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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
U.S. Mulling Iran Strike?; Watergate Papers Released
Aired February 04, 2005 - 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. A scare at JFK, an alarming tip about two inbound flights from overseas. Was it a prank or something more sinister?
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Eye on Iran. Is the U.S. weighing military action?
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The question is simply not on the agenda at this point.
BLITZER: Are there other options in the meantime?
Call of duty, his firefighter dad died on 9/11 and he graduated today from the fire academy. But he's also a Marine, heading back to Iraq.
The Watergate papers. They're still not naming Deep Throat. But other secrets are now on display. I'll speak with journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Super Bowl, super security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been planning for 18 months. Let's get on the field and do it.
BLITZER: From cameras to canines to the Coast Guard, law enforcement agencies team up to keep the fans safe.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, February 4th, 2005.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: There's an ominous reminder today of the ongoing terror threat against the United States. Security officials scrambled amid reports of a possible hijacking threat and that story tops our CNN "Security Watch."
There were tense moments at JFK Airport in New York City as two Delta flights arrived from Europe. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joining us now live with details -- Jeanne. JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the Delta flights landed safely and without incident at New York's JFK Airport. According to law enforcement sources, a passenger on board one of the flights was held for questioning because authorities thought they had a match with a name on a terrorist watch list.
As it turns out, they did not. And according to the law enforcement official, the passenger has now been released. Officials say this all began at about 1:00 Eastern after a call was received, saying hijackers might be on board Delta Flight 119 which originated in Bombay, India, stopped in Paris, and was en route to JFK.
In addition, according to law enforcement officials, threat information had been developed over the past week regarding Delta flights overseas. It is still not clear whether that or something else is why concerns were raised about another Delta flight, 81, that was flying from Amsterdam to JFK.
A passenger who was on board Flight 81 tells CNN that about 10 minutes before the flight left Amsterdam, a woman was taken off the aircraft and officials did a check of some of the carry-on bags.
When concerns were raised about these flights about a half hour before they were due to land at JFK, Transportation Security Administration officials say the pilots of both aircraft were contacted in the air. Both said their cockpits were secure and there was nothing unusual happening on board.
One source says that Flight 119 did have federal air marshals on board and NORAD tells CNN that it did not scramble jets, that the situation appeared to not warrant it.
The flights landed without incident according to Delta Air Lines. Both were held back from the gate for a brief time but were later deplaned. And Delta says the aircraft have now resumed scheduled service -- Wolf.
BLITZER: A scare, but fortunately, everything looks like it's back to normal.
MESERVE: Absolutely back to normal.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve for that, updating us on that. And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Moving on now to other news, concerned about a secretive nuclear program and support for terrorism, President Bush and his top aides are talking tough when it comes to Iran. As America weighs its options, some of America's allies worry about a possible military strike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you envisage circumstances during President Bush's second administration in which the United States would attack Iran?
RICE: The question is simply not on the agenda at this point in time. We have diplomatic means to do this. Iran is not immune to the changes that are going on in this region.
BLITZER: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, starting off her European journey with a question that's expected to follow her every step of the way given widespread concern in Europe that Iran might become the next U.S. target in the Middle East.
That concern intensified, following the president's State of the Union Address.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And to the Iranian people I say, tonight, as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
BLITZER: But the Bush administration strategy for dealing with Iran's ayatollah leaders is very different than it was for Iraq's Saddam Hussein. With the Iraqi dictator and the widespread U.S. belief that he had stockpiled significant quantities of weapons of mass destruction, President Bush ordered a full-scale invasion. That is not something officials say Mr. Bush is now considering for Iran. For one thing, the U.S. military is already overstretched.
But there are other options. Top Bush administration officials are convinced Iran is clandestinely trying to build a nuclear bomb, despite its public denials. President Bush also has branded Iran, quote, "the world's primary state sponsor of terror."
In dealing with this, administration officials say the president's strategy is to use European and international diplomatic and economic pressure on the Iranians to delay for as long as possible the development of a bomb.
They also hope that Iranian dissidents and reformers will, in the meantime, topple the regime in Tehran. In the end, this strategy might not work. That's why military and intelligence officials say there are contingency plans for what's being described as precision air strikes to try to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. That's easier said than done, they say, given the Iranian construction of deep underground facilities that are spread out widely around the country.
Intelligence sources say they may not even know where they all are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And let's move on to Iraq right now. A Shiite coalition with ties to Iran is making a strong showing in the latest partial returns from the Iraqi election. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, reports from Baghdad on yet another violent day in Iraq.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): Apparent losers in the election so far, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, although far from conclusive, partial results for the provinces so far counted in the predominantly Shiite south indicate the firebrand cleric is making a poor showing. His supporters, as they have done when they've appeared marginalized before, upping the ante, calling for U.S. troops to leave.
HASHIM ABU RAGIF, AIDE TO MUQTADA AL-SADR (through translator): I call on all political and religious forces that embloden and contribute to the elections to put a time frame on the occupation.
ROBERTSON: Out ahead in all 10 provinces partially tallied, the United Iraqi Alliance, supported by Iraq's top religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani; a poor second of the 3.3 million votes so far counted, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's more secular political grouping, the Iraqi List. But electoral commission officials warn, results so far cannot be used to predict the final outcome.
HAMDIA HUSSAIN (EC) (through translator): It cannot be used as indicators to the final results or as indicators for the distribution of seats in the national council among the political movements because this result does not demonstrate that demographic distribution of the voters.
ROBERTSON: Also in Baghdad, an Italian journalist was kidnapped. Giuliana Sgrena was snatched at gunpoint from her carm, just after talking with displaced families from Falluja at the city's university.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was a nice initiative of hers. She was working on a humanitarian case. As she left, two cars blocked the road. They pulled her out with guns, so we knew she was being abducted.
ROBERTSON: An experienced reporter, and knowledgeable about Iraq, her editors in Rome hope her common touch will help keep her safe.
LUCIANAN CASTELLINA, CHIEF EDITOR, IL MANIFESTO (through translator): Giuliana also practiced a style of journalism which was people oriented. This was the great effort of a journalist who really did a comprehensive job in Iraq.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Elsewhere in Iraq, three U.S. servicemen were killed in separate incidents. The post-election lull in violence now well and truly over. The next political phase, the horse trading, to determine key government positions, awaiting the final election results, now expected early next week.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Russia's most wanted man speaking out on the school massacre that shocked the world. Why Moscow is outraged at a new interview that just aired.
Decades of mystery comes to an end. The Watergate papers made public today. I'll talk to the reporters who broke the story, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They're my guests, they'll join us this hour.
Plus, they're as popular with some as the game itself, this year's Super Bowl commercials. We'll give you a sneak peek.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Iraq's election has come and gone but the insurgency continues. Meantime, the U.S. is keeping a wary eye on neighboring Iran. Responsibility for all that rough neighborhood falls on the U.S. military's central command where Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt is a senior planner.
The former military spokesman in Iraq join us now live from CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa. General Kimmitt, welcome back to our program. Always appreciate having you on.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Hi, Wolf.
BLITZER: Has there been, as some are suggesting, a lull if you will, since Sunday in the insurgency, or is that false?
KIMMITT: No, there has been a lull. And we have seen this many times over the past couple of years. After the apprehension of Saddam Hussein, after the shoot-out with Uday and Qusay, after the transfer of sovereignty, there were a couple of days after that event where both sides seemed to be sort of watching each other to see what the next step was going to be.
BLITZER: They didn't have their spectacular attack on Sunday, the day of the election that so many had feared. What do you attribute that to?
KIMMITT: Well, I think, first of all what we attribute it to is the 135,000 Iraqi security forces that were on duty, backed up by the Iraqi -- by other Iraqi force, as well as the coalition forces. I think they took a look around and realized that it wasn't a willing bet to try to disrupt the elections on that day.
BLITZER: So are they just holding back now? You fully expect that we'll be hearing from those insurgents in a big way down the road?
