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Lou Dobbs Tonight

Bolton Battle; What's the Deal?; Iraq Offensive; Ann Coulter Interview

Aired May 25, 2005 - 18:00   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.


LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.
U.S. Marines tonight are on the offensive in Iraq, but will that surprise sweeping offensive have an impact on the rising insurgency? We'll have a special report.

And politics and the media. Two outspoken guests join us here tonight. Columnist Ann Coulter certain to annoy liberals, and author Kitty Kelley, she usually annoys conservatives. We'll be talking with both.

Presidential appointments and judicial nominations our top story tonight. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to sit on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It required only four years for President Bush to win Senate approval for his nominee. Immediately after her confirmation, senators began debate on the president's nomination of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Andrea Koppel reports on the prospects for another presidential victory for his nomination. And Bill Schneider reports on the prospects for the president's other judicial nominations.

We begin with Andrea Koppel.

Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: When the day began, it looked as if Republicans were going to be able to cross off one more item off their to-do list as far as nominees were concerned. The day started looking as if they were going to have the votes necessary to get John Bolton's nomination through the Senate.

Debate began early this afternoon and is still going on. It should wrap up for tonight within the hour and is expected to resume tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar Number 103, the nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. ambassador.

KOPPEL (voice-over): Senate debate on the hotly-contested Bolton nomination had hardly begun when it looked as if the debate was over. The mostly Democratic opposition to Bolton, which started off weeks ago with a bang, now seems sure to go out with a whimper.

The only Republican to openly break ranks was George Voinovich of Ohio.

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: Mr. President, I believe we can do better.

KOPPEL: Still, Voinovich's side, Republicans, with their 55-seat majority, should have been poised to claim victory.

But then Democratic Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd threw a curveball, threatening to block Bolton's nomination with a filibuster -- Dodd said because the State Department and the NSA were still refusing to hand over documents on 10 intelligence intercepts requested by Bolton...

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: But because we've been put in this situation, we have no other choice but to demand the information and to...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Still, Democrats are refusing to call what they are threatening to do a filibuster, saying that as soon as they get that information from the State Department and the NSA they will move immediately to an up-or-down vote. But a filibuster is effectively what they are doing right now, because in order for the Republicans to cut off debate, they would need at least 60 votes.

Now at this point, Lou, it's unclear whether or not they would have the votes. Privately, Democrats do concede that if this does go to a vote, the Republicans -- and this would be a simple majority vote -- that the Republicans would have the votes necessary to pass. But clearly, this is an 11th hour curveball that's been thrown by the Democrats.

Lou.

DOBBS: A curveball, perhaps a spitball, following as it does the withdrawal by Senator Boxer of her hold on the Bolton nomination.

What exactly are these two senators trying to do in the wake of an extraordinary compromise that appeared to at least clear the way?

KOPPEL: Well, Senators Dodd and Biden say that they want two things from the State Department and from the NSA. They say they want documents on Syria, in particular, regarding a speech that Bolton gave back in 2002. They want to see the intelligence that he based his speech on. And they want to get those NSA intercepts that Bolton had requested on at least 19 U.S. officials.

Lou.

DOBBS: Andrea Koppel, thank you, from the State Department.

Senate Democrats waged a bitter four-year fight against President Bush's nomination of Justice Priscilla Owen. President Bush first nominated her in May of 2001. At that time, he was hoping for a quick Senate confirmation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge senators of both parties to rise above the bitterness of the past, to provide a fair hearing and a prompt vote to every nominee. That should be the case for no matter who lives in this House and no matter who controls the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: But the Democrats who control the Senate began their opposition immediately. As Owen's nomination went down to defeat in 2002, and the then Democratically-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said, "I would hope that if there's lesson in here for the White House, it is that we have no objection to conservative Republicans. But ideologues are not going to make it."

After Democrats blocked Owen's re-nomination in 2003, then Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said this about Bush's judicial choices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D), SOUTH DAKOTA: But we have no option but to oppose those that we believe are outside of the -- of the wide mainstream that -- that we have accepted here. The fact is that the judges that we have opposed either have not been forthcoming with information, as in the case of Judge Estrada, or have put their own views ahead of the law, as in the case of Judge Owen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: And when President Bush resubmitted Owen's nomination for a third time this February, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, "We should not divert attention from other pressing issues facing this nation to re-debate the merits of nominees already found too extreme by this chamber." The chamber, as I said, confirming Justice Owen.

Some things, however, haven't changed in four years. Senators Leahy and Reid both voted against Owen in today's vote.

Critics of the Senate compromise on judicial appointments say the deal merely postpones the inevitable clash over filibusters. According to those critics, the last-minute compromise to avoid a confrontation over the filibuster will collapse when President Bush sends his first Supreme Court nomination to the Senate.

Bill Schneider reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): What does the filibuster compromise really mean?

We'll find out when President Bush makes his first Supreme Court nomination. Then it will come down to two words.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D) CONNECTICUT: We Democrats will say we won't filibuster unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

SCHNEIDER: What are extraordinary circumstances?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R) ARIZONA: It's up to us, the 14, to decide what's extraordinary circumstances.

SCHNEIDER: For Democrats, extraordinary circumstances seems to mean a nominee whose views are too extreme.

SEN. HARRY REID (D) NEVADA, MINORITY LEADER: There's nothing in anything that was done last night that prevents us from filibustering somebody that's extreme.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans have a different understanding. Didn't the Democrats just agree not to filibuster three staunchly conservative nominees?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I can tell that you Judge Brown, Judge Pryor and Judge Owen are going to get strong bipartisan support, and the fact that you're conservative is no longer an extraordinary circumstance.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans believe the agreement makes it harder for Democrats to use the filibuster.

BRADFORD BERENSON, FMR. ASSOCIATE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: We had reached a point where the Democrats were filibustering judicial nominees relatively routinely. I don't think they can get away with that any longer in light of this agreement.

SCHNEIDER: Why? Because while Democrats have retained the right to filibuster, Republicans have retained their right to pass the nuclear or constitutional option that would ban judicial filibusters.

SEN. MIKE DEWINE (R) OHIO: Any one of us feels that any of the members are filibustering in circumstances that are not extraordinary, we have the right to vote to invoke the Constitutional option that we were about to vote on today.

SCHNEIDER: Remember the battles over Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991? Next time, it could be worse.

BERENSON: The last time there was a Supreme Court confirmation battle was prior to the age of the internet, prior to the age of the bloggers, prior to the age of the 24-hour news cycle.

SCHNEIDER: In those earlier battles, the filibuster was not used and no one talked about the nuclear option. Now, both weapons are on the table.

What's to prevent all hell from breaking loose?

SEN. BEN NELSON (D) NEBRASKA: The key is developing this mutual trust and respect and being guided by good faith.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Faith-based politics, that's what will be needed if the filibuster compromise is going to work.

Lou.

DOBBS: Bill Schneider, thank you.

Turning now to the war in Iraq, 1,000 U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops are on the offensive in western Iraq. The offensive comes after a bloody month of insurgent attacks. Sixty-one American troops have been killed in May. That is the highest number of troop deaths since January.

Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. commanders describe Operation New Market as a routine mission designed to disrupt and interdict insurgent activity. The military says some 1,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops have so far killed at least 10 suspected militants, including a Muslim cleric who was allegedly firing an automatic weapon.

It's the second such operation conducted by U.S. troops in western Iraq, this time focused on the Euphrates River city of Haditha, where it's believed insurgents fled after an earlier Marine operation dubbed "Matador" drove them from the border region with Syria.

COLONEL STEPHEN DAVIS, U.S. MARINES: This particular area has been subject to a very fierce intimidation campaign of the citizens, as well as the folks that are starting to target the military and the infrastructure installations.

MCINTYRE: Some images from the battle. A U.S. Marine writes an identification number on the forehead of an Iraqi man detained during a search. An Iraqi accused of having too much ammunition for his weapon faces the wall blindfolded while his mother and sisters plead for his release. And a U.S. Marine searches through a desk drawer at a Haditha school.

U.S. commanders say most Iraqis in Haditha want the insurgents out.

DAVIS: And we get a number of tips on our hotlines and via the radio broadcast, things like that, that are helping us remove the insurgents from the population base.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Meanwhile, the Pentagon says it still has no confirmation of Web site claims that Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was recently wounded, although some military officials tell CNN they think -- underscore think -- the report might be true. Others, however, say that there is other information indicating that the reports may be coming from a Zarqawi rival who is anxious to replace him.

Lou.

DOBBS: Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon. Thank you.

Nearly four years after September 11, Reagan National Airport will reopen to private aircraft. The Department of Homeland Security is expected to make the official announcement tomorrow, though officials were reluctant to readmit private aircraft because of the airport's close proximity to the Capitol and the White House.

