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Political States Higher For President Bush As Senators Hold Hearing About Ports Deal; New CBS News Poll Shows Bush's Approval Rating Lower; South Dakota Governor Understands Implications Of Signing Abortion Ban; Carl Levin Interview

Aired February 28, 2006 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Ali.
And to our viewers, you're now in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.

Happening now, the port security slug fest. Members of Congress keep contesting the Dubai deal while the president, again, comes out to strongly defend it. It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington. We are tracking the latest risk assessments, and political skirmishes.

Also this hour, the president sinks to a new low in a brand new poll. We'll tell you what's driving Mr. Bush's approval rating way down and why this is such a yikes moment for Republicans.

And suspense in South Dakota -- will the governor go ahead and sign a sweeping abortion ban? It's 3:00 p.m. in the South Dakota capital. We're live at the possible launch pad for a direct attack on Row versus Wade.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

This hour, a first in the storm over the port security. Right now, corporate officials involved in the controversial deal are telling their side of the story to senators. It's more ammunition for a political battle that keeps building, despite White House efforts to try to tamp it down.

New poll numbers suggest the battle is taking a very heavy toll on the president. Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, is standing by. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is standing by as well.

Let's go to Capitol Hill, though, first -- our Congressional correspondent Ed Henry with the latest -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the political stakes getting higher and higher for President Bush with powerful Republicans like Senator Susan Collins firing away at this deal saying she believes the process was flawed, that there was, in her words, "a rush to judgment by the administration to push this port deal through."

So today, we really saw the administration's push-back heating up here on the Hill. Right now the Senate Commerce Committee hearing testimony from Edward Bilkey from DP World, the company involved. Other company officials, Bush officials, on the Hill, pushing back, trying to convince Congress this deal is sound.

Also, following testimony earlier today by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, as well as the director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, both saying that despite questions raised yesterday about the Coast Guard raising some red flags back in December, they think the security issues here are sound, that there is no problem with this port deal.

This defense strategy seems to be working with some powerful Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who had been an early critic, today saying he's getting more and more comfortable with this deal.

Other Republicans, though, like Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, also Trent Lott of Mississippi, coming out today, saying that they are not buying this deal, they have deep concerns about it, joining Susan Collins and other Republicans in raising those objections. And Democrats are still pounding away. Take a listen to Senator Harry Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: The American people will not accept the United Arab Emirates, a country which was the first -- I'm sorry -- the third company -- only one of three companies to recognize the Taliban, a country which boycotts anything dealing with Israel.

We are not going to agree to that, and the president can say he approves it any way he wants. There will be a vote in the Senate on this. He will not get by, by trying to jam this down our throats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, Reed and other Democrats insisting there's momentum behind a bipartisan bill, lead by Democrat Chuck Schumer, that would insist Congress would get a final say on this, that it would not be decided by the president. Of course, the president issuing a veto threat for any legislation -- that or anything else -- back last week.

Today also Senator Schumer alleging he has anonymous sources telling him that there were concerns also raised, not just by the Coast Guard, but by the Customs and Border Protection Services, that they raised objections that were ignored by the Department of Homeland Security, ignored by the administration, in that rush to judgment that Senator Collins talked about.

But I can tell you he did not produce any documents, he did not name anyone, and in fact, a spokeswoman at that agency -- the Border and Custom Service -- telling CNN they have no memo. They know of no official raising these objections, so the jury's still out on that, Wolf. BLITZER: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill. We'll check back with you. We are watching this hearing unfold as well before the Commerce Committee. The White House is watching it very closely as well. President Bush once again says he still supports the port deal and he plans to put it under more intense scrutiny at the same time.

Our White House correspondent Dana Bash has more -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, indeed the president spoke about the port deal today, but here's what he said. He said, quote, "my position hasn't changed," that despite the fact that this new review hasn't even started, yet.

Now, to the vocal concern that is still out there, as Ed Henry was just reporting, from Republicans about the way this deal went down and about the process, here's what Mr. Bush had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me make something clear to the American people. If there was any doubt in my mind or people in my administration's mind that our ports would be less secure and the American people in danger, this deal wouldn't go forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, in the Oval Office, the president was essentially saying similar things to what he said last week, that he thinks that the big problem here is a communication problem, that it is simply that members of Congress don't know the facts. And he, in fact, said that Congress needs to look at those things.

