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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Fighting in Falluja; Debate Fallout; Interview with Yaser Hamdi

Aired October 14, 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, HOST: Happening now -- there's a major U.S./Iraqi military offensive in Falluja underway right now. We're standing by for a full report.
Also, there's angry fallout over comments last night by the Democratic candidate John Kerry. Should he have pointed out that Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter is a lesbian?

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Home stretch...

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With only 19 days to the election, the finish line is in sight.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, here today, it's our moment. It's our time to seize, to choose the kind of future that we want.

ANNOUNCER: After the debates, who has the edge?

Heart of Baghdad -- bombers walk right into the tightly guarded Green Zone. American civilians among the dead.

CNN exclusive -- he was jailed as an enemy combatant. Now, Yaser Hamdi is home in Saudi Arabia, speaking out.

Dear diary? Will Martha Stewart write a prison tell-all? We'll ask celebrity insider Pat O'Brien.

Retro rocker -- Lenny Kravitz wants to rock the vote. He'll tell us why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, October 14, 2004.

BLITZER: We begin with breaking news out of Iraq, where heavy fighting is reported in the insurgent stronghold of Falluja. For details, let's go immediately to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the insurgents in Falluja should have seen it coming. Over recent days, the U.S. has stepped up air strikes in the insurgent stronghold, today hitting a number of safehouses, weapons ammunition storage areas, and illegal checkpoints -- before later tonight, moving a force of U.S. and Iraqi troops in and around the city.

Just a short time ago, I talked to one of the commanders on the frontlines, a Marine Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert who gave us this description of what's happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

1ST LT. LYLE GILBERT, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT: Troops crossed the line of departure. We had artillery fire, prep fire going out. Aircraft have been moving through the area all day, helicopters providing transport.

It's been a pretty uncomfortable time. We have two battalions out there on maneuver right now dealing with the anti-Iraqi forces and achieving the mission of restoring security and stability to this area.

A few minutes ago, we had significant amount of outgoing artillery. You can still hear the planes roaring overhead, helicopter coming and going. Once in a while, there's the occasional burst behind my -- just behind me is actually the city of Falluja. You can't see it right now because of the conditions, but just a little while ago you can't see the lights of the city.

So, there's definitely an effort underway, and the anti-Iraqi forces -- as I said earlier, it's going to be a long night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Every since April, when the Marines were forced to fall back after a political settlement, they've been itching to get back into Falluja and restore control. They've been waiting, however, for word from the Iraqi government that they can do that. That word has come.

How long this operation lasts and what it actually achieves will probably depend the large part on what kind of resistance they get on the ground -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. We'll continue to watch this breaking news for our viewers. Stand by, Jamie, for additional developments. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

Elsewhere in Iraq, while U.S. forces are on the offensive, so are the insurgents. There were brazen bombings today right in the heart of Baghdad. At least three Americans were killed when attackers penetrated the tightly guarded Green Zone, which houses U.S. and Iraqi headquarters.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bombers strike Iraq's seat of power in Baghdad, infiltrating the Green Zone, damaging its fortress-like reputation. Two deadly blasts.

U.S. Defense Department personnel among the fatalities. A score of other people wounded, including Americans, British, and Iraqi civilians. Some of the casualties flown by helicopters to a U.S. airbase at Balad, north of the capital -- victims it seems of smuggled explosives, rigged to detonate, possibly by at least one suicide bomber. Suspicion, too, attackers had inside help.

LARRY KAPLOW, COX NEWSPAPERS: And that's, I think, one of the biggest fears of people who are in the Green Zone, Westerners who are in there, is that there may be Iraqis there who are now starting to be sympathetic with people who want to do these kinds of attacks.

SADLER: Despite the major security breach, Iraqi officials say people were badly shaken, but undeterred.

KASSIM DAWOOD, IRAQI NATL. SECURITY ADVISOR: They reflect their braveness. They reflect their insistence that they are going to help the Iraqis and stand bravely with the Iraqis to fight the terrorists.

SADLER: And that fight is spreading far and wide. U.S. troops exchanged heavy fire with rebels in Ramadi following a series of raids on the Sunni Muslim stronghold. The operation appears to be part of escalating military action to step up pressure on insurgents, ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that begins here Friday.

(on camera): The start of last year's Ramadan signaled an upsurge in violent attacks, and there are fears insurgents are about to intensify still further their assaults on Iraq's fledgling security forces, the interim government, and U.S. troops.

(voice-over): It's palpable fear, expressed through one of Iraq's most popular independent TV channels, urging viewers to take a stand if they're willing to appear.

"I call on the whole world, all the Arab world, all those responsible," she says, "to stop the violence during Ramadan."

"We call on the terrorists who are enemies to Islam," he says, "to stop the bombing."

Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We have less than three weeks until Election Day. One of the most heated presidential campaigns in recent memories is about to get even hotter. With the race still too close to call, even after three debates, the candidates find themselves in a marathon that won't end until November 2nd.

Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: Nineteen days to go, and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed myself last night. The debate phase of the campaign is over, and now it's the sprint to the finish.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush making a very rare appearance in the media cabin on Air Force One with Arizona Senator John McCain at his side. Fresh from the final debate, both candidates are making a beeline for battleground states.

First stop, Nevada, where President Bush held a rally with Republican governors in Las Vegas. He went after rival John Kerry with a line that debuted in last night's debate.

BUSH: He calls himself the candidate of conservative values, but he has described the Reagan years as a time of moral darkness. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my opponent sits on the left bank.

QUIJANO: The campaign dispatched First Lady Laura Bush just a few miles away to address the giant convention of the AARP. She was followed by Kerry.

KERRY: So, did anybody catch the debate last night? Well, I just hope I covered the Vegas odds.

QUIJANO: Later, he hammered the president's Medicare bill, saying it was full of empty promises.

KERRY: AARP tried to work with the president in good faith. But in end, the president was not working for America's seniors, and maybe that's why today he won't show up to defend his bill.

QUIJANO: As usual, both sides are claiming victory in last night's debate, but a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken immediately afterward shows viewers perceived John Kerry as the winner, 52 percent to 39 percent, leaving Kerry 3-0 for the showdowns. But more importantly for the senator, 42 percent of those asked said they had a more favorable opinion of him after the debate, compared to 27 percent for President Bush.

The question now is whether Kerry can use the momentum to decisively pull ahead in the race, something he failed to manage after the first two debates.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Like its predecessors, the final presidential debate has spun a few controversies, including one over the vice president's gay daughter. CNN's Brian Todd is here. He's got more on that -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there is now considerable recrimination over John Kerry's reference to Mary Cheney, but that's just one of several flash points from last night that led to fallout today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): For someone who tries to stay in the background, Mary Cheney can't escape. With no provocation from her, the Democrats have made the vice president's openly gay daughter an issue, especially in the last two debates.

KERRY: I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as.

TODD: That was John Kerry's answer to the question: Do you believe homosexuality is a choice? Here's the Cheney family's answer to John Kerry.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry was out of line to even bring my daughter into it. I thought that was totally inappropriate, and frankly I was surprised that he would do something like that.

LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF DICK CHENEY: This is not a good man. And of course, I am speaking as a mom -- and a pretty indignant mom -- this is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick.

TODD: Kerry issued a statement saying he was only trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with the issue. But in the vice presidential debate the week earlier, Cheney had answered a question about the issue of gay marriage. Asked to respond, Senator John Edwards threw this out.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter.

TODD: An official with the Bush/Cheney campaign told me those comments by Kerry and Edwards were, in his words, "gratuitous." But a Kerry campaign official told us their candidate said nothing that the Cheney family hadn't raised publicly before.

For its part, the Bush campaign is dealing with fallout over this exchange on Wednesday.

KERRY: Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked: Where is Osama bin Laden? He said, "I don't know. I don't think about him very much. I'm not that concerned."

BUSH: Gosh, I don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. That's kind of one of those exaggerations.

TODD: Here's what the president said at a news conference March 13th, 2002.

BUSH: I truly am not that concerned about him. TODD: A Bush/Cheney official now says the president was simply trying to make the point that Osama bin Laden is one target in a multifront war on terror. On the issue of the flu vaccine shortage, the president made this reference twice in the span of a few seconds...

BUSH: We relied upon a company out of England to provide about half of the flu vaccines for the United States citizens. And it turned out that the vaccine they were producing was contaminated.

The best thing we can do now, Bob, given the circumstances with the company in England is, for those of us who are younger and healthy, don't get a flu shot.

