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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Sen. Ted Kennedy Having Security Problems; Mehdi Militia Stands Firm Against Coalition Forces; Interview Of Parents Of Munich Olympics Massacre Victims

Aired August 19, 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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: air raid. U.S. forces pounding positions around a holy shrine in Iraq. We'll show you rare pictures inside the ring of supporters of the radical Iraqi cleric.
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Najaf nightmare. Urban combat against a diehard enemy holed up in a holy place. Will U.S. troops be forced into a final assault in just a matter of hours.

Counterpunch. John Kerry takes a swing at those swift boat ads.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

BLITZER: Massacre. Athletes go for gold under unprecedented security, too young to remember the Olympics' darkest hour. I'll speak with two women who can never forget.

Jury duty jolt.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: This was like a world I've read about and certainly am aware of, but this was a reality check.

BLITZER: Oprah Winfrey helps convict a man of murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, August 19, 2004.

BLITZER: Is this the final showdown? A rebel cleric gets an ultimatum, give up or else. Iraqi and American forces are poised right now for an all-out assault, as explosions echo around the Imam Ali Mosque, the shrine turned into a stronghold by the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr.

They vowed to fight to the death. We have stunning new videotape in from the inside of the Imam Ali Mosque. Let's go live to CNN's Matthew Chance. He's live for us in Najaf -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, thank you. And fierce fighting raging in the streets of Najaf. Artillery fire being heard, also heavy machine guns being fired as we bring you this report in the streets of Najaf.

Clashes, of course, between the Mehdi Army and U.S. forces on the streets there. A great deal of fighting going on, I can tell you. It sounds extremely ferocious.

We've had some exclusive access as well to the center, where much of this fighting has been taking place, the Imam Ali shrine, one of the most holiest mosques in Shia Islam. CNN's producers and crew were allowed into that mosque, invited into the mosque by the Mehdi Army to see them there celebrating, it seems, jubilant in celebrating Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric, their loyalty; saying that they will stay in the mosque and fight to the death if necessary.

It seems also that women and children are inside the mosque alongside the Mehdi Army. U.S. military officials say they're human shields and it would make it much more difficult for them to assault the mosque, or for anyone to assault the mosque given those civilians there.

It also seems from the footage that there's some damage to the structure of the mosque itself, two minarets, it seems, have been damaged by shrapnel despite efforts by the U.S. military to hold their fire in the immediate area of the mosque.

The Iraqi interim government saying, though, that they're losing patience with the Shiite rebels holed up inside, the Mehdi Army holed up inside. They're calling on them to lay down their weapons and walk away -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Is there any time deadline that has been imposed yet, Matthew?

CHANCE: Well, no, there hasn't been any deadline imposed, although people were talking in the Iraqi government about by the end of the day in terms of what we've come to.

But I think the point is that people in the Iraqi government as well as the U.S. military want to see some action actually on the ground, if that's tomorrow, that's fine. If it's later on, that's fine, but they want to avoid it at all costs, they're saying, any kind of military action, but at the moment that doesn't look avoidable.

BLITZER: Matthew Chance on the scene for us, once again in Najaf, Matthew, thanks very much.

And to our viewers, you're about to see what CNN producer Kianne Sadeq saw when she was invited into the Imam Ali mosque earlier today.

Here is her description.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIANNE SADEQ, CNN PRODUCER: It was a very, very powerful day. We walked in. A group of journalists were -- we were allowed in to the Imam Ali Mosque with the help of everyone. As soon as we walked in to the mosque, we were greeted with cheers from the Mehdi Army and chants.

In fact, one of the oldest Mehdi Army fighters was on the shoulders of another. They dance around, cheering, cheering, cheering. They were giving chants, chanting that they will not stand down, they will not stand down from their position. They will keep fighting to defend Muqtada al-Sadr.

They express anger towards the government. And they express to us that they were -- you know, they were not happy about this. But they were going to defend Muqtada al-Sadr. These are all from the al- Sadr movement. And they will keep defending him. They feel like this is their duty. They feel like this is what they must do.

They feel like they've been occupied and so -- to them, when they describe Americans, they call them "the occupier." And they -- and this is what makes them feel, you know, stronger and stronger towards Muqtada al-Sadr, because he is always standing against the Americans. And they don't want to feel like they are occupied.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That report from CNN producer Kianne Sadeq. Earlier today, she was inside the mosque.

There has also been some heavy fighting in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. U.S. tanks pushed into the densely crowded neighborhood earlier today, and helicopter gunships have also been used against the Shiite insurgents there. Several militiamen have been killed.

Al-Sadr's rebellion may also be taking hold in the south, further south, that is, in the port city of Basra. Saboteurs attacked the headquarters of an Iraqi oil company and set warehouses and offices ablaze.

Witnesses say gunmen loyal to the Shiite cleric drove off security guards and fired rocket-propelled grenades into the buildings. They then ambushed arriving firefighters. Iraq's southern pipelines export 90 percent of the country's oil.

Has Muqtada al-Sadr's bloody rebellion blunted the authority of Iraq's new leader? A lot is certainly riding in the outcome of this confrontation under way right now. Let's turn for more to CNN's Zain Verjee. She's joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iraq's interim government faces unpleasant choices, but it wants to project strength and independence. And it actions or inaction may put the interim prime minister's credibility on the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): The showdown in Najaf is Ayad Allawi's first major crisis, and how the interim prime minister deals with it is likely to set the tone for how other crises in Iraq will be handled before the election of a new government.

Mr. Allawi talked tough today, saying, enough is enough.

AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is the final call to them to disarm.

VERJEE: It's a high stakes game of chicken, say some, one where Allawi has to make a decision and mean it.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I suspect that the interim government really has to take a stand, whether it's today or tomorrow, it has to be some time soon.

VERJEE: If he appears indecisive, it could undermine his authority. Others who know him say he needs to be cautious so he can be seen as going as far as possible to avoid a bloodbath. So Allawi, they argue, has to leave a door open.

REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: He's encouraging al- Sadr to work through the political process. He's opened so many doors.

VERJEE: Allawi's dependence on U.S. military force and finances may have tainted him in the eyes of some Iraqis. And some say Iraqi troops in Najaf are being used more as political cover for a military operation that's powered effectively by American forces.

Experts say Allawi is keenly aware that failure in Najaf could mean failure everywhere else in Iraq, and it could send a dangerous signal to Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and in Ramadi.

And even if Allawi succeeds in crushing Muqtada al-Sadr's insurgency, it doesn't guarantee anything.

RIME ALLAF, ROYAL INST. OF INTL. AFFAIR: Even if it does turn into a military victory, politically long-term, this cannot be good neither for Allawi's government nor for America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And what analysts say, even if Allawi defeats Sadr, there's a danger that in the long run it may ignite a major struggle within the Shia community and in the short term, they say Allawi can't let Sadr off the hook, he can't afford to -- Wolf.

CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us, thanks, Zain, very much.

Direct attack. John Kerry firing back at those negative ads, and the person he holds responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But the White House and conservative radio talk show hosts around the country have equally strong words for the Democratic candidate.

Hostage in Iraq. What's being done to find and free this American journalist?

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Olympics -- the Olympic dream died when they murdered the 11 Israeli sportsmen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Remembering Munich, the darkest days in the history of the Olympic Games. I'll speak with the wife and daughter of slain Israeli coach Andre Spitzer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry took the fight directly to President Bush today. He did not mince words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KERRY: More than 30-years-ago I learned an important lesson. When you're under attack, the best thing to do is turn your boat into the attacker, and that's what I intend to do today.

BLITZER (voice-over): It's also a basic rule of politics.

