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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Blair Gets Warm Reception at Congress; Charges in Kobe Bryant Case to Be Announced Tomorrow
Aired July 17, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: I'm Wolf Blitzer. We're live overlooking the White House. In 30 minutes, the president and the British prime minister are poised to strike out against the criticism they've been receiving over the war in Iraq. You'll see it live right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, Bush and Blair fight back.
BLITZER: Two staunch allies taking the heat, taking on their accusers in the controversy over Iraq's weapons.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And, I don't believe you can compromise with this new form of terrorism.
BLITZER: Will Tony Blair survive the firestorm? Will George W. Bush come out stronger or more vulnerable to his political enemies?
He haunts Iraq. He taunts American forces, another tape possible of Saddam Hussein, another call to resist the U.S. occupation.
The recession declared over, why doesn't it feel like the end of tough times for so many Americans?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Thursday, July 17, 2003. We're coming to you just a few blocks from the White House right behind me. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
A major day for President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, we'll have extensive coverage. That's coming up in just a moment.
First, there is news that's just coming in to CNN right now. A teammate named in connection with the disappearance of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy has apparently turned himself in to the sheriff's deputies in Maryland for questioning.
Carlton Dotson's attorney issued a statement saying, and I'm quoting now: "Dotson contacted authorities on his own initiative." The attorney says his office is not aware of what Dotson will say to authorities but he quoted a relative saying that Dotson has not slept for several days. Police in Waco, Texas have been investigating Dennehy's disappearance since late June. An informant's account in a police affidavit said Carlton Dotson shot Dennehy during an argument while the two were shooting guns in a field north of Waco. Dotson has been questioned by Waco police but has not been named as a suspect. Our Bob Franken will have more on the story. That's coming up later.
We're also getting late-breaking word from Colorado. We're now being told that the prosecutors have announced, have decided that they will announce whether or not they will file charges against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, they'll make that announcement tomorrow, Friday, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
We'll have live coverage of that. That's tomorrow. He's accused by some of -- by a woman, a 19-year-old woman of sexually assaulting her a couple of weeks ago near Vail, Colorado. We'll have that coverage tomorrow. Once again official word coming tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 2:00 p.m. Pacific, the prosecutors announcing that's when they will tell us whether they will press charges against Kobe Bryant.
Let's get to our top story now, Iraq. Victorious allies in Iraq now both facing questions at home about the justification for war. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair making the rounds here in Washington with a White House news conference, a joint news conference by both of them scheduled to begin at the bottom of the hour. We'll have live coverage, about 30 minutes or so from now.
Let's get a little preview, though. First of all, Suzanne Malveaux, our White House Correspondent standing by on the North Lawn -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Bush as well as British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the counter offensive today. In about 30 minutes here at the White House they're going to face their critics and also face potentially tough questions from reporters about this dubious intelligence both leaders used to make their case for war.
We are told by White House officials that they will talk about the update when it comes to the Middle East, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the importance of U.S.-European relations. What likely will not be resolved, however, is this issue, this claim that President Bush made in his State of the Union address that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium from Africa.
It is a statement that they attributed to the British but White House officials saying it should not have been included in the president's speech. It didn't rise to that level. British officials standing by that but not naming the third source that they got that statement from.
Now, we expect that that is not going to be -- that is not going to develop and earlier we heard accusations from Democrats within the last 24-48 hours accusing White House officials of trying to pressure the CIA into putting that statement in the president's speech. Earlier today, White House Spokesman Scott McClellan:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: Go back and ask why these statements are being made. This is an attempt to just rewrite history and to justify a vote that was taken against the course of action that we took.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And now, Mr. Blair is actually arriving here at the White House as we speak. He will be attending a meeting, a brief meeting, with the president. They will be addressing those issues. One of the things that both leaders are really trying to do, Wolf, is build international support. They want to see the reconstruction effort in Iraq work well but, as you know, both leaders recognize they need a lot more support from allies.
They are not getting the troops and the support that they had hoped recently, as you know, France, Germany, and a surprise India all refusing to send peacekeepers, to send troops to help with the reconstruction effort in Iraq. They're both hoping to make a case, an international argument, for those countries to come onboard -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thanks very much.
We saw the prime minister walk into the West Wing with his wife Cherie. They're going in for a meeting with the president of the United States and other top aides. Once again, we're standing by for their joint news conference. That's coming up about a half hour or so from now.
The first stop for the prime minister was Capitol Hill where he addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress within the past hour. Our Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl is up on Capitol Hill. Jon, the prime minister received, from what I could tell, a pretty tumultuous reception.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question. He entered the very chamber where the president gave that controversial State of the Union address, the chamber of the House of Representatives, to a thunderous applause and, as he took the podium and began his speech he began with a joke alluding to the fire, the controversy surrounding his position back in Britain regarding weapons of mass destruction and President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, honorable members of Congress, I'm deeply touched by that warm and generous welcome. That's more than I deserve and more than I'm used to quite frankly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: Of course, Tony Blair is under fire back home. There's one poll back in Britain that shows 54 percent of Britains say they can't trust him further than they can throw him, so he was glad to get the warm reception her on Capitol Hill.