TODD: Chiron, the company that manufactures those flu vaccines, is in fact headquartered in California. And it was Britain's Department of Health that flagged the contamination at Chiron's plant in Liverpool, England, and suspended Chiron's license.

Beyond the misstatement, was the president trying to send a signal about the importation of drugs? We contacted British government officials in London and Washington. They wouldn't comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): A Bush/Cheney campaign official told me the president was not trying to send a subliminal message with those comments, but he said Mr. Bush has taken the position that U.S. Officials need to make sure imported drugs are safe -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, thank you very much for the very comprehensive report.

More on the debate -- last night's debate and the final days of this campaign. Later this hour, I'll speak with senior Bush campaign advisor Mary Matalin, and Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel. That's coming up later this hour.

Here's your chance, though, to weigh in right now on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Did the presidential debates help you decide which way to vote? You can vote on our Web page right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Detainee probe -- several U.S. soldiers named in an Army criminal investigation.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASER HAMDI, FMR. DETAINEE: I am an innocent man. And if I was not an innocent man, I would not be speaking with you at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Professing his innocence, Yaser Hamdi, most recognized as an enemy combatant, speaks out for the first time since his release. It's a CNN exclusive. You'll see it only here.

Martha Stewart's memoirs: Is a deal to publish her prison diary in the works? I'll speak with celebrity insider Pat O'Brien.

And later, rocking the stage and now rocking the vote, the musician Lenny Kravitz joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The U.S. Army's criminal investigation division has named 28 soldiers in connection with the deaths of two Afghan detainees. Those cases were ruled homicides by military medical examiners almost two years ago. One of the soldiers has already been charged. It's up to the commanders to pursue charges against others on the list.

Yaser Hamdi, an American-born Saudi citizen, returned to the kingdom this week after being held by the United States for three years as an enemy combatant.

In an exclusive interview at his family's home in Saudi Arabia, Hamdi told CNN taught him, in his words, "the real meaning of freedom."

CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, who's covered the Hamdi case since the beginning, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A heavily bearded Yaser Hamdi follows his father into the family's living room, looking better fed than when he was picked up by coalition forces in Afghanistan almost three years ago. The younger Hamdi, in this exclusive interview with CNN, appears a little dazed by his freedom.

Y. HAMDI: It feels great. It feels outstanding. I can't really describe my feelings, especially after meeting with my parents, my family after more than three years in a...

ROBERTSON: Yaser's father, protective of his newly released son.

RIDA SAID, CNN PRODUCER: Do you regret going there?

E. HAMDI: (INAUDIBLE) he was never -- otherwise we will not see him here, you know? He just was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was there for doing relief work.

ROBERTSON: According to the U.S. government, shortly before this picture of Yaser was taken in December 2001, he was captured with a Kalashnikov and deemed to be an enemy combatant.

Speaking publicly for the first time to CNN producer Rida Said, he says that's not true.

Y. HAMDI: I believe that I'm not an enemy combatant, and I am an innocent person. And they was proving that all the time for them. I answer all the questions that they ask me very seriously.

ROBERTSON: No complaints about his treatment while in U.S. custody, but frustration his release did not come sooner.

Y. HAMDI: I was hoping that this would go more faster in the court system. And I was hoping to reach the Supreme Court faster and they would look at my case.

ROBERTSON: Despite the delays, both son and father grateful justice was done.

E. HAMDI: I really take this opportunity to thank the Supreme Court whom they proven that Yaser was not an enemy combatant.

ROBERTSON: With his younger brothers, Yaser does seem to be relaxing. But he remains deeply reticent about why he went to Afghanistan two months before September the 11th. Possibly equally perplexing for some is why the U.S. Justice Department released Yaser without charge.

For him, his return to Saudi Arabia raises questions about other Saudis in U.S. custody.

Y. HAMDI: My message to the American people is to take the situation of the other detainees and other confinements more seriously and to release the people that have no charges against them and to don't keep them without knowing anything, because this thing drives human beings crazy. And it's really very, very hard.

ROBERTSON: Yaser promises to return to a normal life and has already renounced his U.S. citizenship as part of a deal facilitating his release. But he is still far from fully free. Saudi authorities say they will likely want to question him, and travel restrictions means he is unlikely to leave Saudi Arabia for the next five years.

Nic Robertson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Yaser Hamdi had U.S. citizenship because he was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his Saudi parents were then living.

People caught between two countries: We're on the front lines in the growing battle over illegal immigration.

Mentioning Mary Cheney: is Senator Kerry wrong in making the vice president's gay daughter a debate issue?

Early Oscar buzz: the inside scoop on a surprising choice to host the next Academy Awards show. Pat O'Brien joins me live with the inside story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One of the contentious issues in last night's presidential debate was immigration. President Bush and John Kerry clashed over what to do about illegal immigrants already in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I don't believe we ought to have amnesty. I don't think we ought to reward illegal behavior. There are plenty of people standing in line to become a citizen.

KERRY: We need an earned legalization program for people who have been here for a long time, stayed out of trouble, got a job, paid their taxes and their kids are American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our Maria Hinojosa recently investigated the question for our documentary series "CNN PRESENTS."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Arthur King is furious.

DONALD ARTHUR KING: Come help us. Come on! What do you think about illegal immigration? Tell me truth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ain't right.

KING: It ain't right?

It's going to get worse.

HINOJOSA: Illegal aliens, as he calls them, have flooded his state of Georgia, and no one is doing anything about it.

KING: How will we know we have enough illegal aliens in our country? And how will we stop them then?

Do you have a passport?

I think, in fact, illegal aliens are ruining Georgia. And I think they're ruining the United States of America.

HINOJOSA: D.A. is a man on a mission, trying to stop what he calls a veritable modern-day invasion.

(on camera): But look around, and anyone can tell him it's a losing battle. Georgia has one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the country. And despite some resistance, these people have found a place for themselves, an average of 90 immigrants arrive here every day.

(voice-over): Undocumented immigrants like Rosa. 28 years old, and a single mother, she spends every waking moment working to bring her children across.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My kids, the goal for me to bring my kids from Mexico.

HINOJOSA: Rosa first came to Georgia two years ago all alone. Last year, unable to bear the separation any longer, Rosa paid a smuggler $5,000 to wade her children across the river at night, but they were caught at a checkpoint and immediately deported. Rosa faced a difficult decision.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I told my daughter, you have two options: I either stay in Mexico with you, or I will live for the states for another year in preparation for bring the two of you. Then my daughter told me to return to the States so I could bring them eventually.

HINOJOSA: Back in Mexico, in Via Juanita de la Cruz, her children wait for her. More than half of the town has left for el Norte, the north. Mesa's sister takes stock of her abandoned town.

(on camera): How many people just from this little part of the town have gone to the United States? .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Her husband, the son of the lady that lives over there, 3 sons of one of the ladies that lives in the houses over there, her husband, the son of a lady that lives over there with his wife and child, and a block down, the husband of the woman who lives there also left.

HINOJOSA: And what about people who are thinking about going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Oh, the ones who are thinking of leaving? there are many. Well, me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA: And like her, there are so many more, prepared to risk their lives to make a better one for themselves in this country, but paying the price of living here without papers, without rights, invisible and in the shadows -- Wolf.

BLITZER: An important story indeed. CNN's Maria Hinojosa doing some excellent reporting for us. Thank you very much, Maria.

This important note to our viewers, "CNN PRESENTS" premieres "Immigrant Nation, Divided Country" Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, here on CNN. This is an important story, must-watch TV.

Hammering home the message, the candidates and their supporters offering two very different perspectives on last night's debate. We'll hear from both sides.

Also, will Martha Stewart go public with her prison diary? And when?

Plus, Lenny Kravitz rocking the vote. He'll rock all of us when he joins me live. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's lots of fallout from the debate last night.

Let's hear what the campaigns are saying about all of that. We'll hear from the Kerry campaign in just a moment.

First, though, senior Bush campaign adviser Mary Matalin, she's joining us from Chicago.

Mary, thanks very much for joining us. Why was it inappropriate, in your opinion, if you believe it was inappropriate, for John Kerry to mention the fact that Vice President and Lynne Cheney have a gay daughter? Why was that inappropriate?

MARY MATALIN, BUSH CAMPAIGN ADVISER: It was wholly inappropriate. It was gratuitous. It's some sort of political calculation. For the life of me, I can't figure out what.

But John Kerry did it at his debate. John Edwards did it at the vice president's debate. Mary Beth Cahill, their campaign manager, went out and said Mary Cheney is fair game. Mary Cheney is a very private person. And even Elizabeth Edwards attacked Mrs. Cheney this morning for defending her daughter. I don't understand what they're doing, but it's the most despicable, cheap political shot I've ever seen.