KIMMITT: Well, I think we may see some resumption of violence over the days and weeks ahead, particularly as we start announcing some of the elected candidates as -- but we're confident that the Iraqi security forces who demonstrated themselves and acquitted themselves so well on Sunday are all going to be taking more and more responsibility for the security situation.
BLITZER: Was this a turning point for the Iraqi military?
KIMMITT: Well, I think, mentally it may have been. I think that they certainly walked away from the elections feeling good about themselves, about their capabilities and about their future. And the very fact that the day after the elections you saw so many people coming to the recruiting stations to join the Iraqi security forces, that has to have had an effect on the ISF.
BLITZER: Are they getting enough recruits? Are they getting adequate source of men?
KIMMITT: They really are. We're very, very comfortable, both with the people that are coming in the door, we're comfortable with the training and we're comfortable with the equipping of those forces.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about U.S. troops. Word now that the 150,000 level, the current level, in the next few weeks, you may go down to 135,000, bring home about 15,000 troops. Is that true?
KIMMITT: It is. That was always our plan, Wolf. As you know, leading up to the elections, we increased the force levels by about 15,000, by about 3 brigades. By overlapping the units coming in and the units going out. Those forces that have done such a tremendous job. If the conditions permit, we're going to let them go home to a very welcome return to their families and to their friends.
BLITZER: The word also is that at that 135 level, though, you're planning at least part of your planning is that they will remain at that level, 135,000, for the balance of this year.
KIMMITT: Well, I'm not sure it's going to be the balance of this year. The conditions are what are going to determine how long we keep 135,000. The conditions defined as -- that a relative amount of security on the ground, the level of instability, as well as the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.
BLITZER: How worried are you the new government that will emerge in Iraq will have close ties with Iran, which is your area of responsibility as well?
KIMMITT: Well, I think some of the words that have already come out of the perspective candidates have already indicated to us that while they're going to have normalized relations with Iran, we certainly don't see Iran as being a significant -- having a significant impact on the day to day life and the governance of the people of Iraq.
BLITZER: So you're not all that worried about that.
What about Syria? In his State of the Union Address, as you know, the president had some tough words for the government in Syria. The accusation being they're letting terrorist, insurgent, money go across their border into Iraq.
KIMMITT: Well, they certainly have. And it's been demonstrated time after time. Now the Syrian, to their credit, have done some work along the boards to try to improve the border situation. But the fact remains that we have former Saddam loyalists, former regime elements who find security and safe haven inside of Syria who are able to fund, who are able to provide equipment, who are able to provide leadership for the insurgency in Iraq. And Syria must take action to clean those HVTs, those high value targets, and send them over to Iraq and end support for the insurgency from inside of Syria.
BLITZER: Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt joining us from Tampa, which is where the U.S. military central command is headquartered, even though you're not now at CENTCOM headquarters.
Always appreciate having you on the show. General Kimmitt, thanks very much.
KIMMITT: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: When we come back, a veteran of the war in Iraq now a New York City firefighter. But that's only part of his unique and emotional story.
Securing the Super Bowl: our Susan Candiotti is live in Jacksonville with details of this major undertaking this weekend.
And a champion inside the ring and out. What many people don't know about the boxer Max Schmeling who died this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: New York City's newest firefighter won't be battling blazes in the Big Apple anytime soon. That's because he's also a U.S. Marine corporal about to go to Iraq again. And that's only part of his unique and emotional story.
CNN's Mary Snow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is rare that a graduation is held in a fire house for one fireman. But this is no ordinary fireman. Peter Regan is heading to Iraq for his second tour of duty as a Marine. And because of that, the New York City Fire Department decided to graduate him a month before the rest of his class.
PETER REGAN, FIREFIGHTER/MARINE: Let it be known that I love this country, I love the city and I'm going to fight for both of 'em.
SNOW: And the fight is also personal. Regan's father, Donald, was a firefighter who was killed on September 11. At Rescue 3 in the Bronx where he worked, that day's roll call, including Regan's name and the firefighters in his unit who were also killed, remains on the wall.
And that is where this ceremony was held for Peter Regan, whose search for his father at ground zero in the days after the attacks. He says he thinks of his father every day.
P. REGAN: Every day, I definitely thinking, you know, what would he do what would he say? And to be in this house, having this is absolutely wonderful.
THERESA REGAN, MOTHER: I wish his dad was here to see this. I miss him very much. And I know he's watching, but I wish he was here with us.
SNOW: And fellow firefighters wanted to make sure Corporal Peter Regan was officially a member of New York's bravest before going to Iraq.
CAPT. CHRISTOPHER KING, NEW YORK FIRE DEPT.: I said this poor kid, he lost his father, he did his tour in Iraq, now he's -- you know, he's going to get in the fire department, get on with his life. Now he has to go back and relive that whole thing. But he's tough kid, he'll be OK.
SNOW: But family members are nervous.
JILL REGAN, SISTER: It's very bittersweet. It's something that he always wanted. It's something that my father always wanted for him. And he's doing what he wants. But of course with both jobs, there's downsides to each. So it's -- we're all definitely nervous.
SNOW: Still, the 23-year-old Regan considers himself lucky.
P. REGAN: Second tour -- kind of mixed emotions right now. I see what I'm going to be missing, what I'm leaving for a whole year. Right now, I'm kind of hesitant, but I'm sure once all this passes, it'll just be back into the loop and I'll be all right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And a very emotional day at Rescue 3 for the firefighter and the Regan family. Peter Regan leaves for Camp Lejeune on Sunday -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, very emotional story, thanks very much.
Good luck to Peter as he heads back to Iraq.
Russia's most wanted terrorist speaks out on the school massacre that shocked the world and more. Why the controversial interview outraged Moscow.
The Watergate papers on public display. Are there new clues about the identity of deep throat? I'll speak with Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
And later, many tune in just to see them. But after last year's wardrobe malfunction, will Sunday be a kinder, gentler commercial Super Bowl? We'll show you the ads that you will see and won't be seeing during the big game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: He is to Russia what Osama bin Laden is to the United States. An unfathomable cruel terrorist mastermind. And now, over sharp protest from Moscow, a British television network has aired an interview with Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev threatening more blood shed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): This is Russia's most wanted man. Shamil Basayev is accused of blazing a deadly trail of terrorism aimed at forcing Russia to withdraw troops from the breakaway republic of Chechnya. Atrocities include the 2002 siege of a Moscow theater in which 120 people were killed. And the downing of 2 Russian passenger jets last August.
But even those attacks, along with numerous smaller assaults, didn't foretell the horror of last September in the Russian city of Beslan where Chechen rebels seized 1,200 people in an elementary school, terrorizing and brutalizing them for 2 days before the standoff ended in a violent confrontation with Russian forces. When it was over, more than 330 people were dead half of them children.
And now in a highly unusual interview, Basayev is speaking publicly about the Beslan massacre and threatening similar attacks.
Britain's Channel 4 Television reports it sent a list of questions to Basayev through an intermediary more than 4 months ago, requesting a videotaped response, which it says it recently received and verified.
Of the Beslan massacre, the network quotes Basayev of saying, "we're not exactly delighted by what happened in Beslan. To be honest, I am even shocked by what happened there. And I'm still in a state of shock. I didn't expect such cruelty, referring to Russian forces whom he blames for the deaths."
Yet Basayev goes on to threaten similar horror, according to Channel 4. Saying, quote, "We are planning Beslan-type operations in the future, because we are forced to do so. Today our citizens are disappearing, our girls disappear without a trace. They can take anyone. In order to stop this chaos, we have to respond in the same way."
Russian government officials were outraged. Airing the interview, they say, aided the terrorists.
ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: We don't want the country's -- I mean, the channels, to give the floor to Mr. Basayev, when he's making propaganda of his views, threats, that is very important. We don't want him to threaten our people. Because we don't want the people live in fear of the new terrorist.
BLITZER: Channel 4 defended the broadcast in statement saying, "We are handling this material with extreme care and seriousness. It is simply not the case that the running of such material can be equated with condoning it."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now from Moscow, our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty. I understand, Jill, there's been a pretty angry Russian reaction.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Right, Wolf.
