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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Search For 2 Abducted Children Continues; Judge Wants To Move Peterson Case, But Still Listening; Carnegie Institute Flames Bush Administration On Representation Of Iraqi Weapons

Aired January 08, 2004 - 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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now. Amber alert activated. A desperate search across the United States. Three children kidnapped. Police say by a man who's already four people including his baby daughter.

Also, increasing impatience. Fresh findings spoil President Bush's rationale for waging war in Iraq.

And playing defense, Secretary of State Colin Powell counters the criticism.

Also happening right now, terror concerns, should the nation go to code yellow? Airports may not go with it. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Easy targets? A giant jet is hit by hostile fire and a Black Hawk is down, with deadly results.

Manhunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want him bad.

BLITZER: Four dead, including an infant. Three young girls missing. Did this man turn on his own family?

Moving out of Modesto, can Scott Peterson get a fair trial in his own town?

Salmon scare, it's something you're supposed to eat, but should you worry what the salmon eat?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, January 8, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We begin with a developing story, an amber alert manhunt underway across the southeast at this hour for a man accused of killing four people, including his baby daughter and kidnapping three other children.

CNN's Mike Brooks is following this story. He's joining us from the CNN center in Atlanta -- Mike. MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. Authorities described the two residences where the four bodies were found in northwest Georgia as a very violent crime scene. Three adults shot multiple times and a 10-month-old girl strangled to death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERIFF JERRY DAVIS, GORDON COUNTY, GEORGIA: We're looking for this man right here. I've had him in the Gordon county jail for traffic violations. I need him back in the jail for murder. The way that he's treated these people, I want him bad.

Law enforcement sources believe the murders were motivated by a domestic dispute between 31-year-old Jerry William Jones and Melissa Peeler. It's not clear whether the couple was married, never married, or divorced.

Authorities say Jones showed up at their home near Ranger, Georgia, where Peeler's children, children by Jones and children by an earlier relationship were staying. Jones allegedly killed four people, three adults and one of his own daughters, a 10-month-old girl.

VERNON KENNAN, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We know that we have a very violent crime scene. The victims, some have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The 10-month-old infant child appears to have been strangled.

DAVIS: He had took time to take and clean it inside the home and hide the bodies.

BROOKS: Police say Jones then kidnapped three other girls ranging in age from three to 10, two of them his own daughters. He then reportedly called Peeler said to be visiting a friend out of state and told her what he had done.

DAVIS: The statement was made, if you notify the officers, I will harm the children.

BROOKS: Officials have issued an Amber alert for the entire southeast, saying all three girls are in extreme danger. Police as far as away as South Florida and Louisiana are looking for Jones.

KENNAN: We are very concerned for the safety of the three children. At this point we do not know whether Jones and the three children are still in this immediate area or if they have traveled to another state.

BROOKS: Jones is described as being about 5'7, 150 pounds in weight, with brown hair and blue eyes. He's said to be driving a 1991 Ford Explorer, red or maroon in color, with Georgia license plate 730 YFV.

KENNAN: If there is anyone who has had any contact with him or has had a sighting of the children, we very, very much want to know about that and talk to those persons. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKS: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Gordon county sheriff's office have asked for the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshall service in this nationwide manhunt. The FBI has issued a U-FAP warrant, unlawful flight to avoid prosecution for Jones.

The FBI also expects to set up an 800 number to receive the multiple leads they're getting right now. And that should be set up sometime later this evening -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike, stand by for a moment. As you know within the past few minutes we heard more from the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNAN: We will do whatever it takes. We will bring in whatever staffing and equipment is necessary for us to track down Jones and to recover these children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Mike, you're there in Georgia. How extraordinary is this manhunt?

BROOKS: I tell you, Wolf, since I've been here in Georgia the last couple of years, I haven't seen a manhunt like this since I've been here. And with my 26 years in law enforcement I can guarantee you when they bring in the FBI, when they bring in the U.S. Marshall service that brings in many more resources that is going to cover the nation like a blanket.

Leads will go out to every FBI office. There has been a BOLO, if you will, be on the lookout for Jones nationwide with an inlet's message. And again, if anybody sees this vehicle and tag on this vehicle or anything at all that they feel like fits a description, to call 911. They consider him armed and extremely dangerous and no one should approach him -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Sorry, Mike, stand by because we're going to be getting back to this story later this hour. But we want to thank you for that report, Very important story underway right now. Amber alert underway in the southeast.

Let's move over to Iraq right now where it's been a tough 24 hours for American forces. They've come under fire in the air and on the ground, as well as in their barracks. The deadliest incident, a helicopter crash still being investigated. We begin our coverage with CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. military helicopters circle a crash site. The wreck of the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that went down just south of Fallujah. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a routine mission carrying nine passengers crashed southeast of Fallujah. There were no survivors.

PENHAUL: He says all aboard were U.S. soldiers. One coalition official said the helicopter was on a medical evacuation mission. Kimmitt's not specifying the cause, only that the helicopter made an emergency landing. And one Iraqi witness said the crash was the result of ground fire.

UNIDENTIFED MALE (through translator): I saw a missile hit the helicopter. It went down over there. It had a red cross on it.

PENHAUL: This is the Sunni triangle, heartland of the guerrilla war against coalition forces. Earlier this month, the Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down in the same area and in November, insurgents brought down a Chinook transport helicopter not far away.

The Black Hawk crash came hours after an attack on a U.S. base. Same region, just west of Baghdad. A barrage of six mortars slammed into barracks at logistic base sites, home to the 541st maintenance battalion out of Fort Riley, Kansas. One soldier dead, 33 other soldiers and a civilian wounded.

The army says some of the injured have since returned to duty. The latest U.S. deaths come a day after civilian coalition authorities called for reconciliation among Iraqis. But so far, there's little sign of that in Iraq Sunni triangle. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There was also a very close call today in the air over Baghdad's International Airport. Military officials say a giant C-5 transport jet with 63 people aboard was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre tells us what happens next -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: There's no more vulnerable time for these big transport planes than when they're taking off or landing at Baghdad International Airport.

Again, about 7:20 this morning as a giant C-5 Galaxy like this one was taking off from Baghdad, it was 6,000 feet in the air when it was hit by apparently a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile that took out the number 4 engine.

The plane was able to return to the airport and land safely, but again, another close call and shows the danger that these shoulder- fire missiles continue to pose.

It's not the first time a plane has been hit. Back in November, an 8300 airbus flown by the DHL international global delivery service was also struck by a shoulder-fired missile.

Some pictures at the time showed the dramatic damage as that plane was also able to land with its wing on fire. There's not a whole lot the military can do. They are varying the flight paths. They are increasing patrols around the airports. But these shoulder- fire missiles can be quickly fired.

They seek the heat of the missile -- the heat of the engine and they put those planes at risk. Fortunately these giant transport planes have enough capacity that they can withstand the loss of an engine and still land safely.

Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, for that. Meanwhile, not far away in Afghanistan, Pakistani troops on the hunt for al Qaeda along the border. There U.S. troops are trying to track down Iraqi insurgents in Iraq. At any moment, though, as the events over the past 24 hours have shown, the hunters can often become the hunted.

Joining us now is retired U.S. Army Colonel Robert Maginnis. He's taught at the U.S. Army's infantry school and knows a great deal about these matters. Thanks, Colonel, for joining us.

How vulnerable are these U.S. aircrafts? Let's start off with slow flying, low-flying, if you will, helicopters to these shoulder- fire stinger missiles?

LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS (RET.), U.S. ARMY: There's no question. We are hunters over there. We bought up a couple hundred already but they are very vulnerable. I've flown in that area. I've even taken off out of Baghdad International and we try to jinx our way with all sorts of maneuvers.

But the fact is, Wolf, that they're very vulnerable. Especially if the people firing them know what they're doing. They can go up at least 10,000 feet, out several miles. At 6,000 feet like this Galaxy was, it's good that they didn't fire multiple weapons, because as indicated by the previous report, the airbus 300, when I saw it come back, I mean, the wing was about gone. So we're very fortunate that Galaxy didn't crash today.

BLITZER: Two missiles would have hit, it would have been very different.

MAGINNIS: Quite possible.