On a serious note, he talked about the possibility that if they were wrong about the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, if they were wrong about that he felt history would still forgive us because it still removed a brutal dictator in Saddam Hussein. But, if they were right, if the threat was real, this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: If we are wrong, we will have destroyed a threat that at its least is responsible for inhuman carnage and suffering. That is something I am confident history will forgive. But if our critics are wrong, if we are right as I believe with every fiber of instinct and conviction I have that we are and we do not act then we will have hesitated in the face of this menace when we should have given leadership. That is something history will not forgive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: And, Wolf, one other thing Tony Blair in coming here and also visiting the chamber, the Congress gave him the Congressional Gold Medal which is the very highest honor they could have given him. So, Tony Blair may be under fire back home but he' still very popular up here in Washington on Capitol Hill -- Wolf.
BLITZER: (AUDIO GAP) very much.
Meanwhile, another audiotape allegedly from Saddam Hussein has surfaced this one coming on what was a key national holiday in Iraq. The authenticity cannot be confirmed by CNN but the implications are ominous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): An important anniversary in Iraq, a new possible recording from the man who Iraqis cannot put in the past, a audiotape purportedly of Saddam Hussein aired on the Arab language Al- Arabiya Network. This time the voice ridicules the newly-appointed governing council in Iraq.
SADDAM HUSSEIN (through translator): The occupation administration has issued its orders in accordance with instructions by Washington, Tel Aviv, and London, appointing a number of those who are ordered by the administration on the basis of a despicable division of great Iraq. And in this the occupiers have shown parts of their intentions and plans to divide Iraq.
BLITZER: The speaker says the door is open for any Iraqi but not a supporter of the U.S.-led coalition to run the country. The 15- minute tape praises the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in Iraq 35 years ago today. As in earlier tapes ostensibly made by Saddam this voice urges a new revolution.
HUSSEIN (through translator): We are confident that our dignified and great fighting people who rejected occupation and resisted it would reject all orders of the imperialists.
BLITZER: But like those previous messages that have come out since the declared end of major combat in Iraq, this one raises more questions than answers. Will this provoke further attacks on U.S. forces? Will it take a toll on the already declining morale of American troops in Iraq?
It didn't seem to at least not today. U.S. forces seized a large stash of weapons, arrested 30 people. (AUDIO GAP)...then to underground, organize attacks, and force the occupiers into a long, bloody guerrilla-style conflict.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: I would describe as a classical guerrilla-type campaign against us. It's low intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms but it's war however you describe it.
BLITZER: U.S. Senators who returned from Iraq two weeks ago stressed that to end these attacks one thing must be done.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: We must find Saddam Hussein and his sons. When we do then the people of Iraq will no longer live in fear of his return which is a real and palatable state of mind of many Iraqi citizens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: A U.S. government official tells CNN experts are still examining the audiotape but the audio quality is considered bad which means a low probability of knowing for certain if it's genuine.
Authentic or not, many Iraqis paid close attention to the tape and its message with some even going so far as to stage a pro-Saddam Hussein rally. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's joining us now live -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we listened to that message being broadcast in an area of Baghdad at (unintelligible). That's the area where Saddam Hussein purportedly last appeared right just before his fall on the 9th of April.
Now, in that particular neighborhood you do find supporters of Saddam Hussein there and we found the people listening to that particular message who were gladdened to hear it, gladdened to hear that somebody was speaking up against the U.S. forces; however, the vast majority of people here in Iraq are concerned when they hear Saddam Hussein or somebody who sounds like him because they believe that is a rallying point for Saddam Hussein loyalists and they believe that means there will be more attacks on U.S. forces.
If there are more attacks on the U.S. forces the conflict continues and they believe, most people here believe, if that conflict continues then the chances of the average Iraqi getting caught up in that and hurt are much greater.
And, just yesterday when a grenade was thrown at one U.S. soldier injuring him, one young Iraqi boy was killed, four people injured. That's what people worry about here but there was at the same time a rally on the west of Baghdad today, the first armed rally in support of Saddam Hussein that we've seen since the former leader fell from power here.
Not only did people have automatic weapons which they are not supposed to have on the streets, they had rocket-propelled grenade launchers and these are categorically outlawed by the new coalition provisional administration here. People are not allowed to have those out on the streets and they have become a (unintelligible) that's been used very frequently against coalition forces here.
Also in the city today, heightened security for the U.S. forces here because this was a former national holiday, because there were intelligence concerns that there might be increased attacks against U.S. troops. The troops, however, believing that it's better that a real peacekeeping force, one trained to deal with civilians brought into the country to help them out with their job here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. JASON BRECKENRIDGE, U.S. ARMY: We'd rather just get to go home and maybe let some other international force of peacekeepers come in and take over for us but until that time comes unfortunately we're stuck here.
PFC ANTOINE BLACKMAN, U.S. ARMY: The soldiers that are here that have been here forever like 3rd ID who have really been through the combat should be home as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: The broad feeling among a lot of troops here however, Wolf, is that they say when you talk to them that their morale is up. When you see them relaxing at their headquarters or bases people do seem a little relaxed, do seem as if life isn't really oppressing them too much -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I know the U.S. military, the civilian administrator Paul Bremer, Nic, they want to see democracy unfold but are there limits? Can these Iraqis go ahead and have a pro-Saddam Hussein rally recognizing that after World War II the U.S. military did not allow pro-Nazi or pro-Hitler rallies in German or pro emperor rallies in Japan?
ROBERTSON: Well, rallies that are armed, coalition would say, are prohibited so it doesn't matter who they're supporting. If they're coming out with weapons then that is against the regulations that the coalition provisional authority have placed on all Iraqi citizens in Iraq which parties they're supporting, that is up to the people of Iraq, coalition authorities would say.