And you can understand why, because, after all, Shamil Basayev really is their Osama bin Laden. And so you had two angry statements, one yesterday, one today, coming from the Russian Foreign Ministry. And, essentially, what they're saying is, you are giving a tribune, a propaganda possibility to terrorists, and this simply shouldn't happen.
And, also, they're very critical of the British for doing this. They say that it's not compatible with a democratic state. And they're asking other countries to look at this and consider that maybe it isn't a good idea to give any type of propaganda possibility to terrorists.
BLITZER: There's been a clampdown to a certain degree on the media in Russia, the government clamping down to a certain degree. Is there a sense that the Russians really should not be I guess lecturing the British about free press?
DOUGHERTY: That's a good question, Wolf. And, in a sense, you really do have a point about that.
But I think this is an issue that the Russians are dealing with, but it's an issue that other countries are dealing with. In other words, when you allow somebody like Shamil Basayev, who is the person who took responsibility for Beslan, if you allow him to come out and say, I'm going to do it again, that in a way is allowing him to get his message out.
And so the balance is the issue here. Now, the Russians, you might argue, don't have a very good balance. But that is a thing that they're struggling with. They don't want to hear more threats coming against their people.
BLITZER: Jill Dougherty, in Moscow -- Jill, thanks very much.
It's Super Bowl weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. Sunday's championship football game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles is not just a major sporting event. It is a major security event.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is on our CNN "Security Watch."
She's joining us now live from Jacksonville -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.
As we inch closer and closer to the kickoff of Super Bowl XXXIX, security is getting tighter and tighter. And a top law enforcer of Jacksonville County and city is in charge of security, with the endorsement and cooperation of the Department of Homeland Security.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDIOTTI (voice-over): In order to make Super Bowl fans safe all weekend long...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
CANDIOTTI: ... a high-tech game plan is in place. The man calling security shots, Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, says his team is ready.
SHERIFF JOHN RUTHERFORD, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: We've been planning for 18 months; let's get on the field and do it.
CANDIOTTI: Among his tools, cameras trained on key locations around the stadium. Computers can pull in, analyze and catalog shots. The system can zero in on a single seat or an employee in the nosebleed section.
Outside the stadium...
RUTHERFORD: Say a bus had been hijacked and it stops on the bridge, because they want the safety of not having anyone around them. We can still zoom in and get very close and find out exactly what's going on in there.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Over my shoulder, Alltel Stadium, right on the waterfront. Along the river a 14-mile safety zone patrolled by an alphabet-soup collection of federal, state and local agencies.
(voice-over): Including the Coast Guard, monitoring pleasure boats and commercial traffic in the zone.
LT. CMDR. DAN DEPTULA, U.S. COAST GUARD: If they are going too fast or not adhering to the rules that we put out in place here, then we're going to ask them some questions.
CANDIOTTI: Before sailing into port, the seven cruise ships that were to be used as floating hotels were inspected, with divers examining each hull, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Once dockside, no water traffic is allowed inside a 400-yard security zone around the cruise ships.
If suspect bombs or explosives are discovered anywhere, ATF response teams are ready with dogs that can sniff out thousands of explosives, using robots, if needed. And, as a last resort, agents wearing protective suits to get a closer look. More than 50 law enforcement agencies trying to make sure this year's Super Bowl has a smooth sail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: They're calling it layered security. And a sheriff says, if they're doing their job right, you shouldn't be able to notice it much as you're watching the game live in person or at home on TV -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Susan Candiotti in Jacksonville -- thanks, Susan, very much.
To our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
They broke the story that brought down an American president. I'll speak with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein about new Watergate papers made public today.
Also, the groundbreaking career of Ossie Davis, the actor and activist. We'll look back with the director Spike Lee. He'll join us.
And the fascinating story of the German boxing champ Max Schmeling, how he defied the Nazis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Watergate, the scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Now the thousands of interview note, memos and other materials written by the Watergate reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, have just gone on public display in Austin, Texas.
Just a little while ago, I spoke with Woodward and Bernstein about this important exhibit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, thanks very much for joining us.
Bob, let me start with you. The 75 cartons of documents you've made available to the University of Texas, is that going to help a really sharp journalist or a really sharp historian figure out who Deep Throat was?
BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "PLAN OF ATTACK": Not really. Under our agreement with the University of Texas, the source files and their interviews come down here to Austin after the source dies. And as we've said, Deep Throat and dozens of other sources are still alive. So, when that occurs, all the information will be here.
And kind of -- somebody can go through and figure out how we covered this story for two years.
BLITZER: Carl, the other documents that have still not been made available to the University of Texas, will they be made available, as Bob says, once these individuals die?
CARL BERNSTEIN, AUTHOR/JOURNALIST: Yes, they will. But I think the important thing is to note how much information is here. Deep Throat was very important to us. And, at the same time, what you see in these files that are here is how people the closest to President Nixon shared their doubts, their worries, their concerns, about the president's illegalities, about his psychological frailties and about the collapse of his presidency. BLITZER: Bob, one of the most interesting things I've gleaned now so far is some of the candid conversations you and Carl had with President Nixon's lawyers at the time. They were pretty critical at the time in these background discussions, interviews, that they had with you, of their boss, Richard M. Nixon.
WOODWARD: That's right. Fred Buzhardt, whom we interviewed countless times, and their dozens of pages of notes almost provided a day-by-day account of what went on in the White House.
And you see that Buzhardt concluded very early that Nixon was not going to make it. And he explained not only the legalities and the strategy, but the emotions, because Nixon kept resisting even telling his lawyers what was on the tapes, Nixon insisting the tapes would never, as he said to Buzhardt at one point, no, no, no, no, never, will anyone else listen to a tape, other than Nixon.
And so that resistance was part of the cover-up and the concealment, and you can see how that evolved from a firsthand witness.
BLITZER: Interviews you've released, Carl, including one with Senator Barry Goldwater, the late senator from Arizona, the 1964 Republican presidential candidate, he had some words that were not necessarily all that kind to President Nixon either.
BERNSTEIN: Well, Goldwater led a group of senators to convince President Nixon that he must resign or he would be convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors in the Senate.
But Goldwater also told us, I concluded that President Nixon was off his head. And, again, there was a real psychological collapse as the end of President Nixon's term in office approached.
BLITZER: When this story broke, Bob, you were, what, 29 years old? Carl was 28 years old. You were young kids, really, in the scheme of things. Give our viewers a sense of what you know now, what you didn't know then that might have made you even better reporters.
WOODWARD: Well, we were extremely lucky. We were unmarried. We had the support of "The Washington Post," of the editors and the owner, Katharine Graham, and there was -- they created, as still exists, this environment of let's get to the bottom of this story.
So they turned us loose. But you're quite right. When you look back on all of this, and it's all pretty obvious now that we have the records and the tapes and all of the testimony, that Nixon was behind this. But, at the time, the conventional wisdom, which was just overwhelming, was simply, oh, Nixon's too smart to be involved in something like this.
So, not only were we pushing against a White House that scared the death out of people who would talk and really frighten them, but a wisdom that somehow, oh, this was a bunch of low-level, mid-level people all off on their own. BERNSTEIN: We also didn't understand at the beginning what Watergate was. It was not just a bugging. It was all of these criminal, illegal activities designed to undermine the political process, the election itself, directed from the White House.
And it took us several months to understand that. And you see that emerging in our work when you look at these files.
BLITZER: Carl, when you look back on that moment, you guys were metro reporters, local reporters, really, not White House correspondents. Do you think that played a significant role in your breaking this story, rather than some of the really eminent, top-notch White House correspondents, other chief correspondents that were covering Nixon's presidency?
BERNSTEIN: Absolutely, because we covered it like we would any other police story, step by step, a lot of shoe leather. We didn't have at the beginning any high-level sources in the White House that we could be stroked by. So, we had to do it the old-fashioned way. And it was a tremendous advantage.
And, in fact, our colleagues on the national staff, even at "The Washington Post," were very skeptical about our work.