BLITZER: When you're on a Black Hawk what defensive measures can you take to avoid these kinds of surface-to-air missiles?

MAGINNIS: One of the precautions we've taken after the Fallujah battle or losses before, the Tikrit and the Mosul, is to fly very low or to fly very high out of range.

BLITZER: If you fly very low, you're within gunfire range as well.

MAGINNIS: That's true. That's small arms fire but you're safe from the missiles. You can't win either way. Quite frankly, what we want to do and we started to do is to fly more at night than we have before. We're always wearing night vision goggles which allow us to get about. And, of course, obscure us in the blackened night. Most of these operations are taking place, like that Galaxy, this morning in the darkness.

BLITZER: The Galaxy is the huge transport, C-5. If you're hit in a Black Hawk, is it over usually?

MAGINNIS: It really is. You've got one engine basically. As soon as, you know, you lose control, you auto rotate, start to spin and hit the ground. So if the explosion from the missile doesn't kill the nine passengers as it did inside this one today, then the impact on the ground probably will.

BLITZER: We don't know for sure it was a missile that brought down the Black Hawk, there's still an investigation underway. We do know a missile hit that C-5 Galaxy transport plane. What other defensive measures can the big aircraft take to try to be safe flying over Iraq?

MAGINNIS: My question today is why didn't the magnesium flares that I'm sure is on that C-5, 50 percent of all our military...

BLITZER: The same type of flares that, let's say, Air Force One has?

MAGINNIS: That's right. They go out at various angles and they burn at 2,000 degrees. The idea is the heat-seeking missile is going to go after the flare and not after the aircraft. They work most of the time.

BLITZER: Is it standard on C-5s, on those big transport planes to have those kinds of flares?

MAGINNIS: About half of them have them. I can't imagine we would send one over that doesn't. You can also have lamps, lasers that we're working on.

Just the other day, Secretary Ridge decided to go out to three contractors and say find us one for commercial aircraft. It's the same thing. Either the magnesium flares or lasers or the IR lamps that are going to distract that incoming missile.

BLITZER: You spent a career in the military. The troops have to move around some way. If they move on the ground in Humvees, they're vulnerable to these improvised explosive devices. If they fly in helicopters, they're vulnerable. If they fly in the big planes, they're vulnerable. What are the U.S. troops, 130,000 or so, to do?

MAGINNIS: You have to be -- perseverant. You have to use the intelligence you can gather. The other day, General Swanick (ph) out in 87nd Airborne showed us on the TV, an improvised rocket-propelled grenade launcher which indicates that they are starting to run out of that stuff which means we're doing a better job.

But frankly, if they have the missiles in hand, and they know how to use them, and they have the ammunitions, we are vulnerable. We are doing everything we can to protect our troops.

BLITZER: They not only have hundreds of these missiles, they may have thousands of them hidden someplace in Iraq.

MAGINNIS: Well, Saddam spent most of the money from the oil on either his palaces or his weaponry and he has at least 600,000 tons of this scattered all over that Texas-size country.

BLITZER: Very dangerous situation. Colonel Maginnis, thanks as usual for joining us.

Saddam Hussein's weapons, new criticism today on administration claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We continue to follow a breaking story as well. A murder spree manhunt. Authorities racing across the United States in the southeast to find a man accused of killing several people, including his 10-month-old daughter.

And moving out of Modesto, a victory for Scott Peterson and his defense attorneys. Where will the trial take place now? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on our top story. A manhunt underway. A manhunt for a man suspected of killing four people, including his 10- month-old daughter. Joining us on the phone is Vernon Keenan, he's the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Director Keenan, thank you very much for joining us. Update our viewers who may just be tuning in right now where the search stands.

KENNAN: We -- the GBI, the FBI, and the local Georgia law enforcement have asked the law enforcement and surrounding states to participate with us in an attempt to effect the arrest of Jones and to recover the three children which have been abducted from the murder scene.

At this time, we do not know where Jones and the children are at. We do not know if they are in Gordon county or if they're in the state of Georgia or if they have left to another state. For that reason, we have expanded out to surrounding states and are publicizing the lookout to all law enforcement agencies and to the public.

We are in the process of setting up a 800 line to receive information from the public. We're also bringing in additional staff from the FBI and the GBI to help us manage the volume of information which is coming in from law enforcement and the general public as regards to possible sightings of Jones and the children. We are very concerned for the safety of the children. That is our main focus now, is to attempt to recover them safely.

BLITZER: We just got some pictures in of two of the little girls, director. Is there a motivation? Is there a motivation for this crime, that you know of?

KENNAN: We do not, we do not know the -- we do not know the motive for the crime. It was a very violent crime scene. As far as motivation, we do not -- have not put that together yet. We are actually -- have one team of investigators working the murder case and then a larger number of investigators that are attempting to track down Jones and recover the children.

So we actually have two separate phases of an investigation on going. We will continue to increase staffing, if necessary. We will do whatever it takes to recover the children.

BLITZER: We were showing our viewers pictures of two of the abducted children, Brandi Jones, 4 years old and 10-year-old Brittany Phelps. Is it your suspicion, director, that he is still driving this Ford Explorer that you're searching for?

KENNAN: That is our best information that we have. The Ford Explorer is missing from the murder scene. And we believe that he is in that vehicle. If that is not the case, then it will make our job much more difficult. But we have no -- that is our best lead at the moment.

BLITZER: And if one of our viewers suspects he or she may have information useful for you or your colleagues in this investigation, walk us through precisely what they should do and what they shouldn't do.

KENNAN: If they have information or if they have a possible sighting of the vehicle, they would immediately contact their local law enforcement agency. Call 911 and provide that information to the law enforcement agency.

Under no circumstances should they attempt to approach the vehicle or apprehend Jones. The proper course of action is to notify the law enforcement agency which can get to them the most rapidly, which will be their local agency.

BLITZER: And your fear is that he clearly is still well armed and extremely dangerous?

KENNAN: We consider him to be extremely dangerous and we are very fearful for the safety of the children.

BLITZER: Director Kennan, good luck to you, good luck to all your colleague in this search. An extraordinary manhunt underway now in the southeastern part of the United States. We will continue to follow this story for our viewers.

One of the country's most closely-watched court cases may be moving. A judge has tentatively approved a defense request for a change of venue for Scott Peterson's murder trial, but it's not a done deal yet. CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Modesto, California. She's joining us now live with details -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it looked like a quick victory for the defense, but prosecutors are still in there fighting and the judge is still listening.

The judge wasted no time when he walked in court this morning, sat down and told both sides what his feelings were. As a tentative ruling he wanted to move this case out of Modesto, out of Stanislaus County because of massive pretrial publicity. But then he turned it over to prosecutors to convince him otherwise.

They're now in the middle of arguments. He is expected to issue a ruling sometime this afternoon. As I said, he said his main reason was the massive worldwide news coverage. Some 8,000 articles, 150 articles here in Modesto alone.

Now, what will happen when he says -- gives that final ruling is that it will go to the judicial counsel. That is a state body that will hold courts statewide to decide which ones have facilities, which ones have the staff, who has accommodations for the media. And are the demographics similar to that of those in Modesto.

So that should be in about two or three weeks. The judge will have a hearing then. Then he will make his final decision. But it doesn't look like the January 26 is going to be a start date for this trial -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It gets more and more complicated all of the time. Rusty Dornin, thanks very much for that report.

The terror threat alert level. It may be about to change again. But when? And for whom? You may see differences depending on where you live, where you work, or how you travel. We'll explain. That's coming up.

A critical report on how the Bush White House used intelligence on Iraq's weapons to justify the war. I'll speak live with CNN analysts Ken Polluck.

And two men match, is Wesley Clark's recent rise in the polls a threat to front runner Howard Dean. We'll take you on the campaign trails. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Because of possible terror attacks from the air and elsewhere, the nation has been on a high, or orange alert status, since just before Christmas. Now there's apparently a possibility of a change. Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is here with this story -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, officials tell CNN they expect the threat level to be lowered back down to yellow or elevated within the next week. While no definitive decision has been made on exactly when it will happen, most officials feel comfortable with lowering the level as long as certain sectors remain on a higher alert.