KERRY: Over the last week, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has been attacking me. Of course, this group isn't interested in the truth. They're not telling the truth. They didn't even exist until I won the nomination for president.

BLITZER: At issue, this ad the group has been airing around the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Kerry, has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is lying about his record.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know John Kerry is lying about his first purple heart, because I treated him for that injury.

KERRY: Here's what you really need to know about them. They're funded by hundreds of thousands from a Republican contributor out of Texas. They're a front for the Bush campaign. And the fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

BLITZER: Addressing firefighters in Boston, Kerry then went on the offensive, going right after what he and his aides see as one of the President Bush's vulnerabilities.

KERRY: Of course, the president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer -- bring it on!

BLITZER: The Bush/Cheney campaign quickly responded with this statement.

"Senator Kerry knows his statements are false. Senator Kerry knows President Bush has called his service in Vietnam noble. Senator Kerry knows that the Bush campaign has criticized him for voting against money for our combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the Bush campaign has tried to have a debate about the future, not the past."

At the presidential ranch at Crawford, Texas, White House press secretary Scott McClellan added this.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has condemned all of the ads by the shadowy groups. We have called on Senator Kerry to join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft-money activity that is going on in this campaign.

BLITZER: But to further make its point, the Kerry campaign released this ad of its own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to someone who was there, the man whose life John Kerry saved.

JIM RASSMAN, SAVED BY JOHN KERRY: It blew me off the boat, all these Viet Cong were shooting at me. I expected to be shot. When he pulled me out of the river, he risk his life to save mine.

BLITZER: Conservative radio talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, were having none of this.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALKSHOW HOST: The swift boats are really damaging Kerry so much so he's attacking them today, and sounding like Lanny David in the process, with his conspiracy claim that Bush is behind this. You know, here's old war hero Kerry, battle hero tested Kerry, and he's out there whining and moaning about Bush doing dirty tricks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Joining us on this escalation in rhetoric, Carlos Watson.

Carlos, who's likely to end up more political bruised over this battle? CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they'll both take hits, but I think ultimately this could help John Kerry the most. I think that for a White House that recognizes that more voters are paying attention to national security and foreign policy issues, you're clearly worried about John Kerry's five different medals that he won during Vietnam in comparison to the president's service record during that time, and so you have to go after him. But the reality is there's a real opportunity that when John Kerry charges that the White House is behind this, lots of voters will believe it and lots of voters will feel like they're not telling the truth and that this extends to a series of issues, including issues of job creation, what happened with weapons of mass destruction, et cetera. Kerry can open this up into a broader critique. I think this is going to explode during the debates that are expect to start at the end of September.

BLITZER: What's the next step beyond the debates, what should we be looking for in the immediate days ahead, as we get ready for the Republican Convention in New York?

WATSON: One name -- John McCain. I think it will be interesting to see what the senator from Arizona, a former war hero himself during the Vietnam War and good friend of John Kerry's and obviously a former competitor of the president of the 2000 primary, what he has to say. He speaks the very first night. But you know, Wolf, throughout this campaign, he's been outspoken in condemning ads on both sides, that he thought crossed the line. And particularly when people charged that John Kerry did not earn his medals, he could be very vocal and hurt the president with those independent, undecided voters.

BLITZER: I think it's fair to say even if the president and the Bush/Cheney campaign asked these independent organizations that are sponsoring these ads to cease and desist, they wouldn't necessarily cease and desist, would they?

WATSON: No, they wouldn't, and I think the president and his supporters would point out, that there are groups like moveon.org and the Media Fund and others, that they would argue are running ads that are just as scurrilous when it comes to attacking the president's character. And so I think that's part of the reason for the hesitation, but make no mistake about it.

For an electorate that, you know roughly 40 percent say the that the most important issue is either national security or foreign policy, the service records of the two primary candidates will come into question. And the fact that John Kerry has five and the president doesn't have any, I think will remain an issue as much as Kerry's record in the U.S. Senate and the president's four-year term as president and commander-in-chief will matter.

BLITZER: All right, political analyst Carlos Watson. Thanks, Carlos, very much.

WATSON: Good to see you.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, "Will the candidates military records influence your vote for president?" Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results for you later in this broadcast.

A hostage caught up in an international drama. The latest efforts to free a French-American journalist being held in Iraq.

Also...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem with this specific text, that it's taught to children who are six years old.

BLITZER: A look inside Saudi textbooks. What they're teaching children about Christians and Jews.

Plus, the senator and security a why a well known lawmakers was almost denied boarding a plane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As U.S. forces square off with Shiite radicals in Najaf, kidnappers may be trying to influence that showdown by threatening to kill a hostage journalist. Let's go live to our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has been almost a week since Micah Garen, by all accounts an intrepid, independent journalist, disappeared from Southern Iraq where he was working.

It wasn't until a previously unknown militant group made its intentions known that we were able to prove that he had been kidnapped.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): In a videotape aired Wednesday on the Arabic language network al Jazeera Micah Garen is kneeling on the floor, flanked by armed militants. The group which calls itself the Martyrs Brigade issued an ultimatum threatening to kill Garen, a French-American journalist, within 48 hours if U.S. forces do not withdraw from the holy city of Najaf. Their locked in a violent standoff with militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr.

But top aides to al Sadr tell CNN they are working to secure Garen's safe release. In New York, FBI agents have met with Garen's fiancee while the State Department said it was also in touch with Garen's family.

ADAM SHELI, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Obviously we take all information seriously. We use it. We try to act on it. Our objective is to bring about the safe release of this innocent victim of terror.

KOPPEL: Garen, a 36-year-old independent journalist with Four Corners Media was kidnapped August 13 in the Southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah along with his Iraqi translator. The company's Web site appeals to Garen's kidnappers to please release him. And says Garen, who is also a still photographer was making a documentary film on Iraq's cultural history and archaeological sites at risk inside the war zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: For its part, the State Department tells CNN that it is working with the Iraqi military and also with the Italian military, which happens to patrol the southern area where Garen was last seen, to do everything they can, Wolf, to try to find him and win his release -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel with that report. Let's hope for the best. Thanks, Andrea, very much.

Are some Saudi schools teaching children intolerance?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's really discomforting is the fact that the Saudi government is teaching American and Saudi children this in Washington D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Why the cold war over ideas is being waged in Islamic classrooms.

A Chicago murder trial with Oprah Winfrey in the jury box. More on the reality check she did not expect.

With all eyes on Athens, real-life memories of real terror at the Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back. Are Saudi text books teaching intolerance? Insight into the religious influences over students in the kingdom and here in the United States. We'll get to all of that, first, though, a quick check of some stories now in the news.

The Kennedy name legendary in American politics, but apparently it carries little weight when it comes to boarding airplanes in Boston. Look at this, security screeners stop Senator Edward Kennedy several times at Logan International Airport. The Senator's name was said to have been on a security watchlist. At a hearing in Washington on border security earlier today, the Senator said it took weeks to clear up the misunderstanding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D) MASSACHUSETTS: So my administrative assistant talked to the Department of Homeland Security and they said there's a mistake. It happened three more times. And finally Secretary Ridge called to apologize on it. It happened even after. He called to apologize because he couldn't -- my name was on the list at the airports and with the airlines and the Homeland Security. He couldn't get my name off the list for a period of weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: American Red Cross workers are urging residents of storm-damaged areas of Florida to come to shelters for food, water, and a chance to cool off. Days after Hurricane Charley swept through the state, almost 400,000 Floridians still without electricity. A utility spokeswoman says some of them may not be back online for another 10 days.