BLITZER: Bob, I'll end this interview where I began it, with Deep Throat. Deep Throat, I assume, because you've always said so, you're not going to release his or her identity until after he or she dies. I take it Deep Throat is still around. Can you tell us where, though, Deep Throat might be right now?
WOODWARD: Nice try, Wolf.
(LAUGHTER)
WOODWARD: I'll tell you, there are two stipulations, until this source changes his mind and says here's my identity or he dies.
And Carl and I are pretty sure, after all these decades, he's not going to change his mind, because there are reasons, which, when his identity is disclosed, will be clear. So, he's not changing his mind, but, at some point, he will die and this whole story will be told.
BLITZER: And you keep using the word he, Bob. So I assume it's a he. Is that right?
WOODWARD: That's correct.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks. So at least we got a little tidbit out of you.
Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, they won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of Watergate. Appreciate your joining us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And when we come back, a Hollywood pioneer for African- American actors on stage and the big screen, the life of Ossie Davis. Director Spike Lee looks back with us on this career.
And the German boxing champ who stood his ground against Hitler's regime, the little-known story of Max Schmeling -- all that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He was a giant on the stage, on the silver screen and in the fight for racial justice. The Oscar Ossie Davis has died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DO THE RIGHT THING")
OSSIE DAVIS, ACTOR: Always do the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Davis was a central figure among African-American performers for more than five decades. He had a key role in the television series "Roots" and appeared in three Spike Lee movies. Davis, seen here yesterday, was on location making a film in Miami Beach, Florida. He was found dead this morning by his grandson in his hotel room.
Just a little while ago, I spoke with the film director Spike Lee about working with the legendary actor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Spike Lee, a sad day. Talk a little bit about the role, the impact, the life and times, if you will, of Ossie Davis.
SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR: Well, Ossie is truly one of the giants.
When you speak about Ossie, you automatically think about Ruby Dee. Sometimes, I even thought they were born together, you know, joined at the hip. And my thoughts are really out with Ruby, who's flying from New Zealand back to New York to bury Ossie, as I said before, one of the giants.
BLITZER: What about not only in Hollywood, but in the civil rights movement? He was a significant activist.
LEE: Yes, he was.
To me, Wolf, that's one of the most important things I got from Ruby and Ossie growing up and I wanted to become a filmmaker, is that -- that you could also be activists and an artist, too. So they were great role models.
BLITZER: What do you think, Spike...
(CROSSTALK)
LEE: Ossie was very close with Malcolm. And if you look at all the archival footage, he was sitting right -- standing right next to Dr. King in Montgomery and Selma and the March on Washington. He was right up in it.
BLITZER: So what do you think most people should remember most about him?
LEE: He was a great human being, an artist, someone who was always for truth on stage, on film and in life.
BLITZER: How did he directly, if he did, impact your life?
LEE: Well, he was my role model. He was my hero.
And so was it was an honor for me to direct him in "School Days," "Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever," "Get on the Bus." And he came back to do -- revoice the eulogy which he did for Malcolm X for that "Malcolm X" film. And "She Hate Me."
So I just -- and also, in "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever," he was able to work with his wife, Ruby Dee. So it was a great family -- they were my grandparents.
BLITZER: Well, it's a sad day, indeed, but he leaves an enormous -- he leaves an enormous legacy.
Spike Lee, thanks for spending a few moments with us.
LEE: Thank you, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Actor and civil rights activist Ossie Davis was 87 years old.
Another icon passed away this week. Max Schmeling died Wednesday at the age of 99. A one-time boxing champ, he was also a champion in other ways.
CNN's Brian Todd tells his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the pantheon of heavyweight champions, he is ordinary. Boxing historians say he doesn't compare to the likes of Rocky Marciano or Muhammad Ali. But with the convergence of history, geography, and extraordinary character, Max Schmeling transcended mere titles.
BERT SUGAR, SPORTS HISTORIAN: But Max Schmeling stands as, as, really, I think, a tremendous example of someone who stood up to his country, maybe like Muhammad Ali later on, for a different reason and a different war.
TODD: Good look, continental charm and a devastating right hand made this son of a German ship navigator a star in what was then one of the world's most popular sports. His victories in the early 1930s, including one over American Jack Sharkey for the world heavyweight title, also drew the admiration for the new German chancellor. SUGAR: The irony was, simply put, while the Third Reich, or the Nazis, the National Socialists, held him up as their symbol of Aryan supremacy, he was never a Nazi. In fact, he rebuffed them.
TODD: Schmeling first angered Adolf Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, by refusing to join the Nazi Party or to fire his Jewish-American manager.
In 1936, he tweaked them again by fighting a black man, an unbeaten American named Joe Louis. A 10-1 underdog in this nontitle bout, shown in a recent PBS documentary, Schmeling countered the brown bomber's best jabs and knocked him out in 12 round. He was again endeared to the fuhrer, who placed enormous pressure on Schmeling two years later to win the title for the fatherland in a politically- charged rematch against Louis.
SUGAR: But the worst pressure was the beating he took from Joe Louis. It was terrible. It was over in two minutes and four seconds, a one-sided carnage.
TODD: Schmeling returned to Germany in disgrace, but became a hero of a different kind. Later that same year, Kristallnacht Nazi. Nazis rampaged in Berlin, destroyed Jewish businesses and synagogues. Schmeling hid away two Jewish boys who later made their way to the United States.
The regime never learned of that, but later conscripted Schmeling into the paratroopers. Badly injured during the war, Schmeling returned home destitute and washed up as a fighter. But after the war, an American businessman remembered Max Schmeling, offered him the Coca-Cola franchise in Germany. Schmeling became rich, giving money to his old nemesis during Joe Louis' destitute years and paid for Louis' funeral.
Forever hyphenated with his enemy-turned-friend, virtually unknown to generations outside his country, Max Schmeling, a distant hero.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I didn't know that stuff. Thanks very much, Brian.
We'll take a quick break.
When we come back, a preview of the Super Bowl commercials this Sunday.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Over the years, the annual Super Bowl broadcast has become a showcase for advertisers who want to roll out creative, funny and often provocative commercials. This year, however, some of the ads have been toned down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It was the halftime show, not the advertising, that caused most of the ruckus during last year's Super Bowl broadcast. Even so, Janet Jackson's notorious wardrobe malfunction was not forgotten when it comes to this Sunday's commercials.
One ad depicts a busty spokesmodel testifying before a congressional hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What will you be advertising?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: GoDaddy. com. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset the committee.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: May I suggest a turtle neck?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But in the wake of last year's controversy, much of this year's advertising has been toned down. Anheuser-Busch dropped a Bud Light ad that suggests a stagehand was unwittingly responsible for Jackson's unveiling. Instead, Bud Light will be represented by this sky diving ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUD LIGHT AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I can't do this.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Go.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No way.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Not even for some Bud Light?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Also out, an ad that featured a flash of nudity, the bare backside of 84-year-old actor Mickey Rooney. And Ford withdrew a commercial that showed a priest lusting for a Lincoln.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Is it a sin? Is it a crime loving you, dear, like I do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We will see some less adventurous humor, like this deodorant commercial that pokes fun at people who aren't very active.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD) UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hi. Can I get a quarter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: This Ameriquest ad portrays a hapless mad falsely suspected of patronizing an adult video store.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Excuse me. Oh, Kevin.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Sarah.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: So, what are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Dude, you forgot your wallet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We'll also see a lot of celebrities, but they'll be playing it safe. Burt Reynolds will not dance bare. He'll dance with a bear. P. Diddy will hitch a ride to an awards show in a Diet Pepsi truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DIET PEPSI AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know P. Diddy drove a Diet Pepsi truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Inadvertently starting a trend.
MasterCard may have found the safest solution. Its ad will feature animated celebrities, all veteran commercial mascots, without a scandal to their name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MASTERCARD AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You certainly are in a pickle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Pillsbury Doughboy, after all, has never had a wardrobe malfunction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I'll be watching those commercials, but, more important, I'll be watching game.