And these people will say anything to get elected. But this is beyond the pale, over the line. And I just -- I don't know why they did it, Wolf, but it really marred what was otherwise a very good debate.

BLITZER: But you remember about a month or so ago, I think in Iowa, the vice president himself went out of his way to mention the fact when asked about same-sex marriage, he mentioned the fact that his daughter is gay.

MATALIN: He did not go out of his way. He answered the question. And you know the vice president. You've had him on the show. And much to the chagrin of we handlers, he answers questions when he gets them.

BLITZER: No, he was asked a question about same-sex marriage. He didn't have to mention that Mary Cheney is a lesbian.

MATALIN: No one is trying to hide Mary or her sexual orientation, but Mary is a private person. She's not a poster child. She's not a crusader.

She's disrupted her life. She's a businesswoman and she's an author. She's in the middle of writing a book. She disrupted that to work for her father. You shouldn't have to put your own life, your personal life out there to want to help your father or to get this president elected. It's just below the belt. It's beyond -- it's just despicable. It's really despicable. BLITZER: All right, let's move on and talk about some other issues that came up in the debate.

The president was caught in one of those gotchas by John Kerry on the issue of whether or not he said that capturing Osama bin Laden was not really important, when, within minutes, of course, that videotape of the president actually saying that aired. Why did he make that mistake?

MATALIN: Wolf, last night, John Kerry, who will say anything to not talk about his 20-year record of raising taxes and cutting defense, a record that he only devoted 73 words out 6,000 words in his convention speech, made 22 separate and demonstrably false assertions about the president's record.

What the president was saying about Osama bin Laden is that we have wiped three-quarters of the leadership, that he's trapped somewhere. We don't know where he is, but he's surely not in charge anymore. This battle has shifted. The front line is in Iraq. Zarqawi is the one that is making all the trouble there. And we're going to spread freedom there. We're going to get rid of these terrorists there. We're going to have elections and we're going to be more secure.

BLITZER: Did the president know that that company that was manufacturing the flu vaccine in England, it's an American company with a plant in England, and that the British government actually shut it down because of fear of contamination, that it wasn't a British company doing that?

MATALIN: I don't know, Wolf. I don't really know a lot about that issue to speak to it. And I don't think that was the heart of the debate.

The heart of the debate last night was the president's vision for the future, the president's astounding record. He's done so much more in 3 1/2 years than Senator Kerry has even thought about in 20 years. He's passed five bills in 20 years. One of them was for marine mammal protection. He hasn't have any leadership experience out of the Senate. He hasn't led on those issues that we need to look at in the 21st century.

He still hasn't answered whether or not it was a mistake to go into Iraq. He still hasn't explained why we have to pass some sort of global test before we can protect ourselves. Those are the issues that people have before them. This election is about a choice, and the president could not have made that choice more clear last night.

BLITZER: Mary Matalin, thanks for spending a few moments with us from Chicago.

MATALIN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's stay in Chicago, but switch parties. We'll get the Democratic Party perspective right now.

For that, we're joined by Rahm Emanuel of Illinois. He's a former White House adviser under President Clinton.

A lot of people, including a lot of Democrats, Rahm, I have to tell you, are uncomfortable that both John Kerry and John Edwards went out of their way to mention the fact that Mary Cheney is a lesbian.

REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: Wolf, two real quick points.

One, to what your example is, that the vice president brought this up in Iowa about a month ago himself. Second, I find it ironic that everybody on the Republican side is getting all upset when this is the administration who is trying to use the Constitution for the first time to divide Americans. Now, somehow to them that's morally OK, but talking about Mary Cheney, that is morally reprehensible?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Would you do that? If your opponent, Rahm Emanuel, had a daughter who was a lesbian, would you go out of your way to keep mentioning that?

EMANUEL: No. Well, first, Wolf, I get back to what you just said.

The vice president went out of his way is what you just said. And you know he did. And I just think that what John Kerry said, and I think it's an appropriate thing to say, is that this is who people are. This is their life. The whole reason we're having a discussion is because some people in the Republican Party think it's good to use the Constitution to divide Americans.

Everybody has a right to contribute something to this country, gay or straight, and that is John Kerry's principle and that is his values. And the point is, the only reason we're having this discussion is some people think it's really neat for the first time in our history to use the Constitution -- or the second time -- to use the Constitution to divide Americans, rather than unite them. And that's the reason why we're having this discussion.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: Let me just say this.

Mary Cheney is one of over millions of examples of people who are just living their lives trying to give something. And Dick Cheney himself brought it up.

BLITZER: But she's a private person. Why do the candidates have to keep bringing that up?

EMANUEL: Well, listen, let's be honest. The people that have brought it up have been John Edwards, John Kerry and Dick Cheney. Everybody has discussed it. And I feel -- I do -- one you thing, if you will -- Mary Cheney is a private person. I accept that. And she is allowed in her own life to have the privacy, except for, they have made that part of the campaign.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: But I agree with you that she's a private person. I agree with you.

BLITZER: Should there be a moratorium on discussing Mary Cheney's sexuality from now on?

EMANUEL: Well, first of all, nobody is going to listen whether I say there should or shouldn't be. I have got no problem with it.

The point -- let me say this. You have got a moratorium on discuss Mary Cheney's life. I wish there would be a moratorium with playing politics with the Constitution.

BLITZER: You're a shrewd political analyst. You helped Bill Clinton...

EMANUEL: And you're a good interviewer.

BLITZER: You helped Bill Clinton get reelected in '92 and reelected in '96. What does John Kerry need to do during these final 19 days to become the next president of the United States?

EMANUEL: Two things, which I think have been basically the points of this debate.

One, every time people look into this debate, they're really taking John Kerry's measure, and in each debate, they're walking away more and more impressed. And that's just become clear in every poll, not just that he won the debates. They're getting comfortable with them in that big office with the big chair with the big headaches.

Second, George Bush cannot afford this election to be about George Bush and John Kerry cannot afford this election not to be about George Bush. And John Kerry in each of the debates and in the 19 remaining days has got to make this election about what George Bush has done to give us $3 trillion of additional debt, three million lost jobs, and the fact that America has found itself in an endless occupation and in a jobless economy, because we can do better.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: All right. It's closer to 700,000 lost jobs net as far as this administration is concerned, but we'll leave it there.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: As you well know, we have over eight million Americans looking for work, Wolf.

BLITZER: We have to leave it right there, unfortunately, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a good Democrat, joining us from Chicago, Mary Matalin, a good Republican, earlier joining us from Chicago.

And he's the face of the Fox News Channel. Now the host Bill O'Reilly slapped with a lawsuit and he's firing right back. We'll show you why.

What Martha Stewart may be working on while she's in prison, inside details from "The Insider"'s Pat O'Brien.

And this: Lenny Kravitz on his new album and the election. We'll talk with him live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now to a high-profile case of he said/she said. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is suing one of his associate producers and her lawyer. He says Andrea Mackris tried to extort him. Mackris, who is a former CNN employee, is also suing O'Reilly and Fox. She says O'Reilly made sexually explicit comments to her.

CNN's Jason Carroll has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill O'Reilly on the talk show circuit, promoting his children's book, not an easy task when you're involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit and having what O'Reilly calls the worst day of your life.

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: If I have to go down, I'm willing to do it, but I've got to make a stand.

CARROLL: Making a stand against one of his associate producers, Andrea Mackris, who alleges he sexually harassed her by making repeatedly sexually explicit remarks.

ANDREA MACKRIS, ACCUSER: Mainly the last time that I had spoken to Bill when this inappropriate conversation had happened, the last time, he said it was going to be in person, and I felt extremely threatened for many reasons.

CARROLL: Her complaint alleges that in one phone conversation, O'Reilly fantasized: "You would basically be in the shower. I would take that little loofah thing and kind of soap up your back," the rest too graphic to air.

The language in the complaint is very specific. But Mackris' attorney wouldn't confirm whether there's a recording. O'Reilly's lawyer said none of his actions were unlawful, and they say Mackris' complaint was part of a $60 million extortion attempt. They filed their own suit against Mackris and her attorney.

O'REILLY: This is the single most evil thing I have ever experienced. And I've seen a lot.

CARROLL: O'Reilly's legal team says Mackris never complained to Fox human resources about the alleged behavior. Mackris worked at Fox for four years. She left last January for a brief producing stint at CNN, but returned to "The O'Reilly Factor" in July, on conditions, her complaint says, he no longer engaged in inappropriate conduct. But Mackris says the conduct resumed, even though she wrote in an e-mail she was surrounded by really, good, fun people.