United Airlines says it likely will have to terminate and replace its employee pension plans. In bankruptcy documents, the company cites the need to cut costs and find financing. Last month, United announced it would not pay into the plans while it restructures.

And shares of Google surged more than 18 percent in the public debut on the Nasdaq earlier today. Shares of the Internet search engine ended today at $100.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

In battles between Islamic terrorists and the West, aircraft bombs and gunfire often have been used, but that's only the hot part of the story. The cold part of the story involves Muslim fundamentalists and the West, the fight over the minds of young Muslim men and women as they pass through their educational systems.

CNN's Brian Todd has been looking into this sensitive story. He's joining us now live with more -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it does seem an unlikely frontline in the war on terror. It is the classroom, and it's where the government of Saudi Arabia struggles to balance its traditional Muslim culture with crucial Western alliances, a struggle illustrated in textbooks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: In Saudi classrooms, early lessons encouraging intolerance. CNN has obtained copies of textbooks believed to be used at the Islamic Saudi Academy, a Washington-area school primarily for children of Saudi nationals funded by the Saudi government. The adult-sounding title for a first-grade textbook, "Monotheism, or the Belief in the Oneness of God and Islamic Jurisprudence." The Saudi embassy confirms this book is also used at schools in the kingdom.

We got independent translation of the text. On page 19, one line reads: "Any religion other than Islam is false." On the same page, in a section titled "Instructions to the Teacher," quote, "Explain that any religion other than Islam is false, such as Judaism, Christianity and others."

ALI AL-AHMED, SAUDI INSTITUTE: It teaches hatred.

TODD: Ali al-Ahmed runs the Saudi Institute, a group which opposes the Saudi royal family.

AL-AHMED: The problem with this specific text is that it is taught to children who are six-year-old who do not differentiate -- who do not have the capacity to understand this complex issues, that others have different views on life on God, and so on.

TODD: Al-Ahmed says this is systematic and claims textbooks used in higher grades contain even harsher language describing Jews and others. We obtained two textbooks for high school grades and found a passage saying that in one instance, in the days of the prophet "the Jews conspired on Islam and its people and got them to fight one another."

In another textbook, a passage recommending that Muslims should not acknowledge other religions' holidays, a phrase borrowing from the idea in the Koran that all non-Muslims are infidels. Quote: "One of the greatest requisites of hating the infidels and not dealing with them is to leave the religious and symbols." Ali al-Ahmed claims these books are also used at the Islamic Saudi Academy.

AL-AHMED: What's really discomforting is that the fact that the Saudi government is teaching American and Saudi children this in Washington, D.C., using diplomatic cover to teach this, to teach that Christians and Jews are bad people.

TODD: We called the Islamic Saudi Academy repeatedly for comment. When they didn't respond, we went there, first, to the campus where first-graders are taught. They referred us to the main campus. When we got there, we were told to direct our questions about the curriculum to the Saudi embassy. We caught up with Saudi embassy spokesman Nail Al-Jubeir.

To say that your religion is the only true religion, that's one thing. But to single out two other religions, Judaism, Christianity, as being false...

NAIL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI EMBASSY SPOKESMAN: And others.

TODD: ...as being false, people have a problem with that.

AL-JUBEIR: Well, I mean, there are issues. I may disagree with it, and there are feelings on both sides of it. I disagree with that statement, but that's a process that is going to change, and the teaching that we're doing is we're going through the textbooks and revising some of this so that we think it should revise.

TODD: Al-Jubeir says the government has been going through a long section-by-section revision of textbooks, but says that takes time. He says some of this particular language didn't start creeping in to Saudi textbooks until the late 70s and 80s. He stresses the Saudi government does not fund so-called madrassas, those schools accused of teaching anti-Western fundamentalism. For perspective, we went to the Reverend Canon Michael Wyatt, a theologian at the Washington National Cathedral, which embraces and studies different religions. We asked him if it's common for Christian or Jewish-based schools to include text saying their religions are paramount above all others.

REVERAND MICHAEL WYATT, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: I think it is, particularly of the three Abrahamic religions. All three of those religions depend on a revelation from God. And, so, in that case, you get people saying that what was given to us was given to us uniquely. That does happen in all three religions, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

TODD: Canon Wyatt says there are conservative schools within those religions where they don't directly point to other religions as false, but do imply that members of those religions need to be converted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: As for these textbooks in our story, these are the editions for the 2003-2004 school year. Saudi officials tell us they don't know if these same books will be used in the coming year -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, thanks for that good report.

Going for the gold, the women gymnasts take center stage in Athens.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANOUK SPITZER, DAUGHTER OF SLAIN ATHLETE: Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some will never forget the Munich massacre. I'll speak with the family of a slain Israeli Olympic coach.

Also, jury duty gave her a jolt of reality. Oprah Winfrey talks about her experience at a murder trial. All that coming up. First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It was a year ago today that a truck bomb killed 22 people at the United Nations complex in Baghdad. There were memorials held in Geneva, New York, and Jordan for those who died. The attack injured more than 100 people.

A typhoon, which killed four people in Japan yesterday, has now hit South Korea. Four people have died there, and another four are missing. Twenty-four hundred people have been evacuated.

And torrential downpours in northern Mexico have killed at least two people. 40 homes were damaged in one town, and an unknown number of residents are missing. At least 300 people are living in temporary shelters.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's been a dramatic 24 hours in Athens. Here, a roundup of Olympic results. Move over Mary Lou, there's a new darling of American gymnastics. Carly Patterson became the first U.S. woman to win gold in the overall competition since Mary Lou Retton did it in 1984. Patterson clinched her victory with a dazzling floor routine. The Russian, Svetlana Khorkina, the self-proclaimed queen of gymnastics, took silver.

It's being called one of the most stunning comebacks in Olympic gymnastics history. After a fall on the landing off the vault sent Paul Hamm stumbling into the judges' table he dropped to 12th place in the men's overall competition. But with near-perfect routines on his final two events, the American edged out South Korea for the gold by .0012 of a point.

From the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat and back, all in a matter of an hour, American swimmer Aaron Peirsol finished first in the 200-meter backstroke final, but judges disqualified him for what was called an illegal turn. The disqualification was overturned on appeal, and Peirsol wound up with the gold.

It was more straightforward for teammate Michael Phelps. He led from the start to the finish in winning the 200-meter individual medley, setting an Olympic record in the process. It's Phelps's fourth gold medal of the games.

In the women's 200-meter breaststroke, three-time Olympian Amanda Beard earned her first-ever individual gold. To do so, she had to surge ahead of her Australian rival, Leisel Jones, who was under world record pace for the first 150 meters of the race. Beard's time was an Olympic record.

Swimming's oldest record fell to the U.S. women's 800-meter freestyle relay team last night. Seventeen years to the day after the East German team set the mark, the Americans took gold in a time of 7:53.42 beating the record by more than two seconds. Good work.

Looming in the background in Athens, the threat of terrorism, tragically something the games have seen before. A special ceremony was held in Athens tonight in memory of the 11 Israelis taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. CNN's Bruce Burkhardt looks back at the darkest day in Olympic history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an ITN news flash from the Olympic village in Munich.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was another one of those innocence lost moments. And instead of people dropping what they were doing to turn on the TV, hundreds of millions were already watching the Olympics, a supposed refuge of the ugliness of world politics and warfare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Early this morning, armed Palestinian guerrillas raided the sleeping quarters of the Israeli team.

BURKHARDT: Munich 1972, another black September day, the fifth, not the 11th. In fact, it was a terrorist group calling themselves "Black September." Eight Palestinian gunmen disguised as athletes snuck into the Olympic village in the early morning hours and broke into the quarters of the sleeping Israeli team, immediately killing two.