But did make clear -- pretty clear -- Wolf, that his opinion, which is crucial very here, because in the end it is now -- he's the one who is going to decide. He will have to give final approval to this deal. He made clear that his opinion hasn't changed and probably won't. He said, quote, "I look forward to a good, consistent review" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Dana, thank you very much. Dana Bash at the White House with the latest from there. Former President Bill Clinton also weighing in today on the Dubai port deal. He says the approval process for the deal was, in his words, "too secretive and too low- level."

Clinton sees a bigger problems as well. He says -- and I'm quoting now -- "Everybody in American knows we don't do enough on port security."

And remember, stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. More on this story coming up.

It's been pretty clear now for days that the port security firestorm hasn't been helping the president of the United States. Now we have some new evidence that it may be hurting him big time. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has been looking into this part of the story. He's joining us live -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, the wheels may be coming off. That's the dire message to the Bush administration from a new CBS News poll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Thirty-four percent. Yikes! That's President Bush's latest job approval rating in the CBS News poll, the lowest rating ever for this president. A rating like that signifies serious political trouble.

Lyndon Johnson was at 36 percent in March 1968 when he decided not to run for another term. Some presidents have dipped below 30 -- Richard Nixon before he resigned in 1974, Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bush's father in 1992. They both lost their bids for reelection.

This President Bush can't run for another term, so what's he got to worry about? Consider this. Bill Clinton was at 37 percent in 1993. His party lost control of Congress at the next midterm.

The CBS News poll shows serious deterioration in President Bush's ratings on Iraq, energy and the economy. What about Republicans' ace in the hole issue, terrorism? That rating has turned negative as well.

Could have something to do with public concern about the deal to let a company owned by an Arab government operate U.S. ports. Seventy percent of Americans oppose that deal, including nearly 60 percent of Republicans. Like we were saying, yikes!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: President Bush could console himself with the finding that Congress' approval rating, at 28 percent, is even lower than his, but Congress is controlled by Republicans, not much consolation there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bill, stand by. I want to come back to you in a moment. That's because we are seeing some strong reactions to this new Bush poll online. Let's bring in our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner to pick up this part of the story -- Jacki.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: I want to show you a link through Talking Points Memo by Josh Marshall, is the Roper Center from the University of Connecticut, and they have those comparative numbers that you can take a look at for yourself. For example, Bush now at 34. His father's low, as Bill mentioned, was down at 29 back in 1992.

The theme being pushed through conservative blogs today is that this poll is really skewed. You can see, first of all, that they've got a photograph next to it of Bush looking sad. They say this is all part of the skewing on the part of CBS and the media. They are also saying that it was not a representative sample, that there were more Democrats in the sample than Republicans. That's why these numbers are where they are.

But there is some discussion to the fact that this does not bode well for President Bush, the Bush administration, and the GOP in general, even if the poll is junk.

And there is also, of course, the Cheney factor, this from an independent blog, The Moderate Voice, saying that "if Bush is a weight for the GOP, Cheney is cement gloves, cement boots and a truck attached to those" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jacki, thanks very much. Let's bring back Bill Schneider. He's joining us. Bill, as you well know, whenever there are bad poll numbers for Democrats or Republicans, they will always come out and say the poll was not good, there was a disproportionate number of Democrats or Republicans.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard complaints like this. We're hearing it right now from Republicans who hate this CBS poll, but give us your thoughts.

SCHNEIDER: Well, there were an unusually high number of Democrats in the CBS News poll, but it's not unusual for party affiliations to fluctuate with events, particularly if voters are angry about something, as they clearly are about this ports deal. Sometimes those shifts are temporary.

We do know of at least one other national poll from the Cook Political Report that also shows serious political damage coming out of the ports controversy. We'll be doing our own poll and we'll be looking at others in the next few days to see if this finding holds up in comparison with other polls.

BLITZER: When do we expect our CNN poll to be released?

SCHNEIDER: Not certain of the date yet. We're just crafting the questions. But we will be going into the field shortly.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Bill Schneider, for that.

Let's go up to New York right now. Jack Cafferty, once again, joining us with "The Cafferty File."

Hi, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.