Congressman Tom Davis, who for called for the reopening, said Homeland Security's decision shows the United States has not succumbed to fear.

Coming up next, states crack down on taxpayer-funded sex drugs for sex offenders. We'll have a special report for you.

And an ominous warning about the threat of a major earthquake in the city of Los Angeles, an earthquake that could kill thousands of people, cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Lawmakers are scrambling tonight around the country to close the loopholes that allowed convicted sex offenders to obtain Viagra prescriptions paid for by Medicaid. Several states quickly banned Medicaid reimbursement for all impotence drugs.

Christine Romans joins me now and has the report.

Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, states are cross- checking their Medicaid pharmacy receipts with their list of dangerous sex offenders. And they are finding hundreds of sex offenders getting erectile dysfunction drugs at taxpayer expense. At just three states, New York, Florida, and Texas, they found nearly 600 convicted sex offenders getting these drugs paid for by Medicaid. This is no doubt that there are thousands more.

There's so much outrage about this loophole tonight. Lawmakers are scrambling to close it and wondering, why does Medicaid pay for Viagra in the first place? Medicaid spends $38 million each year on erectile dysfunction drugs, all but $2 million for Viagra.

Senator Chuck Grassley said impotence treatments are lifestyle drugs that taxpayers should not have to cover for anyone. He's introduced legislation to cut all federal payments for these drugs.

New York Governor George Pataki also temporarily suspended Medicaid payments for Viagra and even went further. He ordered state parole officials to bar convicted sex offenders from using these drugs at all.

Florida, which has more than 30,000 sex offenders, will now withhold the drug from all of them. Over the last three years, that state has spent $88,000 paying for these prescriptions for convicted rapists and molesters.

Pfizer, the company that makes Viagra, says that it, too, would not like sex offenders to use its drug.

DOBBS: How delightful.

ROMANS: But it says that it's not fair. It's just not right, Pfizer says, to deny it to men who are on Medicaid who need it.

DOBBS: Well, absolutely. I couldn't agree more with Pfizer on that instance. There is no reason in the world why those on Medicaid should be denied a drug that is shown itself to be important and effective for the population at large.

It shouldn't be a matter of economic circumstance. I agree with that.

ROMANS: In the case...

DOBBS: But in terms of these sex offenders...

ROMANS: Yes.

DOBBS: ... this is mind-bogglingly stupid, even for the United States government.

ROMANS: And outrageous. And that's why Governor Pataki is just saying no to all of it for now until they can figure out level one, level two, level three sex offenders, get a nice list together to make sure that no one is getting these drugs.

DOBBS: At the same time, Governor Pataki denying it to all Medicaid recipients is, again, a typical reflex. And the fact is, as you have been reporting here now for days, the system doesn't even know where a hundred thousand of these sex offenders are. Perhaps they could follow some of the Viagra prescriptions that they have been paying for.

ROMANS: Maybe they would find some of those guys, right.

DOBBS: Absolutely. Christine, thanks. Christine Romans.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

DOBBS: Every year this country issues immigrant visas to some 50,000 people selected at random through a lottery. The program is called the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. It was intended to raise the number of immigrants, legal immigrants, from certain countries that have low rates of immigration to this country. Critics, however, say granting people entry into the United States based on a lottery poses a substantial risk to our national security. Louise Schiavone reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three years ago, Egyptian immigrant Hesham Mohamed Hadayet went berserk at Los Angeles International Airport, killing two people and wounding three others. At that time, his papers were in order thanks to his wife's status as a Diversity Visa Lottery winner.

REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R), VIRGINIA: But to add 50,000 more a year who don't come and bring anything we need, but simply want to come here and have their name drawn at random out of millions who submit their name into this pot is, as I say, a security risk and an economic drag on our economy.

SCHIAVONE: The program was conceived over 10 years ago to attract people from countries with low rates of immigration, based on the simple luck of the draw. And unlike standard visa programs, family and work ties are not required. Winners of the 2005 lottery include 1,015 from Sudan, 820 from Iran, and 674 from Cuba. Critics say it's an invitation to loners and terrorists.

ROSEMARY JENKS, NUMBERS USA: I mean, something like 30 percent of the winners of the lottery each year come from terror-sponsoring states, which is just ridiculous in a post 9/11 world.

MARK KRIKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: For a lottery applicant, he has no ties in the United States. There's nothing that you can verify in our country. Everything that requires verification comes from the country that the person lives in. And the opportunities for fraud there are almost unlimited.

SCHIAVONE: In 2004, the State Department Office of Inspector General testified that the Diversity Visa Lottery - quote -- "contains significant vulnerabilities to national security as hostile intelligence officers, criminals and terrorists attempt to use it to enter the United States as permanent residents."

Additionally, critics say aspiring immigrants who have played by the rules, meeting family or work requirements, should not have to wait in line behind lottery winners from terror states.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHIAVONE: Lou, efforts to scrap the Diversity Visa Lottery started late last year, and Congress basically ran out of time to act on it. Backers of the effort believe they've started early enough in this Congress to see some results.

Lou.

DOBBS: Louise, thank you very much.

Coming up next here, billions of dollars in damage, thousands of lives could be lost. An alarming warning should a powerful earthquake hit southern California. The potential for disaster centers on Los Angeles.

And later I'll be joined by author Kitty Kelley. She is back with an updated version of her best-selling book "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty." She'll be here to tell us why she says the Bush family is threatened and frightened by her book.

And columnist Ann Coulter joins me later. She will likely annoy a few liberals.

Stay with us anyway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Stunning predictions today from government geologists and seismologists who say that a powerful earthquake on a recently discovered fault beneath the city of Los Angeles could kill 18,000 people and cause a quarter of a trillion dollars in damages.

Casey Wian has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It would make the 1994 Northridge earthquake seem like a speed bump. It could even dwarf the devastating quake that killed 5,000 in Kobe, Japan, a year later.

Two miles underneath Los Angeles lies the Puente Hills fault, discovered in 1999. Now, using new computer software, scientists have calculated the death and destruction it is likely to cause. They say the fault is capable of a magnitude 7.5 quake.

Here's how it would spread throughout the Los Angeles basin. The predicted result, between three and 18,000 deaths, $82 billion to $252 billion in direct economic losses, and 3,000 to 99,000 tons of debris.

NED FIELD, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: This is really one of the worst scenarios one could imagine for the United States. For the residents of L.A., we don't want people to panic, and we want to maintain perspective.

It turns out you are thousands of times more likely to die of a heart attack than from this earthquake. You are hundreds of times more likely to die in an auto accident than in this earthquake. In fact, your odds are about even for getting struck by lightning.

WIAN: Unlike the well known and easy to spot San Andreas fault, long thought to be California's main threat, quakes on so-called blind thrust faults such as Puente Hills are relatively rare, occurring every 2,000 or 3,000 years. But they're very violent and dangerous. The new study has government disaster officials rethinking their strategies.

JEFFREY LUSK, FEMA: We haven't had a bulls-eye earthquake event that has caught us in a major way unprepared. These kind of studies help tone enhance our awareness, enhance our planning. The truth is, if we have an earthquake of this magnitude in this area, you're talking about a long-term change probably to the economics of the southland.

WIAN: The good news is that according to a new California earthquake risk prediction map now posted on the Internet, the chance of it happening today or tomorrow is minimal. Beyond that, no one knows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Of course, there's nothing that can be done to minimize the size of an earthquake, but disaster management officials say minimizing the damage from a major quake is a matter of personal responsibility. And they are urging every California resident and building owner to become better prepared.

Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, one can't help but think, what do you do as a result of this information? An earthquake is amongst the most powerful of nature's forces. There's very little anyone can do living in southern California, isn't there?

WIAN: Well, disaster management officials say there's actually a lot that can be done that hasn't been done. For example, many buildings -- you look at the one behind me here. That was damaged in the '94 Northridge earthquake. Those buildings that were built before tougher standards were put in place in 1975 can still be retrofitted.

And a lot of residents of southern California still haven't done simple things like strapping down their big screen TVs and things like that. So there's a lot can be done to minimize the damage.

Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, thank you very much. A troubling projection at best. Casey Wian from southern California.

Coming up next, best-selling author Kitty Kelley tells us why she says the White House seems threatened by her best-selling book about the Bush family.

Later, conservative columnist Ann Coulter will be here. She speaks out on the filibuster fight, the "Newsweek" debacle, and a great deal more.

And the NAFTA effect, how this so-called free trade agreement created a boom in one Canadian city and devastated an American city. We'll have a special report tonight, a tale of two cities.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Kitty Kelley's book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," just released in paperback. In this latest edition, Kelley adds a new chapter on the presidential campaign, the election, and the aftermath, if you will, of her authorship. She adds a new afterward in which she details examples of what she sees as White House control of the mainstream media.