GURI WEINBERG, SON OF SLAIN COACH: He was fighting to save the other ten athletes, and that's when they shot him. They shot him about twice, two different times, and he kept on fighting until they shot him, when he died.

BURKHARDT: With the remaining nine Israelis as hostages, these were the images the world watched for nearly 24 hours as the captors demanded safe passage out of Germany and the release of 200 Arab prisoners. Then-prime minister Golda Meir said no deal, but the Germans arranged to move the terrorists and their hostages. There, a bungled rescue attempt led to the death of the remaining nine Israelis, plus five of the terrorists and a German policeman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That report from Bruce Burkhardt.

Just a short time ago, I spoke with Ankie and Anouk Spitzer. They're the wife and daughter of Andre Spitzer, the Israeli Olympic fencing coach who was among those killed in Munich. Ankie Spitzer joined us from Athens where she attended tonight's memorial. Her daughter, Anouk, just two months old at the time of her father's death. They joined us from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BLITZER: Anouk and Ankie Spitzer, thanks very much for joining us.

Ankie, let me begin with you in Athens. You attended this memorial service today for the Israeli athletes who were killed 32 years ago, including your husband. What went through your mind?

ANKIE SPITZER, WIFE OF SLAIN OLYMPIC COACH: Well, first of all, I must say that it was a very moving memorial, and to my big surprise, everybody seemed to be there. And lo and behold, even the president of the International Olympic Committee, for the very first time in 32 years, he was actually there. And what went through my mind is first of all, it should have been already 32 years ago that he would have been there. And secondly, that the memorial should not take place in the backyard of the Israeli ambassador, with all due respect to his hospitality, but this should be in front of all athletes, so that nobody will ever forget what happened in Munich.

BLITZER: I know, Ankie, you feel that over these 32 years, the Olympic committee, the international committee, has really avoided talking about what happened in Munich in 1972. Why do you think that was the case?

ANKIE SPITZER: Well, we were told exactly why it was the case. They felt that by mentioning the murder of the 11 Israeli athletes, we were bringing politics into the Olympics. And we explained to the former president, Mr. Samaranch, that we are not bringing politics. We don't even need for us to be mentioned at the athletes who were murdered were Israelis or Jews.

We just wanted them to mention that 11 sports people, sportsmen, who came to Munich with all the dreams of every Olympic athlete has, they were there, and they wanted to taste the spirit of the Olympics. And they all came home in a coffin. That's what we wanted them to mention. We don't want any politics in the Olympic games. We want them to remember what happened so that it will never happen again.

BLITZER: Anouk, you were only two months old when your father was killed in Munich, but you've spent these last 32 years learning a lot about him. As you remember, what has happened over these 32 years? Tell us what goes through your mind as a daughter of one of those slain Israeli athletes?

ANOUK SPITZER, DAUGHTER OF SLAIN ISRAELI ATHLETE: It's very painful to me that I have to see my mother struggling for so many years for my father to be remembered. You know, we the orphans, I never even heard my father's voice, and we lived in the shadow of the Olympic games for so many years. Let us be part of this family. This is the only way we can feel close to our fathers. Don't let them die in vain.

BLITZER: Well, Anouk, so what do you want? What would you like the International Olympic Committee to do?

ANOUK SPITZER: Well, let's start by commemorating them, by mentioning them. It can't be that, even at the centennial Olympic games, where they celebrated 100 years of Olympic games, they weren't even mentioned once. This is part of the history of the Olympic games. I would like the world to remember they came to participate in this place of brotherhood, fair play, and peace, and they came back in a coffin. The world of sports can respect their memory.

BLITZER: Ankie, remind our viewers what your husband Andre was all about. He was the fencing coach, but you knew the other Israeli athletes as well.

ANKIE SPITZER: Yes. In fact, he was only 27 years old, and I remember very well the day that he left for the Olympics because, you know, it was the outcome of a dream. Nobody ever believed that they would ever get there. And then the very day that they left, I left the same day with Anouk to Holland, because I'm from Holland. I left her, the little baby, at my parents' house and I joined him in Munich. So I was with him.

But, at that time, there was a men's village and women's village. So we couldn't even stay together at night there. So we rented a small hotel, and we just enjoyed every single day of these Olympics as long as we could. And, you know, when we're talking about security like the tremendous security that is here now in Athens, if you looked then, you know, I came into the Olympic village every day, because I came in through the exit, because according to the Germans, you know, you go in through the entrance and go out through the exit. But I came in through the exit. And they let me go, and I was there every day.

And then just two days before the massacre, we went to Holland to visit our baby, Anouk, who was then only -- not even two months old. And then Andre went back to his teammates and I stayed with Anouk. And then this is exactly when it happened. He came into the Olympic village at 12 midnight, and at 4 o'clock, the terrorists came in. And then, after that, I only saw him standing in front of the window, trying to negotiate with the officials, with his hands tied behind his back. And then at one point one of the terrorists hit him with the back of a gun, and then they closed the windows on him. And that was the last time I ever even saw him.

BLITZER: And that was the last thing. We only have a few seconds, Anouk. What do you think the world should remember for what happened in Munich in 1972?

ANOUK SPITZER: We think that those who forget history are bound to repeat it, and look how sad. We are 32 years later, still living in the shadow of world terror. We think that the Olympics -- the Olympic dream died when they murdered the 11 Israeli sportsmen, and this is not what the Olympics are all about.

BLITZER: Anouk and Ankie Spitzer, our deepest condolences, 32 years later to both of you. Thanks so much for joining us on this day.

ANKIE SPITZER: Thank you, Wolf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A lesson in life for the queen of daytime talk, Oprah Winfrey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TV TALK SHOW HOST: ... saddest, saddest experiences I've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Oprah talks about her jury duty on a murder case, and what it's inspired her to do right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A closely watched trial has ended in Chicago, with the defendant convicted of murder. What thrust this trial into the headlines is a very famous juror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPRAH WINFREY, TV TALK SHOW HOST: What did I decide? I was ordered.

BLITZER: Oprah Winfrey, billionaire media magnate, talk show host, and Cook County juror. She was among 12 who convicted 27-year- old Dion Coleman of first-degree murder yesterday for a shooting death two years ago. Her participation in the trial drew media attention from around the world, as well as onlookers peeking in to the court room.

WINFREY: I feel that it was unnecessary and unwanted attention, me being here.

BLITZER: Although at least one fellow juror was unimpressed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was just one of us, just a person, just one of us.

BLITZER: Winfrey was selected Monday after making clear she considered herself too opinionated to serve. Attorneys disagreed, with one public defender noting that Winfrey's own lawsuit experience might give her a better understanding. Winfrey was sued for defamation in 1998 by a cattle industry group over comments she made on her show about beef. She beat back the accusations and was exonerated by the jury. As for the murder trial, deliberations lasted just two hours, although Winfrey says the verdict was not an easy decision. She describes the entire experience as eye-opening.

WINFREY: This was like a world I've read about, and certainly am aware of, but this was a reality check that people live their lives every day. Every witness that testified, you know, probably had a criminal record.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Winfrey says she was impressed with the experience and that she plans to make it the subject of one of her shows next week with fellow jurors as guests. The defendant, Dion Coleman, now convicted of murder, is scheduled to be sentenced next month and could get up to life in prison.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up. Plus, too much of a good thing leaves this bear with a buzz. The proof in the pictures. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Take a look. Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember, though, this is not a scientific poll.

