich hold on to the lead and can perry hold on to his campaign? >> wrap this thing up, maria. >> i tend to agree with lenny on this. a day is a lifetime in politics. but the if this is a drawn out battle, a drawn out battle always goes to the candidate with the most money and the best infrastructure. right now, that person is mitt romney and going into this, as lenny mentioned, newt gingerich who had seen the surge is now seeing that surge disappear as we go into the most important

time in this process. >> all right. lenny, maria, a little fired up today. i like the income from you, though. good to talk to you, as always. >> thank you. >> god bless. >> we'll check back in with reynolds wolf here in just a minute keeping an eye on the weather situation in this country and what's happening in the philippines today where that tropical storm has taken the lives of at least 400 people there. stay with us.

welcome back to cnn saturday morning with t.j. holmes and me, reynolds wolf. you've seen my name on the screen right there. i've got your forecast for today which includes a look at southern california and the big story we have that for you. it's not what you're going to see, but rather what you're going to feel. we have a wind threat, the warnings and watches in effect. the winds are going to be very strong. we anticipate the gusts to be 45 to 60 miles per hour. yesterday we had some that topped 70 miles per hour. we could have some downed trees, power lines, all kinds of issues. something else we may see farther to the south in san diego and the high mountain passes, we might be dealing with some snowfall. perhaps even, snow that could range up to 5,000 feet upwards.

take a look at this beautiful shot we have in vale, compliments of kusa. beautiful, beautiful conditions. some snow in the high-end peaks. not expecting much in terms of accumulation for today. you skiers, you're going to have a great day out there. get out there and enjoy it. it will be a lot of fun for you today. something else you'll be seeing, the snow and the rain moving more into the four corners over the next couple of days ago we get into sunday and even into monday, what this low pressure is go system is going to do is provide more of that pacific moisture. tapping into the gulf of mexico. bringing snow to the highest elevations of the rockies, central and northern rockies but into the valleys, especially back over to parts of texas. it's going to be a rain event, possibly heavy rain along parts of i-40 as we make our way into early monday, monday by 10:00 a.m., as i mentioned, in the southern plains. that's a great look at your forecast. you kskiers, it's going to be great. see new a few, i promise. on the surface of your skin,

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sam hurd, federal authorities arrested him two days ago on conspireing and to disribt cocaine.

barry bonds sentenced friday to two months two years of probation and 250 hours of community serve. kobe bryant, just as the nba season is set to get under way on christmas day, his wife, vanessa, has filed for divorce. they've been married ten years. vanessa bryant has asked for joint custody of their two children. also asking for spousal support. the bryants have related all issues relative to their divorce privately and a judgment will be entered in 2012. we ask that in the interest of our light and upcoming season, the public respect our privacy during this most difficult time. now to the war in iraq, officially over just ahead. spark cash gives me the most rewards

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about ten away to the top of the hour now. giving you a look at some of the stories making news "cross country," we begin at the ohio doorstep of republican house speaker john boehner. you're hearing protesters here angry with congressman boehner's vote for a proposed

trans-canadian oil pipeline. they're voicing their anger at the speaker's office near cincinnati. a similar demonstration was held outside boehner's residence in washington. authorities in philadelphia are investigating how a 13-year-old boy got locked up in his school overnight. david fields didn't come home thursday. his mom was worried. she called police. she called the school. nine hours later he was found in a locked stairwell. he says he was trying to dodge bullies at his school. an invasion of black tiger shrimp has fisherermen worried that the asian species might threaten those native to the gulf. roughly 200 have recently been harvested. there are concerns they could throw the gulf ecosystem out of balance and threaten that $700 million industry. herman cain and his wife have a special message for you. merry christmas.

the couple is appearing in a web video posted on youtube. >> there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. merry christmas. and a happy holiday season from our family to yours. >> now, cain, as you know, dropped out of the republican presidential race a couple weeks ago. his republican rivals are hoping for a different christmas present with cain. they're all working right now to get his endorsement. about dine nins to the top of the hourpy take a look at what's happening at l.a.x. ♪

now that the war is officially however in iraq, some of the vets tell us about their experiences and their thoughts about it. >> the war in iraq may have been one of the most controversial wars in american history. at a veterans of foreign wars lodge, we sat down with five of iraq war veterans asking some of the toughest questions, is the war really over for them and was it all worth it? >> you've been out of iraq a

number of years. is it really over for you? >> there are fundamental ways in which i am changed as a result of my service. i now identify as a veteran and that is a key part of my identity. and there are ways in which having been to iraq, i feel separates me from civilian -- separates me from those who have never served and that is a barrier that i still haven't been able to overcome. >> no, it's not over once you come back. we can't leave things on the court. we're struggling with things such as epidemics and suicide rates. >> i agree a lot with what ian said. i think that it's just beginning for many of these veterans now that they are returning home. the war may be coming to an end, but it's a whole new world that they're coming home to now.

>> in some way, do you feel the bar is still and always will be a part of who you are? >> the war is jech ongoing and it's ongoing for the iraqi people who being spoken about. iraq still has the largest refugee crisis in the world. >> what about for you? it's not over? >> that, you know, we, i think, as advocates and as veterans in the community receive correspondence and dialogue from veterans all over the country. and they're all, so many of them, not just the -- they're asking for help. they're in dire straights right now. so i don't think anyone in good

conscious, be a general, a va official or politician can say that the war is over. >> is the war over for you? >> i think that if we don't carry the burden of the war, then we are not -- we're doing a disservice to those that went over there and gave it their all. for those that didn't return, that weren't able to go to school and live a little better of a life, to forget about that and say it's all over and close the book and that was yesterday and today is the day, b no, it's not an option. >> do you worry whether it's five years from now or ten years from now or next year? do you worry that americans are going to forget? >> that's the one thing i wonder

is what the cultural memory of this war is going to be. i think it's going to be remembered as the war that -- i feel that's the shape this war is taking in our society. that it was a mistake. well, i mean, that's something that i -- i can't answer. over d i'm proud of my soldiers and what we were able to accomplish. there's a public perception of this war and it's disheartening in a way this, this position, to know that my greatest achievements in life were nothing more than a mistake. >> what you're defining is ptsd. that is something veterans have faced in time and memorial. whether my contributions were really in the best interests of me, my soldiers, my country, etcetera. >> there's no question this war

has been a great subject of political and intellectual conflict in this country. so the thing that a lot of americans might wonder is whether it's worth it. >> i frankly did not support the war in iraq when i deployed. i thought the reasons we were being sent were disengunl genius at best. but that didn't matter because i swore to obey the lawful order of those above me. coming home, there was a time when things were terrible, that i really wondered whether the war had been a terrible, terrible mistake. and i have come to the conclusion that we won't know for a generation or more. there have been times when i thought, god, we have actually -- even if we went in for the wrong reasons, perhaps we have given the iraqi people the opportunity to