LESTER HOLT, NBC ANCHOR: Did you write that?

MACKRIS: yes, I did.

HOLT: And how do you account for that?

MACKRIS: I loved my job. I never wanted this to happen.

CARROLL: What ultimately will this mean for O'Reilly's job and image? He's not just a popular anchor, but an author and family man.

RONN TOROSSIAN, PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT: O'Reilly is a hard- core conservative who likes to talk about himself as the king of no spin. Mr. O'Reilly, keep spinning, keep spinning and keep fighting.

CARROLL (on camera): O'Reilly says Mackris' the lawsuit is politically motivated, saying her attorney's firm donated money to the Democratic Party. Mackris' attorney says the extortion complaint is without merit and his client's complaint is not political. It's about sexual harassment, saying the allegations against O'Reilly will be proven in court.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Domestic diva Martha Stewart may be thinking about writing a book about her prison time.

Pat O'Brien, the Emmy Award-winning host the new entertainment news magazine "The Insider," joining us now live from New York with the inside scoop on this and other stories grabbing the headlines.

Pat, first of all, I understand you ran into Bill O'Reilly last night?

PAT O'BRIEN, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Wolf, how are you? Nice to talk with you again.

Yes, I went last night to the Yankee game last night, the Yankee- Red Sox game out here at Yankee Stadium, sat in George Steinbrenner's box. And among the notables in there was Bill. And we chatted at length about this lawsuit. It is what it is, as you just reported there in that reporter. To him, it's a he said/she said, and has filed a countersuit, how confident he is that this was extortion, that the $60 million figure is money that he calls extortion.

You know, he was -- he said I'm going to fight through this thing. Nobody wants to go through this. And he talked about being a target, that if you're a big name in this business, as he certainly is, that you're a target for these kinds of things. So it will be played out in the justice system.

But on a personal end, I think he was really worried about his family and wife and what they have to go through with this, but he's going to go through it, stick it out, and he thinks he'll win.

BLITZER: All right, let's change subjects to Martha Stewart. What are you hearing about a book she might be writing about her time in prison?

O'BRIEN: Well, somewhere across this great nation of ours -- and it is a great country. You can get $5 million for writing a book about being in prison.

But the going figure now for an advance is $5 million. Now, I don't think we'll be getting a Dostoevsky situation here, but they do want her to write originally a prison diary about her days in prison. She has got a wide audience. And I'm sure it will sell very well.

Now there's talk that it may even go more than and her prison life and go back into her life. But she will be writing this book. Whether or not it's just a prison diary, but if it's $5 million, that's $1 million a month for being at Alderson. But I still think I would take the freedom.

BLITZER: Yes, I think you're right.

Pat, there's, what, 19 days left to go in this campaign. Women voters are a key constituency. They could certainly make the difference. What are you hearing about the candidates, entertainment programs, specifically going for that women vote?

O'BRIEN: Yes, I think -- good question, Wolf.

And I think now that the debates are over, and now that that part of the campaign is over, and we just have less than 20 days left, these guys do need the votes of the women in this country. They need the NASCAR moms, the soccer moms. They need women who watch my show, "Entertainment Tonight," those kind -- "Dr. Phil," "Oprah." They need to reach out to those people.

So I think you'll see them doing those kinds of shows as well as they will do you and "LARRY KING" and all that sort of stuff. But they are going to reach out on a wider basis. This last 20 days of this election is going to be, I think, the most intense 20 days we have ever seen in a political campaign.

BLITZER: You and I have

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead.

O'BRIEN: By the way, Wolf, I approve this message.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Did you also approve who's going to be the next host of the Academy Awards? O'BRIEN: I certainly approve of him. You know, it's not your father's host. It's not your grandfather's host.

Chris Rock has been named to be the host of this year's Oscars on February 27 on ABC. And Billy Crystal is always -- who, by the way, was at this game last night with us, too. Billy Crystal is always a great host, a little lower-key, though. And you had your Johnny Carsons. And, of course, the greatest host of all I thought was Bob Hope.

But Chris Rock at a time -- think about this. At a time when Super Bowl entertainment is going to come down to maybe Barry Manilow because of the wardrobe dysfunctions, ABC is going the other way. Now, they'll certainly have a delay on it. And I'm sure Chris -- I know Chris. He is smart enough not to do anything like he does on his HBO specials.

But the thing about Chris is, he is pop culture right on the money. He's very, very, laugh-out-loud funny. And he'll have a lot to say about Hollywood and the people sitting in that room at the Kodak center. So it is going to be a lot of fun.

Gil Cates, congratulations. He's the producer

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: All right.

O'BRIEN: So congratulations on that.

BLITZER: Pat O'Brien giving us the inside report, the insider. You're the ultimate insider, aren't you, Pat?

O'BRIEN: Well, let people decide for themselves, 7:00 in New York, 7:30 in Los Angeles. And the rest of the country, figure out your times.

BLITZER: All right, thanks.

Pat O'Brien is going to join us regularly here on our show.

Thanks very much, Pat, for that.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Wolf. See you next week.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Lenny Kravitz has a question for you. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENNY KRAVITZ, MUSICIAN (singing): But what I really want to know is, are you going to go my way?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Up next, I'll speak live with the rock superstar. He wants you to go out and vote. He'll tell us why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Getting out the youth vote is a goal of Rock the Vote, whose Web site says it has now helped register more than 1.3 million people to go out and vote.

Among the artists backing the vote, Lenny Kravitz, who also has a new album out called "Baptism," Lenny Kravitz joining us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Lenny, thanks very much for joining us.

Thanks for the work you're doing. Why did you get involved in Rock the Vote?

KRAVITZ: Well, you know, a few years had gone by where I hadn't voted. And I was completely wrong by doing so.

I get wrapped up in my work and I'm all over the world, and I wasn't sending my absentee ballot in on time and all that. And I missed out. And so I got together with Rock the Vote to get myself back in it and to be an example. And...

BLITZER: Do you think, Lenny, all these young people you're registering to vote are going to help Bush or help Kerry?

KRAVITZ: You know what? I don't know. I would think most of them probably Kerry. But, for me, it doesn't matter. It's the fact that these people need to just get out and exercise their right.

BLITZER: You getting any, like, feedback from your fans about getting involved in the world of politics?

KRAVITZ: You know, I don't get too deep into it, in the sense that I'm just one for peace. And however that happens and whenever that happens, you know, I will be pleased. But for me, it's not so much about politics. I'm a child of God. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I'm just on the bandwagon for peace and for unity.

BLITZER: Are you going to tell our viewers or do you speak publicly who you're going to vote for?

KRAVITZ: I'll keep that to myself, but I will be voting.

BLITZER: And we hope a lot of young people and old people, middle-aged people, we hope everyone votes.

What do you do to actually convince young people, 18-, 19-, 20- year-olds, let's say, that this is important and this could have an impact on their lives? What do you say to them directly? And do you raise it in your concerts?

KRAVITZ: Yes, well, you have to let them understand that everyone does make a difference. And the answer that you get so often is that, well, it doesn't matter. You know, little things will change. The big things, like peace and so forth, you know, are not going to change until we globally decide to be on that level of consciousness. But, you know, the little things are going to change certain issues. And we all need to stand up and be counted. And so, you know, I'm just being a living example, really. You can say a lot of things, but, ultimately, you have to just be an example.

BLITZER: Lenny, talk a little bit about your new album, "Baptism." I understand you play every instrument at some point in this album.

KRAVITZ: Yes, sir.

It's an album where I'm really reevaluating life, reevaluating everything I've gone through. And it's been a good thing to do for me. I feel reborn. That's the title, "Baptism." And I think to be in the business for 16 years and to feel fresh and new again is a wonderful blessing.

BLITZER: And you've got a new video, too, we were just showing our viewers.

Lenny Kravitz, thanks very much for joining us. Congratulations on the new album. Thanks for all the work you're doing rocking the vote. Appreciate it very much.

KRAVITZ: Oh, it's my pleasure. Got a lot of respect for you.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And we'll have the results of our Web question of the day. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you are weighing in our Web question of the day. We asked you this question: Did the presidential debates help you decide which way to vote? Forty-two percent of you said yes; 58 percent of you said no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

We leave you with a picture of a smoking giant. It's our picture of the day. Whiffs of smoke rose from Washington State's Mount Saint Helens today, and, on the crater floor, red hot lava that has been oozing out of volcano since earlier in the week. Geologists have nicknamed this swollen area the blister -- not Blitzer, the blister.