No secret Democrats and Republicans at times have difficulty agreeing on the issues. In fact, it's safe to say I would think right now that this country is more divided this moment than it's been in a very long time.

Last night on "LARRY KING LIVE" on this here network, comedian Jon Stewart talked about how far apart the two parties are, and he used last year's debate on Terri Schiavo as an example. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": I mean, that's the whole thing. In this country, we can't even get the two political parties to agree on what reality is. You know, the Democrats look at Terri Schiavo and they're like, eh, she's been dead for 20 years, take her water away. The Republicans are like, she's a couple of pilates classes away from, you know, joining the Rockettes. Like, nobody can agree what reality is.

I am so tired of both of these groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: Pretty funny stuff, actually.

He's not the only one who's sick and tired of the two parties. I would include myself in that group. Look at the latest approval ratings Bill Schneider was just talking about for Congress and the president. They are in the porcelain facility so far. Well, it's -- I mean, it's disgraceful. We have a Congress and a White House that the public can't stand in this country.

So here's the question. Is there another option for us besides Democrats and Republicans? E-mail us at caffertyfile@cnn.com, or you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile.

BLITZER: Are you hinting at a Ross Perot option? Is that what you're hinting at?

CAFFERTY: I'm hinting at anything besides the status quo. My belly is full of acid every time I look at the government in Washington, D.C. I've had it.

BLITZER: All right, Jack, thanks very much.

Coming up, fresh violence and bloodshed in Iraq. We're going to tell you what's happening right now in a nation living under the threat of civil war.

Also ahead, Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We're going to show you the festivities and tell you how local residents grade the Katrina response six months later.

And the abortion war is in South Dakota. We're live at the state capitol, on the brink of triggering a national legal showdown over Roe Versus Wade. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Zain Verjee joining us right now from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta with a closer look at other stories making news. Hi, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. New reports of bloodshed in Iraq are streaming into CNN. Renewed sectarian violence is sweeping across the country. Dozens of people were killed today. The interior ministry now says nearly 400 people have died since the bombing of a Shia shrine last week.

In the latest attack, just a short while ago, a car bomb killed at least 25 people in a Baghdad Shia neighborhood. Earlier in the day, a string of bombings killed at least 30 people in the capitol. More than 100 were wounded.

Outside Baghdad, at least four people, including two British soldiers, were killed. Now, this video that you're looking at is actually from Tikrit, where a bomb damaged a mosque that was named for Saddam Hussein's father. Wolf's going to have a lot more on the crisis in Iraq a little bit later this hour.

Meanwhile, a subdued Saddam Hussein was back in court today, facing charges that he ordered the massacre of more than 140 Shias back in 1992 in the town of Dujail. After filing a motion to delay the trial, the defense team walked out of the courtroom. Court- appointed lawyers then took over. We're going to have a full report also on today's proceedings in our next hour.

And a new twist in the odyssey of former centerfold and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith. The Supreme Court's now considering whether her lawsuit to gain a share of her late husband's billion dollar oil fortune. even blocked in federal court. It could provide a far-reaching precedent for probate cases. Smith and her lawyers presented their case for the justices today. Justice Stephen Breyer later remarked that Smith has, quote, "quite a story."

We want to take a look now at some live pictures coming to you from New Orleans, where beads are being flung from balconies and where the Fat Tuesday finale of Mardi Gras is in full swing. This is Bourbon Street, filled with partiers and revelers that have been drinking and partying since the early hours this morning. Lots of beads, lots of booze also. And many people dancing on the streets there to bid the blues good-bye.

Crowds, though, are much smaller this year, but the city's mayor says that the festival has actually become sort of a reunion for many of those people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. And to those who say that partying is inappropriate after such a disaster, the mayor says, quote, "it's part of our DNA." Wolf, it certainly looks like they're having fun, and it appears tradition is thicker than floodwater.

You can always head to CNN Pipeline for much more Mardi Gras coverage, and you can see all the action in New Orleans free all day today on Pipeline at CNN.com -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Zain. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana marked Mardi Gras by urging the federal government to stay committed to rebuilding the Gulf Coast. She was joined here in Washington by several other Senate Democrats,, including Hillary Clinton. They emphasized the need to make the levees of New Orleans stronger to withstand future hurricanes of Katrina's magnitude.