Kitty Kelley, I can't imagine there being any influence emanating from the White House that would affect the mainstream media.

Good to have you here.

KITTY KELLEY, AUTHOR: Thank you, Lou. Yes, I think the mainstream media has poodles and terriers. And the poodles are the ones who are guarding the White House and their access to the White House.

DOBBS: Right. Well, I think a lot of people would agree with you. Putting us in the context as journalists as dogs, irrespective of the breed, we do a little yapping, but often not -- not very effective with our bite.

KELLEY: Well, you know, I really do divide the mainstream media up into poodles and terriers. And as you might suspect, I'm a little more partial to the terriers because they're independent, they're not dependent, and they don't want to be dependent on access, and they're working continually.

Poodles, on the other hand, they -- I mean, I do name names in the afterwards, you're quite right. I do.

DOBBS: You -- well, one of the -- one of the results of your authorship, you say you were fired from, if I can put it directly, from the "Washingtonian," taken off the masthead.

KELLEY: That's right. After 30 years, Lou. This was a big surprise to me that it would happen in Washington, D.C. I've lived there many, many years. I've always said that the city is so diverse that it can absorb Republicans, Democrats, gays, straights, blacks, whites. It's a wonderful city to live in.

So I never thought that I would be subjected to what I was subjected to and that was getting yanked off the masthead of the "Washingtonian" because it's owned by a Bush appointee.

DOBBS: What did they say to you? You lay it out in the book, but what did -- what were you told?

KELLEY: Well, I was surprised. I didn't see my name on the masthead after 30 years. So, I asked the editor. And he e-mailed me and said we don't approve of your writing about the White House and the president and his family. I said, e-mail back and said, did you read the book? And he said no. I didn't read the book.

DOBBS: But you did write it so...

KELLEY: I mean, that's astounding to me.

And the other thing that happened was I was yanked from the benefit performance of Arena Stage, which is a performance, you know, that people get up on stage and make fools of themselves to raise money for public schools, arts and school programs. The eBay lobbyist said that no Republican would be on stage with Kitty Kelley. So... DOBBS: Out you went.

KELLEY: You know what, I told you before months ago I come from a Republican family. Well they still accept me.

DOBBS: Well -- that's why they make families. Nobody has a choice about who is a member, right?

KELLEY: That's right. You are right.

DOBBS: The fact is that this book now in paperback, a best selling book that some thought would be within a group of other books having -- would be influential on the outcome of the election last November. You poo-pooed that from the outset.

At the same time, you talk about the situation with the Bush family -- the power which they have exerted over the course of two decades. What do you think will be the legacy of this president and the Bush family dominating politics, presidential politics for two decades?

KELLEY: I think that the legacy of this president and his family will be far greater than any other president of our lifetime.

DOBBS: Why so?

KELLEY: Absolutely.

I think, first of all, that the reelection of George Bush kind of broke the Bush curse and it elevated his father and it elevated his father's presidency. And this president who won fair and square this time around, fair and square, takes it as an endorsement I think of his policies. And I think his policies will influence us more than Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, perhaps FDR because he's -- he set about influencing every area of our life from the environment to the military to judges, absolutely everything. For better or for worse depending on where you sit.

DOBBS: Where you sit for better or worse.

KELLEY: For better or worse.

I voted for the guy who graduated from Yale.

DOBBS: I will accept that as your full and frank disclosure of your vote, 2004. The book is "The Family." The author is Kitty Kelley who elevates the Bush dynasty through her authorship. We thank you for being here, Kitty.

KELLEY: Thank you, Lou, very much.

DOBBS: That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. Do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Yes or No? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results for you coming up for you later in the broadcast. Tonight's quote of the day comes from Christopher Shays who stands against President Bush on the issue of stem cell research -- embryonic stem cell research. He was one of 50 Republicans who yesterday broke with their party to approve embryonic stem cell research. Congressman Shays said -- quote -- "I think it's time we recognize the dark ages are over. Galileo and Copernicus have been proven right. The world is in fact round, the Earth does revolve around the sun. I believe God gave us intellect to differentiate between imprisoning dogma and sound, ethical science, which is what we must do here today."

Congress is also considering CAFTA, the latest so-called free trade agreement. The last major free trade agreement, NAFTA, had a devastating impact on the American manufacturing industry, wiping out hundreds of thousands of jobs for working men and women in this country.

Tonight, we look at two cities that experienced drastically different results in the decade since NAFTA was signed.

Buffalo, New York, has seen its economy all but devastated, while Toronto, Canada, has seen a boom.

Bill Tucker reports first from Toronto.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buffalo, New York, can be hard on the eye even in the springtime. It's a city with a shrinking economy and dying manufacturing base. A city where more than a quarter of the population lives in poverty, its budget strained and its citizens forced to cope with severe cuts in services. But there is some fight left in Buffalo.

MARK GOLDMAN, AUTHOR, "HIGH HOPES": You have people here who really care about this community. And that's the sad thing. You've got a citizen based that is absolute dedicated to this community. And they are not being given the tools or the hope to build on their energy.

TUCKER: The Buffalo Color Corporation, the last maker of synthetic indigo dye in the country, refuses to surrender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the operators would operate from here.

TUCKER: BCC has been decimated by free trade, by Chinese companies selling their product at less than the cost of its raw materials. BCC's payroll has fallen from $12 million eight years ago to a little more than $100,000 now. And the company is struggling to avoid liquidation.

LARRY KAMINIKSY, PRES. BUFFALO COLOR CORP: It's not only for myself, it's for all the people that have worked here and that are still here. This is beyond frustration right now. And it's amazing to see this type of inaction going on in this day and age.

TUCKER: Today, only six employees, including its president, remain.

One hundred miles to the north, the contrast couldn't be more striking. The Toronto economy grew at a rate of 4.6 percent last year. Trade is the major driver, defined by NAFTA and the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

GLEN GRUNWALD, CEO, TORONTO BOARD OF TRADE: It's critical. I think it's been a huge success if you look at the cross-border traffic. You know, they are our biggest trading partner, and it's the same with the United States and Canada.

TUCKER: A weak Canadian dollar and publicly provided healthcare also created cost advantages for Canadian companies.

(on camera): While officials in Toronto like to boast of the diverse nature of their economy, manufacturing remains important. The sector grew at nearly 8 percent last year and accounted for almost 20 percent of the area's jobs.

(voice-over): Ford just invested $1 billion in its plant outside Toronto. Daimler-Chrysler recently added 900 jobs. Apotex Pharmaceuticals added 1500.

Smaller manufacturers like this maker of fine, handmade furniture are also enjoying success.

MAURICE COULTER, PRES. HARVEST HOUSE FURNITURE: We do have the North American Free Trade, NAFTA, between our two countries. And that's been quite significant to Canadian manufacturers in various sectors.

TUCKER: As for Buffalo, in the past 15 years it's lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs.

Bill Tucker, CNN, Toronto, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Marines on the offensive in Iraq tonight. The Marines are sweeping through the al Anbar province.

General David Grange will be here next to assess the prospects for decisive military action. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

U.S. Marines tonight are sweeping through al Anbar province seeking out insurgents and terrorist. About a thousand Marines and Iraqi troops, as well, are in the city of Haditha. And Haditha is strategically situated on a major highway between western Iraq and major cities including Baghdad and Mosul.

Their offensive - a response to insurgent attacks that have escalated over recent weeks. Sixty-one of our troops have been killed in Iraq this month, May the deadliest month since January. Joining me now is General David Grange. General, earlier this month we launched Operation Matador in response to a rising insurgency and rising number of attacks. Now it's Operation New Market.

Are we on the defensive? Are we now in a reactionary posture?

BRIG. GENERAL DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think it's reactionary, Lou. I think that the big operations are what is highlighted in the news, there's a lot of small operations going on. Most American forces are in an offensive posture. Most of the Iraqi forces are in a security and a defensive type posture, except for the best-trained units which are also on the offense. But these operations you see is required, obviously, to keep the pressure, keep the heat on the insurgents.

DOBBS: Keeping the heat on the insurgents while over the course of this month, 61 American troops have been killed. The price is high and it is not declining. It is in fact rising. We were led to believe at various points that with a new government in place, with the onset of more training and the movement of Iraqi troops to the forefront that we'd see those American casualties decline. The reverse has occurred.

Why?

GRANGE: First of all I think it's inappropriate to ever give a redeployment timeline. It is a mistake to say well we have 138,000 -- whatever the number is at that time months ago -- troops in Iraq and we can expect now after the elections we're going to be sending a bunch back. You have expectations that you can't meet because you cannot determine the outcome of combat while it's occurring. It's almost impossible.

The tide will turn. These attacks are not soldiers fighting soldiers. These attacks are, as you know, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. So, other tactics have to be used to take them down.