Now this is an idea that the Department of Homeland Security has been working for some time. A sort of two-pronged approach. The sectors that would remain on higher alert, we are told, would include aviation, the nuclear sector, and sectors involving major infrastructure. Officials say that the threat information that's now coming in is not as specific as it has been in the past, although the volume remains high. And the concern has not entirely passed regarding a possible attack. In fact, previous intelligence pointed to a window spanning from November to early February as a time frame for a possible attack.

Still, without specifics and with this new pronged approach, as I said earlier, we expect the level to be lowered within the week to yellow.

BLITZER: All right. I assume that's good news. Thanks very much, Kelli, for that.

ARENA: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Case closed: has the search stopped for weapons of mass destruction? Critics turning up the heat and the Bush administration responding.

Detainee discharge: U.S. officials release 80 Iraqi prisoners. Why now? And will more be freed?

Bullet buffered Beamer: if you want the ultimate driving protection and have 100 grand to spare, BMW has the car for you. All that coming up. First up, today's news clips.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): In one item was the material Kevlar now used in bullet-proof vests originally used? Football helmets, tires, firefighter gear, cargo planes? The answer, later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Where are the weapons? New insight into what may have gone wrong with the intelligence on Iraq's WMDs. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

The search continuing for a man suspected of killing four people, including his infant daughter, and kidnapping three young girls, including two other daughters. The killings occurred in northwest Georgia, but authorities have issued an Amber Alert for the entire Southeast. Officials say the girls are in extreme danger.

The worst of the U.S. flu season may be over. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says health officials are cautiously optimistic the flu has peaked, at least in parts of the country. The virus is still widespread in 38 states, but that's down from 42 states last week.

The Pacific Northwest is in the grip of harsh winter weather for the second day in a row. Snow and freezing rain have closed roads and schools. Tens of thousands of people are without power. And the Portland Airport is closed until at least tomorrow morning.

In Pakistan, Army troops, backed by helicopters, are engaged in a major operation aimed at suspected terrorists in the mountains along the border with Afghanistan. The offensive follows new calls by Osama bin Laden for Muslims to attack U.S. forces and their allies.

There's more blistering criticism today on the way the Bush administration made the case for war against Iraq, specifically the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons, weapons which have yet to be found. But a key administration figure today argued that the case is by no means closed.

Let's turn now to our national security correspondent, David Ensor. He's joining us live from the State Department -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wolf, the Carnegie Endowment put out a report today. It's six months in the making. And the authors traveled to Iraq, interviewing inspectors, Iraqis, going through a lot of documents. They are scathing about the way the Bush administration talked about what it knew, the intelligence it had about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction before the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA MATHEWS, PRESIDENT, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: The representations by senior administration officials show a fairly systemic misrepresentation of the facts, over and above the intelligence failings, with respect to chemical and biological weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now, at a news conference here at the State Department today, Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked -- the first question was about this Carnegie report. Here is how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm confident of what I presented last year. The intelligence community is confident of the material they gave me. I was representing them. It was information they presented to the Congress. It was information they had presented publicly. And they stand behind it. And this game is still unfolding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: There is a theory now among some officials in the U.S. government, Wolf, that it is the possible that some of the scientists in Iraq may have actually been lying about what weapons-related capabilities they had developed to Saddam Hussein and to the leadership, and that, therefore, they may have, in the process, deceived U.S. and other intelligence officials about what they really did and did not have. I should point out that the authors of this report, a couple of them are former Democratic administration members. They were always critical of the war. Still, this is a carefully put-together report. You can expect it to be quoted by whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination this year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor, who is at the State Department today -- David, thanks for that report.

Ken Pollack served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. He also worked at the CIA. His book "The Threatening Storm" made the case for invading Iraq. But in the current issue of "The Atlantic Monthly," he looks at what went wrong with the intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. He is now at the center at the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution here in Washington.

Ken Pollack, of course, is a CNN analyst.

What went wrong, Ken?

KENNETH POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: Well, a whole variety of things did, Wolf.

The ultimate answer is that this was a series of different mistakes. But if I had to point to one thing in particular on the intelligence side that went wrong, was that, in probably about 1996, Saddam Hussein seems to have made a very important decision and everyone outside of Iraq missed that decision. The decision was that he went from early on trying to hold on to as much of his weapons of mass destruction as he possibly could to a decision about 1996 that that was not paying benefits for him.

And, in fact, he was paying a very heavy price, having to surrender these weapons, having them found out. And, instead, he went to minimizing

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Well, you say everyone seemed to miss it. Not everyone seemed to miss it. Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons inspector, had a different assessment than the U.S. Mohamed ElBaradei, the nuclear inspector, had a different assessment than Colin Powell at the Security Council. Even a former inspector like Scott Ritter said, you know, the administration was way overblowing these allegations.

So not everyone seemed to have missed it.

POLLACK: I don't know if I would necessarily characterize the statements that Ritter, ElBaradei, and Blix made as necessarily being accurate, given what we now know.

They certainly did believe that the threat from Iraq was not nearly as great as the United States did. But what we're finding is that what was going on in Iraq did not necessarily conform what to what they were claiming either. In fact, the Iraqis were preserving some elements of their weapons of mass destruction program. They were just preserving much less and much more rudimentary capabilities than what was recognized.

BLITZER: Was this a flaw because of the political leadership in the Bush administration or did the career professionals in the intelligence community -- and you were one at the CIA once -- did they screw up? Did they mess up?

POLLACK: I think there's enough blame to go around.

You had a combination of problems. First, you did have problems not just in our intelligence community, but in intelligence communities around the world. We should remember, it wasn't just the U.S. intelligence community that believed this. The French, Russians, Germans, British, Israelis, basically anyone who had any independent ability to collect on Iraq also came to the same conclusions.

And, for that matter, basically, what they were suggesting was that the Iraqis were much further along than they, in fact, were. There were programs there, but they were exaggerated. The intelligence community did not understand that they the Iraqis had greatly minimized what they were holding on to.

And on the political side, there's no question that there were some Bush administration officials who played fast and loose with the intelligence of weapons of mass destruction, who took what, it turns out to have been, exaggerated estimates from the intelligence community and then further embellished on them when they were presenting the case in public.

BLITZER: What happens if, tomorrow, the U.S. military finds a truck, a semi, buried someplace in Iraq with anthrax and V.X. and all sorts of other deadly weapons of mass destruction? Will once again everybody have to say, well, you know what, the intelligence community was right?

POLLACK: I think they will have to. And I think that, if that were to happen, obviously, that would be a wonderful thing for Tony Blair.

I don't know if it really matters for George Bush at all. The polls in the United States...

BLITZER: Politically, you mean.

POLLACK: Exactly. Politically, I think the polls in the United States have consistently shown that the American people believe that the war was justified regardless of the presence of weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: Did you come across any evidence, any information to back up this suspicion that perhaps the weapons of mass destruction were transferred outside of Iraq, to Syria or Iran or some other country?

POLLACK: I didn't. And that doesn't mean that it's not possible, but it does seem highly unlikely.

Is it possible that the Iraqis may have moved small items or small shipments? Sure. That's possible. Could they have moved an enormous program? Could they have moved thousands and thousands of rounds? Probably not. That, we would have caught.

BLITZER: We have got a lot more to talk about. And we will tomorrow at noon Eastern here on CNN. Ken Pollack, excellent article in the new issue of "The Atlantic Monthly."

POLLACK: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much.

Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Was the war in Iraq justified if Iraq was not pursuing a weapons of mass destruction program? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Liberation in Iraq, this time for former prisoners. U.S. officials release 80 detainees. Why now?

Salmon scare. A new study warns about the effects of a favored fish. What you need to know later this hour.

Two man matchup? New polls shows Wesley Clark edging Howard Dean. We'll take you on the campaign trail. That's coming up next -- all of that coming up.

First, though, look, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Alive in the rubble. Almost two weeks after the Iran earthquake, a man has been pulled from the rubble. Doctors say he survived because he had access to water.

Fighting SARS. Now that a second suspected SARS case has been reported in China, officials are stepping up efforts to fight the disease. Streets are being cleaned up and passengers with fevers are being barred from trains.