Six months after Katrina, take a look at the way people now living in New Orleans rate the response of top officials to the storm. In our just-released poll, Mayor Ray Nagin gets the highest approval rating of 54 percent, closely followed by the New Orleans Police. Thirty-three percent approve of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco's response to Katrina. That's 10 points higher than President Bush. FEMA's Katrina's response gets the lowest marks.

Another sign of support for Mayor Nagin. More than half of city residents polled say his reference to New Orleans as a quote, "chocolate city" was not offensive, but it could have been said better.

And a reminder of the racial and economic disparities highlighted by the storm. Fifty-three percent of blacks now living in New Orleans say they lost everything after the hurricane, compared to 19 percent of whites.

Let's head over to South Dakota now, a new battle ground in the culture wars. A bill banning most abortions in the state is sitting on the governor's desk right now, and abortion rights activists are in a state of emergency. They are anticipating an all-out legal attack on Roe v. Wade. Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is in South Dakota. She's joining us now with more -- Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a lot of people are surprised that South Dakota would be at the nexus of new hopes and fears about the future of abortion law. But those are people who don't live in this state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): The bill stops here, and the anti-abortion governor of South Dakota understands the implications of signing it.

GOV. MIKE ROUNDS (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: In doing so, we'll be the broadest direct attack on Roe versus Wade that we've seen to date.

CROWLEY: The measure bans abortions except when the mother's life is at risk. It passed South Dakota's legislature by wide margins, a clarion call from the heartland.

ROGER HUNT (R), SOUTH DAKOTA STATE HOUSE: My underlying premise is, those unborn children have no advocate. South Dakota has become their advocate.

CROWLEY: South Dakota is a "live-and-let-live" sort of place with wide-open spaces and spots of quiet as far as the ear can hear; not the sort of place that goes looking to stir up a national fuss. But that it has.

NANCY KEENAN, NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA: Been a bit of a wakeup call, and we are finding that people are very outraged.

CROWLEY: The troops for and against abortion rights are on high alert around the country. E-mails are pouring into the state capital.

J.P. DUNIPHAN (R) SOUTH DAKOTA SENATE: I just am concerned we are doing this in South Dakota, where they're talking about -- some are talking about a boycott of us in relationship to some of this.

CROWLEY: Though anti-abortion, Duniphan, the only female Republican in the South Dakota Senate, voted no on the ban because there are no exceptions for rape or incest. The state has a long history of anti-abortion legislation. It has not changed much over the years since Roe, but the Supreme Court has.

ROUNDS: It will be challenged and it will be struck down as unconstitutional at each and every appellate court level up to the point that the Supreme Court would be the only court left to consider hearing it. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: It should be noted that within the anti-abortion movement, there are many who feel this full frontal assault on Roe v. Wade may not be the way to go. They feel that, first of all there, are not enough votes on the Supreme Court to completely overturn Roe v. Wade. Their idea is to go at it piecemeal by adding more and more restrictions like parental consent -- Wolf.

BLITZER: As a result of that concern among those anti-abortion activists, is there any doubt which way the governor is going to wind up, whether or not to sign it?

CROWLEY: Let me tell you the governor's dilemma, as he explained it to me, and that is, he wants to make sure that this is a clear shot. In other words, that when this goes to court, as it certainly will, that it can't be decided on some legal technicality. So his hesitation is not even hesitation.

He is taking his time, he says, because he wants to take this to the lawyers and say, Is there anything in here from a legal technical standpoint that could be used as an excuse to throw out the law? He says, while he is one of the "let's go at this piece by piece" because he is anti-abortion, that he believes there are people in his state that want this sort of clear shot.

His concern now is really not about whether to sign it, because it would be a challenge to the Supreme Court, but whether it is a clear shot at that, or it would be turned down on a legal technicality. He wants to make sure that -- most here think he will sign it because they don't think those legal technicalities are written into the bill.

BLITZER: Candy's in the South Dakota capital. Thanks, Candy, very much. The White House suggests that President Bush does not support the South Dakota abortion ban because it does not include exceptions for rape and incest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president believes we ought to be working to build a culture of life in America. And we have taken practical, common-sense steps to help reduce the number of abortions in America. It is a strong record that is based on building a culture of life, and the president has made very clear he is pro-life with the three exceptions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The South Dakota bill does include the third exception supported by Mr. Bush -- that would be to save a woman's life.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling today on abortion deals a setback of sorts to abortion clinics. The justices ruled that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban anti-abortion demonstrations. The court did not buy arguments that those laws applied because protesters made threats of violence. The decision ends a 20-year-old lawsuit challenging tactics used by anti-abortion protesters to block women from entering clinics.