DOBBS: What do we need to do, General Grange, to move quickly, decisively, effectively, to gain control of Iraq and bring real stability to the country?

GRANGE: Well, regrettably nothing is going to happen fast. There will be no fast turnaround in Iraq. What's going on now has to continue -- train the Iraqi military and police forces. U.S. forces outside of the urban areas, continue in the offensive pressure on insurgents where they can find them.

But the big killer, the big killer of friendly forces is these IEDs and suicide bombers. You have to go after the source. You can find these people out. You can't defend the entire country. The sources are coming out of Syria and Saudi Arabia. And so the pressure has to be put on the border, the periphery, the governments around Iraq in order to try to curb this -- this surge of suicide bombers.

DOBBS: General David Grange, thanks for being here. A reminder now to vote in "Tonight's Poll." The question, do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up in just few minutes.

Coming up in more than just a few minutes -- at the top of the hour, in fact -- here on CNN, ANDERSON COOPER 360. Anderson, tell us all about it.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Lou, thanks very much.

Yes. At about 15 minutes from now, innocent or guilty? The defense rests in the Michael Jackson trial. Did they poke enough holes in the case to raise reasonable doubt? We'll take a closer look at that.

Plus Viagra for sex offenders, Lou, I know you've been covering this story. Medicaid paying for it in some states. It is drawing outrage. But are politicians jumping the gun with plans to stop it? Some doctors say yes. We'll talk to them.

Also tonight brain surgery on the battlefield. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reunited with a dying soldier he saved with an everyday drill. An amazing story up ahead on 360.

Lou.

DOBBS: Thank you very much, Anderson.

Still ahead here, conservative columnist Ann Coulter. She joins me to talk about the Senate filibuster debate, the president's nomination and her idea of a perfect liberal bumper sticker. You don't want to miss it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Author, columnist Ann Coulter is our guest here tonight. She's always outspoken and provocative. I doubt -- I doubt tonight will be an exception. She's here to give us her perspective on the judicial fight first. Also I want to talk to her about her idea for a new bumper sticker for liberals. Ann Coulter joins us tonight from Los Angeles.

Ann, good to have you here.

ANN COULTER, COLUMNIST: Thank you. Good to be here.

DOBBS: Let me start with Priscilla Owen, Texas Supreme Court justice now confirmed after a four-year battle to be on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit. What's your reaction?

COULTER: Well, I'm very happy she has been confirmed. I notice that in all the stories about it today the principal objection to Priscilla Owen has been dropped. I mean, it was one of her opinions in an abortion case. We know that's what all the judicial nomination battles are about, they're about abortion. And suddenly that's just flown out of the stories.

DOBBS: Yes. Remarkable that four years ago that she was styled as we referred to it here as an extraordinary extremist. Now we have a filibuster compromise. Tell us the truth, Ann.

Would you prefer we have seen the confrontation, the unfortunately termed nuclear option exercised by the Republicans?

COULTER: Yes. I definitely do. And I don't think the Republican alternative phraseology, the constitutional option, is much better. How about call it majority vote? I mean, that's what we have here, at least on paper.

Republicans control the Senate. They've got the White House. So, it seems to me the president's choices for judicial nominees ought to be getting through a Senate that his party controls. It's a very strange rule that when Republicans are in the majority, we need, you know, unanimity before a judge can get through.

DOBBS: Well, my favorite word is the comity of the Senate. That is, the Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is referring to the president of the United States as a -- quote -- "loser." It's nice to see that kind of civility res -- preserved by such a compromise by 14 of the Senate's leaders.

COULTER: Right, that's right.

DOBBS: Republican renegades and -- and older -- older senators, the combination there that seemed to work.

COULTER: You know, maybe I could run for office after all. I always thought the congressional collegiality rules might deter me.

DOBBS: Well, I don't -- I -- you know, I think you might fit right in. I know there are a few liberals that might want to argue that. But let's turn to a couple of the other issues here that this White House is having a little trouble with, and you as an outspoken and articulate conservative -- we have a huge budget deficit, a huge trade deficit, we -- these are not exactly an adherence to the basic precepts of conservativism.

How do you reconcile -- and of course, the Social Security that is -- well, it just sounds like -- it's hit like a brick on a drum...

COULTER: Right.

DOBBS: How do you reconcile this with your philosophy and your partisanship?

COULTER: Well, I'm all for the president's proposal that we reform Social Security. In fact I'm astonished by his courage on the issue, that Social Security is always been called the third rail of politics. Even Ronald Reagan wouldn't touch it. But as everyone knows, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

And so I'm stunned and in awe of the president for trying to tackle it, whatever comes out of it. He's put the issue in play. And all the other side has to say is well, yes, the crisis is coming but don't rush to fix it, which I don't think is a very good platform.

And as for, you know, the budgets and trade deficits, that's a little out of my expertise. But no, I'm not happy about a lot of spending from a Republican Congress and a Republican president. And I think -- I think Republicans ought to notice that they are going to be held accountable and this collegiality with Democrats, and, oh, we're trying to be friendly, so we'll make the compromises here. Well, OK. But they're going to be the ones held responsible for it, because it is a majority Republican Congress and Republican president.

DOBBS: And this Republican Congress and this Republican president, basically pushing for open borders, in utter disregard of existing law on immigration and border security. Again, just countervailing to every conservative precept I could imagine, beginning first with adhering to the greatest fidelity of a vow to our national security.

How do you deal with that issue?

COULTER: I'm baffled by that one. It also adheres to, not just a conservative principal, but a political principal of responding to overwhelming support for an issue. I mean, I've never seen a political issue that is so one-sided among the public and that politicians are simply ignoring. It's one of those questions like, how high is up? Why Republicans are not dealing with this?

DOBBS: You know, while much has been made of the fact the president's polls, approval polls, are at just one percentage point away from the lowest of his presidency, Congress's approval ratings are also at the lowest juncture -- lowest level they've been. And the fact is we see both -- a number of the issues, and I'm not speaking here on a partisan basis but purely in the relationship of the public, American people, the people who put these folks in office, there is a huge disconnect between a Republican-controlled Congress -- both Democrats and Republicans obviously not held in good favor by the voting public -- and the president.

What in the world is going on in your judgment?

COULTER: Well, I don't put too much stock in those polls. And in general, I think it's healthy for the public to have a good amount of contempt for political figures. But on the particular issue of illegal immigration, of securing the borders, this is a traditional conservative issue, to defend the nation, to protect what it is that makes us a country.

And I mean if -- I'm not sure what basis we should be choosing, to choose new citizens of the United States, but one basis I think we should not be using is, you're willing to break the law to come here. I don't think that should be the first thing do you in the country.

And you know, I can't expect any more of Democrats, but I don't understand why Republicans haven't been more forceful. I suppose the president has been a little distracted by the war. I think we could be doing a lot more.

DOBBS: Ann Coulter, good to have you here, and...

COULTER: Good to be here.

DOBBS: And we end in complete agreement. Thank you very much.

COULTER: Thank you. You didn't get to my bumper sticker.

DOBBS: Oh, I didn't. You know what, let's come back and we'll talk about that next time. The bumper sticker is, as I recall, you said, a liberal idea -- bumper sticker idea for liberals. "News magazines don't kill people, Muslims do," referring of course to the "Newsweek" column.

I have to tell you, I think that works for conservatives as well. But I want to tell you it was a brilliant column and I enjoyed it greatly.

COULTER: Thank you.

DOBBS: Thanks for being here. Come back soon.

COULTER: Thank you. I'd love to.

DOBBS: Still ahead, the results of our poll tonight, a preview of what is ahead tomorrow. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight -- the question, do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Unimaginable -- 94 percent of you said yes, 6 percent said unimaginably no.

Taking look now at some of your thoughts.

James Lenon of Palmetto, Florida: "The Senate or a part of it appears to have begun to understand that the public at-large is opposed to a major party dancing to the tune called by theocrats. Now, if they will also hear the public's calls for action on immigration, the economy, and healthcare, we may find ourselves with a functional Congress once more."

And Cathy E. in North Port, Florida: "If the FBI wants to protect Americans from terrorists, why don't they try doing something to close the borders instead of taking away more and more of our liberties. It's a shame that our troops are dying on foreign soil in vain while this country maintains an open door policy to anybody who wants to enter."

Send us your thoughts at LouDobbs.com. Each e-mail read on the broadcast, the author receives a copy of my book, "Exporting America." Sign up for our newsletter at LouDobbs.com.

Thanks for being with us tonight. Please join us here tomorrow. Among our guests, David Phillips. He's a former senior advisor to the U.S. State Department. He now says the real fight for power in Iraq will be over a new constitution.

And is Canada using illegal methods to lure Hollywood productions out of this country? Well, we'll have a special report.

For all of us here, goodnight from New York. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" starts right now.

Anderson?

