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CNN Live Sunday
Voters Increasingly Skeptical Of Bush's Handling Of War On Terror; Prime Minister Sharon Staying Silent Over Possible Bribery Indictment; Residents Of Anniston, Alabama Angry Over Settlement Terms With Chemical Plant
Aired March 28, 2004 - 16:00 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 VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CLARKE, FRM. COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: The issue is about the president's performance in the war on terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: He's under relentless scrutiny and his allegations are at the center of the September 11 investigation. Now, is his character being questioned? Richard Clarke sticks by his words amid the controversy.
Plus, a juror makes a gesture in the Tyco trial. What does it mean and where will it take the trial?
Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Kelly Wallace in Washington. Thanks so much for joining us. All that and more after this hour's check of the top stories.
In Bridgeport, Connecticut, repairs on a stretch of Interstate 95 shut down by Thursday's tanker crash are progressing faster than expected. The northbound lanes will reopen tonight. The expressway is a main artery between New York and Boston.
In Mosul, Iraq, the interim Iraqi government's public works minister Nisreen Berwari survived an attack unharmed today, but her driver and a bodyguard were killed. We'll follow this story.
The new leader of the militant Palestinian leader of Hamas calls President Bush, quote, "an enemy of Muslims." Abdel Aziz Rantisi angrily denounced the United States and Israel today at a memorial service for his predecessor who was killed Monday in an Israeli air strike.
And Afghanistan is postponeing elections from June until September to get more voters on the rolls. President Hamed Karzai says only a fraction of the country's 11 million eligible voters have registered. Karzai says he hopes to educate Afghans on the electoral process.
And we begin with the war of words over the war on terror. White House officials took to the air waves today to defend the Bush administration against charges by Richard Clarke. The former counter terrorism chief also made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows. On CNN's "LATE EDITION", Clarke repeated the charge that President Bush undermined the war on terror by invading Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARKE: I think the president wanted to fight the war on terrorism as hard as he could. I just think in my professional opinion he made a mistake about how to fight the war on terrorism and I think what he did in fighting Iraq and thinking that that was part of the war on terrorism was a mistake. Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terrorism and it's made the war on terrorism that much harder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And the Bush administration continues to question Clarke's motivation for writing his book and facing increasing pressure to let national security adviser Condoleezza Rice testify publicly about September 11. CNN's Dana Bash joins us from near the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Dana, hello. How is the White House responding to this pressure coming not just from Democrats, but also from Republicans?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, first of all, on Richard Clarke, the White House is continuing to question his credibility and essentially they're saying that what he said while he was in the administration, what he's saying now are contradictory and congressional Republicans said on Friday that they want to declassify 2002 testimony they say shows that he's changed his story. Well today, Richard Clarke said he's all for that, he has nothing to hide. But he also said that more documents, all documents if possible, relating to the issue should be declassifying saying that the White House dragged its feet in the days, weeks and months leading up to September 11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARKE: Let's declassify that memo I September on January 25. And let's declassify the national security directive that Dr. Rice's committee approved nine months later on September 4, and let's see if there's a difference between those two, because there isn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the Secretary of State said today the recommendation would be to declassify as much as possible for all Americans to see, but he also, in addition to the secretary of defense, came to the defense of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, who has been under fire for refusing to testify publicly before the 9/11 commission. They all said that she is essentially getting a bum wrap.
Meanwhile, Republicans, a growing number of them saying that the White House making a mistake by koining this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Condi Rice would be a superb witness. She is anxious to testify. The president would dearly love to have her testify. But she -- the lawyers, I think, probably properly have concluded, that to do so would alter that balance if we got into a practice of doing that.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, (R) CONNECTICUT: It's been one of the stupidest things this White House has done, to resist the 9/11 commission.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, members of the 9/11 commission made the rounds on TV today. And the chair and vice chair said they'll continue to press to have Condi Rice come and testify publicly and reminded reporters they voted to do so and not issuing a subpoena because they say they probably wouldn't win -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Dana, you know the families that lost loved ones on September 11 have issued a letter demanding Dr. Rice testify publicly. What is your sense from your sources, is the political pressure going to be so much that Dr. Rice ultimately might testify publicly?