And a reminder. You can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays 5:00 p.m. Eastern. This Sunday on "LATE EDITION," noon Eastern, among my guests, the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Until then, thanks very much for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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Aired February 4, 2005 - 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. A scare at JFK, an alarming tip about two inbound flights from overseas. Was it a prank or something more sinister?
Standby for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Eye on Iran. Is the U.S. weighing military action?
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The question is simply not on the agenda at this point.
BLITZER: Are there other options in the meantime?
Call of duty, his firefighter dad died on 9/11 and he graduated today from the fire academy. But he's also a Marine, heading back to Iraq.
The Watergate papers. They're still not naming Deep Throat. But other secrets are now on display. I'll speak with journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Super Bowl, super security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been planning for 18 months. Let's get on the field and do it.
BLITZER: From cameras to canines to the Coast Guard, law enforcement agencies team up to keep the fans safe.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, February 4th, 2005.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: There's an ominous reminder today of the ongoing terror threat against the United States. Security officials scrambled amid reports of a possible hijacking threat and that story tops our CNN "Security Watch."
There were tense moments at JFK Airport in New York City as two Delta flights arrived from Europe. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joining us now live with details -- Jeanne. JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the Delta flights landed safely and without incident at New York's JFK Airport. According to law enforcement sources, a passenger on board one of the flights was held for questioning because authorities thought they had a match with a name on a terrorist watch list.
As it turns out, they did not. And according to the law enforcement official, the passenger has now been released. Officials say this all began at about 1:00 Eastern after a call was received, saying hijackers might be on board Delta Flight 119 which originated in Bombay, India, stopped in Paris, and was en route to JFK.
In addition, according to law enforcement officials, threat information had been developed over the past week regarding Delta flights overseas. It is still not clear whether that or something else is why concerns were raised about another Delta flight, 81, that was flying from Amsterdam to JFK.
A passenger who was on board Flight 81 tells CNN that about 10 minutes before the flight left Amsterdam, a woman was taken off the aircraft and officials did a check of some of the carry-on bags.
When concerns were raised about these flights about a half hour before they were due to land at JFK, Transportation Security Administration officials say the pilots of both aircraft were contacted in the air. Both said their cockpits were secure and there was nothing unusual happening on board.
One source says that Flight 119 did have federal air marshals on board and NORAD tells CNN that it did not scramble jets, that the situation appeared to not warrant it.
The flights landed without incident according to Delta Air Lines. Both were held back from the gate for a brief time but were later deplaned. And Delta says the aircraft have now resumed scheduled service -- Wolf.
BLITZER: A scare, but fortunately, everything looks like it's back to normal.
MESERVE: Absolutely back to normal.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve for that, updating us on that. And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Moving on now to other news, concerned about a secretive nuclear program and support for terrorism, President Bush and his top aides are talking tough when it comes to Iran. As America weighs its options, some of America's allies worry about a possible military strike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you envisage circumstances during President Bush's second administration in which the United States would attack Iran?
RICE: The question is simply not on the agenda at this point in time. We have diplomatic means to do this. Iran is not immune to the changes that are going on in this region.
BLITZER: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, starting off her European journey with a question that's expected to follow her every step of the way given widespread concern in Europe that Iran might become the next U.S. target in the Middle East.
That concern intensified, following the president's State of the Union Address.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And to the Iranian people I say, tonight, as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
BLITZER: But the Bush administration strategy for dealing with Iran's ayatollah leaders is very different than it was for Iraq's Saddam Hussein. With the Iraqi dictator and the widespread U.S. belief that he had stockpiled significant quantities of weapons of mass destruction, President Bush ordered a full-scale invasion. That is not something officials say Mr. Bush is now considering for Iran. For one thing, the U.S. military is already overstretched.
But there are other options. Top Bush administration officials are convinced Iran is clandestinely trying to build a nuclear bomb, despite its public denials. President Bush also has branded Iran, quote, "the world's primary state sponsor of terror."
In dealing with this, administration officials say the president's strategy is to use European and international diplomatic and economic pressure on the Iranians to delay for as long as possible the development of a bomb.
They also hope that Iranian dissidents and reformers will, in the meantime, topple the regime in Tehran. In the end, this strategy might not work. That's why military and intelligence officials say there are contingency plans for what's being described as precision air strikes to try to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. That's easier said than done, they say, given the Iranian construction of deep underground facilities that are spread out widely around the country.
Intelligence sources say they may not even know where they all are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And let's move on to Iraq right now. A Shiite coalition with ties to Iran is making a strong showing in the latest partial returns from the Iraqi election. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, reports from Baghdad on yet another violent day in Iraq.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): Apparent losers in the election so far, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, although far from conclusive, partial results for the provinces so far counted in the predominantly Shiite south indicate the firebrand cleric is making a poor showing. His supporters, as they have done when they've appeared marginalized before, upping the ante, calling for U.S. troops to leave.
HASHIM ABU RAGIF, AIDE TO MUQTADA AL-SADR (through translator): I call on all political and religious forces that embloden and contribute to the elections to put a time frame on the occupation.
ROBERTSON: Out ahead in all 10 provinces partially tallied, the United Iraqi Alliance, supported by Iraq's top religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani; a poor second of the 3.3 million votes so far counted, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's more secular political grouping, the Iraqi List. But electoral commission officials warn, results so far cannot be used to predict the final outcome.
HAMDIA HUSSAIN (EC) (through translator): It cannot be used as indicators to the final results or as indicators for the distribution of seats in the national council among the political movements because this result does not demonstrate that demographic distribution of the voters.
ROBERTSON: Also in Baghdad, an Italian journalist was kidnapped. Giuliana Sgrena was snatched at gunpoint from her carm, just after talking with displaced families from Falluja at the city's university.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was a nice initiative of hers. She was working on a humanitarian case. As she left, two cars blocked the road. They pulled her out with guns, so we knew she was being abducted.
ROBERTSON: An experienced reporter, and knowledgeable about Iraq, her editors in Rome hope her common touch will help keep her safe.
LUCIANAN CASTELLINA, CHIEF EDITOR, IL MANIFESTO (through translator): Giuliana also practiced a style of journalism which was people oriented. This was the great effort of a journalist who really did a comprehensive job in Iraq.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Elsewhere in Iraq, three U.S. servicemen were killed in separate incidents. The post-election lull in violence now well and truly over. The next political phase, the horse trading, to determine key government positions, awaiting the final election results, now expected early next week.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Russia's most wanted man speaking out on the school massacre that shocked the world. Why Moscow is outraged at a new interview that just aired.
Decades of mystery comes to an end. The Watergate papers made public today. I'll talk to the reporters who broke the story, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. They're my guests, they'll join us this hour.
Plus, they're as popular with some as the game itself, this year's Super Bowl commercials. We'll give you a sneak peek.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Iraq's election has come and gone but the insurgency continues. Meantime, the U.S. is keeping a wary eye on neighboring Iran. Responsibility for all that rough neighborhood falls on the U.S. military's central command where Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt is a senior planner.
The former military spokesman in Iraq join us now live from CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa. General Kimmitt, welcome back to our program. Always appreciate having you on.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Hi, Wolf.
BLITZER: Has there been, as some are suggesting, a lull if you will, since Sunday in the insurgency, or is that false?
KIMMITT: No, there has been a lull. And we have seen this many times over the past couple of years. After the apprehension of Saddam Hussein, after the shoot-out with Uday and Qusay, after the transfer of sovereignty, there were a couple of days after that event where both sides seemed to be sort of watching each other to see what the next step was going to be.
BLITZER: They didn't have their spectacular attack on Sunday, the day of the election that so many had feared. What do you attribute that to?
KIMMITT: Well, I think, first of all what we attribute it to is the 135,000 Iraqi security forces that were on duty, backed up by the Iraqi -- by other Iraqi force, as well as the coalition forces. I think they took a look around and realized that it wasn't a willing bet to try to disrupt the elections on that day.
BLITZER: So are they just holding back now? You fully expect that we'll be hearing from those insurgents in a big way down the road?
KIMMITT: Well, I think we may see some resumption of violence over the days and weeks ahead, particularly as we start announcing some of the elected candidates as -- but we're confident that the Iraqi security forces who demonstrated themselves and acquitted themselves so well on Sunday are all going to be taking more and more responsibility for the security situation.