END

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Aired May 25, 2005 - 18:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.
U.S. Marines tonight are on the offensive in Iraq, but will that surprise sweeping offensive have an impact on the rising insurgency? We'll have a special report.

And politics and the media. Two outspoken guests join us here tonight. Columnist Ann Coulter certain to annoy liberals, and author Kitty Kelley, she usually annoys conservatives. We'll be talking with both.

Presidential appointments and judicial nominations our top story tonight. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to sit on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It required only four years for President Bush to win Senate approval for his nominee. Immediately after her confirmation, senators began debate on the president's nomination of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Andrea Koppel reports on the prospects for another presidential victory for his nomination. And Bill Schneider reports on the prospects for the president's other judicial nominations.

We begin with Andrea Koppel.

Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: When the day began, it looked as if Republicans were going to be able to cross off one more item off their to-do list as far as nominees were concerned. The day started looking as if they were going to have the votes necessary to get John Bolton's nomination through the Senate.

Debate began early this afternoon and is still going on. It should wrap up for tonight within the hour and is expected to resume tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar Number 103, the nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. ambassador.

KOPPEL (voice-over): Senate debate on the hotly-contested Bolton nomination had hardly begun when it looked as if the debate was over. The mostly Democratic opposition to Bolton, which started off weeks ago with a bang, now seems sure to go out with a whimper.

The only Republican to openly break ranks was George Voinovich of Ohio.

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: Mr. President, I believe we can do better.

KOPPEL: Still, Voinovich's side, Republicans, with their 55-seat majority, should have been poised to claim victory.

But then Democratic Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd threw a curveball, threatening to block Bolton's nomination with a filibuster -- Dodd said because the State Department and the NSA were still refusing to hand over documents on 10 intelligence intercepts requested by Bolton...

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: But because we've been put in this situation, we have no other choice but to demand the information and to...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Still, Democrats are refusing to call what they are threatening to do a filibuster, saying that as soon as they get that information from the State Department and the NSA they will move immediately to an up-or-down vote. But a filibuster is effectively what they are doing right now, because in order for the Republicans to cut off debate, they would need at least 60 votes.

Now at this point, Lou, it's unclear whether or not they would have the votes. Privately, Democrats do concede that if this does go to a vote, the Republicans -- and this would be a simple majority vote -- that the Republicans would have the votes necessary to pass. But clearly, this is an 11th hour curveball that's been thrown by the Democrats.

Lou.

DOBBS: A curveball, perhaps a spitball, following as it does the withdrawal by Senator Boxer of her hold on the Bolton nomination.

What exactly are these two senators trying to do in the wake of an extraordinary compromise that appeared to at least clear the way?

KOPPEL: Well, Senators Dodd and Biden say that they want two things from the State Department and from the NSA. They say they want documents on Syria, in particular, regarding a speech that Bolton gave back in 2002. They want to see the intelligence that he based his speech on. And they want to get those NSA intercepts that Bolton had requested on at least 19 U.S. officials.

Lou.

DOBBS: Andrea Koppel, thank you, from the State Department.

Senate Democrats waged a bitter four-year fight against President Bush's nomination of Justice Priscilla Owen. President Bush first nominated her in May of 2001. At that time, he was hoping for a quick Senate confirmation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge senators of both parties to rise above the bitterness of the past, to provide a fair hearing and a prompt vote to every nominee. That should be the case for no matter who lives in this House and no matter who controls the Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: But the Democrats who control the Senate began their opposition immediately. As Owen's nomination went down to defeat in 2002, and the then Democratically-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said, "I would hope that if there's lesson in here for the White House, it is that we have no objection to conservative Republicans. But ideologues are not going to make it."

After Democrats blocked Owen's re-nomination in 2003, then Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said this about Bush's judicial choices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D), SOUTH DAKOTA: But we have no option but to oppose those that we believe are outside of the -- of the wide mainstream that -- that we have accepted here. The fact is that the judges that we have opposed either have not been forthcoming with information, as in the case of Judge Estrada, or have put their own views ahead of the law, as in the case of Judge Owen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: And when President Bush resubmitted Owen's nomination for a third time this February, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, "We should not divert attention from other pressing issues facing this nation to re-debate the merits of nominees already found too extreme by this chamber." The chamber, as I said, confirming Justice Owen.

Some things, however, haven't changed in four years. Senators Leahy and Reid both voted against Owen in today's vote.

Critics of the Senate compromise on judicial appointments say the deal merely postpones the inevitable clash over filibusters. According to those critics, the last-minute compromise to avoid a confrontation over the filibuster will collapse when President Bush sends his first Supreme Court nomination to the Senate.

Bill Schneider reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): What does the filibuster compromise really mean?

We'll find out when President Bush makes his first Supreme Court nomination. Then it will come down to two words.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D) CONNECTICUT: We Democrats will say we won't filibuster unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

SCHNEIDER: What are extraordinary circumstances?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R) ARIZONA: It's up to us, the 14, to decide what's extraordinary circumstances.

SCHNEIDER: For Democrats, extraordinary circumstances seems to mean a nominee whose views are too extreme.

SEN. HARRY REID (D) NEVADA, MINORITY LEADER: There's nothing in anything that was done last night that prevents us from filibustering somebody that's extreme.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans have a different understanding. Didn't the Democrats just agree not to filibuster three staunchly conservative nominees?

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I can tell that you Judge Brown, Judge Pryor and Judge Owen are going to get strong bipartisan support, and the fact that you're conservative is no longer an extraordinary circumstance.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans believe the agreement makes it harder for Democrats to use the filibuster.

BRADFORD BERENSON, FMR. ASSOCIATE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: We had reached a point where the Democrats were filibustering judicial nominees relatively routinely. I don't think they can get away with that any longer in light of this agreement.

SCHNEIDER: Why? Because while Democrats have retained the right to filibuster, Republicans have retained their right to pass the nuclear or constitutional option that would ban judicial filibusters.

SEN. MIKE DEWINE (R) OHIO: Any one of us feels that any of the members are filibustering in circumstances that are not extraordinary, we have the right to vote to invoke the Constitutional option that we were about to vote on today.

SCHNEIDER: Remember the battles over Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991? Next time, it could be worse.

BERENSON: The last time there was a Supreme Court confirmation battle was prior to the age of the internet, prior to the age of the bloggers, prior to the age of the 24-hour news cycle.

SCHNEIDER: In those earlier battles, the filibuster was not used and no one talked about the nuclear option. Now, both weapons are on the table.

What's to prevent all hell from breaking loose?

SEN. BEN NELSON (D) NEBRASKA: The key is developing this mutual trust and respect and being guided by good faith.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Faith-based politics, that's what will be needed if the filibuster compromise is going to work.

Lou.

DOBBS: Bill Schneider, thank you.

Turning now to the war in Iraq, 1,000 U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops are on the offensive in western Iraq. The offensive comes after a bloody month of insurgent attacks. Sixty-one American troops have been killed in May. That is the highest number of troop deaths since January.

Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. commanders describe Operation New Market as a routine mission designed to disrupt and interdict insurgent activity. The military says some 1,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops have so far killed at least 10 suspected militants, including a Muslim cleric who was allegedly firing an automatic weapon.

It's the second such operation conducted by U.S. troops in western Iraq, this time focused on the Euphrates River city of Haditha, where it's believed insurgents fled after an earlier Marine operation dubbed "Matador" drove them from the border region with Syria.

COLONEL STEPHEN DAVIS, U.S. MARINES: This particular area has been subject to a very fierce intimidation campaign of the citizens, as well as the folks that are starting to target the military and the infrastructure installations.

MCINTYRE: Some images from the battle. A U.S. Marine writes an identification number on the forehead of an Iraqi man detained during a search. An Iraqi accused of having too much ammunition for his weapon faces the wall blindfolded while his mother and sisters plead for his release. And a U.S. Marine searches through a desk drawer at a Haditha school.

U.S. commanders say most Iraqis in Haditha want the insurgents out.

DAVIS: And we get a number of tips on our hotlines and via the radio broadcast, things like that, that are helping us remove the insurgents from the population base.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Meanwhile, the Pentagon says it still has no confirmation of Web site claims that Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was recently wounded, although some military officials tell CNN they think -- underscore think -- the report might be true. Others, however, say that there is other information indicating that the reports may be coming from a Zarqawi rival who is anxious to replace him.

Lou.

DOBBS: Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon. Thank you.

Nearly four years after September 11, Reagan National Airport will reopen to private aircraft. The Department of Homeland Security is expected to make the official announcement tomorrow, though officials were reluctant to readmit private aircraft because of the airport's close proximity to the Capitol and the White House.

Congressman Tom Davis, who for called for the reopening, said Homeland Security's decision shows the United States has not succumbed to fear.