BASH: It's a good question. There has been been pressure from members of the families of 9/11 to do so. And in addition, today and yesterday, you heard a growing number of Republicans saying politically it could be hurting the White House to have Condoleezza Rice refuse to testify on legal grounds, on an issue that people are not thinking legally on. 9/11 is certainly a different issue, that's what you heard from members of the commission, addition to some other Republicans out today.
So, right now, they're resisting saying they don't want to change the precedent for this president and other presidents, but it's unclear at this point whether or not they'll change their minds. They are still trying to have another private meeting. Members of the commission say that they are going to work on that. But they still want her to come publicly.
WALLACE: Well, Dana, we'll certainly be watching your reporting very, very closely. Dana Bash, thank you so much, White House correspondent, reporting from Crawford, Texas.
A "Newsweek" poll finds Clarke's testimony had little impact on American's view of President Bush. 65 percent of those surveyed say it's had no effect. 17 percent said Clarke's testimony negativively impacted their opinion of the president. And a 10 percent said it's a positive effect.
Joining us from New York to talk more about poll numbers is "Newsweek's" Susannah Meadows. Susannah, thanks so much for joining us.
SUSANNAH MEADOWS, NEWSWEEK: Thank you for having me.
WALLACE: One interesting note to the poll, you say 65 percent say Clarke's testimony not impacting their view of President Bush, but then you're also finding some dramatic developments when it comes to president's approval of his handling of the war on terror. What did you find?
MEADOWS: Well, I think that that question about Clarke, there's a difference between whether people were affected just by Clarke or whether the testimony over the whole week on the air waves had some accumulateive effect about people's views of Bush's leadership in the war of terror.
WALLACE: What did you find, Susannah, when people were asked specifically how do they feel about how the president is handling the war on terrorism? What did you find?
MEADOWS: Well, it was a pretty striking number. In early January, 70 percent of voters felt that he was doing a good job handling the war on terror and homeland security. But since then, he's taken something of a dive, he's down to 57 percent which is still a majority, but it could be problematic for the re-election strategy since they were really hoping to remind viewers of voters how much they love Bush right after 9/11.
WALLACE: When you see, Susannah, when you look at the numbers, if the president's numbers coming down when it comes to his handling of the war on terror, do the gains then go to John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee?
MEADOWS: Well surprisingly, no. They're not running into John Kerry's arms. I think what explains that is that a lot of voters still don't know him enough. One in five said they still didn't know whether they could trust John Kerry in an international crisis and 39 percent flat out said, no. So, what's interesting is they may be losing a little confidence in Bush in that category, but they don't necessarily have it for Kerry.
WALLACE: And what are you finding when it comes to, are voters looking at blaming the Bush administration, or are they also looking at blaming the Clinton administration? What did you find there?
MEADOWS: Well, interestingly, a majority of voters felt that the Clinton administration did not take the threat of terrorism seriously enough. Whereas they believed by a strong majority that the Bush administration had. But they weren't ready to give bush a pass, voters were pretty evenly divided with the question of whether the Bush administration had done absolutely everything it could to prevent a terrorist attack.
WALLACE: Well, Susannah Meadows, very interesting numbers. Report with "Newsweek." Thank you so much for joining us today.
MEADOWS: Thanks for having me.
WALLACE: Well, last week's hearings pitted one administration against another over who did more to fight terrorism. What's the political fallout from the testimony and Clarke's allegations? Well, no better person to ask than CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider who is doing double duty today joining us from Boston.
Now, Bill, let's get right to it, what's the political damage and fallout to the Bush administration?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: What's happening is that the views of President Bush's handling of the war on terrorism are looking more like the views of his handling of Iraq. Now those issues had been very different. When Americans asked, how do you rate the presdient's handling of war on terrorism, they were way up there in the 60s. How do you rate his handling of Iraq? Americans were split, those ratings were in the 40s.