BLITZER: Was this a turning point for the Iraqi military?
KIMMITT: Well, I think, mentally it may have been. I think that they certainly walked away from the elections feeling good about themselves, about their capabilities and about their future. And the very fact that the day after the elections you saw so many people coming to the recruiting stations to join the Iraqi security forces, that has to have had an effect on the ISF.
BLITZER: Are they getting enough recruits? Are they getting adequate source of men?
KIMMITT: They really are. We're very, very comfortable, both with the people that are coming in the door, we're comfortable with the training and we're comfortable with the equipping of those forces.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about U.S. troops. Word now that the 150,000 level, the current level, in the next few weeks, you may go down to 135,000, bring home about 15,000 troops. Is that true?
KIMMITT: It is. That was always our plan, Wolf. As you know, leading up to the elections, we increased the force levels by about 15,000, by about 3 brigades. By overlapping the units coming in and the units going out. Those forces that have done such a tremendous job. If the conditions permit, we're going to let them go home to a very welcome return to their families and to their friends.
BLITZER: The word also is that at that 135 level, though, you're planning at least part of your planning is that they will remain at that level, 135,000, for the balance of this year.
KIMMITT: Well, I'm not sure it's going to be the balance of this year. The conditions are what are going to determine how long we keep 135,000. The conditions defined as -- that a relative amount of security on the ground, the level of instability, as well as the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.
BLITZER: How worried are you the new government that will emerge in Iraq will have close ties with Iran, which is your area of responsibility as well?
KIMMITT: Well, I think some of the words that have already come out of the perspective candidates have already indicated to us that while they're going to have normalized relations with Iran, we certainly don't see Iran as being a significant -- having a significant impact on the day to day life and the governance of the people of Iraq.
BLITZER: So you're not all that worried about that.
What about Syria? In his State of the Union Address, as you know, the president had some tough words for the government in Syria. The accusation being they're letting terrorist, insurgent, money go across their border into Iraq.
KIMMITT: Well, they certainly have. And it's been demonstrated time after time. Now the Syrian, to their credit, have done some work along the boards to try to improve the border situation. But the fact remains that we have former Saddam loyalists, former regime elements who find security and safe haven inside of Syria who are able to fund, who are able to provide equipment, who are able to provide leadership for the insurgency in Iraq. And Syria must take action to clean those HVTs, those high value targets, and send them over to Iraq and end support for the insurgency from inside of Syria.
BLITZER: Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt joining us from Tampa, which is where the U.S. military central command is headquartered, even though you're not now at CENTCOM headquarters.
Always appreciate having you on the show. General Kimmitt, thanks very much.
KIMMITT: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: When we come back, a veteran of the war in Iraq now a New York City firefighter. But that's only part of his unique and emotional story.
Securing the Super Bowl: our Susan Candiotti is live in Jacksonville with details of this major undertaking this weekend.
And a champion inside the ring and out. What many people don't know about the boxer Max Schmeling who died this week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: New York City's newest firefighter won't be battling blazes in the Big Apple anytime soon. That's because he's also a U.S. Marine corporal about to go to Iraq again. And that's only part of his unique and emotional story.
CNN's Mary Snow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is rare that a graduation is held in a fire house for one fireman. But this is no ordinary fireman. Peter Regan is heading to Iraq for his second tour of duty as a Marine. And because of that, the New York City Fire Department decided to graduate him a month before the rest of his class.
PETER REGAN, FIREFIGHTER/MARINE: Let it be known that I love this country, I love the city and I'm going to fight for both of 'em.
SNOW: And the fight is also personal. Regan's father, Donald, was a firefighter who was killed on September 11. At Rescue 3 in the Bronx where he worked, that day's roll call, including Regan's name and the firefighters in his unit who were also killed, remains on the wall.
And that is where this ceremony was held for Peter Regan, whose search for his father at ground zero in the days after the attacks. He says he thinks of his father every day.
P. REGAN: Every day, I definitely thinking, you know, what would he do what would he say? And to be in this house, having this is absolutely wonderful.
THERESA REGAN, MOTHER: I wish his dad was here to see this. I miss him very much. And I know he's watching, but I wish he was here with us.
SNOW: And fellow firefighters wanted to make sure Corporal Peter Regan was officially a member of New York's bravest before going to Iraq.
CAPT. CHRISTOPHER KING, NEW YORK FIRE DEPT.: I said this poor kid, he lost his father, he did his tour in Iraq, now he's -- you know, he's going to get in the fire department, get on with his life. Now he has to go back and relive that whole thing. But he's tough kid, he'll be OK.
SNOW: But family members are nervous.
JILL REGAN, SISTER: It's very bittersweet. It's something that he always wanted. It's something that my father always wanted for him. And he's doing what he wants. But of course with both jobs, there's downsides to each. So it's -- we're all definitely nervous.
SNOW: Still, the 23-year-old Regan considers himself lucky.
P. REGAN: Second tour -- kind of mixed emotions right now. I see what I'm going to be missing, what I'm leaving for a whole year. Right now, I'm kind of hesitant, but I'm sure once all this passes, it'll just be back into the loop and I'll be all right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And a very emotional day at Rescue 3 for the firefighter and the Regan family. Peter Regan leaves for Camp Lejeune on Sunday -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, very emotional story, thanks very much.
Good luck to Peter as he heads back to Iraq.
Russia's most wanted terrorist speaks out on the school massacre that shocked the world and more. Why the controversial interview outraged Moscow.
The Watergate papers on public display. Are there new clues about the identity of deep throat? I'll speak with Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
And later, many tune in just to see them. But after last year's wardrobe malfunction, will Sunday be a kinder, gentler commercial Super Bowl? We'll show you the ads that you will see and won't be seeing during the big game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: He is to Russia what Osama bin Laden is to the United States. An unfathomable cruel terrorist mastermind. And now, over sharp protest from Moscow, a British television network has aired an interview with Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev threatening more blood shed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): This is Russia's most wanted man. Shamil Basayev is accused of blazing a deadly trail of terrorism aimed at forcing Russia to withdraw troops from the breakaway republic of Chechnya. Atrocities include the 2002 siege of a Moscow theater in which 120 people were killed. And the downing of 2 Russian passenger jets last August.
But even those attacks, along with numerous smaller assaults, didn't foretell the horror of last September in the Russian city of Beslan where Chechen rebels seized 1,200 people in an elementary school, terrorizing and brutalizing them for 2 days before the standoff ended in a violent confrontation with Russian forces. When it was over, more than 330 people were dead half of them children.
And now in a highly unusual interview, Basayev is speaking publicly about the Beslan massacre and threatening similar attacks.
Britain's Channel 4 Television reports it sent a list of questions to Basayev through an intermediary more than 4 months ago, requesting a videotaped response, which it says it recently received and verified.
Of the Beslan massacre, the network quotes Basayev of saying, "we're not exactly delighted by what happened in Beslan. To be honest, I am even shocked by what happened there. And I'm still in a state of shock. I didn't expect such cruelty, referring to Russian forces whom he blames for the deaths."
Yet Basayev goes on to threaten similar horror, according to Channel 4. Saying, quote, "We are planning Beslan-type operations in the future, because we are forced to do so. Today our citizens are disappearing, our girls disappear without a trace. They can take anyone. In order to stop this chaos, we have to respond in the same way."
Russian government officials were outraged. Airing the interview, they say, aided the terrorists.
ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: We don't want the country's -- I mean, the channels, to give the floor to Mr. Basayev, when he's making propaganda of his views, threats, that is very important. We don't want him to threaten our people. Because we don't want the people live in fear of the new terrorist.
BLITZER: Channel 4 defended the broadcast in statement saying, "We are handling this material with extreme care and seriousness. It is simply not the case that the running of such material can be equated with condoning it."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now from Moscow, our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty. I understand, Jill, there's been a pretty angry Russian reaction.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Right, Wolf.