Remembering the dead. Memorials were held in Egypt for the victims of last week's charter jet crash; 148 people died when the airliner plunged into the Red Sea.

Two queens. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II today christened Cunard's Queen Mary II. The first new trans-Atlantic ocean liner in decades begins its maiden voyage next week.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's good news today for Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark.

For today's look at the 2004 campaign, let's go on the trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Has the un-Dean finally emerged? With fresh polls showing Wesley Clark chipping at Howard Dean's lead, some wonder if a two-man race is on before the first vote is cast. Today in New Hampshire, Clark received the endorsement of Enron whistle- blower Sherron Watkins.

A few months ago, he thought Dean would be his main competition. Now John Kerry is battling Clark for second spot in the Granite State's primary. He's there today selling his message to voters.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Talking to regular people. They're stressed. And they work real hard for their money. I want to leave more of it in their pockets.

BLITZER: Joe Lieberman, who says he's the independent-minded Democrat in the race, could soon find himself in a new race. Who's his target now, Dean or Clark? Today, the senator dined with New Hampshire voters.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's great to see you again. Very good to see you. Hi.

BLITZER: And then there's this guy, John Edwards. With a not- so-impressive showing in the polls so far, the senator's hope for a last-minute splash in the primaries. Today, he, too, is in New Hampshire talking tax with middle-class families.

The only candidate not in New Hampshire today, Richard Gephardt, has Iowa all to himself. And that's a good thing. He knows the important of a Hawkeye State win. And with just over a week left, there's no time or votes to spare.

REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a new president who will lead us in the right, instead of the wrong directions.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is legislation which I would call historic.

BLITZER: Touting the No Child Left Behind Act in Knoxville, Tennessee, today, President Bush is back on the campaign trial. This evening, the president travels to Palm Beach County, Florida, for the first time since the 2000 election, where he's expected to rake in $750,000.

And that's our look at the 2004 presidential candidates on the trail.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: In Iraq, tears, joy, and chaos near Baghdad today, as the U.S. released scores of Iraqis being held in one of Saddam Hussein's infamous prisons.

CNN's Satinder Bindra was there when the Iraqis became free men once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day after the U.S. promised to release a first batch of Iraqi detainees, their friends and family members gathered outside Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison, then the magic moment.

(on camera): As the two trucks carrying the detainees pulled out of Baghdad Abu Ghraib Prison, chaos and confusion. Hundreds of relatives and friends waiting here for the detainees jumped into their cars and tore down the highway in hot pursuit of the trucks.

(voice-over): As the trucks off-loaded their human cargo, the detainees spilled out their stories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've spent 100 day in jail. They accused me of attacking and killing a general.

BINDRA: Some of these Iraqis who had been held in custody told CNN they thought they were part of a release program announced by Iraq's U.S. administrator Wednesday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, I have heard of the program and I think I'm part of it.

BINDRA: But the coalition says this was just a routine release and the first batch of detainees under the Bremer program will be freed later.

DAN SENOR, COALITION AUTHORITY: I can tell you that the process for releasing the prisoners that Ambassador Bremer announced yesterday is under way.

BINDRA: For some Iraqis, it didn't seem to matter what program their family member was released under. All that mattered was, they were finally together.

The coalition says it's still on track to release 500 detainees over the next few weeks. But some Iraqis question why they were arrested in the first place. And these women say they doubt U.S. intentions.

"It's a lie. The prisoners will not be released," yell these women. The emotion of the moment is too much for one of them. Tomorrow, hundreds of Iraqis will return to this prison in the hope they will be reunited with family.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Planning fish for dinner? Authors of a new study offer new concerns about a certain kind of salmon. You'll want to hear about this. That's coming up.

And why would the makers of this new car want to shoot at it? The answer in our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A plea bargain approved for a former Enron executive, that story topping our "Justice Report."

A federal judge has signed off on the deal between prosecutors and Lea Fastow, former Enron treasurer and wife of former CFO Andrew Fastow. But the judge hasn't yet approved reducing Lea Fastow's sentence from 10 years to five months. She's charged with six counts. Her husband faces about 100.

There's been a surprising development in at case against actor Robert Blake. He's charged with murdering his wife.

CNN's Charles Feldman is in Los Angeles. He's got the story -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf.

Apparently, jury selection in the Robert Blake murder case actually got under way on Monday, but nobody, the press included, was told about it. Obviously, Blake was. In fact, Robert Blake just walked by here seconds ago with his defense attorney. So far, a panel of over 200 potential jurors were brought in, 33 saying they could withstand the rigors of a long trial.

They've been given a special questionnaire to take home. And now we are told, on the 17th of this month, attorney for both sides, the prosecution and the defense, will begin the actual questioning of 125 to 150 potential jurors to whittle that down to 12-plus alternates. So, again, we were all under the impression that jury selection was not scheduled to begin until February the 9th. In fact, it got under way on Monday of this week. And it is now ongoing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very interesting. I've never heard of that before, but Charles Feldman has got the story for us.

Thanks very much.

The government is cautioning consumers not to be alarmed over a new report that says farm-raised salmon contains higher levels of cancer-causing toxins than wild salmon.

Our medical correspondent Holly Firfer is at the CNN Center in Atlanta. She's going to sort all of this out for us -- Holly.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we'll try to. Knowing some fish like salmon are rich with heart-healthy omega three fatty acids, health experts have recommended eating fish twice a week. But now that could change just a bit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER (voice-over): In the largest study published in the journal "Science" done on farm-raised salmon, scientists found a significantly higher concentration of potentially cancer-causing continents such as PCBs and dioxins than in salmon caught in the wild.

Look at 700 farm-raised salmon from 16 large cities in North and South America and Europe, researchers found the dioxin level was 11 times higher than in salmon caught in the wild. They also found farm- raised salmon in Europe had the most continents. The least amount were found in the farm fish from Chile.

DR. DAVID CARPENTER, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY: Once should limit your consumption of farm salmon to probably on the average of not more than one farm salmon meal per month. However, we're not telling people not to eat farm salmon and we're certainly not telling people not to eat fish. Fish that is not contaminated is a very healthy food.

FIRFER: The FDA, however, disagrees that farm salmon is unsafe, citing, the levels of pollutants are too low for serious concern and add, it is safe to eat this farm fish.

DR. LESTER CRAWFORD, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, FDA: There is no health risk. It's just an element of concern. People should not stop eating fish of any kind as a result of this study.

FIRFER: While salmon in the wild eat a variety of things in the ocean, like krill and zooplankton, farm-raised salmon eat a high-fat feed primarily of other fish ground into fish meal, and, as a result, eat more of those toxins than fish in the wild, which end up building up in the fat tissue.

The trade group Salmon of the Americas says this study is based on research done two years ago and, since then, the industry has been making changes, like replacing the feed from fish oil with soybean or canola oil, and points to a National Academy of Sciences report that -- quote -- "recommends that the consumption of fish not be restricted to achieve reductions in PCBs in the total diet because of the increasing evidence of health benefits compared to unproven risks."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: Health experts add, since we know contaminants tend to build up in the fatty tissue of the fish, remove as much visible fat as possible and take off the skin -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, good advice from Holly, as usual. Thanks, Holly Firfer, for that report.

It's a car fit for James Bond in our picture of the day, a new BMW that offers an extra layer of security.

And the results of our "Web Question of the Day," that's coming up when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, in what item was the material Kevlar, now used in bulletproof vests, originally used? The answer, tires. It was invented in 1965 because of fears of a global energy shortage. DuPont wanted something that would make tires lighter and vehicles more fuel efficient.

Ever want to travel like a president or a king? Take a look at our picture of the day. BMW has a new bullet-resistant model with extra thick window glass, steel and fiber body lining, tires that keep rolling when punctured, and even an ultra-loud car alarm. One warning, the price ranges between $60,000 and $100,000. So, to buy one, your bank account should be bulletproof as well.

Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day": Was the war in Iraq justified if Iraq was not pursuing a weapons of mass destruction program? Forty-seven of you said yes; 53 percent of you say no. As always, we remind you, this is not a scientific poll.