What's been happening is especially since the Clarke testimony, the view, the assessment of the president's handling of terrorism while still positive is getting more controversial. Americans are getting more divided about it, because of Mr. Clarke's allegations. He said that Iraq distracted the administration from the war on terrorism. And guess what? In that "Newsweek" poll, people were asked, did Iraq distract the administration from fighting the war on terrorism? And Americans were split 42 yes, 47 no, which mean the assessment of the war on terrorism is dangerously close to the assessment of Iraq which splits the country.
WALLACE: How damaging then, Bill, is that for this administration which had been viewing the war on terrorism as the president's greatest strength going into this reelection campaign?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's still a strength, but it's not going to be the slam dunk the administration might have been counting on for this president to run as the president of 9/11. 9/11 simply put is becoming more controversial.
And as a result, it's not going to be that easy for the president to pick and choose and say, I'm going to run on the terrorism agenda and ignore Iraq. You know, the economy, that's not a big plus for us. We're going to run as the president who is fighting the war on terrorism.
It's not as easy to do and that issue is not quite as strong as it was for the president even a few weeks ago. It looks like things are moving towards the economy as the main focus of this election.
WALLACE: Well Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst. Thanks so much. I understand you'll be on CNN again later tonight, but from Washington, right?.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. We're going to be listening to what Condoleeza Rice says on her "60 Minutes" interview tonight to see how she refutes what we heard Dick Clarke say to Judy Woodruff earlier today.
WALLACE: Great, we look forward to that. Bill, thanks again so much.
Well, turning now to the presidential campaign trail, Democratic presidential or the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry wrapped up his visit to Missouri today. He attended services at the new Northside Baptist Church in St. Louis. Kerry told the congregation he rejects President Bush's claim to be a compassionate conservative. He said the Bush administration is neglecting the less fortunate. Kerry's next stop is Sacramento, California.
It is no mystery that John Kerry is actively courting young voters to join his campaign. The latest proof, an appearance on MTV. In a taped interview that airs Tuesday evening, the presidential hopeful, who supports civil unions for gays and lesbians, but opposes same sex marriages, says gays should have equal rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My feeling is that what is important is equal protection under the law. An equal protection clause in the constitution, I think, pertains to the rights you give to the people, not to the name that you give to something. I'm for a civil union that gives people the rights, but I think there is a distinction between what we have traditionally called marriage between a man and a woman and those rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And Kerry also said he believes people are born gay. He said he would not back a plan President Bush supports to constitutionally at the federal level ban gay marriages.
It is the biggest ban of its kind so far. Still to come, the Irish are enjoying their final public puff before the country puts out the no smoking sign.
But first, he says when's not surprised. Israel's prime minister talks about his possible indictment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: In Israel today, several opposition leaders are urging Prime Minister Sharon to step down. They say he should remove himself from power while the Israeli attorney general considers a request to indict him on bribery charges. Paula Hancocks reports from jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political uncertainty is enveloping Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister this Sunday. After late Saturday evening, Israeli media reports said that prosecutors had decided to recommend Ariel Sharon be indicted for an alleged bribery scandal in the late 1990s.
Now in the next couple of days, the state attorney could submit a draft charge sheet to the attorney general and we could expect a decision from the attorney general within weeks on to whether or not to indict Ariel Sharon.
Now, the story is that back in the late 1990s when Sharon was foreign minister, David Apple, an Israeli businessman allegedly gave the Ariel Sharon family and his son hundreds of dollars -- hundreds of thousands of dollars, to help a real estate project he was undergoing on a Greek island. It's alleged that project was undergoing trouble and he wanted Arel Sharon to talk to the government officials to try to smooth the project over. The project never actually happened.
Now Sharon denied any wrongdoing in the past over this -- these allegations. David Apple who was indicted back in January has denied any wrongdoing, as well. This Sunday morning, the justice ministry and the prime minister's office both refusing to comment on these reports.