One bear's beer bash: It's our picture of the day. Wildlife officials found the bear passed out near a Washington State resort, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Nearby they found the remnants of the animal's cooler caper. Look at this, 36 cans of beer.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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Aired August 19, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: air raid. U.S. forces pounding positions around a holy shrine in Iraq. We'll show you rare pictures inside the ring of supporters of the radical Iraqi cleric.
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Najaf nightmare. Urban combat against a diehard enemy holed up in a holy place. Will U.S. troops be forced into a final assault in just a matter of hours.

Counterpunch. John Kerry takes a swing at those swift boat ads.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

BLITZER: Massacre. Athletes go for gold under unprecedented security, too young to remember the Olympics' darkest hour. I'll speak with two women who can never forget.

Jury duty jolt.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: This was like a world I've read about and certainly am aware of, but this was a reality check.

BLITZER: Oprah Winfrey helps convict a man of murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, August 19, 2004.

BLITZER: Is this the final showdown? A rebel cleric gets an ultimatum, give up or else. Iraqi and American forces are poised right now for an all-out assault, as explosions echo around the Imam Ali Mosque, the shrine turned into a stronghold by the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr.

They vowed to fight to the death. We have stunning new videotape in from the inside of the Imam Ali Mosque. Let's go live to CNN's Matthew Chance. He's live for us in Najaf -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, thank you. And fierce fighting raging in the streets of Najaf. Artillery fire being heard, also heavy machine guns being fired as we bring you this report in the streets of Najaf.

Clashes, of course, between the Mehdi Army and U.S. forces on the streets there. A great deal of fighting going on, I can tell you. It sounds extremely ferocious.

We've had some exclusive access as well to the center, where much of this fighting has been taking place, the Imam Ali shrine, one of the most holiest mosques in Shia Islam. CNN's producers and crew were allowed into that mosque, invited into the mosque by the Mehdi Army to see them there celebrating, it seems, jubilant in celebrating Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric, their loyalty; saying that they will stay in the mosque and fight to the death if necessary.

It seems also that women and children are inside the mosque alongside the Mehdi Army. U.S. military officials say they're human shields and it would make it much more difficult for them to assault the mosque, or for anyone to assault the mosque given those civilians there.

It also seems from the footage that there's some damage to the structure of the mosque itself, two minarets, it seems, have been damaged by shrapnel despite efforts by the U.S. military to hold their fire in the immediate area of the mosque.

The Iraqi interim government saying, though, that they're losing patience with the Shiite rebels holed up inside, the Mehdi Army holed up inside. They're calling on them to lay down their weapons and walk away -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Is there any time deadline that has been imposed yet, Matthew?

CHANCE: Well, no, there hasn't been any deadline imposed, although people were talking in the Iraqi government about by the end of the day in terms of what we've come to.

But I think the point is that people in the Iraqi government as well as the U.S. military want to see some action actually on the ground, if that's tomorrow, that's fine. If it's later on, that's fine, but they want to avoid it at all costs, they're saying, any kind of military action, but at the moment that doesn't look avoidable.

BLITZER: Matthew Chance on the scene for us, once again in Najaf, Matthew, thanks very much.

And to our viewers, you're about to see what CNN producer Kianne Sadeq saw when she was invited into the Imam Ali mosque earlier today.

Here is her description.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIANNE SADEQ, CNN PRODUCER: It was a very, very powerful day. We walked in. A group of journalists were -- we were allowed in to the Imam Ali Mosque with the help of everyone. As soon as we walked in to the mosque, we were greeted with cheers from the Mehdi Army and chants.

In fact, one of the oldest Mehdi Army fighters was on the shoulders of another. They dance around, cheering, cheering, cheering. They were giving chants, chanting that they will not stand down, they will not stand down from their position. They will keep fighting to defend Muqtada al-Sadr.

They express anger towards the government. And they express to us that they were -- you know, they were not happy about this. But they were going to defend Muqtada al-Sadr. These are all from the al- Sadr movement. And they will keep defending him. They feel like this is their duty. They feel like this is what they must do.

They feel like they've been occupied and so -- to them, when they describe Americans, they call them "the occupier." And they -- and this is what makes them feel, you know, stronger and stronger towards Muqtada al-Sadr, because he is always standing against the Americans. And they don't want to feel like they are occupied.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That report from CNN producer Kianne Sadeq. Earlier today, she was inside the mosque.

There has also been some heavy fighting in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. U.S. tanks pushed into the densely crowded neighborhood earlier today, and helicopter gunships have also been used against the Shiite insurgents there. Several militiamen have been killed.

Al-Sadr's rebellion may also be taking hold in the south, further south, that is, in the port city of Basra. Saboteurs attacked the headquarters of an Iraqi oil company and set warehouses and offices ablaze.

Witnesses say gunmen loyal to the Shiite cleric drove off security guards and fired rocket-propelled grenades into the buildings. They then ambushed arriving firefighters. Iraq's southern pipelines export 90 percent of the country's oil.

Has Muqtada al-Sadr's bloody rebellion blunted the authority of Iraq's new leader? A lot is certainly riding in the outcome of this confrontation under way right now. Let's turn for more to CNN's Zain Verjee. She's joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iraq's interim government faces unpleasant choices, but it wants to project strength and independence. And it actions or inaction may put the interim prime minister's credibility on the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): The showdown in Najaf is Ayad Allawi's first major crisis, and how the interim prime minister deals with it is likely to set the tone for how other crises in Iraq will be handled before the election of a new government.

Mr. Allawi talked tough today, saying, enough is enough.

AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is the final call to them to disarm.

VERJEE: It's a high stakes game of chicken, say some, one where Allawi has to make a decision and mean it.

ROBIN WRIGHT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I suspect that the interim government really has to take a stand, whether it's today or tomorrow, it has to be some time soon.

VERJEE: If he appears indecisive, it could undermine his authority. Others who know him say he needs to be cautious so he can be seen as going as far as possible to avoid a bloodbath. So Allawi, they argue, has to leave a door open.

REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: He's encouraging al- Sadr to work through the political process. He's opened so many doors.

VERJEE: Allawi's dependence on U.S. military force and finances may have tainted him in the eyes of some Iraqis. And some say Iraqi troops in Najaf are being used more as political cover for a military operation that's powered effectively by American forces.

Experts say Allawi is keenly aware that failure in Najaf could mean failure everywhere else in Iraq, and it could send a dangerous signal to Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and in Ramadi.

And even if Allawi succeeds in crushing Muqtada al-Sadr's insurgency, it doesn't guarantee anything.

RIME ALLAF, ROYAL INST. OF INTL. AFFAIR: Even if it does turn into a military victory, politically long-term, this cannot be good neither for Allawi's government nor for America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And what analysts say, even if Allawi defeats Sadr, there's a danger that in the long run it may ignite a major struggle within the Shia community and in the short term, they say Allawi can't let Sadr off the hook, he can't afford to -- Wolf.

CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us, thanks, Zain, very much.

Direct attack. John Kerry firing back at those negative ads, and the person he holds responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But the White House and conservative radio talk show hosts around the country have equally strong words for the Democratic candidate.

Hostage in Iraq. What's being done to find and free this American journalist?

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Olympics -- the Olympic dream died when they murdered the 11 Israeli sportsmen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Remembering Munich, the darkest days in the history of the Olympic Games. I'll speak with the wife and daughter of slain Israeli coach Andre Spitzer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry took the fight directly to President Bush today. He did not mince words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KERRY: More than 30-years-ago I learned an important lesson. When you're under attack, the best thing to do is turn your boat into the attacker, and that's what I intend to do today.

BLITZER (voice-over): It's also a basic rule of politics.

KERRY: Over the last week, a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has been attacking me. Of course, this group isn't interested in the truth. They're not telling the truth. They didn't even exist until I won the nomination for president.