Coming up next, states crack down on taxpayer-funded sex drugs for sex offenders. We'll have a special report for you.

And an ominous warning about the threat of a major earthquake in the city of Los Angeles, an earthquake that could kill thousands of people, cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Lawmakers are scrambling tonight around the country to close the loopholes that allowed convicted sex offenders to obtain Viagra prescriptions paid for by Medicaid. Several states quickly banned Medicaid reimbursement for all impotence drugs.

Christine Romans joins me now and has the report.

Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, states are cross- checking their Medicaid pharmacy receipts with their list of dangerous sex offenders. And they are finding hundreds of sex offenders getting erectile dysfunction drugs at taxpayer expense. At just three states, New York, Florida, and Texas, they found nearly 600 convicted sex offenders getting these drugs paid for by Medicaid. This is no doubt that there are thousands more.

There's so much outrage about this loophole tonight. Lawmakers are scrambling to close it and wondering, why does Medicaid pay for Viagra in the first place? Medicaid spends $38 million each year on erectile dysfunction drugs, all but $2 million for Viagra.

Senator Chuck Grassley said impotence treatments are lifestyle drugs that taxpayers should not have to cover for anyone. He's introduced legislation to cut all federal payments for these drugs.

New York Governor George Pataki also temporarily suspended Medicaid payments for Viagra and even went further. He ordered state parole officials to bar convicted sex offenders from using these drugs at all.

Florida, which has more than 30,000 sex offenders, will now withhold the drug from all of them. Over the last three years, that state has spent $88,000 paying for these prescriptions for convicted rapists and molesters.

Pfizer, the company that makes Viagra, says that it, too, would not like sex offenders to use its drug.

DOBBS: How delightful.

ROMANS: But it says that it's not fair. It's just not right, Pfizer says, to deny it to men who are on Medicaid who need it.

DOBBS: Well, absolutely. I couldn't agree more with Pfizer on that instance. There is no reason in the world why those on Medicaid should be denied a drug that is shown itself to be important and effective for the population at large.

It shouldn't be a matter of economic circumstance. I agree with that.

ROMANS: In the case...

DOBBS: But in terms of these sex offenders...

ROMANS: Yes.

DOBBS: ... this is mind-bogglingly stupid, even for the United States government.

ROMANS: And outrageous. And that's why Governor Pataki is just saying no to all of it for now until they can figure out level one, level two, level three sex offenders, get a nice list together to make sure that no one is getting these drugs.

DOBBS: At the same time, Governor Pataki denying it to all Medicaid recipients is, again, a typical reflex. And the fact is, as you have been reporting here now for days, the system doesn't even know where a hundred thousand of these sex offenders are. Perhaps they could follow some of the Viagra prescriptions that they have been paying for.

ROMANS: Maybe they would find some of those guys, right.

DOBBS: Absolutely. Christine, thanks. Christine Romans.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

DOBBS: Every year this country issues immigrant visas to some 50,000 people selected at random through a lottery. The program is called the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. It was intended to raise the number of immigrants, legal immigrants, from certain countries that have low rates of immigration to this country. Critics, however, say granting people entry into the United States based on a lottery poses a substantial risk to our national security. Louise Schiavone reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three years ago, Egyptian immigrant Hesham Mohamed Hadayet went berserk at Los Angeles International Airport, killing two people and wounding three others. At that time, his papers were in order thanks to his wife's status as a Diversity Visa Lottery winner.

REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R), VIRGINIA: But to add 50,000 more a year who don't come and bring anything we need, but simply want to come here and have their name drawn at random out of millions who submit their name into this pot is, as I say, a security risk and an economic drag on our economy.

SCHIAVONE: The program was conceived over 10 years ago to attract people from countries with low rates of immigration, based on the simple luck of the draw. And unlike standard visa programs, family and work ties are not required. Winners of the 2005 lottery include 1,015 from Sudan, 820 from Iran, and 674 from Cuba. Critics say it's an invitation to loners and terrorists.

ROSEMARY JENKS, NUMBERS USA: I mean, something like 30 percent of the winners of the lottery each year come from terror-sponsoring states, which is just ridiculous in a post 9/11 world.

MARK KRIKORIAN, CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES: For a lottery applicant, he has no ties in the United States. There's nothing that you can verify in our country. Everything that requires verification comes from the country that the person lives in. And the opportunities for fraud there are almost unlimited.

SCHIAVONE: In 2004, the State Department Office of Inspector General testified that the Diversity Visa Lottery - quote -- "contains significant vulnerabilities to national security as hostile intelligence officers, criminals and terrorists attempt to use it to enter the United States as permanent residents."

Additionally, critics say aspiring immigrants who have played by the rules, meeting family or work requirements, should not have to wait in line behind lottery winners from terror states.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHIAVONE: Lou, efforts to scrap the Diversity Visa Lottery started late last year, and Congress basically ran out of time to act on it. Backers of the effort believe they've started early enough in this Congress to see some results.

Lou.

DOBBS: Louise, thank you very much.

Coming up next here, billions of dollars in damage, thousands of lives could be lost. An alarming warning should a powerful earthquake hit southern California. The potential for disaster centers on Los Angeles.

And later I'll be joined by author Kitty Kelley. She is back with an updated version of her best-selling book "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty." She'll be here to tell us why she says the Bush family is threatened and frightened by her book.

And columnist Ann Coulter joins me later. She will likely annoy a few liberals.

Stay with us anyway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Stunning predictions today from government geologists and seismologists who say that a powerful earthquake on a recently discovered fault beneath the city of Los Angeles could kill 18,000 people and cause a quarter of a trillion dollars in damages.

Casey Wian has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It would make the 1994 Northridge earthquake seem like a speed bump. It could even dwarf the devastating quake that killed 5,000 in Kobe, Japan, a year later.

Two miles underneath Los Angeles lies the Puente Hills fault, discovered in 1999. Now, using new computer software, scientists have calculated the death and destruction it is likely to cause. They say the fault is capable of a magnitude 7.5 quake.

Here's how it would spread throughout the Los Angeles basin. The predicted result, between three and 18,000 deaths, $82 billion to $252 billion in direct economic losses, and 3,000 to 99,000 tons of debris.

NED FIELD, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: This is really one of the worst scenarios one could imagine for the United States. For the residents of L.A., we don't want people to panic, and we want to maintain perspective.

It turns out you are thousands of times more likely to die of a heart attack than from this earthquake. You are hundreds of times more likely to die in an auto accident than in this earthquake. In fact, your odds are about even for getting struck by lightning.

WIAN: Unlike the well known and easy to spot San Andreas fault, long thought to be California's main threat, quakes on so-called blind thrust faults such as Puente Hills are relatively rare, occurring every 2,000 or 3,000 years. But they're very violent and dangerous. The new study has government disaster officials rethinking their strategies.

JEFFREY LUSK, FEMA: We haven't had a bulls-eye earthquake event that has caught us in a major way unprepared. These kind of studies help tone enhance our awareness, enhance our planning. The truth is, if we have an earthquake of this magnitude in this area, you're talking about a long-term change probably to the economics of the southland.

WIAN: The good news is that according to a new California earthquake risk prediction map now posted on the Internet, the chance of it happening today or tomorrow is minimal. Beyond that, no one knows.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Of course, there's nothing that can be done to minimize the size of an earthquake, but disaster management officials say minimizing the damage from a major quake is a matter of personal responsibility. And they are urging every California resident and building owner to become better prepared.

Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, one can't help but think, what do you do as a result of this information? An earthquake is amongst the most powerful of nature's forces. There's very little anyone can do living in southern California, isn't there?

WIAN: Well, disaster management officials say there's actually a lot that can be done that hasn't been done. For example, many buildings -- you look at the one behind me here. That was damaged in the '94 Northridge earthquake. Those buildings that were built before tougher standards were put in place in 1975 can still be retrofitted.

And a lot of residents of southern California still haven't done simple things like strapping down their big screen TVs and things like that. So there's a lot can be done to minimize the damage.

Lou.

DOBBS: Casey, thank you very much. A troubling projection at best. Casey Wian from southern California.

Coming up next, best-selling author Kitty Kelley tells us why she says the White House seems threatened by her best-selling book about the Bush family.

Later, conservative columnist Ann Coulter will be here. She speaks out on the filibuster fight, the "Newsweek" debacle, and a great deal more.

And the NAFTA effect, how this so-called free trade agreement created a boom in one Canadian city and devastated an American city. We'll have a special report tonight, a tale of two cities.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Kitty Kelley's book, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," just released in paperback. In this latest edition, Kelley adds a new chapter on the presidential campaign, the election, and the aftermath, if you will, of her authorship. She adds a new afterward in which she details examples of what she sees as White House control of the mainstream media.

Kitty Kelley, I can't imagine there being any influence emanating from the White House that would affect the mainstream media.