Another reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Also, I'm on Monday through Friday at noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

END

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Move Peterson Case, But Still Listening; Carnegie Institute Flames Bush Administration On Representation Of Iraqi Weapons>


Aired January 8, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now. Amber alert activated. A desperate search across the United States. Three children kidnapped. Police say by a man who's already four people including his baby daughter.

Also, increasing impatience. Fresh findings spoil President Bush's rationale for waging war in Iraq.

And playing defense, Secretary of State Colin Powell counters the criticism.

Also happening right now, terror concerns, should the nation go to code yellow? Airports may not go with it. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Easy targets? A giant jet is hit by hostile fire and a Black Hawk is down, with deadly results.

Manhunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want him bad.

BLITZER: Four dead, including an infant. Three young girls missing. Did this man turn on his own family?

Moving out of Modesto, can Scott Peterson get a fair trial in his own town?

Salmon scare, it's something you're supposed to eat, but should you worry what the salmon eat?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, January 8, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We begin with a developing story, an amber alert manhunt underway across the southeast at this hour for a man accused of killing four people, including his baby daughter and kidnapping three other children.

CNN's Mike Brooks is following this story. He's joining us from the CNN center in Atlanta -- Mike. MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. Authorities described the two residences where the four bodies were found in northwest Georgia as a very violent crime scene. Three adults shot multiple times and a 10-month-old girl strangled to death.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERIFF JERRY DAVIS, GORDON COUNTY, GEORGIA: We're looking for this man right here. I've had him in the Gordon county jail for traffic violations. I need him back in the jail for murder. The way that he's treated these people, I want him bad.

Law enforcement sources believe the murders were motivated by a domestic dispute between 31-year-old Jerry William Jones and Melissa Peeler. It's not clear whether the couple was married, never married, or divorced.

Authorities say Jones showed up at their home near Ranger, Georgia, where Peeler's children, children by Jones and children by an earlier relationship were staying. Jones allegedly killed four people, three adults and one of his own daughters, a 10-month-old girl.

VERNON KENNAN, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We know that we have a very violent crime scene. The victims, some have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The 10-month-old infant child appears to have been strangled.

DAVIS: He had took time to take and clean it inside the home and hide the bodies.

BROOKS: Police say Jones then kidnapped three other girls ranging in age from three to 10, two of them his own daughters. He then reportedly called Peeler said to be visiting a friend out of state and told her what he had done.

DAVIS: The statement was made, if you notify the officers, I will harm the children.

BROOKS: Officials have issued an Amber alert for the entire southeast, saying all three girls are in extreme danger. Police as far as away as South Florida and Louisiana are looking for Jones.

KENNAN: We are very concerned for the safety of the three children. At this point we do not know whether Jones and the three children are still in this immediate area or if they have traveled to another state.

BROOKS: Jones is described as being about 5'7, 150 pounds in weight, with brown hair and blue eyes. He's said to be driving a 1991 Ford Explorer, red or maroon in color, with Georgia license plate 730 YFV.

KENNAN: If there is anyone who has had any contact with him or has had a sighting of the children, we very, very much want to know about that and talk to those persons. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKS: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Gordon county sheriff's office have asked for the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshall service in this nationwide manhunt. The FBI has issued a U-FAP warrant, unlawful flight to avoid prosecution for Jones.

The FBI also expects to set up an 800 number to receive the multiple leads they're getting right now. And that should be set up sometime later this evening -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike, stand by for a moment. As you know within the past few minutes we heard more from the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNAN: We will do whatever it takes. We will bring in whatever staffing and equipment is necessary for us to track down Jones and to recover these children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Mike, you're there in Georgia. How extraordinary is this manhunt?

BROOKS: I tell you, Wolf, since I've been here in Georgia the last couple of years, I haven't seen a manhunt like this since I've been here. And with my 26 years in law enforcement I can guarantee you when they bring in the FBI, when they bring in the U.S. Marshall service that brings in many more resources that is going to cover the nation like a blanket.

Leads will go out to every FBI office. There has been a BOLO, if you will, be on the lookout for Jones nationwide with an inlet's message. And again, if anybody sees this vehicle and tag on this vehicle or anything at all that they feel like fits a description, to call 911. They consider him armed and extremely dangerous and no one should approach him -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Sorry, Mike, stand by because we're going to be getting back to this story later this hour. But we want to thank you for that report, Very important story underway right now. Amber alert underway in the southeast.

Let's move over to Iraq right now where it's been a tough 24 hours for American forces. They've come under fire in the air and on the ground, as well as in their barracks. The deadliest incident, a helicopter crash still being investigated. We begin our coverage with CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. military helicopters circle a crash site. The wreck of the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that went down just south of Fallujah. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a routine mission carrying nine passengers crashed southeast of Fallujah. There were no survivors.

PENHAUL: He says all aboard were U.S. soldiers. One coalition official said the helicopter was on a medical evacuation mission. Kimmitt's not specifying the cause, only that the helicopter made an emergency landing. And one Iraqi witness said the crash was the result of ground fire.

UNIDENTIFED MALE (through translator): I saw a missile hit the helicopter. It went down over there. It had a red cross on it.

PENHAUL: This is the Sunni triangle, heartland of the guerrilla war against coalition forces. Earlier this month, the Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down in the same area and in November, insurgents brought down a Chinook transport helicopter not far away.

The Black Hawk crash came hours after an attack on a U.S. base. Same region, just west of Baghdad. A barrage of six mortars slammed into barracks at logistic base sites, home to the 541st maintenance battalion out of Fort Riley, Kansas. One soldier dead, 33 other soldiers and a civilian wounded.

The army says some of the injured have since returned to duty. The latest U.S. deaths come a day after civilian coalition authorities called for reconciliation among Iraqis. But so far, there's little sign of that in Iraq Sunni triangle. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There was also a very close call today in the air over Baghdad's International Airport. Military officials say a giant C-5 transport jet with 63 people aboard was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre tells us what happens next -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: There's no more vulnerable time for these big transport planes than when they're taking off or landing at Baghdad International Airport.

Again, about 7:20 this morning as a giant C-5 Galaxy like this one was taking off from Baghdad, it was 6,000 feet in the air when it was hit by apparently a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile that took out the number 4 engine.

The plane was able to return to the airport and land safely, but again, another close call and shows the danger that these shoulder- fire missiles continue to pose.

It's not the first time a plane has been hit. Back in November, an 8300 airbus flown by the DHL international global delivery service was also struck by a shoulder-fired missile.

Some pictures at the time showed the dramatic damage as that plane was also able to land with its wing on fire. There's not a whole lot the military can do. They are varying the flight paths. They are increasing patrols around the airports. But these shoulder- fire missiles can be quickly fired.

They seek the heat of the missile -- the heat of the engine and they put those planes at risk. Fortunately these giant transport planes have enough capacity that they can withstand the loss of an engine and still land safely.

Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, for that. Meanwhile, not far away in Afghanistan, Pakistani troops on the hunt for al Qaeda along the border. There U.S. troops are trying to track down Iraqi insurgents in Iraq. At any moment, though, as the events over the past 24 hours have shown, the hunters can often become the hunted.

Joining us now is retired U.S. Army Colonel Robert Maginnis. He's taught at the U.S. Army's infantry school and knows a great deal about these matters. Thanks, Colonel, for joining us.

How vulnerable are these U.S. aircrafts? Let's start off with slow flying, low-flying, if you will, helicopters to these shoulder- fire stinger missiles?

LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS (RET.), U.S. ARMY: There's no question. We are hunters over there. We bought up a couple hundred already but they are very vulnerable. I've flown in that area. I've even taken off out of Baghdad International and we try to jinx our way with all sorts of maneuvers.

But the fact is, Wolf, that they're very vulnerable. Especially if the people firing them know what they're doing. They can go up at least 10,000 feet, out several miles. At 6,000 feet like this Galaxy was, it's good that they didn't fire multiple weapons, because as indicated by the previous report, the airbus 300, when I saw it come back, I mean, the wing was about gone. So we're very fortunate that Galaxy didn't crash today.

BLITZER: Two missiles would have hit, it would have been very different.

MAGINNIS: Quite possible.

BLITZER: When you're on a Black Hawk what defensive measures can you take to avoid these kinds of surface-to-air missiles?