Now, there is a legal precedent a few years ago, a minister had to resign because he was indicted. Legal experts unsure at the moment and divided on whether or not Ariel Sharon would have to resign or whether he would have to suspend himself from office as legal proceedings went underway. We should hear within a month from the attorney general, whether or not Ariel Sharon will be indicted. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: And moving to other headlines from around the world, coalition forces and Iraqi police are investigating an attack that killed two civil yans, a British, a canadian. The Associated Press reports the two were assigned to protect foreign engineers working for General Electric.
People in Turkey got a rude awakening today when an early morning earthquake shook the eastern part of the country. Officials say the magnitude 5.3 quake injured at least 12 people and destroyed several buildings. The tremor comes just 3 days after another quake killed ten people in the area.
And pubs in Ireland with a last call for cigarettes at midnight tonight as the nation implements its controversial ban on smoking in public. The measure covers virtually all workplaces, enclosed public places and public transportation.
It is the worst nuclear accident in American history. Coming up next, a look back 25 years ago at Three Mile Island and a look ahead to what President Bush sees for the nuclear power industry.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't get nothing but spills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: They got a huge settlement with a chemical plant but legal fees left them with little to show for it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Today is the 25th anniversary of a dark chapter in America's nuclear history, the partial melt down at Three Mile Island. It was the worst nuclear plant accident ever seen in the United States. Americans were riveted by the events at the Pennsylvania facility and worried that radiation would contaminate the environment.
For many, the accident lead to greater skepticism when it comes to nuclear power.
After the Three Mile Island incident, the U.S. backed off licensing any new nuclear power plants, but now President Bush wants to change that. With utilities squeezing more megawatts out of existing facilities, he wants to jump start the industry. The president is backing an energy plan which calls for the construction of at least one nuclear plant by 2010.
And coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll explore a grim reality of nuclear power safety in a post September 11 world. There are always concerns about terrorism. We'll hear from an expert about the protection of nuclear plants in the United States.
For years, the people of Addison, Alabama have complained of health problems that they say were caused by chemicals spewed by a nearby plant. They settled with the plant for hundreds of millions of dollars, but much of the money ended up in the pockets of lawyers instead of their own. CNN's David Mattingly reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day of her life, Sylvia Curry of Anniston, Alabama has lived in the shadow of a chemical plant. Her strongest memories are of the smell.`
SYLVIA CURRY, ANNISTON RESIDENT: You can't describe the smell it was so bad.
MATTINGLY: But Curry and her neighbors now know there was something much worse in the air, in the soil and in the water: dangerous amount of PCBs, a chemical Curry believes killed her husband with cancer, caused her son's skin disorder and gave her cancer, as well.
CURRY: I'm very tired. Like I'm just drained a lot.
MATTINGLY: But last September, Curry and thousands of others in two class action lawsuits were awarded a staggering $700 million, paid by the plant owner Solutia and previous owner Monsanto.
(on camera): Anniston residents, wanting long term healthcare and the means to move out of this neighborhood were elated. Some believed that the problems were over. They were wrong.
CURRY: We didn't get nothing but spills. That's exactly what we got.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): What started as $700 million soon diminished. $100 million was earmarked for environmental cleanup and a free health clinic. Then it was split between two sets of plaintiffs. The judge awarded attorneys on one side, $120 million. Leaving some plaintiffs an average of only about $700,000. Compare, the $29 million alone to Johnnie Cochran who handled the litigation and $34 million to the lead Alabama attorney Jere Beasely.
JERE BEASLEY, PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEY: The judge found that the fee was necessary, reasonable, and because of the complexity and difficulty of - set the fee at this figure.
CURRY: They didn't come in here for the community. They come in here for themselves. They got it and they're gone.
MATTINGLY: Angry plaintiffs are complaining to the judge and the attornes. In a letter, Johnny Cochran said he would consult with other attorneys and the judge for provide clarification. Meanwhile, had her husband lived, Sylvia Curry would be now celebrating her 33rd wedding anniversary. Instead, she wonders if she'll see enough of the settlement to move away in hopes of prolonging her own life. David Mattingly, CNN, Anniston, Alabama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Coming up next, another minister jumps into the gay marriage controversy. Hear what this man of the cloth has to say about openly defying the law.