However, the Ba'ath Party is the party that the coalition is trying to dismantle its senior members but if you look at the way the coalition deals with the Ba'ath population in Iraq, it recognizes that many of them were Ba'ath Party members. It allows them to go back into civilian jobs inside Iraq as long as they weren't senior members, as long as they didn't commit war crimes and as long as they weren't involved in terrorist activities -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us, thanks Nic very much.
With violence against coalition forces in Iraq showing no sign of let up, both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair are under fire from their political opponents at home. Some of Blair's critics are demanding he fire his communications director.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN DUNCAN SMITH, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Alistair Campbell and the prime minister have created a culture of deceit and spin as the heart of government. When will the prime minister realize until he sacks Campbell nobody will believe a word he says anymore?
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It's a disgrace that the case for war seems to have been based on shoddy intelligence, hyped intelligence, and even false intelligence. All the evidence points to the conclusion that they put a spin on the intelligence and a spin on the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining me now from London with more, Jon Snow. He's the main anchor of Britain's Channel 4 News, and from New York our CNN Senior Analyst Jeff Greenfield.
Jon, let me begin with you. I take it that the prime minister's address before a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress was played live on television back in Britain. What's your impression? How did he do?
JON SNOW, BRITISH NEWS ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, it was quite a spectacle. I mean he would never, as he said himself, ever get such a reception in the legislature here. I mean he is under fire, indeed his own -- the left wing magazine that would most normally support labor is out today calling for him to go.
He's under enormous pressure and, of course, what he did there in the United States was talk the big picture in the hope that nobody would take a closer look at the small print and that's what is obsessing people this side of the Atlantic.
BLITZER: Jon, what will be the most important thing you will be looking for when he has this joint news conference with President Bush that's coming up in only a few minutes?
SNOW: I would think from our perspective the burial of weapons of mass destruction as an excuse for going to war. He needs to do this pretty fast and the truth is he went for regime change, which is what George Bush went for, but unlike George Bush, Tony Blair couldn't use that excuse here. It's not really British policy to go changing regimes. We needed something more and he tried to present it and it didn't work.
BLITZER: Jeff, this may be a case where the British prime minister may be more popular here in the United States than he is back in Britain. His appearance together with the president presumably that will help President Bush politically am I right or wrong on that?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Yes, I think it's interesting that I think for those of us in the United States it's hard for us to understand, I think, the degree to which Tony Blair's own Labour Party was reluctant and some members outright opposed.
I mean in the last couple of months the leader of the House of Commons Robin Cook and one of his cabinet members, Clare Short resigned. Both made very critical speeches in the House of Commons. In fact, Clare Short more or less called Prime Minister Blair a bully and a betrayer of ideals.
To understand that it would be as if Dennis Hastert and Christie Todd Whitman both quit the Bush administration or the speakership and then blasted him in public, so you're absolutely right.
I guess it's almost like, I don't mean to draw this parallel exactly, but it's like Winston Churchill who was thrown out of office in 1945 at a Labour Party landslide but in the United States right through his years in the wilderness was hailed as a hero.
I'm not suggesting that's going to happen to Tony Blair but clearly George Bush has much more support, almost total support still within his Republican Party and the contrast between that and Tony Blair's situation could not be greater.
One more quick point for those people who think that the media are hostile to President Bush, I think as Mr. Snow will tell you, the war between the BBC and the Blair administration is something that's way beyond anything. You have to go back to the days of the Spiro Agnew versus the networks to see anything that incendiary. They're about both calling each other liars if I'm not mistaken.
BLITZER: Well, is that true Jon?
SNOW: Dead right, Wolf. Jeff's on the button. There is a tremendous war of words between the government and the BBC, between Tony Blair and the BBC and most people in this country see that as a complete smokescreen designed really to obscure the central issue, a question which still can't be answered this side of the Atlantic and that is why exactly we went to war.
Well, you got the answer today. You got the answer there on the floor of the Congress. It is basically because the British prime minister and the policy at the very top is to keep close to the United States. Whatever else happens, keep close. The world is a safer place if that bridge between Europe and America exists than if it doesn't and we set up some kind of a rival European power block.
BLITZER: Jeff, what will you be looking for when these two leaders have their joint news conference. They'll open it up with statements, separate statements. Then they'll field questions from reporters. What will you be looking for?
GREENFIELD: Well, I suspect that the Press Corps which in the past has been accused by liberals, particularly in this setting of being much less challenging than the press is supposed to be will really have, you know, they'll have the blood up because of the recent revelations.
And, I'll be very curious to see the extent to which Tony Blair steps in to defend, if you will, the Bush administration's use of intelligence. You remember, Wolf, back during the impeachment when Tony Blair came here, his defense of President Clinton was particularly effective and eloquent.
I'm waiting to see whether or not Tony Blair intercedes on behalf of the president and the administration when the tough questions about that uranium issue in the State of the Union and American intelligence come up. So, that's what I'll most be looking to hear.
BLITZER: All right, that's coming up in a few minutes. Jeff Greenfield is going to be kind enough to stay with us. Jon Snow is going to stay with us. We're going to get their analysis after the news conference so stick around for that.
The prime minister and the president they're clearly trying to battle back, the two leaders. They'll be coming to their respective microphones. That's coming up in a few minutes. Of course, CNN will have live coverage once that happens.