Good to have you here.

KITTY KELLEY, AUTHOR: Thank you, Lou. Yes, I think the mainstream media has poodles and terriers. And the poodles are the ones who are guarding the White House and their access to the White House.

DOBBS: Right. Well, I think a lot of people would agree with you. Putting us in the context as journalists as dogs, irrespective of the breed, we do a little yapping, but often not -- not very effective with our bite.

KELLEY: Well, you know, I really do divide the mainstream media up into poodles and terriers. And as you might suspect, I'm a little more partial to the terriers because they're independent, they're not dependent, and they don't want to be dependent on access, and they're working continually.

Poodles, on the other hand, they -- I mean, I do name names in the afterwards, you're quite right. I do.

DOBBS: You -- well, one of the -- one of the results of your authorship, you say you were fired from, if I can put it directly, from the "Washingtonian," taken off the masthead.

KELLEY: That's right. After 30 years, Lou. This was a big surprise to me that it would happen in Washington, D.C. I've lived there many, many years. I've always said that the city is so diverse that it can absorb Republicans, Democrats, gays, straights, blacks, whites. It's a wonderful city to live in.

So I never thought that I would be subjected to what I was subjected to and that was getting yanked off the masthead of the "Washingtonian" because it's owned by a Bush appointee.

DOBBS: What did they say to you? You lay it out in the book, but what did -- what were you told?

KELLEY: Well, I was surprised. I didn't see my name on the masthead after 30 years. So, I asked the editor. And he e-mailed me and said we don't approve of your writing about the White House and the president and his family. I said, e-mail back and said, did you read the book? And he said no. I didn't read the book.

DOBBS: But you did write it so...

KELLEY: I mean, that's astounding to me.

And the other thing that happened was I was yanked from the benefit performance of Arena Stage, which is a performance, you know, that people get up on stage and make fools of themselves to raise money for public schools, arts and school programs. The eBay lobbyist said that no Republican would be on stage with Kitty Kelley. So... DOBBS: Out you went.

KELLEY: You know what, I told you before months ago I come from a Republican family. Well they still accept me.

DOBBS: Well -- that's why they make families. Nobody has a choice about who is a member, right?

KELLEY: That's right. You are right.

DOBBS: The fact is that this book now in paperback, a best selling book that some thought would be within a group of other books having -- would be influential on the outcome of the election last November. You poo-pooed that from the outset.

At the same time, you talk about the situation with the Bush family -- the power which they have exerted over the course of two decades. What do you think will be the legacy of this president and the Bush family dominating politics, presidential politics for two decades?

KELLEY: I think that the legacy of this president and his family will be far greater than any other president of our lifetime.

DOBBS: Why so?

KELLEY: Absolutely.

I think, first of all, that the reelection of George Bush kind of broke the Bush curse and it elevated his father and it elevated his father's presidency. And this president who won fair and square this time around, fair and square, takes it as an endorsement I think of his policies. And I think his policies will influence us more than Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, perhaps FDR because he's -- he set about influencing every area of our life from the environment to the military to judges, absolutely everything. For better or for worse depending on where you sit.

DOBBS: Where you sit for better or worse.

KELLEY: For better or worse.

I voted for the guy who graduated from Yale.

DOBBS: I will accept that as your full and frank disclosure of your vote, 2004. The book is "The Family." The author is Kitty Kelley who elevates the Bush dynasty through her authorship. We thank you for being here, Kitty.

KELLEY: Thank you, Lou, very much.

DOBBS: That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. Do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Yes or No? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results for you coming up for you later in the broadcast. Tonight's quote of the day comes from Christopher Shays who stands against President Bush on the issue of stem cell research -- embryonic stem cell research. He was one of 50 Republicans who yesterday broke with their party to approve embryonic stem cell research. Congressman Shays said -- quote -- "I think it's time we recognize the dark ages are over. Galileo and Copernicus have been proven right. The world is in fact round, the Earth does revolve around the sun. I believe God gave us intellect to differentiate between imprisoning dogma and sound, ethical science, which is what we must do here today."

Congress is also considering CAFTA, the latest so-called free trade agreement. The last major free trade agreement, NAFTA, had a devastating impact on the American manufacturing industry, wiping out hundreds of thousands of jobs for working men and women in this country.

Tonight, we look at two cities that experienced drastically different results in the decade since NAFTA was signed.

Buffalo, New York, has seen its economy all but devastated, while Toronto, Canada, has seen a boom.

Bill Tucker reports first from Toronto.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buffalo, New York, can be hard on the eye even in the springtime. It's a city with a shrinking economy and dying manufacturing base. A city where more than a quarter of the population lives in poverty, its budget strained and its citizens forced to cope with severe cuts in services. But there is some fight left in Buffalo.

MARK GOLDMAN, AUTHOR, "HIGH HOPES": You have people here who really care about this community. And that's the sad thing. You've got a citizen based that is absolute dedicated to this community. And they are not being given the tools or the hope to build on their energy.

TUCKER: The Buffalo Color Corporation, the last maker of synthetic indigo dye in the country, refuses to surrender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the operators would operate from here.

TUCKER: BCC has been decimated by free trade, by Chinese companies selling their product at less than the cost of its raw materials. BCC's payroll has fallen from $12 million eight years ago to a little more than $100,000 now. And the company is struggling to avoid liquidation.

LARRY KAMINIKSY, PRES. BUFFALO COLOR CORP: It's not only for myself, it's for all the people that have worked here and that are still here. This is beyond frustration right now. And it's amazing to see this type of inaction going on in this day and age.

TUCKER: Today, only six employees, including its president, remain.

One hundred miles to the north, the contrast couldn't be more striking. The Toronto economy grew at a rate of 4.6 percent last year. Trade is the major driver, defined by NAFTA and the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

GLEN GRUNWALD, CEO, TORONTO BOARD OF TRADE: It's critical. I think it's been a huge success if you look at the cross-border traffic. You know, they are our biggest trading partner, and it's the same with the United States and Canada.

TUCKER: A weak Canadian dollar and publicly provided healthcare also created cost advantages for Canadian companies.

(on camera): While officials in Toronto like to boast of the diverse nature of their economy, manufacturing remains important. The sector grew at nearly 8 percent last year and accounted for almost 20 percent of the area's jobs.

(voice-over): Ford just invested $1 billion in its plant outside Toronto. Daimler-Chrysler recently added 900 jobs. Apotex Pharmaceuticals added 1500.

Smaller manufacturers like this maker of fine, handmade furniture are also enjoying success.

MAURICE COULTER, PRES. HARVEST HOUSE FURNITURE: We do have the North American Free Trade, NAFTA, between our two countries. And that's been quite significant to Canadian manufacturers in various sectors.

TUCKER: As for Buffalo, in the past 15 years it's lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs.

Bill Tucker, CNN, Toronto, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Marines on the offensive in Iraq tonight. The Marines are sweeping through the al Anbar province.

General David Grange will be here next to assess the prospects for decisive military action. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

U.S. Marines tonight are sweeping through al Anbar province seeking out insurgents and terrorist. About a thousand Marines and Iraqi troops, as well, are in the city of Haditha. And Haditha is strategically situated on a major highway between western Iraq and major cities including Baghdad and Mosul.

Their offensive - a response to insurgent attacks that have escalated over recent weeks. Sixty-one of our troops have been killed in Iraq this month, May the deadliest month since January. Joining me now is General David Grange. General, earlier this month we launched Operation Matador in response to a rising insurgency and rising number of attacks. Now it's Operation New Market.

Are we on the defensive? Are we now in a reactionary posture?

BRIG. GENERAL DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think it's reactionary, Lou. I think that the big operations are what is highlighted in the news, there's a lot of small operations going on. Most American forces are in an offensive posture. Most of the Iraqi forces are in a security and a defensive type posture, except for the best-trained units which are also on the offense. But these operations you see is required, obviously, to keep the pressure, keep the heat on the insurgents.

DOBBS: Keeping the heat on the insurgents while over the course of this month, 61 American troops have been killed. The price is high and it is not declining. It is in fact rising. We were led to believe at various points that with a new government in place, with the onset of more training and the movement of Iraqi troops to the forefront that we'd see those American casualties decline. The reverse has occurred.

Why?

GRANGE: First of all I think it's inappropriate to ever give a redeployment timeline. It is a mistake to say well we have 138,000 -- whatever the number is at that time months ago -- troops in Iraq and we can expect now after the elections we're going to be sending a bunch back. You have expectations that you can't meet because you cannot determine the outcome of combat while it's occurring. It's almost impossible.

The tide will turn. These attacks are not soldiers fighting soldiers. These attacks are, as you know, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. So, other tactics have to be used to take them down.

DOBBS: What do we need to do, General Grange, to move quickly, decisively, effectively, to gain control of Iraq and bring real stability to the country?