Plus, a gesture by one of the jurors prompts more turmoil in the Tyco trial. We'll have the latest after a quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 28, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CLARKE, FRM. COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: The issue is about the president's performance in the war on terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: He's under relentless scrutiny and his allegations are at the center of the September 11 investigation. Now, is his character being questioned? Richard Clarke sticks by his words amid the controversy.
Plus, a juror makes a gesture in the Tyco trial. What does it mean and where will it take the trial?
Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Kelly Wallace in Washington. Thanks so much for joining us. All that and more after this hour's check of the top stories.
In Bridgeport, Connecticut, repairs on a stretch of Interstate 95 shut down by Thursday's tanker crash are progressing faster than expected. The northbound lanes will reopen tonight. The expressway is a main artery between New York and Boston.
In Mosul, Iraq, the interim Iraqi government's public works minister Nisreen Berwari survived an attack unharmed today, but her driver and a bodyguard were killed. We'll follow this story.
The new leader of the militant Palestinian leader of Hamas calls President Bush, quote, "an enemy of Muslims." Abdel Aziz Rantisi angrily denounced the United States and Israel today at a memorial service for his predecessor who was killed Monday in an Israeli air strike.
And Afghanistan is postponeing elections from June until September to get more voters on the rolls. President Hamed Karzai says only a fraction of the country's 11 million eligible voters have registered. Karzai says he hopes to educate Afghans on the electoral process.
And we begin with the war of words over the war on terror. White House officials took to the air waves today to defend the Bush administration against charges by Richard Clarke. The former counter terrorism chief also made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows. On CNN's "LATE EDITION", Clarke repeated the charge that President Bush undermined the war on terror by invading Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARKE: I think the president wanted to fight the war on terrorism as hard as he could. I just think in my professional opinion he made a mistake about how to fight the war on terrorism and I think what he did in fighting Iraq and thinking that that was part of the war on terrorism was a mistake. Iraq had nothing to do with the war on terrorism and it's made the war on terrorism that much harder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And the Bush administration continues to question Clarke's motivation for writing his book and facing increasing pressure to let national security adviser Condoleezza Rice testify publicly about September 11. CNN's Dana Bash joins us from near the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Dana, hello. How is the White House responding to this pressure coming not just from Democrats, but also from Republicans?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, first of all, on Richard Clarke, the White House is continuing to question his credibility and essentially they're saying that what he said while he was in the administration, what he's saying now are contradictory and congressional Republicans said on Friday that they want to declassify 2002 testimony they say shows that he's changed his story. Well today, Richard Clarke said he's all for that, he has nothing to hide. But he also said that more documents, all documents if possible, relating to the issue should be declassifying saying that the White House dragged its feet in the days, weeks and months leading up to September 11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARKE: Let's declassify that memo I September on January 25. And let's declassify the national security directive that Dr. Rice's committee approved nine months later on September 4, and let's see if there's a difference between those two, because there isn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the Secretary of State said today the recommendation would be to declassify as much as possible for all Americans to see, but he also, in addition to the secretary of defense, came to the defense of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, who has been under fire for refusing to testify publicly before the 9/11 commission. They all said that she is essentially getting a bum wrap.
Meanwhile, Republicans, a growing number of them saying that the White House making a mistake by koining this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Condi Rice would be a superb witness. She is anxious to testify. The president would dearly love to have her testify. But she -- the lawyers, I think, probably properly have concluded, that to do so would alter that balance if we got into a practice of doing that.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, (R) CONNECTICUT: It's been one of the stupidest things this White House has done, to resist the 9/11 commission.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, members of the 9/11 commission made the rounds on TV today. And the chair and vice chair said they'll continue to press to have Condi Rice come and testify publicly and reminded reporters they voted to do so and not issuing a subpoena because they say they probably wouldn't win -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Dana, you know the families that lost loved ones on September 11 have issued a letter demanding Dr. Rice testify publicly. What is your sense from your sources, is the political pressure going to be so much that Dr. Rice ultimately might testify publicly?