Plus, a deadly crash in Santa Monica, California, will the elderly driver face charges?
And, economists say the recession is over so why doesn't it feel like it's over for so many Americans, a closer look at your money, all that and much more, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're standing by for a news conference, an important news conference, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair visiting the White House. The United States President George Bush, his host. We'll go there. We'll go inside the White House for this joint news conference momentarily. Stay with us for that.
In the meantime, there are other stories we're following. As we told you at the top of the hour, prosecutors in Colorado now say they will announce tomorrow whether or not to file charges against the basketball star Kobe Bryant. He's accused of sexual assault.
Our National Correspondent Gary Tuchman is joining us now live from Vail with details. What do we know? How did this announcement about the tomorrow announcement come forward Gary?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we found out directly from the district attorney's office. They told that that indeed tomorrow, two weeks exactly after Kobe Bryant was arrested, a district attorney by the name of Mark Hurlbert will make his announcement on whether to file criminal charges against the Los Angeles Lakers star.
Now, Kobe Bryant was seen in public last night. He attended the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, the sports award show and he attended with his wife but he's been very quiet in the two weeks since he's been arrested.
He's accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman on June 30 in a hotel here in Eagle County, Colorado. The woman is an employee of the hotel. Now, it's very confusing. He was arrested on July 4. You may be wondering if he's arrested weren't there charges?
The way it works here police make arrests based on suspicion and then it's up to the district attorney to file official criminal charges. So, tomorrow the decision will be announced, 5:00 Eastern time, 3:00 Mountain time, here in Colorado on whether criminal charges will be filed against the Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Gary is there any -- very briefly is there any anticipation which was the prosecution is leaning?
TUCHMAN: We certain asked that question. We were just told the announcement will come tomorrow. We asked very specifically, just like you said, which way is the prosecutor leaning and their answer was we're not telling you.
BLITZER: All right, we'll have to wait until tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 24 hours, less than that, from now. We'll be talking to you out in Vail, Colorado. Gary Tuchman thanks very much.
We're looking at live pictures at the White House. We're waiting for the president of the United States, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They're going to be walking into this room, going to those microphones, making opening statements and then they'll be answering reporters' questions, no doubt important questions, questions involving the prewar intelligence, intelligence leading up to the war with Iraq. These two allies both under fire, under significant fire at home for various reasons.
Here they are. They're walking in. Tony Blair smiling, the president of the United States smiling, the president will speak first. We'll listen. We'll watch and then we'll talk a little bit more.
(INTERRUPTED FOR COVERAGE OF LIVE EVENT)
BLITZER: President of the United States and the prime minister of Britain walking away after their joint news conference. About a half an hour, just a little bit under a half an hour, answering reporters' questions, making strong statements.
I want to get some analysis now. Jon Snow has been standing by in London. He's the main anchor for Channel 4 in Britain. Our Jeff Greenfield is standing by in New York.
Jon, first of all to you, I want you and our audience once again to listen to what the prime minister said specifically and the most controversial aspect, at least here in the United States. The president's use of British government intelligence on the allegation that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN: The British intelligence that we had, we believe is genuine. We stand by that intelligence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: He's not budging at all. Did the prime minister, from your perspective, Jon, manage to put this issue behind him?
SNOW: No, I think he dug himself still deeper. There's not a shred of evidence to support what he's saying and not even the CIA believes there is a shred of evidence either. He claims there is third country evidence that this nuclear claim was true. The truth is to make Saddam Hussein into a credible threat, in terms of weapons of mass destruction, they needed a nuclear element. And the suspicion this side of the Atlantic is that whole area was stoked up as a device to try to persuade a very doubting population that Saddam Hussein could in some way hit British interests.
BLITZER: How important, Jon, will it be if the prime minister manages to convince President Bush to let those two British nationals being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, how important will it be for him, if he gets permission to let those two detainees be tried in Britain?
SNOW: Well, not just two in a sense because there are nine altogether in Guantanamo. Ideally he wants all nine out, and he wants to allow them to have the same rights that your own American citizens had for them to be tried here if they can be tried. This is a very strong issue here. People believe it's a fundamental issue of human and civil rights.
BLITZER: Let me get Jeff Greenfield's assessment. What we just saw and we heard. Your thoughts, Jeff.
GREENFIELD: Well, striking exchange in that brief press conference was when a reporter said to the president, do you take responsibility for those words that were in your speech and what the president said, many times I take responsibility for dealing with the threat of Saddam Hussein, and getting rid of him.
I think that is a microcosm of what we are going to be hearing, unless or until, they can show that they were right all along about the specifics. In other words, look, it's a blunter version of what Blair said in his speech to Congress. If you want to worry about this one detail go ahead, but we got rid of a vicious dictator who clearly was developing bad stuff and that's what I take responsibility for.
The question, of course is whether that's going to be enough to quiet the controversy that's erupted in the last week about a very specific notion, should the president in the most serious speech you can make, have included stuff they now said never should have been there. That's an intriguing question and an intriguing political move. And I think that's going to be the way on which this fight is going to be fought out for the next few days or weeks.
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield and Jon Snow thanks very much for standing by and giving us your assessment immediately after that news conference.
We're going to take a quick break when we come back -- we're getting some new information right now on that horrendous incident yesterday, 24 hours ago, in Santa Monica, California. That car going through that heavily populated area. Stay with us.