A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow at noon Eastern as well.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired October 14, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now -- there's a major U.S./Iraqi military offensive in Falluja underway right now. We're standing by for a full report.
Also, there's angry fallout over comments last night by the Democratic candidate John Kerry. Should he have pointed out that Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter is a lesbian?

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Home stretch...

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With only 19 days to the election, the finish line is in sight.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, here today, it's our moment. It's our time to seize, to choose the kind of future that we want.

ANNOUNCER: After the debates, who has the edge?

Heart of Baghdad -- bombers walk right into the tightly guarded Green Zone. American civilians among the dead.

CNN exclusive -- he was jailed as an enemy combatant. Now, Yaser Hamdi is home in Saudi Arabia, speaking out.

Dear diary? Will Martha Stewart write a prison tell-all? We'll ask celebrity insider Pat O'Brien.

Retro rocker -- Lenny Kravitz wants to rock the vote. He'll tell us why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday, October 14, 2004.

BLITZER: We begin with breaking news out of Iraq, where heavy fighting is reported in the insurgent stronghold of Falluja. For details, let's go immediately to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the insurgents in Falluja should have seen it coming. Over recent days, the U.S. has stepped up air strikes in the insurgent stronghold, today hitting a number of safehouses, weapons ammunition storage areas, and illegal checkpoints -- before later tonight, moving a force of U.S. and Iraqi troops in and around the city.

Just a short time ago, I talked to one of the commanders on the frontlines, a Marine Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert who gave us this description of what's happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

1ST LT. LYLE GILBERT, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT: Troops crossed the line of departure. We had artillery fire, prep fire going out. Aircraft have been moving through the area all day, helicopters providing transport.

It's been a pretty uncomfortable time. We have two battalions out there on maneuver right now dealing with the anti-Iraqi forces and achieving the mission of restoring security and stability to this area.

A few minutes ago, we had significant amount of outgoing artillery. You can still hear the planes roaring overhead, helicopter coming and going. Once in a while, there's the occasional burst behind my -- just behind me is actually the city of Falluja. You can't see it right now because of the conditions, but just a little while ago you can't see the lights of the city.

So, there's definitely an effort underway, and the anti-Iraqi forces -- as I said earlier, it's going to be a long night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Every since April, when the Marines were forced to fall back after a political settlement, they've been itching to get back into Falluja and restore control. They've been waiting, however, for word from the Iraqi government that they can do that. That word has come.

How long this operation lasts and what it actually achieves will probably depend the large part on what kind of resistance they get on the ground -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. We'll continue to watch this breaking news for our viewers. Stand by, Jamie, for additional developments. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

Elsewhere in Iraq, while U.S. forces are on the offensive, so are the insurgents. There were brazen bombings today right in the heart of Baghdad. At least three Americans were killed when attackers penetrated the tightly guarded Green Zone, which houses U.S. and Iraqi headquarters.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bombers strike Iraq's seat of power in Baghdad, infiltrating the Green Zone, damaging its fortress-like reputation. Two deadly blasts.

U.S. Defense Department personnel among the fatalities. A score of other people wounded, including Americans, British, and Iraqi civilians. Some of the casualties flown by helicopters to a U.S. airbase at Balad, north of the capital -- victims it seems of smuggled explosives, rigged to detonate, possibly by at least one suicide bomber. Suspicion, too, attackers had inside help.

LARRY KAPLOW, COX NEWSPAPERS: And that's, I think, one of the biggest fears of people who are in the Green Zone, Westerners who are in there, is that there may be Iraqis there who are now starting to be sympathetic with people who want to do these kinds of attacks.

SADLER: Despite the major security breach, Iraqi officials say people were badly shaken, but undeterred.

KASSIM DAWOOD, IRAQI NATL. SECURITY ADVISOR: They reflect their braveness. They reflect their insistence that they are going to help the Iraqis and stand bravely with the Iraqis to fight the terrorists.

SADLER: And that fight is spreading far and wide. U.S. troops exchanged heavy fire with rebels in Ramadi following a series of raids on the Sunni Muslim stronghold. The operation appears to be part of escalating military action to step up pressure on insurgents, ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that begins here Friday.

(on camera): The start of last year's Ramadan signaled an upsurge in violent attacks, and there are fears insurgents are about to intensify still further their assaults on Iraq's fledgling security forces, the interim government, and U.S. troops.

(voice-over): It's palpable fear, expressed through one of Iraq's most popular independent TV channels, urging viewers to take a stand if they're willing to appear.

"I call on the whole world, all the Arab world, all those responsible," she says, "to stop the violence during Ramadan."

"We call on the terrorists who are enemies to Islam," he says, "to stop the bombing."

Brent Sadler, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We have less than three weeks until Election Day. One of the most heated presidential campaigns in recent memories is about to get even hotter. With the race still too close to call, even after three debates, the candidates find themselves in a marathon that won't end until November 2nd.

Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: Nineteen days to go, and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed myself last night. The debate phase of the campaign is over, and now it's the sprint to the finish.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush making a very rare appearance in the media cabin on Air Force One with Arizona Senator John McCain at his side. Fresh from the final debate, both candidates are making a beeline for battleground states.

First stop, Nevada, where President Bush held a rally with Republican governors in Las Vegas. He went after rival John Kerry with a line that debuted in last night's debate.

BUSH: He calls himself the candidate of conservative values, but he has described the Reagan years as a time of moral darkness. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my opponent sits on the left bank.

QUIJANO: The campaign dispatched First Lady Laura Bush just a few miles away to address the giant convention of the AARP. She was followed by Kerry.

KERRY: So, did anybody catch the debate last night? Well, I just hope I covered the Vegas odds.

QUIJANO: Later, he hammered the president's Medicare bill, saying it was full of empty promises.

KERRY: AARP tried to work with the president in good faith. But in end, the president was not working for America's seniors, and maybe that's why today he won't show up to defend his bill.

QUIJANO: As usual, both sides are claiming victory in last night's debate, but a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken immediately afterward shows viewers perceived John Kerry as the winner, 52 percent to 39 percent, leaving Kerry 3-0 for the showdowns. But more importantly for the senator, 42 percent of those asked said they had a more favorable opinion of him after the debate, compared to 27 percent for President Bush.

The question now is whether Kerry can use the momentum to decisively pull ahead in the race, something he failed to manage after the first two debates.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Like its predecessors, the final presidential debate has spun a few controversies, including one over the vice president's gay daughter. CNN's Brian Todd is here. He's got more on that -- Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there is now considerable recrimination over John Kerry's reference to Mary Cheney, but that's just one of several flash points from last night that led to fallout today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): For someone who tries to stay in the background, Mary Cheney can't escape. With no provocation from her, the Democrats have made the vice president's openly gay daughter an issue, especially in the last two debates.

KERRY: I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as.

TODD: That was John Kerry's answer to the question: Do you believe homosexuality is a choice? Here's the Cheney family's answer to John Kerry.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry was out of line to even bring my daughter into it. I thought that was totally inappropriate, and frankly I was surprised that he would do something like that.

LYNNE CHENEY, WIFE OF DICK CHENEY: This is not a good man. And of course, I am speaking as a mom -- and a pretty indignant mom -- this is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick.

TODD: Kerry issued a statement saying he was only trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with the issue. But in the vice presidential debate the week earlier, Cheney had answered a question about the issue of gay marriage. Asked to respond, Senator John Edwards threw this out.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter.

TODD: An official with the Bush/Cheney campaign told me those comments by Kerry and Edwards were, in his words, "gratuitous." But a Kerry campaign official told us their candidate said nothing that the Cheney family hadn't raised publicly before.

For its part, the Bush campaign is dealing with fallout over this exchange on Wednesday.

KERRY: Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked: Where is Osama bin Laden? He said, "I don't know. I don't think about him very much. I'm not that concerned."

BUSH: Gosh, I don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. That's kind of one of those exaggerations.

TODD: Here's what the president said at a news conference March 13th, 2002.

BUSH: I truly am not that concerned about him. TODD: A Bush/Cheney official now says the president was simply trying to make the point that Osama bin Laden is one target in a multifront war on terror. On the issue of the flu vaccine shortage, the president made this reference twice in the span of a few seconds...

BUSH: We relied upon a company out of England to provide about half of the flu vaccines for the United States citizens. And it turned out that the vaccine they were producing was contaminated.

The best thing we can do now, Bob, given the circumstances with the company in England is, for those of us who are younger and healthy, don't get a flu shot.

TODD: Chiron, the company that manufactures those flu vaccines, is in fact headquartered in California. And it was Britain's Department of Health that flagged the contamination at Chiron's plant in Liverpool, England, and suspended Chiron's license.