MAGINNIS: One of the precautions we've taken after the Fallujah battle or losses before, the Tikrit and the Mosul, is to fly very low or to fly very high out of range.

BLITZER: If you fly very low, you're within gunfire range as well.

MAGINNIS: That's true. That's small arms fire but you're safe from the missiles. You can't win either way. Quite frankly, what we want to do and we started to do is to fly more at night than we have before. We're always wearing night vision goggles which allow us to get about. And, of course, obscure us in the blackened night. Most of these operations are taking place, like that Galaxy, this morning in the darkness.

BLITZER: The Galaxy is the huge transport, C-5. If you're hit in a Black Hawk, is it over usually?

MAGINNIS: It really is. You've got one engine basically. As soon as, you know, you lose control, you auto rotate, start to spin and hit the ground. So if the explosion from the missile doesn't kill the nine passengers as it did inside this one today, then the impact on the ground probably will.

BLITZER: We don't know for sure it was a missile that brought down the Black Hawk, there's still an investigation underway. We do know a missile hit that C-5 Galaxy transport plane. What other defensive measures can the big aircraft take to try to be safe flying over Iraq?

MAGINNIS: My question today is why didn't the magnesium flares that I'm sure is on that C-5, 50 percent of all our military...

BLITZER: The same type of flares that, let's say, Air Force One has?

MAGINNIS: That's right. They go out at various angles and they burn at 2,000 degrees. The idea is the heat-seeking missile is going to go after the flare and not after the aircraft. They work most of the time.

BLITZER: Is it standard on C-5s, on those big transport planes to have those kinds of flares?

MAGINNIS: About half of them have them. I can't imagine we would send one over that doesn't. You can also have lamps, lasers that we're working on.

Just the other day, Secretary Ridge decided to go out to three contractors and say find us one for commercial aircraft. It's the same thing. Either the magnesium flares or lasers or the IR lamps that are going to distract that incoming missile.

BLITZER: You spent a career in the military. The troops have to move around some way. If they move on the ground in Humvees, they're vulnerable to these improvised explosive devices. If they fly in helicopters, they're vulnerable. If they fly in the big planes, they're vulnerable. What are the U.S. troops, 130,000 or so, to do?

MAGINNIS: You have to be -- perseverant. You have to use the intelligence you can gather. The other day, General Swanick (ph) out in 87nd Airborne showed us on the TV, an improvised rocket-propelled grenade launcher which indicates that they are starting to run out of that stuff which means we're doing a better job.

But frankly, if they have the missiles in hand, and they know how to use them, and they have the ammunitions, we are vulnerable. We are doing everything we can to protect our troops.

BLITZER: They not only have hundreds of these missiles, they may have thousands of them hidden someplace in Iraq.

MAGINNIS: Well, Saddam spent most of the money from the oil on either his palaces or his weaponry and he has at least 600,000 tons of this scattered all over that Texas-size country.

BLITZER: Very dangerous situation. Colonel Maginnis, thanks as usual for joining us.

Saddam Hussein's weapons, new criticism today on administration claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We continue to follow a breaking story as well. A murder spree manhunt. Authorities racing across the United States in the southeast to find a man accused of killing several people, including his 10-month-old daughter.

And moving out of Modesto, a victory for Scott Peterson and his defense attorneys. Where will the trial take place now? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: More now on our top story. A manhunt underway. A manhunt for a man suspected of killing four people, including his 10- month-old daughter. Joining us on the phone is Vernon Keenan, he's the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Director Keenan, thank you very much for joining us. Update our viewers who may just be tuning in right now where the search stands.

KENNAN: We -- the GBI, the FBI, and the local Georgia law enforcement have asked the law enforcement and surrounding states to participate with us in an attempt to effect the arrest of Jones and to recover the three children which have been abducted from the murder scene.

At this time, we do not know where Jones and the children are at. We do not know if they are in Gordon county or if they're in the state of Georgia or if they have left to another state. For that reason, we have expanded out to surrounding states and are publicizing the lookout to all law enforcement agencies and to the public.

We are in the process of setting up a 800 line to receive information from the public. We're also bringing in additional staff from the FBI and the GBI to help us manage the volume of information which is coming in from law enforcement and the general public as regards to possible sightings of Jones and the children. We are very concerned for the safety of the children. That is our main focus now, is to attempt to recover them safely.

BLITZER: We just got some pictures in of two of the little girls, director. Is there a motivation? Is there a motivation for this crime, that you know of?

KENNAN: We do not, we do not know the -- we do not know the motive for the crime. It was a very violent crime scene. As far as motivation, we do not -- have not put that together yet. We are actually -- have one team of investigators working the murder case and then a larger number of investigators that are attempting to track down Jones and recover the children.

So we actually have two separate phases of an investigation on going. We will continue to increase staffing, if necessary. We will do whatever it takes to recover the children.

BLITZER: We were showing our viewers pictures of two of the abducted children, Brandi Jones, 4 years old and 10-year-old Brittany Phelps. Is it your suspicion, director, that he is still driving this Ford Explorer that you're searching for?

KENNAN: That is our best information that we have. The Ford Explorer is missing from the murder scene. And we believe that he is in that vehicle. If that is not the case, then it will make our job much more difficult. But we have no -- that is our best lead at the moment.

BLITZER: And if one of our viewers suspects he or she may have information useful for you or your colleagues in this investigation, walk us through precisely what they should do and what they shouldn't do.

KENNAN: If they have information or if they have a possible sighting of the vehicle, they would immediately contact their local law enforcement agency. Call 911 and provide that information to the law enforcement agency.

Under no circumstances should they attempt to approach the vehicle or apprehend Jones. The proper course of action is to notify the law enforcement agency which can get to them the most rapidly, which will be their local agency.

BLITZER: And your fear is that he clearly is still well armed and extremely dangerous?

KENNAN: We consider him to be extremely dangerous and we are very fearful for the safety of the children.

BLITZER: Director Kennan, good luck to you, good luck to all your colleague in this search. An extraordinary manhunt underway now in the southeastern part of the United States. We will continue to follow this story for our viewers.

One of the country's most closely-watched court cases may be moving. A judge has tentatively approved a defense request for a change of venue for Scott Peterson's murder trial, but it's not a done deal yet. CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Modesto, California. She's joining us now live with details -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it looked like a quick victory for the defense, but prosecutors are still in there fighting and the judge is still listening.

The judge wasted no time when he walked in court this morning, sat down and told both sides what his feelings were. As a tentative ruling he wanted to move this case out of Modesto, out of Stanislaus County because of massive pretrial publicity. But then he turned it over to prosecutors to convince him otherwise.

They're now in the middle of arguments. He is expected to issue a ruling sometime this afternoon. As I said, he said his main reason was the massive worldwide news coverage. Some 8,000 articles, 150 articles here in Modesto alone.

Now, what will happen when he says -- gives that final ruling is that it will go to the judicial counsel. That is a state body that will hold courts statewide to decide which ones have facilities, which ones have the staff, who has accommodations for the media. And are the demographics similar to that of those in Modesto.

So that should be in about two or three weeks. The judge will have a hearing then. Then he will make his final decision. But it doesn't look like the January 26 is going to be a start date for this trial -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It gets more and more complicated all of the time. Rusty Dornin, thanks very much for that report.

The terror threat alert level. It may be about to change again. But when? And for whom? You may see differences depending on where you live, where you work, or how you travel. We'll explain. That's coming up.

A critical report on how the Bush White House used intelligence on Iraq's weapons to justify the war. I'll speak live with CNN analysts Ken Polluck.

And two men match, is Wesley Clark's recent rise in the polls a threat to front runner Howard Dean. We'll take you on the campaign trails. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Because of possible terror attacks from the air and elsewhere, the nation has been on a high, or orange alert status, since just before Christmas. Now there's apparently a possibility of a change. Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is here with this story -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, officials tell CNN they expect the threat level to be lowered back down to yellow or elevated within the next week. While no definitive decision has been made on exactly when it will happen, most officials feel comfortable with lowering the level as long as certain sectors remain on a higher alert.