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Bryant Case to Be Announced Tomorrow>
Aired July 17, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: I'm Wolf Blitzer. We're live overlooking the White House. In 30 minutes, the president and the British prime minister are poised to strike out against the criticism they've been receiving over the war in Iraq. You'll see it live right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, Bush and Blair fight back.
BLITZER: Two staunch allies taking the heat, taking on their accusers in the controversy over Iraq's weapons.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And, I don't believe you can compromise with this new form of terrorism.
BLITZER: Will Tony Blair survive the firestorm? Will George W. Bush come out stronger or more vulnerable to his political enemies?
He haunts Iraq. He taunts American forces, another tape possible of Saddam Hussein, another call to resist the U.S. occupation.
The recession declared over, why doesn't it feel like the end of tough times for so many Americans?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Thursday, July 17, 2003. We're coming to you just a few blocks from the White House right behind me. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
A major day for President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, we'll have extensive coverage. That's coming up in just a moment.
First, there is news that's just coming in to CNN right now. A teammate named in connection with the disappearance of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy has apparently turned himself in to the sheriff's deputies in Maryland for questioning.
Carlton Dotson's attorney issued a statement saying, and I'm quoting now: "Dotson contacted authorities on his own initiative." The attorney says his office is not aware of what Dotson will say to authorities but he quoted a relative saying that Dotson has not slept for several days. Police in Waco, Texas have been investigating Dennehy's disappearance since late June. An informant's account in a police affidavit said Carlton Dotson shot Dennehy during an argument while the two were shooting guns in a field north of Waco. Dotson has been questioned by Waco police but has not been named as a suspect. Our Bob Franken will have more on the story. That's coming up later.
We're also getting late-breaking word from Colorado. We're now being told that the prosecutors have announced, have decided that they will announce whether or not they will file charges against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, they'll make that announcement tomorrow, Friday, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
We'll have live coverage of that. That's tomorrow. He's accused by some of -- by a woman, a 19-year-old woman of sexually assaulting her a couple of weeks ago near Vail, Colorado. We'll have that coverage tomorrow. Once again official word coming tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 2:00 p.m. Pacific, the prosecutors announcing that's when they will tell us whether they will press charges against Kobe Bryant.
Let's get to our top story now, Iraq. Victorious allies in Iraq now both facing questions at home about the justification for war. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair making the rounds here in Washington with a White House news conference, a joint news conference by both of them scheduled to begin at the bottom of the hour. We'll have live coverage, about 30 minutes or so from now.
Let's get a little preview, though. First of all, Suzanne Malveaux, our White House Correspondent standing by on the North Lawn -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Bush as well as British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the counter offensive today. In about 30 minutes here at the White House they're going to face their critics and also face potentially tough questions from reporters about this dubious intelligence both leaders used to make their case for war.
We are told by White House officials that they will talk about the update when it comes to the Middle East, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the importance of U.S.-European relations. What likely will not be resolved, however, is this issue, this claim that President Bush made in his State of the Union address that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium from Africa.
It is a statement that they attributed to the British but White House officials saying it should not have been included in the president's speech. It didn't rise to that level. British officials standing by that but not naming the third source that they got that statement from.
Now, we expect that that is not going to be -- that is not going to develop and earlier we heard accusations from Democrats within the last 24-48 hours accusing White House officials of trying to pressure the CIA into putting that statement in the president's speech. Earlier today, White House Spokesman Scott McClellan:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: Go back and ask why these statements are being made. This is an attempt to just rewrite history and to justify a vote that was taken against the course of action that we took.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And now, Mr. Blair is actually arriving here at the White House as we speak. He will be attending a meeting, a brief meeting, with the president. They will be addressing those issues. One of the things that both leaders are really trying to do, Wolf, is build international support. They want to see the reconstruction effort in Iraq work well but, as you know, both leaders recognize they need a lot more support from allies.
They are not getting the troops and the support that they had hoped recently, as you know, France, Germany, and a surprise India all refusing to send peacekeepers, to send troops to help with the reconstruction effort in Iraq. They're both hoping to make a case, an international argument, for those countries to come onboard -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thanks very much.
We saw the prime minister walk into the West Wing with his wife Cherie. They're going in for a meeting with the president of the United States and other top aides. Once again, we're standing by for their joint news conference. That's coming up about a half hour or so from now.
The first stop for the prime minister was Capitol Hill where he addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress within the past hour. Our Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl is up on Capitol Hill. Jon, the prime minister received, from what I could tell, a pretty tumultuous reception.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question. He entered the very chamber where the president gave that controversial State of the Union address, the chamber of the House of Representatives, to a thunderous applause and, as he took the podium and began his speech he began with a joke alluding to the fire, the controversy surrounding his position back in Britain regarding weapons of mass destruction and President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, honorable members of Congress, I'm deeply touched by that warm and generous welcome. That's more than I deserve and more than I'm used to quite frankly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: Of course, Tony Blair is under fire back home. There's one poll back in Britain that shows 54 percent of Britains say they can't trust him further than they can throw him, so he was glad to get the warm reception her on Capitol Hill.