Beyond the misstatement, was the president trying to send a signal about the importation of drugs? We contacted British government officials in London and Washington. They wouldn't comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): A Bush/Cheney campaign official told me the president was not trying to send a subliminal message with those comments, but he said Mr. Bush has taken the position that U.S. Officials need to make sure imported drugs are safe -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, thank you very much for the very comprehensive report.

More on the debate -- last night's debate and the final days of this campaign. Later this hour, I'll speak with senior Bush campaign advisor Mary Matalin, and Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel. That's coming up later this hour.

Here's your chance, though, to weigh in right now on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Did the presidential debates help you decide which way to vote? You can vote on our Web page right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

Detainee probe -- several U.S. soldiers named in an Army criminal investigation.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASER HAMDI, FMR. DETAINEE: I am an innocent man. And if I was not an innocent man, I would not be speaking with you at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: Professing his innocence, Yaser Hamdi, most recognized as an enemy combatant, speaks out for the first time since his release. It's a CNN exclusive. You'll see it only here.

Martha Stewart's memoirs: Is a deal to publish her prison diary in the works? I'll speak with celebrity insider Pat O'Brien.

And later, rocking the stage and now rocking the vote, the musician Lenny Kravitz joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The U.S. Army's criminal investigation division has named 28 soldiers in connection with the deaths of two Afghan detainees. Those cases were ruled homicides by military medical examiners almost two years ago. One of the soldiers has already been charged. It's up to the commanders to pursue charges against others on the list.

Yaser Hamdi, an American-born Saudi citizen, returned to the kingdom this week after being held by the United States for three years as an enemy combatant.

In an exclusive interview at his family's home in Saudi Arabia, Hamdi told CNN taught him, in his words, "the real meaning of freedom."

CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson, who's covered the Hamdi case since the beginning, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A heavily bearded Yaser Hamdi follows his father into the family's living room, looking better fed than when he was picked up by coalition forces in Afghanistan almost three years ago. The younger Hamdi, in this exclusive interview with CNN, appears a little dazed by his freedom.

Y. HAMDI: It feels great. It feels outstanding. I can't really describe my feelings, especially after meeting with my parents, my family after more than three years in a...

ROBERTSON: Yaser's father, protective of his newly released son.

RIDA SAID, CNN PRODUCER: Do you regret going there?

E. HAMDI: (INAUDIBLE) he was never -- otherwise we will not see him here, you know? He just was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was there for doing relief work.

ROBERTSON: According to the U.S. government, shortly before this picture of Yaser was taken in December 2001, he was captured with a Kalashnikov and deemed to be an enemy combatant.

Speaking publicly for the first time to CNN producer Rida Said, he says that's not true.

Y. HAMDI: I believe that I'm not an enemy combatant, and I am an innocent person. And they was proving that all the time for them. I answer all the questions that they ask me very seriously.

ROBERTSON: No complaints about his treatment while in U.S. custody, but frustration his release did not come sooner.

Y. HAMDI: I was hoping that this would go more faster in the court system. And I was hoping to reach the Supreme Court faster and they would look at my case.

ROBERTSON: Despite the delays, both son and father grateful justice was done.

E. HAMDI: I really take this opportunity to thank the Supreme Court whom they proven that Yaser was not an enemy combatant.

ROBERTSON: With his younger brothers, Yaser does seem to be relaxing. But he remains deeply reticent about why he went to Afghanistan two months before September the 11th. Possibly equally perplexing for some is why the U.S. Justice Department released Yaser without charge.

For him, his return to Saudi Arabia raises questions about other Saudis in U.S. custody.

Y. HAMDI: My message to the American people is to take the situation of the other detainees and other confinements more seriously and to release the people that have no charges against them and to don't keep them without knowing anything, because this thing drives human beings crazy. And it's really very, very hard.

ROBERTSON: Yaser promises to return to a normal life and has already renounced his U.S. citizenship as part of a deal facilitating his release. But he is still far from fully free. Saudi authorities say they will likely want to question him, and travel restrictions means he is unlikely to leave Saudi Arabia for the next five years.

Nic Robertson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Yaser Hamdi had U.S. citizenship because he was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his Saudi parents were then living.

People caught between two countries: We're on the front lines in the growing battle over illegal immigration.

Mentioning Mary Cheney: is Senator Kerry wrong in making the vice president's gay daughter a debate issue?

Early Oscar buzz: the inside scoop on a surprising choice to host the next Academy Awards show. Pat O'Brien joins me live with the inside story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One of the contentious issues in last night's presidential debate was immigration. President Bush and John Kerry clashed over what to do about illegal immigrants already in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I don't believe we ought to have amnesty. I don't think we ought to reward illegal behavior. There are plenty of people standing in line to become a citizen.

KERRY: We need an earned legalization program for people who have been here for a long time, stayed out of trouble, got a job, paid their taxes and their kids are American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our Maria Hinojosa recently investigated the question for our documentary series "CNN PRESENTS."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Arthur King is furious.

DONALD ARTHUR KING: Come help us. Come on! What do you think about illegal immigration? Tell me truth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ain't right.

KING: It ain't right?

It's going to get worse.

HINOJOSA: Illegal aliens, as he calls them, have flooded his state of Georgia, and no one is doing anything about it.

KING: How will we know we have enough illegal aliens in our country? And how will we stop them then?

Do you have a passport?

I think, in fact, illegal aliens are ruining Georgia. And I think they're ruining the United States of America.

HINOJOSA: D.A. is a man on a mission, trying to stop what he calls a veritable modern-day invasion.

(on camera): But look around, and anyone can tell him it's a losing battle. Georgia has one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the country. And despite some resistance, these people have found a place for themselves, an average of 90 immigrants arrive here every day.

(voice-over): Undocumented immigrants like Rosa. 28 years old, and a single mother, she spends every waking moment working to bring her children across.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My kids, the goal for me to bring my kids from Mexico.

HINOJOSA: Rosa first came to Georgia two years ago all alone. Last year, unable to bear the separation any longer, Rosa paid a smuggler $5,000 to wade her children across the river at night, but they were caught at a checkpoint and immediately deported. Rosa faced a difficult decision.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I told my daughter, you have two options: I either stay in Mexico with you, or I will live for the states for another year in preparation for bring the two of you. Then my daughter told me to return to the States so I could bring them eventually.

HINOJOSA: Back in Mexico, in Via Juanita de la Cruz, her children wait for her. More than half of the town has left for el Norte, the north. Mesa's sister takes stock of her abandoned town.

(on camera): How many people just from this little part of the town have gone to the United States? .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Her husband, the son of the lady that lives over there, 3 sons of one of the ladies that lives in the houses over there, her husband, the son of a lady that lives over there with his wife and child, and a block down, the husband of the woman who lives there also left.

HINOJOSA: And what about people who are thinking about going?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Oh, the ones who are thinking of leaving? there are many. Well, me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA: And like her, there are so many more, prepared to risk their lives to make a better one for themselves in this country, but paying the price of living here without papers, without rights, invisible and in the shadows -- Wolf.

BLITZER: An important story indeed. CNN's Maria Hinojosa doing some excellent reporting for us. Thank you very much, Maria.

This important note to our viewers, "CNN PRESENTS" premieres "Immigrant Nation, Divided Country" Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, here on CNN. This is an important story, must-watch TV.

Hammering home the message, the candidates and their supporters offering two very different perspectives on last night's debate. We'll hear from both sides.

Also, will Martha Stewart go public with her prison diary? And when?

Plus, Lenny Kravitz rocking the vote. He'll rock all of us when he joins me live. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's lots of fallout from the debate last night.

Let's hear what the campaigns are saying about all of that. We'll hear from the Kerry campaign in just a moment.

First, though, senior Bush campaign adviser Mary Matalin, she's joining us from Chicago.

Mary, thanks very much for joining us. Why was it inappropriate, in your opinion, if you believe it was inappropriate, for John Kerry to mention the fact that Vice President and Lynne Cheney have a gay daughter? Why was that inappropriate?

MARY MATALIN, BUSH CAMPAIGN ADVISER: It was wholly inappropriate. It was gratuitous. It's some sort of political calculation. For the life of me, I can't figure out what.

But John Kerry did it at his debate. John Edwards did it at the vice president's debate. Mary Beth Cahill, their campaign manager, went out and said Mary Cheney is fair game. Mary Cheney is a very private person. And even Elizabeth Edwards attacked Mrs. Cheney this morning for defending her daughter. I don't understand what they're doing, but it's the most despicable, cheap political shot I've ever seen.