BASH: It's a good question. There has been been pressure from members of the families of 9/11 to do so. And in addition, today and yesterday, you heard a growing number of Republicans saying politically it could be hurting the White House to have Condoleezza Rice refuse to testify on legal grounds, on an issue that people are not thinking legally on. 9/11 is certainly a different issue, that's what you heard from members of the commission, addition to some other Republicans out today.
So, right now, they're resisting saying they don't want to change the precedent for this president and other presidents, but it's unclear at this point whether or not they'll change their minds. They are still trying to have another private meeting. Members of the commission say that they are going to work on that. But they still want her to come publicly.
WALLACE: Well, Dana, we'll certainly be watching your reporting very, very closely. Dana Bash, thank you so much, White House correspondent, reporting from Crawford, Texas.
A "Newsweek" poll finds Clarke's testimony had little impact on American's view of President Bush. 65 percent of those surveyed say it's had no effect. 17 percent said Clarke's testimony negativively impacted their opinion of the president. And a 10 percent said it's a positive effect.
Joining us from New York to talk more about poll numbers is "Newsweek's" Susannah Meadows. Susannah, thanks so much for joining us.
SUSANNAH MEADOWS, NEWSWEEK: Thank you for having me.
WALLACE: One interesting note to the poll, you say 65 percent say Clarke's testimony not impacting their view of President Bush, but then you're also finding some dramatic developments when it comes to president's approval of his handling of the war on terror. What did you find?
MEADOWS: Well, I think that that question about Clarke, there's a difference between whether people were affected just by Clarke or whether the testimony over the whole week on the air waves had some accumulateive effect about people's views of Bush's leadership in the war of terror.
WALLACE: What did you find, Susannah, when people were asked specifically how do they feel about how the president is handling the war on terrorism? What did you find?
MEADOWS: Well, it was a pretty striking number. In early January, 70 percent of voters felt that he was doing a good job handling the war on terror and homeland security. But since then, he's taken something of a dive, he's down to 57 percent which is still a majority, but it could be problematic for the re-election strategy since they were really hoping to remind viewers of voters how much they love Bush right after 9/11.
WALLACE: When you see, Susannah, when you look at the numbers, if the president's numbers coming down when it comes to his handling of the war on terror, do the gains then go to John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee?
MEADOWS: Well surprisingly, no. They're not running into John Kerry's arms. I think what explains that is that a lot of voters still don't know him enough. One in five said they still didn't know whether they could trust John Kerry in an international crisis and 39 percent flat out said, no. So, what's interesting is they may be losing a little confidence in Bush in that category, but they don't necessarily have it for Kerry.
WALLACE: And what are you finding when it comes to, are voters looking at blaming the Bush administration, or are they also looking at blaming the Clinton administration? What did you find there?
MEADOWS: Well, interestingly, a majority of voters felt that the Clinton administration did not take the threat of terrorism seriously enough. Whereas they believed by a strong majority that the Bush administration had. But they weren't ready to give bush a pass, voters were pretty evenly divided with the question of whether the Bush administration had done absolutely everything it could to prevent a terrorist attack.
WALLACE: Well, Susannah Meadows, very interesting numbers. Report with "Newsweek." Thank you so much for joining us today.
MEADOWS: Thanks for having me.
WALLACE: Well, last week's hearings pitted one administration against another over who did more to fight terrorism. What's the political fallout from the testimony and Clarke's allegations? Well, no better person to ask than CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider who is doing double duty today joining us from Boston.
Now, Bill, let's get right to it, what's the political damage and fallout to the Bush administration?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: What's happening is that the views of President Bush's handling of the war on terrorism are looking more like the views of his handling of Iraq. Now those issues had been very different. When Americans asked, how do you rate the presdient's handling of war on terrorism, they were way up there in the 60s. How do you rate his handling of Iraq? Americans were split, those ratings were in the 40s.
What's been happening is especially since the Clarke testimony, the view, the assessment of the president's handling of terrorism while still positive is getting more controversial. Americans are getting more divided about it, because of Mr. Clarke's allegations. He said that Iraq distracted the administration from the war on terrorism. And guess what? In that "Newsweek" poll, people were asked, did Iraq distract the administration from fighting the war on terrorism? And Americans were split 42 yes, 47 no, which mean the assessment of the war on terrorism is dangerously close to the assessment of Iraq which splits the country.