Up next, the ports controversy: did warnings go unheeded? And how can the White House get beyond this story, if it can at all? Two experts standing by, Donna Brazile and Dick Armey.

Plus, the president's polls: what can Mr. Bush do to try to improve his numbers? Find out in today's "Strategy Session."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Today in our "Strategy Session," President Bush defends the deal to give a Dubai-based company the right to operate six U.S. ports. Were there missed warnings, though, that this deal posed a security risk? Will there be any lasting damage between the White House and the Congress?

Joining us now are CNN political analyst and Democratic strategist, Donna Brazile, and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He's now chairman of FreedomWorks.org. Guys, thanks very much for joining us. We heard from the president once again today, weighing in on this deal. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: ... my message to the Congress. And I appreciate the fact that the companies concerned have asked the Congress for a review of all the security implications.

Now, let me make something clear to the American people: if there was any doubt in my mind or people in my administration's mind that our ports would be less secure and the American people in endangered, this deal wouldn't go forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: You heard an Italian translator -- he was in the Oval Office with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister. That's why there was a little Italian translation.

Is he in trouble, though, on this deal?

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Absolutely. Look, there's still a lot of bipartisan outcry. Newt Gingrich in Atlanta today came out against this deal. They would like to see this administration conduct a thorough -- not consistent, but a thorough aggressive review of this deal to ensure all of the security concerns that the Coast Guard raised has been addressed. That's what they want.

BLITZER: Where does Dick Armey stand on this deal?

DICK ARMEY, FMR HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: First of all, 90 percent of the noise you are hearing on this subject is this sort of uninformed political babble you get when somebody sees a hot issue. The fact is the original decision went through a well organized CFIUS review of the real professionals who use professional knowledge and criteria to clear this.

And I'd like to say one thing: you know, we have so much conflict with Arab states and people of Muslim descent in the radical Islam, that when we find people that are moderate, serious people that want to be good citizens in the world, we ought to encourage our working relationship with them. This could be a good thing in terms of our worldwide standing with the Muslim world if we handled seriously and intelligently as adults, which I think it had been until the politicians jumped in.

BLITZER: I want to just take a quick break because we're going to have some problems with your microphone. We're going to fix that microphone, we're also going to continue this conversation. We're also going to talk about the president's new poll numbers, which are not good. We'll be right back with our strategy session.

BLITZER: Welcome back. We're continuing our strategy session with Donna Brazile and Dick Armey. Frank Lautenberg, Democratic senator from New Jersey, says this about this port deal, the Dubai port deal: "Don't let them tell you that it's just a transfer of title. Baloney. We wouldn't transfer the title to the devil, and we're not going to transfer it to Dubai."

That's pretty harsh, pretty strong language given the United Arab Emirates' strong record, at least since 9/11, in cooperating with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. Air Force in the United Arab Emirates.

BRAZILE: Well, there's broad concern that we're outsourcing our national security. What Senator Lautenberg and Senator Menendez, they've introduced a bill that says that no foreign government should own or operate any of our ports. And that's where some of the Democrats will come down on this issue.

Look, the laws will stipulate that a 45-day review be held to scrutinize this type of deal, and Senator Lieberman said that we should have a fair process. And I believe that if it's fair process and an aggressive process, who knows at the end of the day what outcome may be had. BLITZER: Dick Armey, you used to be a good politician. You were the House majority leader. You know what's going on. Look at this CBS poll, Bush's job approval rating now only at 34 percent, 42 percent back in January. As far as Bush's handling of the war on terror, it's now down, 43 percent approve of the way he's handling it. It was way up, as we remember, in recent years.

And the job approval rating of the Republican majority in the U.S. Congress -- there's a Republican leadership in the House and Senate -- only 28 percent approve of the way Congress is doing its job. The American public seems to be pretty much fed up with the leadership.