On a serious note, he talked about the possibility that if they were wrong about the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, if they were wrong about that he felt history would still forgive us because it still removed a brutal dictator in Saddam Hussein. But, if they were right, if the threat was real, this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: If we are wrong, we will have destroyed a threat that at its least is responsible for inhuman carnage and suffering. That is something I am confident history will forgive. But if our critics are wrong, if we are right as I believe with every fiber of instinct and conviction I have that we are and we do not act then we will have hesitated in the face of this menace when we should have given leadership. That is something history will not forgive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: And, Wolf, one other thing Tony Blair in coming here and also visiting the chamber, the Congress gave him the Congressional Gold Medal which is the very highest honor they could have given him. So, Tony Blair may be under fire back home but he' still very popular up here in Washington on Capitol Hill -- Wolf.
BLITZER: (AUDIO GAP) very much.
Meanwhile, another audiotape allegedly from Saddam Hussein has surfaced this one coming on what was a key national holiday in Iraq. The authenticity cannot be confirmed by CNN but the implications are ominous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): An important anniversary in Iraq, a new possible recording from the man who Iraqis cannot put in the past, a audiotape purportedly of Saddam Hussein aired on the Arab language Al- Arabiya Network. This time the voice ridicules the newly-appointed governing council in Iraq.
SADDAM HUSSEIN (through translator): The occupation administration has issued its orders in accordance with instructions by Washington, Tel Aviv, and London, appointing a number of those who are ordered by the administration on the basis of a despicable division of great Iraq. And in this the occupiers have shown parts of their intentions and plans to divide Iraq.
BLITZER: The speaker says the door is open for any Iraqi but not a supporter of the U.S.-led coalition to run the country. The 15- minute tape praises the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in Iraq 35 years ago today. As in earlier tapes ostensibly made by Saddam this voice urges a new revolution.
HUSSEIN (through translator): We are confident that our dignified and great fighting people who rejected occupation and resisted it would reject all orders of the imperialists.
BLITZER: But like those previous messages that have come out since the declared end of major combat in Iraq, this one raises more questions than answers. Will this provoke further attacks on U.S. forces? Will it take a toll on the already declining morale of American troops in Iraq?
It didn't seem to at least not today. U.S. forces seized a large stash of weapons, arrested 30 people. (AUDIO GAP)...then to underground, organize attacks, and force the occupiers into a long, bloody guerrilla-style conflict.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: I would describe as a classical guerrilla-type campaign against us. It's low intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms but it's war however you describe it.
BLITZER: U.S. Senators who returned from Iraq two weeks ago stressed that to end these attacks one thing must be done.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: We must find Saddam Hussein and his sons. When we do then the people of Iraq will no longer live in fear of his return which is a real and palatable state of mind of many Iraqi citizens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: A U.S. government official tells CNN experts are still examining the audiotape but the audio quality is considered bad which means a low probability of knowing for certain if it's genuine.
Authentic or not, many Iraqis paid close attention to the tape and its message with some even going so far as to stage a pro-Saddam Hussein rally. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's joining us now live -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we listened to that message being broadcast in an area of Baghdad at (unintelligible). That's the area where Saddam Hussein purportedly last appeared right just before his fall on the 9th of April.
Now, in that particular neighborhood you do find supporters of Saddam Hussein there and we found the people listening to that particular message who were gladdened to hear it, gladdened to hear that somebody was speaking up against the U.S. forces; however, the vast majority of people here in Iraq are concerned when they hear Saddam Hussein or somebody who sounds like him because they believe that is a rallying point for Saddam Hussein loyalists and they believe that means there will be more attacks on U.S. forces.
If there are more attacks on the U.S. forces the conflict continues and they believe, most people here believe, if that conflict continues then the chances of the average Iraqi getting caught up in that and hurt are much greater.
And, just yesterday when a grenade was thrown at one U.S. soldier injuring him, one young Iraqi boy was killed, four people injured. That's what people worry about here but there was at the same time a rally on the west of Baghdad today, the first armed rally in support of Saddam Hussein that we've seen since the former leader fell from power here.
Not only did people have automatic weapons which they are not supposed to have on the streets, they had rocket-propelled grenade launchers and these are categorically outlawed by the new coalition provisional administration here. People are not allowed to have those out on the streets and they have become a (unintelligible) that's been used very frequently against coalition forces here.
Also in the city today, heightened security for the U.S. forces here because this was a former national holiday, because there were intelligence concerns that there might be increased attacks against U.S. troops. The troops, however, believing that it's better that a real peacekeeping force, one trained to deal with civilians brought into the country to help them out with their job here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. JASON BRECKENRIDGE, U.S. ARMY: We'd rather just get to go home and maybe let some other international force of peacekeepers come in and take over for us but until that time comes unfortunately we're stuck here.
PFC ANTOINE BLACKMAN, U.S. ARMY: The soldiers that are here that have been here forever like 3rd ID who have really been through the combat should be home as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: The broad feeling among a lot of troops here however, Wolf, is that they say when you talk to them that their morale is up. When you see them relaxing at their headquarters or bases people do seem a little relaxed, do seem as if life isn't really oppressing them too much -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I know the U.S. military, the civilian administrator Paul Bremer, Nic, they want to see democracy unfold but are there limits? Can these Iraqis go ahead and have a pro-Saddam Hussein rally recognizing that after World War II the U.S. military did not allow pro-Nazi or pro-Hitler rallies in German or pro emperor rallies in Japan?
ROBERTSON: Well, rallies that are armed, coalition would say, are prohibited so it doesn't matter who they're supporting. If they're coming out with weapons then that is against the regulations that the coalition provisional authority have placed on all Iraqi citizens in Iraq which parties they're supporting, that is up to the people of Iraq, coalition authorities would say.