WALLACE: How damaging then, Bill, is that for this administration which had been viewing the war on terrorism as the president's greatest strength going into this reelection campaign?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's still a strength, but it's not going to be the slam dunk the administration might have been counting on for this president to run as the president of 9/11. 9/11 simply put is becoming more controversial.
And as a result, it's not going to be that easy for the president to pick and choose and say, I'm going to run on the terrorism agenda and ignore Iraq. You know, the economy, that's not a big plus for us. We're going to run as the president who is fighting the war on terrorism.
It's not as easy to do and that issue is not quite as strong as it was for the president even a few weeks ago. It looks like things are moving towards the economy as the main focus of this election.
WALLACE: Well Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst. Thanks so much. I understand you'll be on CNN again later tonight, but from Washington, right?.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. We're going to be listening to what Condoleeza Rice says on her "60 Minutes" interview tonight to see how she refutes what we heard Dick Clarke say to Judy Woodruff earlier today.
WALLACE: Great, we look forward to that. Bill, thanks again so much.
Well, turning now to the presidential campaign trail, Democratic presidential or the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry wrapped up his visit to Missouri today. He attended services at the new Northside Baptist Church in St. Louis. Kerry told the congregation he rejects President Bush's claim to be a compassionate conservative. He said the Bush administration is neglecting the less fortunate. Kerry's next stop is Sacramento, California.
It is no mystery that John Kerry is actively courting young voters to join his campaign. The latest proof, an appearance on MTV. In a taped interview that airs Tuesday evening, the presidential hopeful, who supports civil unions for gays and lesbians, but opposes same sex marriages, says gays should have equal rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My feeling is that what is important is equal protection under the law. An equal protection clause in the constitution, I think, pertains to the rights you give to the people, not to the name that you give to something. I'm for a civil union that gives people the rights, but I think there is a distinction between what we have traditionally called marriage between a man and a woman and those rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And Kerry also said he believes people are born gay. He said he would not back a plan President Bush supports to constitutionally at the federal level ban gay marriages.
It is the biggest ban of its kind so far. Still to come, the Irish are enjoying their final public puff before the country puts out the no smoking sign.
But first, he says when's not surprised. Israel's prime minister talks about his possible indictment. Stay with us.
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WALLACE: In Israel today, several opposition leaders are urging Prime Minister Sharon to step down. They say he should remove himself from power while the Israeli attorney general considers a request to indict him on bribery charges. Paula Hancocks reports from jerusalem.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political uncertainty is enveloping Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister this Sunday. After late Saturday evening, Israeli media reports said that prosecutors had decided to recommend Ariel Sharon be indicted for an alleged bribery scandal in the late 1990s.
Now in the next couple of days, the state attorney could submit a draft charge sheet to the attorney general and we could expect a decision from the attorney general within weeks on to whether or not to indict Ariel Sharon.
Now, the story is that back in the late 1990s when Sharon was foreign minister, David Apple, an Israeli businessman allegedly gave the Ariel Sharon family and his son hundreds of dollars -- hundreds of thousands of dollars, to help a real estate project he was undergoing on a Greek island. It's alleged that project was undergoing trouble and he wanted Arel Sharon to talk to the government officials to try to smooth the project over. The project never actually happened.
Now Sharon denied any wrongdoing in the past over this -- these allegations. David Apple who was indicted back in January has denied any wrongdoing, as well. This Sunday morning, the justice ministry and the prime minister's office both refusing to comment on these reports.
Now, there is a legal precedent a few years ago, a minister had to resign because he was indicted. Legal experts unsure at the moment and divided on whether or not Ariel Sharon would have to resign or whether he would have to suspend himself from office as legal proceedings went underway. We should hear within a month from the attorney general, whether or not Ariel Sharon will be indicted. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.
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WALLACE: And moving to other headlines from around the world, coalition forces and Iraqi police are investigating an attack that killed two civil yans, a British, a canadian. The Associated Press reports the two were assigned to protect foreign engineers working for General Electric.