ARMEY: Well, I think you can't get numbers that bad unless an awful lot of the people who are your natural supporters are disappointed. And you have to examine that point of view. And the fact of matter is, for example, Republicans are never going to get good approval ratings from Democrats, but they need to find out within our own camp, people who share our values, who have allegiance to our party, if they're disappointed, why are they?

I think we need to get tougher on spending. We need show our commitment to pro-growth tax cuts, rather than income redistributional tax cuts. Get back to deregulation and things like tort reform and getting tough with those thing that's are a burden on the working men and women in this country. And show some discretion on how we use their tax dollars. They can reclaim, I think, their standing.

BLITZER: What do the Democrats need to do, Donna, right now? Because as you know -- and you've basically acknowledged this over the years -- the Democrats have squandered a lot of opportunities to score political points in recent years. What do they need to do now?

BRAZILE: Well, first of all, Democrats ought to make sure we separate ourselves from what's taking place in Washington, D.C. This week, one of Jack Abramoff's colleagues will go before the federal judge. Democrats must become the party of change, must tell the American people that they will clean up the mess in Washington, D.C. and provide honest and good government.

If the Democrats are able to do that, and allay fears on national security, the Democrats can take back the House and the majority in the Senate. I know Mr. Armey wants to go back right now, but I think this is the year where Democrats can make some gains.

BLITZER: You want to go back to Congress?

ARMEY: Oh, no, no, no, no. I've served my years in Congress, and I appreciated the opportunity to do so. But the fact is, the Democrats do have some ground to stand on that they haven't had for a lot of years. Their problem is that if you look again at the approval ratings that the Republicans are suffering, people are saying, "You're acting too much like the Democrats."

So the Democrats have a tough time going and capturing the ground, saying, "Let us be me," when in fact, the Republicans are in trouble for acting like we're them (ph). Every Democrat that's ever run successfully for high office in America outside of the Northeast has run as a president.

I can remember when President Clinton and Vice President Gore sounded more like me than I did. And it works for them. But they can't really pull it off. I don't they -- on a broad basis, I don't think you can pull it off enough to win the House back.

BRAZILE: I don't think you will find many Democrats this year that want to run as a Republican.

BLITZER: Donna, Dick Armey, thanks very much.

On our political radar today, the former president and reformed overeater, that would be Bill Clinton, delivers a healthy message to the nation's governors. He's urging them to embrace a long-term effort to promote better eating and more exercise. He warns that if the unhealthy culture doesn't change, it will weaken the economy and threaten children's lives.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's a healthy guy we assume, is here in Washington for the governor's meeting. He's trying to get federal help for California's fragile levee system. Schwarzenegger met today with senators from his state yesterday.

The Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff promised the California governor he'd visit Sacramento to see the problem firsthand. Governor Schwarzenegger also took questions from reporters, including one who asked him to find a term he's coined, Arnold Republicans. Listen to this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: I'm starting to represent everybody, Democrats and Republicans. And so, that's what I've always said. I'm in the center. I think that's where the action is. It's just very difficult and challenging in California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: How vulnerable is the levee system in California, and could the city of Sacramento suffer a fate similar to that of New Orleans? Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner has been investigating online -- Jacki.

SCHECHNER: Wolf, the California Department of Water Resources has determined 24 critical areas around Sacramento River. You can see the critical areas are those red dots there. How vulnerable is Sacramento? Well, take a look at the threat level, a 1 in 100 chance in Sacramento. Compare that to New Orleans, a 1 in 200 chance before Hurricane Katrina.

People are particularly concerned about this area right here known as the pocket. You can see where the river snakes around it. This is a residential area in south Sacramento. Taking a closer look at the maps here, there are actually four crucial spots right in here between river marker 49 and river marker 50.

You can see what the area would be like if there were no levees at all. The pocket area would be underwater 10 to 15 feet. What does this mean for downtown areas? Well, you can see the proximity of the airport here to the river, Wolf. It won't be a good thing.

BLITZER: Jacki, thanks very much.

Coming up, President Bush heading to India at this hour. Our Zain Verjee will tell us what's on his agenda when we return.

Also, guess what the former spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan is doing right now? Right now, he's in the United States. He's going to college. This unprecedented case and the outrage in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check back with Zain at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta for a closer look at other stories making news -- Zain.