Now this is an idea that the Department of Homeland Security has been working for some time. A sort of two-pronged approach. The sectors that would remain on higher alert, we are told, would include aviation, the nuclear sector, and sectors involving major infrastructure. Officials say that the threat information that's now coming in is not as specific as it has been in the past, although the volume remains high. And the concern has not entirely passed regarding a possible attack. In fact, previous intelligence pointed to a window spanning from November to early February as a time frame for a possible attack.

Still, without specifics and with this new pronged approach, as I said earlier, we expect the level to be lowered within the week to yellow.

BLITZER: All right. I assume that's good news. Thanks very much, Kelli, for that.

ARENA: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Case closed: has the search stopped for weapons of mass destruction? Critics turning up the heat and the Bush administration responding.

Detainee discharge: U.S. officials release 80 Iraqi prisoners. Why now? And will more be freed?

Bullet buffered Beamer: if you want the ultimate driving protection and have 100 grand to spare, BMW has the car for you. All that coming up. First up, today's news clips.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): In one item was the material Kevlar now used in bullet-proof vests originally used? Football helmets, tires, firefighter gear, cargo planes? The answer, later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Where are the weapons? New insight into what may have gone wrong with the intelligence on Iraq's WMDs. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

The search continuing for a man suspected of killing four people, including his infant daughter, and kidnapping three young girls, including two other daughters. The killings occurred in northwest Georgia, but authorities have issued an Amber Alert for the entire Southeast. Officials say the girls are in extreme danger.

The worst of the U.S. flu season may be over. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says health officials are cautiously optimistic the flu has peaked, at least in parts of the country. The virus is still widespread in 38 states, but that's down from 42 states last week.

The Pacific Northwest is in the grip of harsh winter weather for the second day in a row. Snow and freezing rain have closed roads and schools. Tens of thousands of people are without power. And the Portland Airport is closed until at least tomorrow morning.

In Pakistan, Army troops, backed by helicopters, are engaged in a major operation aimed at suspected terrorists in the mountains along the border with Afghanistan. The offensive follows new calls by Osama bin Laden for Muslims to attack U.S. forces and their allies.

There's more blistering criticism today on the way the Bush administration made the case for war against Iraq, specifically the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons, weapons which have yet to be found. But a key administration figure today argued that the case is by no means closed.

Let's turn now to our national security correspondent, David Ensor. He's joining us live from the State Department -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wolf, the Carnegie Endowment put out a report today. It's six months in the making. And the authors traveled to Iraq, interviewing inspectors, Iraqis, going through a lot of documents. They are scathing about the way the Bush administration talked about what it knew, the intelligence it had about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction before the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA MATHEWS, PRESIDENT, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: The representations by senior administration officials show a fairly systemic misrepresentation of the facts, over and above the intelligence failings, with respect to chemical and biological weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now, at a news conference here at the State Department today, Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked -- the first question was about this Carnegie report. Here is how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm confident of what I presented last year. The intelligence community is confident of the material they gave me. I was representing them. It was information they presented to the Congress. It was information they had presented publicly. And they stand behind it. And this game is still unfolding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: There is a theory now among some officials in the U.S. government, Wolf, that it is the possible that some of the scientists in Iraq may have actually been lying about what weapons-related capabilities they had developed to Saddam Hussein and to the leadership, and that, therefore, they may have, in the process, deceived U.S. and other intelligence officials about what they really did and did not have. I should point out that the authors of this report, a couple of them are former Democratic administration members. They were always critical of the war. Still, this is a carefully put-together report. You can expect it to be quoted by whoever gets the Democratic Party nomination this year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor, who is at the State Department today -- David, thanks for that report.

Ken Pollack served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. He also worked at the CIA. His book "The Threatening Storm" made the case for invading Iraq. But in the current issue of "The Atlantic Monthly," he looks at what went wrong with the intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. He is now at the center at the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution here in Washington.

Ken Pollack, of course, is a CNN analyst.

What went wrong, Ken?

KENNETH POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: Well, a whole variety of things did, Wolf.

The ultimate answer is that this was a series of different mistakes. But if I had to point to one thing in particular on the intelligence side that went wrong, was that, in probably about 1996, Saddam Hussein seems to have made a very important decision and everyone outside of Iraq missed that decision. The decision was that he went from early on trying to hold on to as much of his weapons of mass destruction as he possibly could to a decision about 1996 that that was not paying benefits for him.

And, in fact, he was paying a very heavy price, having to surrender these weapons, having them found out. And, instead, he went to minimizing

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Well, you say everyone seemed to miss it. Not everyone seemed to miss it. Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons inspector, had a different assessment than the U.S. Mohamed ElBaradei, the nuclear inspector, had a different assessment than Colin Powell at the Security Council. Even a former inspector like Scott Ritter said, you know, the administration was way overblowing these allegations.

So not everyone seemed to have missed it.

POLLACK: I don't know if I would necessarily characterize the statements that Ritter, ElBaradei, and Blix made as necessarily being accurate, given what we now know.

They certainly did believe that the threat from Iraq was not nearly as great as the United States did. But what we're finding is that what was going on in Iraq did not necessarily conform what to what they were claiming either. In fact, the Iraqis were preserving some elements of their weapons of mass destruction program. They were just preserving much less and much more rudimentary capabilities than what was recognized.

BLITZER: Was this a flaw because of the political leadership in the Bush administration or did the career professionals in the intelligence community -- and you were one at the CIA once -- did they screw up? Did they mess up?

POLLACK: I think there's enough blame to go around.

You had a combination of problems. First, you did have problems not just in our intelligence community, but in intelligence communities around the world. We should remember, it wasn't just the U.S. intelligence community that believed this. The French, Russians, Germans, British, Israelis, basically anyone who had any independent ability to collect on Iraq also came to the same conclusions.

And, for that matter, basically, what they were suggesting was that the Iraqis were much further along than they, in fact, were. There were programs there, but they were exaggerated. The intelligence community did not understand that they the Iraqis had greatly minimized what they were holding on to.

And on the political side, there's no question that there were some Bush administration officials who played fast and loose with the intelligence of weapons of mass destruction, who took what, it turns out to have been, exaggerated estimates from the intelligence community and then further embellished on them when they were presenting the case in public.

BLITZER: What happens if, tomorrow, the U.S. military finds a truck, a semi, buried someplace in Iraq with anthrax and V.X. and all sorts of other deadly weapons of mass destruction? Will once again everybody have to say, well, you know what, the intelligence community was right?

POLLACK: I think they will have to. And I think that, if that were to happen, obviously, that would be a wonderful thing for Tony Blair.

I don't know if it really matters for George Bush at all. The polls in the United States...

BLITZER: Politically, you mean.

POLLACK: Exactly. Politically, I think the polls in the United States have consistently shown that the American people believe that the war was justified regardless of the presence of weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: Did you come across any evidence, any information to back up this suspicion that perhaps the weapons of mass destruction were transferred outside of Iraq, to Syria or Iran or some other country?

POLLACK: I didn't. And that doesn't mean that it's not possible, but it does seem highly unlikely.

Is it possible that the Iraqis may have moved small items or small shipments? Sure. That's possible. Could they have moved an enormous program? Could they have moved thousands and thousands of rounds? Probably not. That, we would have caught.

BLITZER: We have got a lot more to talk about. And we will tomorrow at noon Eastern here on CNN. Ken Pollack, excellent article in the new issue of "The Atlantic Monthly."

POLLACK: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much.

Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Was the war in Iraq justified if Iraq was not pursuing a weapons of mass destruction program? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Liberation in Iraq, this time for former prisoners. U.S. officials release 80 detainees. Why now?

Salmon scare. A new study warns about the effects of a favored fish. What you need to know later this hour.

Two man matchup? New polls shows Wesley Clark edging Howard Dean. We'll take you on the campaign trail. That's coming up next -- all of that coming up.

First, though, look, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Alive in the rubble. Almost two weeks after the Iran earthquake, a man has been pulled from the rubble. Doctors say he survived because he had access to water.

Fighting SARS. Now that a second suspected SARS case has been reported in China, officials are stepping up efforts to fight the disease. Streets are being cleaned up and passengers with fevers are being barred from trains.

Remembering the dead. Memorials were held in Egypt for the victims of last week's charter jet crash; 148 people died when the airliner plunged into the Red Sea.