BLITZER: At issue, this ad the group has been airing around the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Kerry, has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is lying about his record.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know John Kerry is lying about his first purple heart, because I treated him for that injury.

KERRY: Here's what you really need to know about them. They're funded by hundreds of thousands from a Republican contributor out of Texas. They're a front for the Bush campaign. And the fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.

BLITZER: Addressing firefighters in Boston, Kerry then went on the offensive, going right after what he and his aides see as one of the President Bush's vulnerabilities.

KERRY: Of course, the president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer -- bring it on!

BLITZER: The Bush/Cheney campaign quickly responded with this statement.

"Senator Kerry knows his statements are false. Senator Kerry knows President Bush has called his service in Vietnam noble. Senator Kerry knows that the Bush campaign has criticized him for voting against money for our combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the Bush campaign has tried to have a debate about the future, not the past."

At the presidential ranch at Crawford, Texas, White House press secretary Scott McClellan added this.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has condemned all of the ads by the shadowy groups. We have called on Senator Kerry to join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft-money activity that is going on in this campaign.

BLITZER: But to further make its point, the Kerry campaign released this ad of its own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to someone who was there, the man whose life John Kerry saved.

JIM RASSMAN, SAVED BY JOHN KERRY: It blew me off the boat, all these Viet Cong were shooting at me. I expected to be shot. When he pulled me out of the river, he risk his life to save mine.

BLITZER: Conservative radio talk show hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, were having none of this.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALKSHOW HOST: The swift boats are really damaging Kerry so much so he's attacking them today, and sounding like Lanny David in the process, with his conspiracy claim that Bush is behind this. You know, here's old war hero Kerry, battle hero tested Kerry, and he's out there whining and moaning about Bush doing dirty tricks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Joining us on this escalation in rhetoric, Carlos Watson.

Carlos, who's likely to end up more political bruised over this battle? CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they'll both take hits, but I think ultimately this could help John Kerry the most. I think that for a White House that recognizes that more voters are paying attention to national security and foreign policy issues, you're clearly worried about John Kerry's five different medals that he won during Vietnam in comparison to the president's service record during that time, and so you have to go after him. But the reality is there's a real opportunity that when John Kerry charges that the White House is behind this, lots of voters will believe it and lots of voters will feel like they're not telling the truth and that this extends to a series of issues, including issues of job creation, what happened with weapons of mass destruction, et cetera. Kerry can open this up into a broader critique. I think this is going to explode during the debates that are expect to start at the end of September.

BLITZER: What's the next step beyond the debates, what should we be looking for in the immediate days ahead, as we get ready for the Republican Convention in New York?

WATSON: One name -- John McCain. I think it will be interesting to see what the senator from Arizona, a former war hero himself during the Vietnam War and good friend of John Kerry's and obviously a former competitor of the president of the 2000 primary, what he has to say. He speaks the very first night. But you know, Wolf, throughout this campaign, he's been outspoken in condemning ads on both sides, that he thought crossed the line. And particularly when people charged that John Kerry did not earn his medals, he could be very vocal and hurt the president with those independent, undecided voters.

BLITZER: I think it's fair to say even if the president and the Bush/Cheney campaign asked these independent organizations that are sponsoring these ads to cease and desist, they wouldn't necessarily cease and desist, would they?

WATSON: No, they wouldn't, and I think the president and his supporters would point out, that there are groups like moveon.org and the Media Fund and others, that they would argue are running ads that are just as scurrilous when it comes to attacking the president's character. And so I think that's part of the reason for the hesitation, but make no mistake about it.

For an electorate that, you know roughly 40 percent say the that the most important issue is either national security or foreign policy, the service records of the two primary candidates will come into question. And the fact that John Kerry has five and the president doesn't have any, I think will remain an issue as much as Kerry's record in the U.S. Senate and the president's four-year term as president and commander-in-chief will matter.

BLITZER: All right, political analyst Carlos Watson. Thanks, Carlos, very much.

WATSON: Good to see you.

BLITZER: And to our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, "Will the candidates military records influence your vote for president?" Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results for you later in this broadcast.

A hostage caught up in an international drama. The latest efforts to free a French-American journalist being held in Iraq.

Also...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem with this specific text, that it's taught to children who are six years old.

BLITZER: A look inside Saudi textbooks. What they're teaching children about Christians and Jews.

Plus, the senator and security a why a well known lawmakers was almost denied boarding a plane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As U.S. forces square off with Shiite radicals in Najaf, kidnappers may be trying to influence that showdown by threatening to kill a hostage journalist. Let's go live to our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has been almost a week since Micah Garen, by all accounts an intrepid, independent journalist, disappeared from Southern Iraq where he was working.

It wasn't until a previously unknown militant group made its intentions known that we were able to prove that he had been kidnapped.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): In a videotape aired Wednesday on the Arabic language network al Jazeera Micah Garen is kneeling on the floor, flanked by armed militants. The group which calls itself the Martyrs Brigade issued an ultimatum threatening to kill Garen, a French-American journalist, within 48 hours if U.S. forces do not withdraw from the holy city of Najaf. Their locked in a violent standoff with militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr.

But top aides to al Sadr tell CNN they are working to secure Garen's safe release. In New York, FBI agents have met with Garen's fiancee while the State Department said it was also in touch with Garen's family.

ADAM SHELI, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Obviously we take all information seriously. We use it. We try to act on it. Our objective is to bring about the safe release of this innocent victim of terror.

KOPPEL: Garen, a 36-year-old independent journalist with Four Corners Media was kidnapped August 13 in the Southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah along with his Iraqi translator. The company's Web site appeals to Garen's kidnappers to please release him. And says Garen, who is also a still photographer was making a documentary film on Iraq's cultural history and archaeological sites at risk inside the war zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: For its part, the State Department tells CNN that it is working with the Iraqi military and also with the Italian military, which happens to patrol the southern area where Garen was last seen, to do everything they can, Wolf, to try to find him and win his release -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel with that report. Let's hope for the best. Thanks, Andrea, very much.

Are some Saudi schools teaching children intolerance?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's really discomforting is the fact that the Saudi government is teaching American and Saudi children this in Washington D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Why the cold war over ideas is being waged in Islamic classrooms.

A Chicago murder trial with Oprah Winfrey in the jury box. More on the reality check she did not expect.

With all eyes on Athens, real-life memories of real terror at the Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back. Are Saudi text books teaching intolerance? Insight into the religious influences over students in the kingdom and here in the United States. We'll get to all of that, first, though, a quick check of some stories now in the news.

The Kennedy name legendary in American politics, but apparently it carries little weight when it comes to boarding airplanes in Boston. Look at this, security screeners stop Senator Edward Kennedy several times at Logan International Airport. The Senator's name was said to have been on a security watchlist. At a hearing in Washington on border security earlier today, the Senator said it took weeks to clear up the misunderstanding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D) MASSACHUSETTS: So my administrative assistant talked to the Department of Homeland Security and they said there's a mistake. It happened three more times. And finally Secretary Ridge called to apologize on it. It happened even after. He called to apologize because he couldn't -- my name was on the list at the airports and with the airlines and the Homeland Security. He couldn't get my name off the list for a period of weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: American Red Cross workers are urging residents of storm-damaged areas of Florida to come to shelters for food, water, and a chance to cool off. Days after Hurricane Charley swept through the state, almost 400,000 Floridians still without electricity. A utility spokeswoman says some of them may not be back online for another 10 days.

United Airlines says it likely will have to terminate and replace its employee pension plans. In bankruptcy documents, the company cites the need to cut costs and find financing. Last month, United announced it would not pay into the plans while it restructures.