And you can understand why, because, after all, Shamil Basayev really is their Osama bin Laden. And so you had two angry statements, one yesterday, one today, coming from the Russian Foreign Ministry. And, essentially, what they're saying is, you are giving a tribune, a propaganda possibility to terrorists, and this simply shouldn't happen.
And, also, they're very critical of the British for doing this. They say that it's not compatible with a democratic state. And they're asking other countries to look at this and consider that maybe it isn't a good idea to give any type of propaganda possibility to terrorists.
BLITZER: There's been a clampdown to a certain degree on the media in Russia, the government clamping down to a certain degree. Is there a sense that the Russians really should not be I guess lecturing the British about free press?
DOUGHERTY: That's a good question, Wolf. And, in a sense, you really do have a point about that.
But I think this is an issue that the Russians are dealing with, but it's an issue that other countries are dealing with. In other words, when you allow somebody like Shamil Basayev, who is the person who took responsibility for Beslan, if you allow him to come out and say, I'm going to do it again, that in a way is allowing him to get his message out.
And so the balance is the issue here. Now, the Russians, you might argue, don't have a very good balance. But that is a thing that they're struggling with. They don't want to hear more threats coming against their people.
BLITZER: Jill Dougherty, in Moscow -- Jill, thanks very much.
It's Super Bowl weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. Sunday's championship football game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles is not just a major sporting event. It is a major security event.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is on our CNN "Security Watch."
She's joining us now live from Jacksonville -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.
As we inch closer and closer to the kickoff of Super Bowl XXXIX, security is getting tighter and tighter. And a top law enforcer of Jacksonville County and city is in charge of security, with the endorsement and cooperation of the Department of Homeland Security.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDIOTTI (voice-over): In order to make Super Bowl fans safe all weekend long...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
CANDIOTTI: ... a high-tech game plan is in place. The man calling security shots, Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, says his team is ready.
SHERIFF JOHN RUTHERFORD, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: We've been planning for 18 months; let's get on the field and do it.
CANDIOTTI: Among his tools, cameras trained on key locations around the stadium. Computers can pull in, analyze and catalog shots. The system can zero in on a single seat or an employee in the nosebleed section.
Outside the stadium...
RUTHERFORD: Say a bus had been hijacked and it stops on the bridge, because they want the safety of not having anyone around them. We can still zoom in and get very close and find out exactly what's going on in there.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Over my shoulder, Alltel Stadium, right on the waterfront. Along the river a 14-mile safety zone patrolled by an alphabet-soup collection of federal, state and local agencies.
(voice-over): Including the Coast Guard, monitoring pleasure boats and commercial traffic in the zone.
LT. CMDR. DAN DEPTULA, U.S. COAST GUARD: If they are going too fast or not adhering to the rules that we put out in place here, then we're going to ask them some questions.
CANDIOTTI: Before sailing into port, the seven cruise ships that were to be used as floating hotels were inspected, with divers examining each hull, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Once dockside, no water traffic is allowed inside a 400-yard security zone around the cruise ships.
If suspect bombs or explosives are discovered anywhere, ATF response teams are ready with dogs that can sniff out thousands of explosives, using robots, if needed. And, as a last resort, agents wearing protective suits to get a closer look. More than 50 law enforcement agencies trying to make sure this year's Super Bowl has a smooth sail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: They're calling it layered security. And a sheriff says, if they're doing their job right, you shouldn't be able to notice it much as you're watching the game live in person or at home on TV -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Susan Candiotti in Jacksonville -- thanks, Susan, very much.
To our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
They broke the story that brought down an American president. I'll speak with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein about new Watergate papers made public today.
Also, the groundbreaking career of Ossie Davis, the actor and activist. We'll look back with the director Spike Lee. He'll join us.
And the fascinating story of the German boxing champ Max Schmeling, how he defied the Nazis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Watergate, the scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Now the thousands of interview note, memos and other materials written by the Watergate reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, have just gone on public display in Austin, Texas.
Just a little while ago, I spoke with Woodward and Bernstein about this important exhibit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, thanks very much for joining us.
Bob, let me start with you. The 75 cartons of documents you've made available to the University of Texas, is that going to help a really sharp journalist or a really sharp historian figure out who Deep Throat was?
BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "PLAN OF ATTACK": Not really. Under our agreement with the University of Texas, the source files and their interviews come down here to Austin after the source dies. And as we've said, Deep Throat and dozens of other sources are still alive. So, when that occurs, all the information will be here.
And kind of -- somebody can go through and figure out how we covered this story for two years.
BLITZER: Carl, the other documents that have still not been made available to the University of Texas, will they be made available, as Bob says, once these individuals die?
CARL BERNSTEIN, AUTHOR/JOURNALIST: Yes, they will. But I think the important thing is to note how much information is here. Deep Throat was very important to us. And, at the same time, what you see in these files that are here is how people the closest to President Nixon shared their doubts, their worries, their concerns, about the president's illegalities, about his psychological frailties and about the collapse of his presidency. BLITZER: Bob, one of the most interesting things I've gleaned now so far is some of the candid conversations you and Carl had with President Nixon's lawyers at the time. They were pretty critical at the time in these background discussions, interviews, that they had with you, of their boss, Richard M. Nixon.
WOODWARD: That's right. Fred Buzhardt, whom we interviewed countless times, and their dozens of pages of notes almost provided a day-by-day account of what went on in the White House.
And you see that Buzhardt concluded very early that Nixon was not going to make it. And he explained not only the legalities and the strategy, but the emotions, because Nixon kept resisting even telling his lawyers what was on the tapes, Nixon insisting the tapes would never, as he said to Buzhardt at one point, no, no, no, no, never, will anyone else listen to a tape, other than Nixon.
And so that resistance was part of the cover-up and the concealment, and you can see how that evolved from a firsthand witness.
BLITZER: Interviews you've released, Carl, including one with Senator Barry Goldwater, the late senator from Arizona, the 1964 Republican presidential candidate, he had some words that were not necessarily all that kind to President Nixon either.
BERNSTEIN: Well, Goldwater led a group of senators to convince President Nixon that he must resign or he would be convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors in the Senate.
But Goldwater also told us, I concluded that President Nixon was off his head. And, again, there was a real psychological collapse as the end of President Nixon's term in office approached.
BLITZER: When this story broke, Bob, you were, what, 29 years old? Carl was 28 years old. You were young kids, really, in the scheme of things. Give our viewers a sense of what you know now, what you didn't know then that might have made you even better reporters.
WOODWARD: Well, we were extremely lucky. We were unmarried. We had the support of "The Washington Post," of the editors and the owner, Katharine Graham, and there was -- they created, as still exists, this environment of let's get to the bottom of this story.
So they turned us loose. But you're quite right. When you look back on all of this, and it's all pretty obvious now that we have the records and the tapes and all of the testimony, that Nixon was behind this. But, at the time, the conventional wisdom, which was just overwhelming, was simply, oh, Nixon's too smart to be involved in something like this.
So, not only were we pushing against a White House that scared the death out of people who would talk and really frighten them, but a wisdom that somehow, oh, this was a bunch of low-level, mid-level people all off on their own. BERNSTEIN: We also didn't understand at the beginning what Watergate was. It was not just a bugging. It was all of these criminal, illegal activities designed to undermine the political process, the election itself, directed from the White House.
And it took us several months to understand that. And you see that emerging in our work when you look at these files.
BLITZER: Carl, when you look back on that moment, you guys were metro reporters, local reporters, really, not White House correspondents. Do you think that played a significant role in your breaking this story, rather than some of the really eminent, top-notch White House correspondents, other chief correspondents that were covering Nixon's presidency?
BERNSTEIN: Absolutely, because we covered it like we would any other police story, step by step, a lot of shoe leather. We didn't have at the beginning any high-level sources in the White House that we could be stroked by. So, we had to do it the old-fashioned way. And it was a tremendous advantage.
And, in fact, our colleagues on the national staff, even at "The Washington Post," were very skeptical about our work.
BLITZER: Bob, I'll end this interview where I began it, with Deep Throat. Deep Throat, I assume, because you've always said so, you're not going to release his or her identity until after he or she dies. I take it Deep Throat is still around. Can you tell us where, though, Deep Throat might be right now?