People in Turkey got a rude awakening today when an early morning earthquake shook the eastern part of the country. Officials say the magnitude 5.3 quake injured at least 12 people and destroyed several buildings. The tremor comes just 3 days after another quake killed ten people in the area.
And pubs in Ireland with a last call for cigarettes at midnight tonight as the nation implements its controversial ban on smoking in public. The measure covers virtually all workplaces, enclosed public places and public transportation.
It is the worst nuclear accident in American history. Coming up next, a look back 25 years ago at Three Mile Island and a look ahead to what President Bush sees for the nuclear power industry.
Plus...
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't get nothing but spills.
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WALLACE: They got a huge settlement with a chemical plant but legal fees left them with little to show for it. Stay with us.
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WALLACE: Today is the 25th anniversary of a dark chapter in America's nuclear history, the partial melt down at Three Mile Island. It was the worst nuclear plant accident ever seen in the United States. Americans were riveted by the events at the Pennsylvania facility and worried that radiation would contaminate the environment.
For many, the accident lead to greater skepticism when it comes to nuclear power.
After the Three Mile Island incident, the U.S. backed off licensing any new nuclear power plants, but now President Bush wants to change that. With utilities squeezing more megawatts out of existing facilities, he wants to jump start the industry. The president is backing an energy plan which calls for the construction of at least one nuclear plant by 2010.
And coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll explore a grim reality of nuclear power safety in a post September 11 world. There are always concerns about terrorism. We'll hear from an expert about the protection of nuclear plants in the United States.
For years, the people of Addison, Alabama have complained of health problems that they say were caused by chemicals spewed by a nearby plant. They settled with the plant for hundreds of millions of dollars, but much of the money ended up in the pockets of lawyers instead of their own. CNN's David Mattingly reports.
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DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day of her life, Sylvia Curry of Anniston, Alabama has lived in the shadow of a chemical plant. Her strongest memories are of the smell.`
SYLVIA CURRY, ANNISTON RESIDENT: You can't describe the smell it was so bad.
MATTINGLY: But Curry and her neighbors now know there was something much worse in the air, in the soil and in the water: dangerous amount of PCBs, a chemical Curry believes killed her husband with cancer, caused her son's skin disorder and gave her cancer, as well.
CURRY: I'm very tired. Like I'm just drained a lot.
MATTINGLY: But last September, Curry and thousands of others in two class action lawsuits were awarded a staggering $700 million, paid by the plant owner Solutia and previous owner Monsanto.
(on camera): Anniston residents, wanting long term healthcare and the means to move out of this neighborhood were elated. Some believed that the problems were over. They were wrong.
CURRY: We didn't get nothing but spills. That's exactly what we got.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): What started as $700 million soon diminished. $100 million was earmarked for environmental cleanup and a free health clinic. Then it was split between two sets of plaintiffs. The judge awarded attorneys on one side, $120 million. Leaving some plaintiffs an average of only about $700,000. Compare, the $29 million alone to Johnnie Cochran who handled the litigation and $34 million to the lead Alabama attorney Jere Beasely.
JERE BEASLEY, PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEY: The judge found that the fee was necessary, reasonable, and because of the complexity and difficulty of - set the fee at this figure.
CURRY: They didn't come in here for the community. They come in here for themselves. They got it and they're gone.
MATTINGLY: Angry plaintiffs are complaining to the judge and the attornes. In a letter, Johnny Cochran said he would consult with other attorneys and the judge for provide clarification. Meanwhile, had her husband lived, Sylvia Curry would be now celebrating her 33rd wedding anniversary. Instead, she wonders if she'll see enough of the settlement to move away in hopes of prolonging her own life. David Mattingly, CNN, Anniston, Alabama.
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WALLACE: Coming up next, another minister jumps into the gay marriage controversy. Hear what this man of the cloth has to say about openly defying the law.
Plus, a gesture by one of the jurors prompts more turmoil in the Tyco trial. We'll have the latest after a quick break. Stay with us.
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