And shares of Google surged more than 18 percent in the public debut on the Nasdaq earlier today. Shares of the Internet search engine ended today at $100.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

In battles between Islamic terrorists and the West, aircraft bombs and gunfire often have been used, but that's only the hot part of the story. The cold part of the story involves Muslim fundamentalists and the West, the fight over the minds of young Muslim men and women as they pass through their educational systems.

CNN's Brian Todd has been looking into this sensitive story. He's joining us now live with more -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it does seem an unlikely frontline in the war on terror. It is the classroom, and it's where the government of Saudi Arabia struggles to balance its traditional Muslim culture with crucial Western alliances, a struggle illustrated in textbooks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: In Saudi classrooms, early lessons encouraging intolerance. CNN has obtained copies of textbooks believed to be used at the Islamic Saudi Academy, a Washington-area school primarily for children of Saudi nationals funded by the Saudi government. The adult-sounding title for a first-grade textbook, "Monotheism, or the Belief in the Oneness of God and Islamic Jurisprudence." The Saudi embassy confirms this book is also used at schools in the kingdom.

We got independent translation of the text. On page 19, one line reads: "Any religion other than Islam is false." On the same page, in a section titled "Instructions to the Teacher," quote, "Explain that any religion other than Islam is false, such as Judaism, Christianity and others."

ALI AL-AHMED, SAUDI INSTITUTE: It teaches hatred.

TODD: Ali al-Ahmed runs the Saudi Institute, a group which opposes the Saudi royal family.

AL-AHMED: The problem with this specific text is that it is taught to children who are six-year-old who do not differentiate -- who do not have the capacity to understand this complex issues, that others have different views on life on God, and so on.

TODD: Al-Ahmed says this is systematic and claims textbooks used in higher grades contain even harsher language describing Jews and others. We obtained two textbooks for high school grades and found a passage saying that in one instance, in the days of the prophet "the Jews conspired on Islam and its people and got them to fight one another."

In another textbook, a passage recommending that Muslims should not acknowledge other religions' holidays, a phrase borrowing from the idea in the Koran that all non-Muslims are infidels. Quote: "One of the greatest requisites of hating the infidels and not dealing with them is to leave the religious and symbols." Ali al-Ahmed claims these books are also used at the Islamic Saudi Academy.

AL-AHMED: What's really discomforting is that the fact that the Saudi government is teaching American and Saudi children this in Washington, D.C., using diplomatic cover to teach this, to teach that Christians and Jews are bad people.

TODD: We called the Islamic Saudi Academy repeatedly for comment. When they didn't respond, we went there, first, to the campus where first-graders are taught. They referred us to the main campus. When we got there, we were told to direct our questions about the curriculum to the Saudi embassy. We caught up with Saudi embassy spokesman Nail Al-Jubeir.

To say that your religion is the only true religion, that's one thing. But to single out two other religions, Judaism, Christianity, as being false...

NAIL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI EMBASSY SPOKESMAN: And others.

TODD: ...as being false, people have a problem with that.

AL-JUBEIR: Well, I mean, there are issues. I may disagree with it, and there are feelings on both sides of it. I disagree with that statement, but that's a process that is going to change, and the teaching that we're doing is we're going through the textbooks and revising some of this so that we think it should revise.

TODD: Al-Jubeir says the government has been going through a long section-by-section revision of textbooks, but says that takes time. He says some of this particular language didn't start creeping in to Saudi textbooks until the late 70s and 80s. He stresses the Saudi government does not fund so-called madrassas, those schools accused of teaching anti-Western fundamentalism. For perspective, we went to the Reverend Canon Michael Wyatt, a theologian at the Washington National Cathedral, which embraces and studies different religions. We asked him if it's common for Christian or Jewish-based schools to include text saying their religions are paramount above all others.

REVERAND MICHAEL WYATT, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: I think it is, particularly of the three Abrahamic religions. All three of those religions depend on a revelation from God. And, so, in that case, you get people saying that what was given to us was given to us uniquely. That does happen in all three religions, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

TODD: Canon Wyatt says there are conservative schools within those religions where they don't directly point to other religions as false, but do imply that members of those religions need to be converted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: As for these textbooks in our story, these are the editions for the 2003-2004 school year. Saudi officials tell us they don't know if these same books will be used in the coming year -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd, thanks for that good report.

Going for the gold, the women gymnasts take center stage in Athens.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANOUK SPITZER, DAUGHTER OF SLAIN ATHLETE: Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some will never forget the Munich massacre. I'll speak with the family of a slain Israeli Olympic coach.

Also, jury duty gave her a jolt of reality. Oprah Winfrey talks about her experience at a murder trial. All that coming up. First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: It was a year ago today that a truck bomb killed 22 people at the United Nations complex in Baghdad. There were memorials held in Geneva, New York, and Jordan for those who died. The attack injured more than 100 people.

A typhoon, which killed four people in Japan yesterday, has now hit South Korea. Four people have died there, and another four are missing. Twenty-four hundred people have been evacuated.

And torrential downpours in northern Mexico have killed at least two people. 40 homes were damaged in one town, and an unknown number of residents are missing. At least 300 people are living in temporary shelters.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's been a dramatic 24 hours in Athens. Here, a roundup of Olympic results. Move over Mary Lou, there's a new darling of American gymnastics. Carly Patterson became the first U.S. woman to win gold in the overall competition since Mary Lou Retton did it in 1984. Patterson clinched her victory with a dazzling floor routine. The Russian, Svetlana Khorkina, the self-proclaimed queen of gymnastics, took silver.

It's being called one of the most stunning comebacks in Olympic gymnastics history. After a fall on the landing off the vault sent Paul Hamm stumbling into the judges' table he dropped to 12th place in the men's overall competition. But with near-perfect routines on his final two events, the American edged out South Korea for the gold by .0012 of a point.

From the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat and back, all in a matter of an hour, American swimmer Aaron Peirsol finished first in the 200-meter backstroke final, but judges disqualified him for what was called an illegal turn. The disqualification was overturned on appeal, and Peirsol wound up with the gold.

It was more straightforward for teammate Michael Phelps. He led from the start to the finish in winning the 200-meter individual medley, setting an Olympic record in the process. It's Phelps's fourth gold medal of the games.

In the women's 200-meter breaststroke, three-time Olympian Amanda Beard earned her first-ever individual gold. To do so, she had to surge ahead of her Australian rival, Leisel Jones, who was under world record pace for the first 150 meters of the race. Beard's time was an Olympic record.

Swimming's oldest record fell to the U.S. women's 800-meter freestyle relay team last night. Seventeen years to the day after the East German team set the mark, the Americans took gold in a time of 7:53.42 beating the record by more than two seconds. Good work.

Looming in the background in Athens, the threat of terrorism, tragically something the games have seen before. A special ceremony was held in Athens tonight in memory of the 11 Israelis taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. CNN's Bruce Burkhardt looks back at the darkest day in Olympic history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an ITN news flash from the Olympic village in Munich.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was another one of those innocence lost moments. And instead of people dropping what they were doing to turn on the TV, hundreds of millions were already watching the Olympics, a supposed refuge of the ugliness of world politics and warfare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Early this morning, armed Palestinian guerrillas raided the sleeping quarters of the Israeli team.

BURKHARDT: Munich 1972, another black September day, the fifth, not the 11th. In fact, it was a terrorist group calling themselves "Black September." Eight Palestinian gunmen disguised as athletes snuck into the Olympic village in the early morning hours and broke into the quarters of the sleeping Israeli team, immediately killing two.