However, the Ba'ath Party is the party that the coalition is trying to dismantle its senior members but if you look at the way the coalition deals with the Ba'ath population in Iraq, it recognizes that many of them were Ba'ath Party members. It allows them to go back into civilian jobs inside Iraq as long as they weren't senior members, as long as they didn't commit war crimes and as long as they weren't involved in terrorist activities -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us, thanks Nic very much.
With violence against coalition forces in Iraq showing no sign of let up, both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair are under fire from their political opponents at home. Some of Blair's critics are demanding he fire his communications director.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN DUNCAN SMITH, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Alistair Campbell and the prime minister have created a culture of deceit and spin as the heart of government. When will the prime minister realize until he sacks Campbell nobody will believe a word he says anymore?
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: It's a disgrace that the case for war seems to have been based on shoddy intelligence, hyped intelligence, and even false intelligence. All the evidence points to the conclusion that they put a spin on the intelligence and a spin on the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining me now from London with more, Jon Snow. He's the main anchor of Britain's Channel 4 News, and from New York our CNN Senior Analyst Jeff Greenfield.
Jon, let me begin with you. I take it that the prime minister's address before a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress was played live on television back in Britain. What's your impression? How did he do?
JON SNOW, BRITISH NEWS ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, it was quite a spectacle. I mean he would never, as he said himself, ever get such a reception in the legislature here. I mean he is under fire, indeed his own -- the left wing magazine that would most normally support labor is out today calling for him to go.
He's under enormous pressure and, of course, what he did there in the United States was talk the big picture in the hope that nobody would take a closer look at the small print and that's what is obsessing people this side of the Atlantic.
BLITZER: Jon, what will be the most important thing you will be looking for when he has this joint news conference with President Bush that's coming up in only a few minutes?
SNOW: I would think from our perspective the burial of weapons of mass destruction as an excuse for going to war. He needs to do this pretty fast and the truth is he went for regime change, which is what George Bush went for, but unlike George Bush, Tony Blair couldn't use that excuse here. It's not really British policy to go changing regimes. We needed something more and he tried to present it and it didn't work.
BLITZER: Jeff, this may be a case where the British prime minister may be more popular here in the United States than he is back in Britain. His appearance together with the president presumably that will help President Bush politically am I right or wrong on that?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Yes, I think it's interesting that I think for those of us in the United States it's hard for us to understand, I think, the degree to which Tony Blair's own Labour Party was reluctant and some members outright opposed.
I mean in the last couple of months the leader of the House of Commons Robin Cook and one of his cabinet members, Clare Short resigned. Both made very critical speeches in the House of Commons. In fact, Clare Short more or less called Prime Minister Blair a bully and a betrayer of ideals.
To understand that it would be as if Dennis Hastert and Christie Todd Whitman both quit the Bush administration or the speakership and then blasted him in public, so you're absolutely right.
I guess it's almost like, I don't mean to draw this parallel exactly, but it's like Winston Churchill who was thrown out of office in 1945 at a Labour Party landslide but in the United States right through his years in the wilderness was hailed as a hero.
I'm not suggesting that's going to happen to Tony Blair but clearly George Bush has much more support, almost total support still within his Republican Party and the contrast between that and Tony Blair's situation could not be greater.
One more quick point for those people who think that the media are hostile to President Bush, I think as Mr. Snow will tell you, the war between the BBC and the Blair administration is something that's way beyond anything. You have to go back to the days of the Spiro Agnew versus the networks to see anything that incendiary. They're about both calling each other liars if I'm not mistaken.
BLITZER: Well, is that true Jon?
SNOW: Dead right, Wolf. Jeff's on the button. There is a tremendous war of words between the government and the BBC, between Tony Blair and the BBC and most people in this country see that as a complete smokescreen designed really to obscure the central issue, a question which still can't be answered this side of the Atlantic and that is why exactly we went to war.
Well, you got the answer today. You got the answer there on the floor of the Congress. It is basically because the British prime minister and the policy at the very top is to keep close to the United States. Whatever else happens, keep close. The world is a safer place if that bridge between Europe and America exists than if it doesn't and we set up some kind of a rival European power block.
BLITZER: Jeff, what will you be looking for when these two leaders have their joint news conference. They'll open it up with statements, separate statements. Then they'll field questions from reporters. What will you be looking for?
GREENFIELD: Well, I suspect that the Press Corps which in the past has been accused by liberals, particularly in this setting of being much less challenging than the press is supposed to be will really have, you know, they'll have the blood up because of the recent revelations.
And, I'll be very curious to see the extent to which Tony Blair steps in to defend, if you will, the Bush administration's use of intelligence. You remember, Wolf, back during the impeachment when Tony Blair came here, his defense of President Clinton was particularly effective and eloquent.
I'm waiting to see whether or not Tony Blair intercedes on behalf of the president and the administration when the tough questions about that uranium issue in the State of the Union and American intelligence come up. So, that's what I'll most be looking to hear.
BLITZER: All right, that's coming up in a few minutes. Jeff Greenfield is going to be kind enough to stay with us. Jon Snow is going to stay with us. We're going to get their analysis after the news conference so stick around for that.
The prime minister and the president they're clearly trying to battle back, the two leaders. They'll be coming to their respective microphones. That's coming up in a few minutes. Of course, CNN will have live coverage once that happens.