And these people will say anything to get elected. But this is beyond the pale, over the line. And I just -- I don't know why they did it, Wolf, but it really marred what was otherwise a very good debate.

BLITZER: But you remember about a month or so ago, I think in Iowa, the vice president himself went out of his way to mention the fact when asked about same-sex marriage, he mentioned the fact that his daughter is gay.

MATALIN: He did not go out of his way. He answered the question. And you know the vice president. You've had him on the show. And much to the chagrin of we handlers, he answers questions when he gets them.

BLITZER: No, he was asked a question about same-sex marriage. He didn't have to mention that Mary Cheney is a lesbian.

MATALIN: No one is trying to hide Mary or her sexual orientation, but Mary is a private person. She's not a poster child. She's not a crusader.

She's disrupted her life. She's a businesswoman and she's an author. She's in the middle of writing a book. She disrupted that to work for her father. You shouldn't have to put your own life, your personal life out there to want to help your father or to get this president elected. It's just below the belt. It's beyond -- it's just despicable. It's really despicable. BLITZER: All right, let's move on and talk about some other issues that came up in the debate.

The president was caught in one of those gotchas by John Kerry on the issue of whether or not he said that capturing Osama bin Laden was not really important, when, within minutes, of course, that videotape of the president actually saying that aired. Why did he make that mistake?

MATALIN: Wolf, last night, John Kerry, who will say anything to not talk about his 20-year record of raising taxes and cutting defense, a record that he only devoted 73 words out 6,000 words in his convention speech, made 22 separate and demonstrably false assertions about the president's record.

What the president was saying about Osama bin Laden is that we have wiped three-quarters of the leadership, that he's trapped somewhere. We don't know where he is, but he's surely not in charge anymore. This battle has shifted. The front line is in Iraq. Zarqawi is the one that is making all the trouble there. And we're going to spread freedom there. We're going to get rid of these terrorists there. We're going to have elections and we're going to be more secure.

BLITZER: Did the president know that that company that was manufacturing the flu vaccine in England, it's an American company with a plant in England, and that the British government actually shut it down because of fear of contamination, that it wasn't a British company doing that?

MATALIN: I don't know, Wolf. I don't really know a lot about that issue to speak to it. And I don't think that was the heart of the debate.

The heart of the debate last night was the president's vision for the future, the president's astounding record. He's done so much more in 3 1/2 years than Senator Kerry has even thought about in 20 years. He's passed five bills in 20 years. One of them was for marine mammal protection. He hasn't have any leadership experience out of the Senate. He hasn't led on those issues that we need to look at in the 21st century.

He still hasn't answered whether or not it was a mistake to go into Iraq. He still hasn't explained why we have to pass some sort of global test before we can protect ourselves. Those are the issues that people have before them. This election is about a choice, and the president could not have made that choice more clear last night.

BLITZER: Mary Matalin, thanks for spending a few moments with us from Chicago.

MATALIN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's stay in Chicago, but switch parties. We'll get the Democratic Party perspective right now.

For that, we're joined by Rahm Emanuel of Illinois. He's a former White House adviser under President Clinton.

A lot of people, including a lot of Democrats, Rahm, I have to tell you, are uncomfortable that both John Kerry and John Edwards went out of their way to mention the fact that Mary Cheney is a lesbian.

REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: Wolf, two real quick points.

One, to what your example is, that the vice president brought this up in Iowa about a month ago himself. Second, I find it ironic that everybody on the Republican side is getting all upset when this is the administration who is trying to use the Constitution for the first time to divide Americans. Now, somehow to them that's morally OK, but talking about Mary Cheney, that is morally reprehensible?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Would you do that? If your opponent, Rahm Emanuel, had a daughter who was a lesbian, would you go out of your way to keep mentioning that?

EMANUEL: No. Well, first, Wolf, I get back to what you just said.

The vice president went out of his way is what you just said. And you know he did. And I just think that what John Kerry said, and I think it's an appropriate thing to say, is that this is who people are. This is their life. The whole reason we're having a discussion is because some people in the Republican Party think it's good to use the Constitution to divide Americans.

Everybody has a right to contribute something to this country, gay or straight, and that is John Kerry's principle and that is his values. And the point is, the only reason we're having this discussion is some people think it's really neat for the first time in our history to use the Constitution -- or the second time -- to use the Constitution to divide Americans, rather than unite them. And that's the reason why we're having this discussion.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: Let me just say this.

Mary Cheney is one of over millions of examples of people who are just living their lives trying to give something. And Dick Cheney himself brought it up.

BLITZER: But she's a private person. Why do the candidates have to keep bringing that up?

EMANUEL: Well, listen, let's be honest. The people that have brought it up have been John Edwards, John Kerry and Dick Cheney. Everybody has discussed it. And I feel -- I do -- one you thing, if you will -- Mary Cheney is a private person. I accept that. And she is allowed in her own life to have the privacy, except for, they have made that part of the campaign.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: But I agree with you that she's a private person. I agree with you.

BLITZER: Should there be a moratorium on discussing Mary Cheney's sexuality from now on?

EMANUEL: Well, first of all, nobody is going to listen whether I say there should or shouldn't be. I have got no problem with it.

The point -- let me say this. You have got a moratorium on discuss Mary Cheney's life. I wish there would be a moratorium with playing politics with the Constitution.

BLITZER: You're a shrewd political analyst. You helped Bill Clinton...

EMANUEL: And you're a good interviewer.

BLITZER: You helped Bill Clinton get reelected in '92 and reelected in '96. What does John Kerry need to do during these final 19 days to become the next president of the United States?

EMANUEL: Two things, which I think have been basically the points of this debate.

One, every time people look into this debate, they're really taking John Kerry's measure, and in each debate, they're walking away more and more impressed. And that's just become clear in every poll, not just that he won the debates. They're getting comfortable with them in that big office with the big chair with the big headaches.

Second, George Bush cannot afford this election to be about George Bush and John Kerry cannot afford this election not to be about George Bush. And John Kerry in each of the debates and in the 19 remaining days has got to make this election about what George Bush has done to give us $3 trillion of additional debt, three million lost jobs, and the fact that America has found itself in an endless occupation and in a jobless economy, because we can do better.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: All right. It's closer to 700,000 lost jobs net as far as this administration is concerned, but we'll leave it there.

(CROSSTALK)

EMANUEL: As you well know, we have over eight million Americans looking for work, Wolf.

BLITZER: We have to leave it right there, unfortunately, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a good Democrat, joining us from Chicago, Mary Matalin, a good Republican, earlier joining us from Chicago.

And he's the face of the Fox News Channel. Now the host Bill O'Reilly slapped with a lawsuit and he's firing right back. We'll show you why.

What Martha Stewart may be working on while she's in prison, inside details from "The Insider"'s Pat O'Brien.

And this: Lenny Kravitz on his new album and the election. We'll talk with him live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now to a high-profile case of he said/she said. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly is suing one of his associate producers and her lawyer. He says Andrea Mackris tried to extort him. Mackris, who is a former CNN employee, is also suing O'Reilly and Fox. She says O'Reilly made sexually explicit comments to her.

CNN's Jason Carroll has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill O'Reilly on the talk show circuit, promoting his children's book, not an easy task when you're involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit and having what O'Reilly calls the worst day of your life.

BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: If I have to go down, I'm willing to do it, but I've got to make a stand.

CARROLL: Making a stand against one of his associate producers, Andrea Mackris, who alleges he sexually harassed her by making repeatedly sexually explicit remarks.

ANDREA MACKRIS, ACCUSER: Mainly the last time that I had spoken to Bill when this inappropriate conversation had happened, the last time, he said it was going to be in person, and I felt extremely threatened for many reasons.

CARROLL: Her complaint alleges that in one phone conversation, O'Reilly fantasized: "You would basically be in the shower. I would take that little loofah thing and kind of soap up your back," the rest too graphic to air.

The language in the complaint is very specific. But Mackris' attorney wouldn't confirm whether there's a recording. O'Reilly's lawyer said none of his actions were unlawful, and they say Mackris' complaint was part of a $60 million extortion attempt. They filed their own suit against Mackris and her attorney.

O'REILLY: This is the single most evil thing I have ever experienced. And I've seen a lot.

CARROLL: O'Reilly's legal team says Mackris never complained to Fox human resources about the alleged behavior. Mackris worked at Fox for four years. She left last January for a brief producing stint at CNN, but returned to "The O'Reilly Factor" in July, on conditions, her complaint says, he no longer engaged in inappropriate conduct. But Mackris says the conduct resumed, even though she wrote in an e-mail she was surrounded by really, good, fun people.