GURI WEINBERG, SON OF SLAIN COACH: He was fighting to save the other ten athletes, and that's when they shot him. They shot him about twice, two different times, and he kept on fighting until they shot him, when he died.

BURKHARDT: With the remaining nine Israelis as hostages, these were the images the world watched for nearly 24 hours as the captors demanded safe passage out of Germany and the release of 200 Arab prisoners. Then-prime minister Golda Meir said no deal, but the Germans arranged to move the terrorists and their hostages. There, a bungled rescue attempt led to the death of the remaining nine Israelis, plus five of the terrorists and a German policeman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That report from Bruce Burkhardt.

Just a short time ago, I spoke with Ankie and Anouk Spitzer. They're the wife and daughter of Andre Spitzer, the Israeli Olympic fencing coach who was among those killed in Munich. Ankie Spitzer joined us from Athens where she attended tonight's memorial. Her daughter, Anouk, just two months old at the time of her father's death. They joined us from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BLITZER: Anouk and Ankie Spitzer, thanks very much for joining us.

Ankie, let me begin with you in Athens. You attended this memorial service today for the Israeli athletes who were killed 32 years ago, including your husband. What went through your mind?

ANKIE SPITZER, WIFE OF SLAIN OLYMPIC COACH: Well, first of all, I must say that it was a very moving memorial, and to my big surprise, everybody seemed to be there. And lo and behold, even the president of the International Olympic Committee, for the very first time in 32 years, he was actually there. And what went through my mind is first of all, it should have been already 32 years ago that he would have been there. And secondly, that the memorial should not take place in the backyard of the Israeli ambassador, with all due respect to his hospitality, but this should be in front of all athletes, so that nobody will ever forget what happened in Munich.

BLITZER: I know, Ankie, you feel that over these 32 years, the Olympic committee, the international committee, has really avoided talking about what happened in Munich in 1972. Why do you think that was the case?

ANKIE SPITZER: Well, we were told exactly why it was the case. They felt that by mentioning the murder of the 11 Israeli athletes, we were bringing politics into the Olympics. And we explained to the former president, Mr. Samaranch, that we are not bringing politics. We don't even need for us to be mentioned at the athletes who were murdered were Israelis or Jews.

We just wanted them to mention that 11 sports people, sportsmen, who came to Munich with all the dreams of every Olympic athlete has, they were there, and they wanted to taste the spirit of the Olympics. And they all came home in a coffin. That's what we wanted them to mention. We don't want any politics in the Olympic games. We want them to remember what happened so that it will never happen again.

BLITZER: Anouk, you were only two months old when your father was killed in Munich, but you've spent these last 32 years learning a lot about him. As you remember, what has happened over these 32 years? Tell us what goes through your mind as a daughter of one of those slain Israeli athletes?

ANOUK SPITZER, DAUGHTER OF SLAIN ISRAELI ATHLETE: It's very painful to me that I have to see my mother struggling for so many years for my father to be remembered. You know, we the orphans, I never even heard my father's voice, and we lived in the shadow of the Olympic games for so many years. Let us be part of this family. This is the only way we can feel close to our fathers. Don't let them die in vain.

BLITZER: Well, Anouk, so what do you want? What would you like the International Olympic Committee to do?

ANOUK SPITZER: Well, let's start by commemorating them, by mentioning them. It can't be that, even at the centennial Olympic games, where they celebrated 100 years of Olympic games, they weren't even mentioned once. This is part of the history of the Olympic games. I would like the world to remember they came to participate in this place of brotherhood, fair play, and peace, and they came back in a coffin. The world of sports can respect their memory.

BLITZER: Ankie, remind our viewers what your husband Andre was all about. He was the fencing coach, but you knew the other Israeli athletes as well.

ANKIE SPITZER: Yes. In fact, he was only 27 years old, and I remember very well the day that he left for the Olympics because, you know, it was the outcome of a dream. Nobody ever believed that they would ever get there. And then the very day that they left, I left the same day with Anouk to Holland, because I'm from Holland. I left her, the little baby, at my parents' house and I joined him in Munich. So I was with him.

But, at that time, there was a men's village and women's village. So we couldn't even stay together at night there. So we rented a small hotel, and we just enjoyed every single day of these Olympics as long as we could. And, you know, when we're talking about security like the tremendous security that is here now in Athens, if you looked then, you know, I came into the Olympic village every day, because I came in through the exit, because according to the Germans, you know, you go in through the entrance and go out through the exit. But I came in through the exit. And they let me go, and I was there every day.

And then just two days before the massacre, we went to Holland to visit our baby, Anouk, who was then only -- not even two months old. And then Andre went back to his teammates and I stayed with Anouk. And then this is exactly when it happened. He came into the Olympic village at 12 midnight, and at 4 o'clock, the terrorists came in. And then, after that, I only saw him standing in front of the window, trying to negotiate with the officials, with his hands tied behind his back. And then at one point one of the terrorists hit him with the back of a gun, and then they closed the windows on him. And that was the last time I ever even saw him.

BLITZER: And that was the last thing. We only have a few seconds, Anouk. What do you think the world should remember for what happened in Munich in 1972?

ANOUK SPITZER: We think that those who forget history are bound to repeat it, and look how sad. We are 32 years later, still living in the shadow of world terror. We think that the Olympics -- the Olympic dream died when they murdered the 11 Israeli sportsmen, and this is not what the Olympics are all about.

BLITZER: Anouk and Ankie Spitzer, our deepest condolences, 32 years later to both of you. Thanks so much for joining us on this day.

ANKIE SPITZER: Thank you, Wolf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A lesson in life for the queen of daytime talk, Oprah Winfrey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TV TALK SHOW HOST: ... saddest, saddest experiences I've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Oprah talks about her jury duty on a murder case, and what it's inspired her to do right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A closely watched trial has ended in Chicago, with the defendant convicted of murder. What thrust this trial into the headlines is a very famous juror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPRAH WINFREY, TV TALK SHOW HOST: What did I decide? I was ordered.

BLITZER: Oprah Winfrey, billionaire media magnate, talk show host, and Cook County juror. She was among 12 who convicted 27-year- old Dion Coleman of first-degree murder yesterday for a shooting death two years ago. Her participation in the trial drew media attention from around the world, as well as onlookers peeking in to the court room.

WINFREY: I feel that it was unnecessary and unwanted attention, me being here.

BLITZER: Although at least one fellow juror was unimpressed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was just one of us, just a person, just one of us.

BLITZER: Winfrey was selected Monday after making clear she considered herself too opinionated to serve. Attorneys disagreed, with one public defender noting that Winfrey's own lawsuit experience might give her a better understanding. Winfrey was sued for defamation in 1998 by a cattle industry group over comments she made on her show about beef. She beat back the accusations and was exonerated by the jury. As for the murder trial, deliberations lasted just two hours, although Winfrey says the verdict was not an easy decision. She describes the entire experience as eye-opening.

WINFREY: This was like a world I've read about, and certainly am aware of, but this was a reality check that people live their lives every day. Every witness that testified, you know, probably had a criminal record.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Winfrey says she was impressed with the experience and that she plans to make it the subject of one of her shows next week with fellow jurors as guests. The defendant, Dion Coleman, now convicted of murder, is scheduled to be sentenced next month and could get up to life in prison.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up. Plus, too much of a good thing leaves this bear with a buzz. The proof in the pictures. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Take a look. Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Remember, though, this is not a scientific poll.

One bear's beer bash: It's our picture of the day. Wildlife officials found the bear passed out near a Washington State resort, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Nearby they found the remnants of the animal's cooler caper. Look at this, 36 cans of beer.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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