Plus, a deadly crash in Santa Monica, California, will the elderly driver face charges?
And, economists say the recession is over so why doesn't it feel like it's over for so many Americans, a closer look at your money, all that and much more, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're standing by for a news conference, an important news conference, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair visiting the White House. The United States President George Bush, his host. We'll go there. We'll go inside the White House for this joint news conference momentarily. Stay with us for that.
In the meantime, there are other stories we're following. As we told you at the top of the hour, prosecutors in Colorado now say they will announce tomorrow whether or not to file charges against the basketball star Kobe Bryant. He's accused of sexual assault.
Our National Correspondent Gary Tuchman is joining us now live from Vail with details. What do we know? How did this announcement about the tomorrow announcement come forward Gary?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we found out directly from the district attorney's office. They told that that indeed tomorrow, two weeks exactly after Kobe Bryant was arrested, a district attorney by the name of Mark Hurlbert will make his announcement on whether to file criminal charges against the Los Angeles Lakers star.
Now, Kobe Bryant was seen in public last night. He attended the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, the sports award show and he attended with his wife but he's been very quiet in the two weeks since he's been arrested.
He's accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman on June 30 in a hotel here in Eagle County, Colorado. The woman is an employee of the hotel. Now, it's very confusing. He was arrested on July 4. You may be wondering if he's arrested weren't there charges?
The way it works here police make arrests based on suspicion and then it's up to the district attorney to file official criminal charges. So, tomorrow the decision will be announced, 5:00 Eastern time, 3:00 Mountain time, here in Colorado on whether criminal charges will be filed against the Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Gary is there any -- very briefly is there any anticipation which was the prosecution is leaning?
TUCHMAN: We certain asked that question. We were just told the announcement will come tomorrow. We asked very specifically, just like you said, which way is the prosecutor leaning and their answer was we're not telling you.
BLITZER: All right, we'll have to wait until tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 24 hours, less than that, from now. We'll be talking to you out in Vail, Colorado. Gary Tuchman thanks very much.
We're looking at live pictures at the White House. We're waiting for the president of the United States, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They're going to be walking into this room, going to those microphones, making opening statements and then they'll be answering reporters' questions, no doubt important questions, questions involving the prewar intelligence, intelligence leading up to the war with Iraq. These two allies both under fire, under significant fire at home for various reasons.
Here they are. They're walking in. Tony Blair smiling, the president of the United States smiling, the president will speak first. We'll listen. We'll watch and then we'll talk a little bit more.
(INTERRUPTED FOR COVERAGE OF LIVE EVENT)
BLITZER: President of the United States and the prime minister of Britain walking away after their joint news conference. About a half an hour, just a little bit under a half an hour, answering reporters' questions, making strong statements.
I want to get some analysis now. Jon Snow has been standing by in London. He's the main anchor for Channel 4 in Britain. Our Jeff Greenfield is standing by in New York.
Jon, first of all to you, I want you and our audience once again to listen to what the prime minister said specifically and the most controversial aspect, at least here in the United States. The president's use of British government intelligence on the allegation that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF GREAT BRITAIN: The British intelligence that we had, we believe is genuine. We stand by that intelligence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: He's not budging at all. Did the prime minister, from your perspective, Jon, manage to put this issue behind him?
SNOW: No, I think he dug himself still deeper. There's not a shred of evidence to support what he's saying and not even the CIA believes there is a shred of evidence either. He claims there is third country evidence that this nuclear claim was true. The truth is to make Saddam Hussein into a credible threat, in terms of weapons of mass destruction, they needed a nuclear element. And the suspicion this side of the Atlantic is that whole area was stoked up as a device to try to persuade a very doubting population that Saddam Hussein could in some way hit British interests.
BLITZER: How important, Jon, will it be if the prime minister manages to convince President Bush to let those two British nationals being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, how important will it be for him, if he gets permission to let those two detainees be tried in Britain?
SNOW: Well, not just two in a sense because there are nine altogether in Guantanamo. Ideally he wants all nine out, and he wants to allow them to have the same rights that your own American citizens had for them to be tried here if they can be tried. This is a very strong issue here. People believe it's a fundamental issue of human and civil rights.
BLITZER: Let me get Jeff Greenfield's assessment. What we just saw and we heard. Your thoughts, Jeff.
GREENFIELD: Well, striking exchange in that brief press conference was when a reporter said to the president, do you take responsibility for those words that were in your speech and what the president said, many times I take responsibility for dealing with the threat of Saddam Hussein, and getting rid of him.
I think that is a microcosm of what we are going to be hearing, unless or until, they can show that they were right all along about the specifics. In other words, look, it's a blunter version of what Blair said in his speech to Congress. If you want to worry about this one detail go ahead, but we got rid of a vicious dictator who clearly was developing bad stuff and that's what I take responsibility for.
The question, of course is whether that's going to be enough to quiet the controversy that's erupted in the last week about a very specific notion, should the president in the most serious speech you can make, have included stuff they now said never should have been there. That's an intriguing question and an intriguing political move. And I think that's going to be the way on which this fight is going to be fought out for the next few days or weeks.
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield and Jon Snow thanks very much for standing by and giving us your assessment immediately after that news conference.
We're going to take a quick break when we come back -- we're getting some new information right now on that horrendous incident yesterday, 24 hours ago, in Santa Monica, California. That car going through that heavily populated area. Stay with us.
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Bryant Case to Be Announced Tomorrow>