LESTER HOLT, NBC ANCHOR: Did you write that?

MACKRIS: yes, I did.

HOLT: And how do you account for that?

MACKRIS: I loved my job. I never wanted this to happen.

CARROLL: What ultimately will this mean for O'Reilly's job and image? He's not just a popular anchor, but an author and family man.

RONN TOROSSIAN, PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT: O'Reilly is a hard- core conservative who likes to talk about himself as the king of no spin. Mr. O'Reilly, keep spinning, keep spinning and keep fighting.

CARROLL (on camera): O'Reilly says Mackris' the lawsuit is politically motivated, saying her attorney's firm donated money to the Democratic Party. Mackris' attorney says the extortion complaint is without merit and his client's complaint is not political. It's about sexual harassment, saying the allegations against O'Reilly will be proven in court.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Domestic diva Martha Stewart may be thinking about writing a book about her prison time.

Pat O'Brien, the Emmy Award-winning host the new entertainment news magazine "The Insider," joining us now live from New York with the inside scoop on this and other stories grabbing the headlines.

Pat, first of all, I understand you ran into Bill O'Reilly last night?

PAT O'BRIEN, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Wolf, how are you? Nice to talk with you again.

Yes, I went last night to the Yankee game last night, the Yankee- Red Sox game out here at Yankee Stadium, sat in George Steinbrenner's box. And among the notables in there was Bill. And we chatted at length about this lawsuit. It is what it is, as you just reported there in that reporter. To him, it's a he said/she said, and has filed a countersuit, how confident he is that this was extortion, that the $60 million figure is money that he calls extortion.

You know, he was -- he said I'm going to fight through this thing. Nobody wants to go through this. And he talked about being a target, that if you're a big name in this business, as he certainly is, that you're a target for these kinds of things. So it will be played out in the justice system.

But on a personal end, I think he was really worried about his family and wife and what they have to go through with this, but he's going to go through it, stick it out, and he thinks he'll win.

BLITZER: All right, let's change subjects to Martha Stewart. What are you hearing about a book she might be writing about her time in prison?

O'BRIEN: Well, somewhere across this great nation of ours -- and it is a great country. You can get $5 million for writing a book about being in prison.

But the going figure now for an advance is $5 million. Now, I don't think we'll be getting a Dostoevsky situation here, but they do want her to write originally a prison diary about her days in prison. She has got a wide audience. And I'm sure it will sell very well.

Now there's talk that it may even go more than and her prison life and go back into her life. But she will be writing this book. Whether or not it's just a prison diary, but if it's $5 million, that's $1 million a month for being at Alderson. But I still think I would take the freedom.

BLITZER: Yes, I think you're right.

Pat, there's, what, 19 days left to go in this campaign. Women voters are a key constituency. They could certainly make the difference. What are you hearing about the candidates, entertainment programs, specifically going for that women vote?

O'BRIEN: Yes, I think -- good question, Wolf.

And I think now that the debates are over, and now that that part of the campaign is over, and we just have less than 20 days left, these guys do need the votes of the women in this country. They need the NASCAR moms, the soccer moms. They need women who watch my show, "Entertainment Tonight," those kind -- "Dr. Phil," "Oprah." They need to reach out to those people.

So I think you'll see them doing those kinds of shows as well as they will do you and "LARRY KING" and all that sort of stuff. But they are going to reach out on a wider basis. This last 20 days of this election is going to be, I think, the most intense 20 days we have ever seen in a political campaign.

BLITZER: You and I have

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead.

O'BRIEN: By the way, Wolf, I approve this message.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Did you also approve who's going to be the next host of the Academy Awards? O'BRIEN: I certainly approve of him. You know, it's not your father's host. It's not your grandfather's host.

Chris Rock has been named to be the host of this year's Oscars on February 27 on ABC. And Billy Crystal is always -- who, by the way, was at this game last night with us, too. Billy Crystal is always a great host, a little lower-key, though. And you had your Johnny Carsons. And, of course, the greatest host of all I thought was Bob Hope.

But Chris Rock at a time -- think about this. At a time when Super Bowl entertainment is going to come down to maybe Barry Manilow because of the wardrobe dysfunctions, ABC is going the other way. Now, they'll certainly have a delay on it. And I'm sure Chris -- I know Chris. He is smart enough not to do anything like he does on his HBO specials.

But the thing about Chris is, he is pop culture right on the money. He's very, very, laugh-out-loud funny. And he'll have a lot to say about Hollywood and the people sitting in that room at the Kodak center. So it is going to be a lot of fun.

Gil Cates, congratulations. He's the producer

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: All right.

O'BRIEN: So congratulations on that.

BLITZER: Pat O'Brien giving us the inside report, the insider. You're the ultimate insider, aren't you, Pat?

O'BRIEN: Well, let people decide for themselves, 7:00 in New York, 7:30 in Los Angeles. And the rest of the country, figure out your times.

BLITZER: All right, thanks.

Pat O'Brien is going to join us regularly here on our show.

Thanks very much, Pat, for that.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Wolf. See you next week.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Lenny Kravitz has a question for you. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENNY KRAVITZ, MUSICIAN (singing): But what I really want to know is, are you going to go my way?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Up next, I'll speak live with the rock superstar. He wants you to go out and vote. He'll tell us why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Getting out the youth vote is a goal of Rock the Vote, whose Web site says it has now helped register more than 1.3 million people to go out and vote.

Among the artists backing the vote, Lenny Kravitz, who also has a new album out called "Baptism," Lenny Kravitz joining us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Lenny, thanks very much for joining us.

Thanks for the work you're doing. Why did you get involved in Rock the Vote?

KRAVITZ: Well, you know, a few years had gone by where I hadn't voted. And I was completely wrong by doing so.

I get wrapped up in my work and I'm all over the world, and I wasn't sending my absentee ballot in on time and all that. And I missed out. And so I got together with Rock the Vote to get myself back in it and to be an example. And...

BLITZER: Do you think, Lenny, all these young people you're registering to vote are going to help Bush or help Kerry?

KRAVITZ: You know what? I don't know. I would think most of them probably Kerry. But, for me, it doesn't matter. It's the fact that these people need to just get out and exercise their right.

BLITZER: You getting any, like, feedback from your fans about getting involved in the world of politics?

KRAVITZ: You know, I don't get too deep into it, in the sense that I'm just one for peace. And however that happens and whenever that happens, you know, I will be pleased. But for me, it's not so much about politics. I'm a child of God. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I'm just on the bandwagon for peace and for unity.

BLITZER: Are you going to tell our viewers or do you speak publicly who you're going to vote for?

KRAVITZ: I'll keep that to myself, but I will be voting.

BLITZER: And we hope a lot of young people and old people, middle-aged people, we hope everyone votes.

What do you do to actually convince young people, 18-, 19-, 20- year-olds, let's say, that this is important and this could have an impact on their lives? What do you say to them directly? And do you raise it in your concerts?

KRAVITZ: Yes, well, you have to let them understand that everyone does make a difference. And the answer that you get so often is that, well, it doesn't matter. You know, little things will change. The big things, like peace and so forth, you know, are not going to change until we globally decide to be on that level of consciousness. But, you know, the little things are going to change certain issues. And we all need to stand up and be counted. And so, you know, I'm just being a living example, really. You can say a lot of things, but, ultimately, you have to just be an example.

BLITZER: Lenny, talk a little bit about your new album, "Baptism." I understand you play every instrument at some point in this album.

KRAVITZ: Yes, sir.

It's an album where I'm really reevaluating life, reevaluating everything I've gone through. And it's been a good thing to do for me. I feel reborn. That's the title, "Baptism." And I think to be in the business for 16 years and to feel fresh and new again is a wonderful blessing.

BLITZER: And you've got a new video, too, we were just showing our viewers.

Lenny Kravitz, thanks very much for joining us. Congratulations on the new album. Thanks for all the work you're doing rocking the vote. Appreciate it very much.

KRAVITZ: Oh, it's my pleasure. Got a lot of respect for you.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And we'll have the results of our Web question of the day. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you are weighing in our Web question of the day. We asked you this question: Did the presidential debates help you decide which way to vote? Forty-two percent of you said yes; 58 percent of you said no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

We leave you with a picture of a smoking giant. It's our picture of the day. Whiffs of smoke rose from Washington State's Mount Saint Helens today, and, on the crater floor, red hot lava that has been oozing out of volcano since earlier in the week. Geologists have nicknamed this swollen area the blister -- not Blitzer, the blister.

A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow at noon Eastern as well.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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