Two queens. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II today christened Cunard's Queen Mary II. The first new trans-Atlantic ocean liner in decades begins its maiden voyage next week.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's good news today for Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark.

For today's look at the 2004 campaign, let's go on the trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Has the un-Dean finally emerged? With fresh polls showing Wesley Clark chipping at Howard Dean's lead, some wonder if a two-man race is on before the first vote is cast. Today in New Hampshire, Clark received the endorsement of Enron whistle- blower Sherron Watkins.

A few months ago, he thought Dean would be his main competition. Now John Kerry is battling Clark for second spot in the Granite State's primary. He's there today selling his message to voters.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Talking to regular people. They're stressed. And they work real hard for their money. I want to leave more of it in their pockets.

BLITZER: Joe Lieberman, who says he's the independent-minded Democrat in the race, could soon find himself in a new race. Who's his target now, Dean or Clark? Today, the senator dined with New Hampshire voters.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's great to see you again. Very good to see you. Hi.

BLITZER: And then there's this guy, John Edwards. With a not- so-impressive showing in the polls so far, the senator's hope for a last-minute splash in the primaries. Today, he, too, is in New Hampshire talking tax with middle-class families.

The only candidate not in New Hampshire today, Richard Gephardt, has Iowa all to himself. And that's a good thing. He knows the important of a Hawkeye State win. And with just over a week left, there's no time or votes to spare.

REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a new president who will lead us in the right, instead of the wrong directions.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is legislation which I would call historic.

BLITZER: Touting the No Child Left Behind Act in Knoxville, Tennessee, today, President Bush is back on the campaign trial. This evening, the president travels to Palm Beach County, Florida, for the first time since the 2000 election, where he's expected to rake in $750,000.

And that's our look at the 2004 presidential candidates on the trail.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: In Iraq, tears, joy, and chaos near Baghdad today, as the U.S. released scores of Iraqis being held in one of Saddam Hussein's infamous prisons.

CNN's Satinder Bindra was there when the Iraqis became free men once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day after the U.S. promised to release a first batch of Iraqi detainees, their friends and family members gathered outside Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison, then the magic moment.

(on camera): As the two trucks carrying the detainees pulled out of Baghdad Abu Ghraib Prison, chaos and confusion. Hundreds of relatives and friends waiting here for the detainees jumped into their cars and tore down the highway in hot pursuit of the trucks.

(voice-over): As the trucks off-loaded their human cargo, the detainees spilled out their stories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've spent 100 day in jail. They accused me of attacking and killing a general.

BINDRA: Some of these Iraqis who had been held in custody told CNN they thought they were part of a release program announced by Iraq's U.S. administrator Wednesday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, I have heard of the program and I think I'm part of it.

BINDRA: But the coalition says this was just a routine release and the first batch of detainees under the Bremer program will be freed later.

DAN SENOR, COALITION AUTHORITY: I can tell you that the process for releasing the prisoners that Ambassador Bremer announced yesterday is under way.

BINDRA: For some Iraqis, it didn't seem to matter what program their family member was released under. All that mattered was, they were finally together.

The coalition says it's still on track to release 500 detainees over the next few weeks. But some Iraqis question why they were arrested in the first place. And these women say they doubt U.S. intentions.

"It's a lie. The prisoners will not be released," yell these women. The emotion of the moment is too much for one of them. Tomorrow, hundreds of Iraqis will return to this prison in the hope they will be reunited with family.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Planning fish for dinner? Authors of a new study offer new concerns about a certain kind of salmon. You'll want to hear about this. That's coming up.

And why would the makers of this new car want to shoot at it? The answer in our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A plea bargain approved for a former Enron executive, that story topping our "Justice Report."

A federal judge has signed off on the deal between prosecutors and Lea Fastow, former Enron treasurer and wife of former CFO Andrew Fastow. But the judge hasn't yet approved reducing Lea Fastow's sentence from 10 years to five months. She's charged with six counts. Her husband faces about 100.

There's been a surprising development in at case against actor Robert Blake. He's charged with murdering his wife.

CNN's Charles Feldman is in Los Angeles. He's got the story -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf.

Apparently, jury selection in the Robert Blake murder case actually got under way on Monday, but nobody, the press included, was told about it. Obviously, Blake was. In fact, Robert Blake just walked by here seconds ago with his defense attorney. So far, a panel of over 200 potential jurors were brought in, 33 saying they could withstand the rigors of a long trial.

They've been given a special questionnaire to take home. And now we are told, on the 17th of this month, attorney for both sides, the prosecution and the defense, will begin the actual questioning of 125 to 150 potential jurors to whittle that down to 12-plus alternates. So, again, we were all under the impression that jury selection was not scheduled to begin until February the 9th. In fact, it got under way on Monday of this week. And it is now ongoing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very interesting. I've never heard of that before, but Charles Feldman has got the story for us.

Thanks very much.

The government is cautioning consumers not to be alarmed over a new report that says farm-raised salmon contains higher levels of cancer-causing toxins than wild salmon.

Our medical correspondent Holly Firfer is at the CNN Center in Atlanta. She's going to sort all of this out for us -- Holly.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we'll try to. Knowing some fish like salmon are rich with heart-healthy omega three fatty acids, health experts have recommended eating fish twice a week. But now that could change just a bit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER (voice-over): In the largest study published in the journal "Science" done on farm-raised salmon, scientists found a significantly higher concentration of potentially cancer-causing continents such as PCBs and dioxins than in salmon caught in the wild.

Look at 700 farm-raised salmon from 16 large cities in North and South America and Europe, researchers found the dioxin level was 11 times higher than in salmon caught in the wild. They also found farm- raised salmon in Europe had the most continents. The least amount were found in the farm fish from Chile.

DR. DAVID CARPENTER, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY: Once should limit your consumption of farm salmon to probably on the average of not more than one farm salmon meal per month. However, we're not telling people not to eat farm salmon and we're certainly not telling people not to eat fish. Fish that is not contaminated is a very healthy food.

FIRFER: The FDA, however, disagrees that farm salmon is unsafe, citing, the levels of pollutants are too low for serious concern and add, it is safe to eat this farm fish.

DR. LESTER CRAWFORD, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, FDA: There is no health risk. It's just an element of concern. People should not stop eating fish of any kind as a result of this study.

FIRFER: While salmon in the wild eat a variety of things in the ocean, like krill and zooplankton, farm-raised salmon eat a high-fat feed primarily of other fish ground into fish meal, and, as a result, eat more of those toxins than fish in the wild, which end up building up in the fat tissue.

The trade group Salmon of the Americas says this study is based on research done two years ago and, since then, the industry has been making changes, like replacing the feed from fish oil with soybean or canola oil, and points to a National Academy of Sciences report that -- quote -- "recommends that the consumption of fish not be restricted to achieve reductions in PCBs in the total diet because of the increasing evidence of health benefits compared to unproven risks."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: Health experts add, since we know contaminants tend to build up in the fatty tissue of the fish, remove as much visible fat as possible and take off the skin -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, good advice from Holly, as usual. Thanks, Holly Firfer, for that report.

It's a car fit for James Bond in our picture of the day, a new BMW that offers an extra layer of security.

And the results of our "Web Question of the Day," that's coming up when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked, in what item was the material Kevlar, now used in bulletproof vests, originally used? The answer, tires. It was invented in 1965 because of fears of a global energy shortage. DuPont wanted something that would make tires lighter and vehicles more fuel efficient.

Ever want to travel like a president or a king? Take a look at our picture of the day. BMW has a new bullet-resistant model with extra thick window glass, steel and fiber body lining, tires that keep rolling when punctured, and even an ultra-loud car alarm. One warning, the price ranges between $60,000 and $100,000. So, to buy one, your bank account should be bulletproof as well.

Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day": Was the war in Iraq justified if Iraq was not pursuing a weapons of mass destruction program? Forty-seven of you said yes; 53 percent of you say no. As always, we remind you, this is not a scientific poll.

Another reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Also, I'm on Monday through Friday at noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

END

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Move Peterson Case, But Still Listening; Carnegie Institute Flames Bush Administration On Representation Of Iraqi Weapons>