GRANGE: Well, regrettably nothing is going to happen fast. There will be no fast turnaround in Iraq. What's going on now has to continue -- train the Iraqi military and police forces. U.S. forces outside of the urban areas, continue in the offensive pressure on insurgents where they can find them.

But the big killer, the big killer of friendly forces is these IEDs and suicide bombers. You have to go after the source. You can find these people out. You can't defend the entire country. The sources are coming out of Syria and Saudi Arabia. And so the pressure has to be put on the border, the periphery, the governments around Iraq in order to try to curb this -- this surge of suicide bombers.

DOBBS: General David Grange, thanks for being here. A reminder now to vote in "Tonight's Poll." The question, do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll have the results coming up in just few minutes.

Coming up in more than just a few minutes -- at the top of the hour, in fact -- here on CNN, ANDERSON COOPER 360. Anderson, tell us all about it.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Lou, thanks very much.

Yes. At about 15 minutes from now, innocent or guilty? The defense rests in the Michael Jackson trial. Did they poke enough holes in the case to raise reasonable doubt? We'll take a closer look at that.

Plus Viagra for sex offenders, Lou, I know you've been covering this story. Medicaid paying for it in some states. It is drawing outrage. But are politicians jumping the gun with plans to stop it? Some doctors say yes. We'll talk to them.

Also tonight brain surgery on the battlefield. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reunited with a dying soldier he saved with an everyday drill. An amazing story up ahead on 360.

Lou.

DOBBS: Thank you very much, Anderson.

Still ahead here, conservative columnist Ann Coulter. She joins me to talk about the Senate filibuster debate, the president's nomination and her idea of a perfect liberal bumper sticker. You don't want to miss it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Author, columnist Ann Coulter is our guest here tonight. She's always outspoken and provocative. I doubt -- I doubt tonight will be an exception. She's here to give us her perspective on the judicial fight first. Also I want to talk to her about her idea for a new bumper sticker for liberals. Ann Coulter joins us tonight from Los Angeles.

Ann, good to have you here.

ANN COULTER, COLUMNIST: Thank you. Good to be here.

DOBBS: Let me start with Priscilla Owen, Texas Supreme Court justice now confirmed after a four-year battle to be on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit. What's your reaction?

COULTER: Well, I'm very happy she has been confirmed. I notice that in all the stories about it today the principal objection to Priscilla Owen has been dropped. I mean, it was one of her opinions in an abortion case. We know that's what all the judicial nomination battles are about, they're about abortion. And suddenly that's just flown out of the stories.

DOBBS: Yes. Remarkable that four years ago that she was styled as we referred to it here as an extraordinary extremist. Now we have a filibuster compromise. Tell us the truth, Ann.

Would you prefer we have seen the confrontation, the unfortunately termed nuclear option exercised by the Republicans?

COULTER: Yes. I definitely do. And I don't think the Republican alternative phraseology, the constitutional option, is much better. How about call it majority vote? I mean, that's what we have here, at least on paper.

Republicans control the Senate. They've got the White House. So, it seems to me the president's choices for judicial nominees ought to be getting through a Senate that his party controls. It's a very strange rule that when Republicans are in the majority, we need, you know, unanimity before a judge can get through.

DOBBS: Well, my favorite word is the comity of the Senate. That is, the Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is referring to the president of the United States as a -- quote -- "loser." It's nice to see that kind of civility res -- preserved by such a compromise by 14 of the Senate's leaders.

COULTER: Right, that's right.

DOBBS: Republican renegades and -- and older -- older senators, the combination there that seemed to work.

COULTER: You know, maybe I could run for office after all. I always thought the congressional collegiality rules might deter me.

DOBBS: Well, I don't -- I -- you know, I think you might fit right in. I know there are a few liberals that might want to argue that. But let's turn to a couple of the other issues here that this White House is having a little trouble with, and you as an outspoken and articulate conservative -- we have a huge budget deficit, a huge trade deficit, we -- these are not exactly an adherence to the basic precepts of conservativism.

How do you reconcile -- and of course, the Social Security that is -- well, it just sounds like -- it's hit like a brick on a drum...

COULTER: Right.

DOBBS: How do you reconcile this with your philosophy and your partisanship?

COULTER: Well, I'm all for the president's proposal that we reform Social Security. In fact I'm astonished by his courage on the issue, that Social Security is always been called the third rail of politics. Even Ronald Reagan wouldn't touch it. But as everyone knows, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

And so I'm stunned and in awe of the president for trying to tackle it, whatever comes out of it. He's put the issue in play. And all the other side has to say is well, yes, the crisis is coming but don't rush to fix it, which I don't think is a very good platform.

And as for, you know, the budgets and trade deficits, that's a little out of my expertise. But no, I'm not happy about a lot of spending from a Republican Congress and a Republican president. And I think -- I think Republicans ought to notice that they are going to be held accountable and this collegiality with Democrats, and, oh, we're trying to be friendly, so we'll make the compromises here. Well, OK. But they're going to be the ones held responsible for it, because it is a majority Republican Congress and Republican president.

DOBBS: And this Republican Congress and this Republican president, basically pushing for open borders, in utter disregard of existing law on immigration and border security. Again, just countervailing to every conservative precept I could imagine, beginning first with adhering to the greatest fidelity of a vow to our national security.

How do you deal with that issue?

COULTER: I'm baffled by that one. It also adheres to, not just a conservative principal, but a political principal of responding to overwhelming support for an issue. I mean, I've never seen a political issue that is so one-sided among the public and that politicians are simply ignoring. It's one of those questions like, how high is up? Why Republicans are not dealing with this?

DOBBS: You know, while much has been made of the fact the president's polls, approval polls, are at just one percentage point away from the lowest of his presidency, Congress's approval ratings are also at the lowest juncture -- lowest level they've been. And the fact is we see both -- a number of the issues, and I'm not speaking here on a partisan basis but purely in the relationship of the public, American people, the people who put these folks in office, there is a huge disconnect between a Republican-controlled Congress -- both Democrats and Republicans obviously not held in good favor by the voting public -- and the president.

What in the world is going on in your judgment?

COULTER: Well, I don't put too much stock in those polls. And in general, I think it's healthy for the public to have a good amount of contempt for political figures. But on the particular issue of illegal immigration, of securing the borders, this is a traditional conservative issue, to defend the nation, to protect what it is that makes us a country.

And I mean if -- I'm not sure what basis we should be choosing, to choose new citizens of the United States, but one basis I think we should not be using is, you're willing to break the law to come here. I don't think that should be the first thing do you in the country.

And you know, I can't expect any more of Democrats, but I don't understand why Republicans haven't been more forceful. I suppose the president has been a little distracted by the war. I think we could be doing a lot more.

DOBBS: Ann Coulter, good to have you here, and...

COULTER: Good to be here.

DOBBS: And we end in complete agreement. Thank you very much.

COULTER: Thank you. You didn't get to my bumper sticker.

DOBBS: Oh, I didn't. You know what, let's come back and we'll talk about that next time. The bumper sticker is, as I recall, you said, a liberal idea -- bumper sticker idea for liberals. "News magazines don't kill people, Muslims do," referring of course to the "Newsweek" column.

I have to tell you, I think that works for conservatives as well. But I want to tell you it was a brilliant column and I enjoyed it greatly.

COULTER: Thank you.

DOBBS: Thanks for being here. Come back soon.

COULTER: Thank you. I'd love to.

DOBBS: Still ahead, the results of our poll tonight, a preview of what is ahead tomorrow. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight -- the question, do you think the Bush White House is trying to control the media? Unimaginable -- 94 percent of you said yes, 6 percent said unimaginably no.

Taking look now at some of your thoughts.

James Lenon of Palmetto, Florida: "The Senate or a part of it appears to have begun to understand that the public at-large is opposed to a major party dancing to the tune called by theocrats. Now, if they will also hear the public's calls for action on immigration, the economy, and healthcare, we may find ourselves with a functional Congress once more."

And Cathy E. in North Port, Florida: "If the FBI wants to protect Americans from terrorists, why don't they try doing something to close the borders instead of taking away more and more of our liberties. It's a shame that our troops are dying on foreign soil in vain while this country maintains an open door policy to anybody who wants to enter."

Send us your thoughts at LouDobbs.com. Each e-mail read on the broadcast, the author receives a copy of my book, "Exporting America." Sign up for our newsletter at LouDobbs.com.

Thanks for being with us tonight. Please join us here tomorrow. Among our guests, David Phillips. He's a former senior advisor to the U.S. State Department. He now says the real fight for power in Iraq will be over a new constitution.

And is Canada using illegal methods to lure Hollywood productions out of this country? Well, we'll have a special report.

For all of us here, goodnight from New York. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" starts right now.

Anderson?

END

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