WOODWARD: Nice try, Wolf.
(LAUGHTER)
WOODWARD: I'll tell you, there are two stipulations, until this source changes his mind and says here's my identity or he dies.
And Carl and I are pretty sure, after all these decades, he's not going to change his mind, because there are reasons, which, when his identity is disclosed, will be clear. So, he's not changing his mind, but, at some point, he will die and this whole story will be told.
BLITZER: And you keep using the word he, Bob. So I assume it's a he. Is that right?
WOODWARD: That's correct.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks. So at least we got a little tidbit out of you.
Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, they won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of Watergate. Appreciate your joining us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And when we come back, a Hollywood pioneer for African- American actors on stage and the big screen, the life of Ossie Davis. Director Spike Lee looks back with us on this career.
And the German boxing champ who stood his ground against Hitler's regime, the little-known story of Max Schmeling -- all that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He was a giant on the stage, on the silver screen and in the fight for racial justice. The Oscar Ossie Davis has died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DO THE RIGHT THING")
OSSIE DAVIS, ACTOR: Always do the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Davis was a central figure among African-American performers for more than five decades. He had a key role in the television series "Roots" and appeared in three Spike Lee movies. Davis, seen here yesterday, was on location making a film in Miami Beach, Florida. He was found dead this morning by his grandson in his hotel room.
Just a little while ago, I spoke with the film director Spike Lee about working with the legendary actor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Spike Lee, a sad day. Talk a little bit about the role, the impact, the life and times, if you will, of Ossie Davis.
SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR: Well, Ossie is truly one of the giants.
When you speak about Ossie, you automatically think about Ruby Dee. Sometimes, I even thought they were born together, you know, joined at the hip. And my thoughts are really out with Ruby, who's flying from New Zealand back to New York to bury Ossie, as I said before, one of the giants.
BLITZER: What about not only in Hollywood, but in the civil rights movement? He was a significant activist.
LEE: Yes, he was.
To me, Wolf, that's one of the most important things I got from Ruby and Ossie growing up and I wanted to become a filmmaker, is that -- that you could also be activists and an artist, too. So they were great role models.
BLITZER: What do you think, Spike...
(CROSSTALK)
LEE: Ossie was very close with Malcolm. And if you look at all the archival footage, he was sitting right -- standing right next to Dr. King in Montgomery and Selma and the March on Washington. He was right up in it.
BLITZER: So what do you think most people should remember most about him?
LEE: He was a great human being, an artist, someone who was always for truth on stage, on film and in life.
BLITZER: How did he directly, if he did, impact your life?
LEE: Well, he was my role model. He was my hero.
And so was it was an honor for me to direct him in "School Days," "Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever," "Get on the Bus." And he came back to do -- revoice the eulogy which he did for Malcolm X for that "Malcolm X" film. And "She Hate Me."
So I just -- and also, in "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever," he was able to work with his wife, Ruby Dee. So it was a great family -- they were my grandparents.
BLITZER: Well, it's a sad day, indeed, but he leaves an enormous -- he leaves an enormous legacy.
Spike Lee, thanks for spending a few moments with us.
LEE: Thank you, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Actor and civil rights activist Ossie Davis was 87 years old.
Another icon passed away this week. Max Schmeling died Wednesday at the age of 99. A one-time boxing champ, he was also a champion in other ways.
CNN's Brian Todd tells his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the pantheon of heavyweight champions, he is ordinary. Boxing historians say he doesn't compare to the likes of Rocky Marciano or Muhammad Ali. But with the convergence of history, geography, and extraordinary character, Max Schmeling transcended mere titles.
BERT SUGAR, SPORTS HISTORIAN: But Max Schmeling stands as, as, really, I think, a tremendous example of someone who stood up to his country, maybe like Muhammad Ali later on, for a different reason and a different war.
TODD: Good look, continental charm and a devastating right hand made this son of a German ship navigator a star in what was then one of the world's most popular sports. His victories in the early 1930s, including one over American Jack Sharkey for the world heavyweight title, also drew the admiration for the new German chancellor. SUGAR: The irony was, simply put, while the Third Reich, or the Nazis, the National Socialists, held him up as their symbol of Aryan supremacy, he was never a Nazi. In fact, he rebuffed them.
TODD: Schmeling first angered Adolf Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, by refusing to join the Nazi Party or to fire his Jewish-American manager.
In 1936, he tweaked them again by fighting a black man, an unbeaten American named Joe Louis. A 10-1 underdog in this nontitle bout, shown in a recent PBS documentary, Schmeling countered the brown bomber's best jabs and knocked him out in 12 round. He was again endeared to the fuhrer, who placed enormous pressure on Schmeling two years later to win the title for the fatherland in a politically- charged rematch against Louis.
SUGAR: But the worst pressure was the beating he took from Joe Louis. It was terrible. It was over in two minutes and four seconds, a one-sided carnage.
TODD: Schmeling returned to Germany in disgrace, but became a hero of a different kind. Later that same year, Kristallnacht Nazi. Nazis rampaged in Berlin, destroyed Jewish businesses and synagogues. Schmeling hid away two Jewish boys who later made their way to the United States.
The regime never learned of that, but later conscripted Schmeling into the paratroopers. Badly injured during the war, Schmeling returned home destitute and washed up as a fighter. But after the war, an American businessman remembered Max Schmeling, offered him the Coca-Cola franchise in Germany. Schmeling became rich, giving money to his old nemesis during Joe Louis' destitute years and paid for Louis' funeral.
Forever hyphenated with his enemy-turned-friend, virtually unknown to generations outside his country, Max Schmeling, a distant hero.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I didn't know that stuff. Thanks very much, Brian.
We'll take a quick break.
When we come back, a preview of the Super Bowl commercials this Sunday.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Over the years, the annual Super Bowl broadcast has become a showcase for advertisers who want to roll out creative, funny and often provocative commercials. This year, however, some of the ads have been toned down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It was the halftime show, not the advertising, that caused most of the ruckus during last year's Super Bowl broadcast. Even so, Janet Jackson's notorious wardrobe malfunction was not forgotten when it comes to this Sunday's commercials.
One ad depicts a busty spokesmodel testifying before a congressional hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: What will you be advertising?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: GoDaddy. com. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset the committee.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: May I suggest a turtle neck?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But in the wake of last year's controversy, much of this year's advertising has been toned down. Anheuser-Busch dropped a Bud Light ad that suggests a stagehand was unwittingly responsible for Jackson's unveiling. Instead, Bud Light will be represented by this sky diving ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUD LIGHT AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I can't do this.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Go.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No way.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Not even for some Bud Light?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Also out, an ad that featured a flash of nudity, the bare backside of 84-year-old actor Mickey Rooney. And Ford withdrew a commercial that showed a priest lusting for a Lincoln.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Is it a sin? Is it a crime loving you, dear, like I do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We will see some less adventurous humor, like this deodorant commercial that pokes fun at people who aren't very active.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD) UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hi. Can I get a quarter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: This Ameriquest ad portrays a hapless mad falsely suspected of patronizing an adult video store.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Excuse me. Oh, Kevin.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Sarah.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: So, what are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Dude, you forgot your wallet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We'll also see a lot of celebrities, but they'll be playing it safe. Burt Reynolds will not dance bare. He'll dance with a bear. P. Diddy will hitch a ride to an awards show in a Diet Pepsi truck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DIET PEPSI AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know P. Diddy drove a Diet Pepsi truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Inadvertently starting a trend.
MasterCard may have found the safest solution. Its ad will feature animated celebrities, all veteran commercial mascots, without a scandal to their name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MASTERCARD AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You certainly are in a pickle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The Pillsbury Doughboy, after all, has never had a wardrobe malfunction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: I'll be watching those commercials, but, more important, I'll be watching game.
And a reminder. You can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays 5:00 p.m. Eastern. This Sunday on "LATE EDITION," noon Eastern, among my guests, the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Until then, thanks very much for joining us.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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