VERJEE: Wolf, the controversial Patriot Act seems almost certainly headed for renewal after senators voted just hours ago to end debate on the issue. But the bill's chief sponsor, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, says he plans legislation to protect privacy and limit government power. The Senate could vote to renew that Patriot Act as early as tomorrow.

Rain and snow are right now pummeling much of the west coast. In southern California, flood watches are in effect in many areas. And forecasters say some part of the region could receive as much as 10 inches of rain. The hillside that you're seeing in this footage in Los Angeles is said to still be sliding at this hour. It gave way earlier today, taking a large piece of an underground water mane along with it.

President Bush is on his way to India right now. It's about a 13-hour flight from Washington to New Delhi. Talks over a landmark and controversial deal to provide India with nuclear power technology are expected to take center stage during the president's four-day visit. Like its neighbor and the historic rival Pakistan, India has acquired and tested back in 1998 nuclear weapons. The deal is seen as a key to bolstering bilateral trade between the United States and India -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thanks very much.

Up next, renewed violence and civil war fears in Iraq. I'll speak live with a top Democrat, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, about the dangers there and the risk at home in the flap over port security. Ports and Iraq. Coming up with Senator Levin.

And former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith goes before the U.S. Supreme Court. We'll take a closer look at what she's fighting for and the bigger legal stakes for the nation. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: On Capitol Hill today, anxiety about port security remaining very high despite plans to reexamine that controversial Dubai port deal. Joining now, a leading Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Armed Services Committee as well, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan.

Senator, thanks very much for joining us.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: Good to be with you as always, Wolf.

BLITZER: Listen to what the intelligence boss, John Negroponte, testified about the port deal today before your panel. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: We assess that the threat to U.S. national security posed by DP World to be low. In other words, we didn't see any red flags come up during the course of our inquiry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do you buy that senator?

LEVIN: No, because it's obvious that there were concerns about national security. The Coast Guard had concerns. Their report came after the Negroponte conclusion. It's obvious there were concerns because there'd been assurances which had been provided to the administration by the company which directly explicitly say that these assurances are being provided in order to address security concerns.

And under our law, if there are security concerns, which there obviously are, that must undergo an investigation 45 days before the deal closes. Now, what's going on now is they're going to close the deal and then have the investigation come later. That's putting the cart before the horse.

BLITZER: Senator Schumer, your colleague from New York, says in addition to the Coast Guard red flags that were raised, he has information that Customs also was concerned. Although we're getting word from a spokesman from Customs saying they don't know what he's talking about. Do you know what he's talking about?

LEVIN: I have not heard that. So I don't -- it may be there, I just don't know.

BLITZER: What about the argument that the president makes, that if you kill this deal, it would send a horrible signal to friends in the Arab world. Listen to what the president said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: My question to the members of Congress as they review this matter is, one, please look at the facts. And, two, what kind of signal does it send throughout the world if it's OK for a British company to manage the ports, but not a company that has been cleared for security purposes from the Arab world?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Isn't this at a time when the U.S. is trying to improve its image in the Arab world? What do you say about that argument?

LEVIN: It doesn't make any difference who the country is that is going to own our port facilities. It's got to be reviewed with a 45- day investigation where there are security concerns. And there is a difference. And indeed, the Defense Intelligence Agency director, General Maples today, in front of us, said there is a difference between a government owning a facility and a private concern owning it.

And when a foreign government owns a facility, that raises the level, as he put it, of risk from low to low-to-moderate. And that testimony came in today in front of our committee. And it doesn't make any difference whether the foreign government is a Middle Eastern government, a far Eastern government, a western hemisphere government, or the British government. We should look at it where there are security concerns.

BLITZER: The situation in Iraq remains tenuous at best right now. Right now, the U.S. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that he was really worried a few days ago that they were looking at a potential civil war, although things have improved, he said, yesterday. Listen to the assessment of the civil war offered by John Negroponte before your committee earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEGROPONTE: If chaos were to descend upon Iraq, or the forces of democracy were to be defeated in that country, then I think clearly this would have implications for the rest of the Middle East region, and indeed the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The argument that supporters of the administration strategy in Iraq is, the only thing standing in the way of a civil war, really, is 130,000-plus U.S. troops right now. What do you make of that argument?

LEVIN: The only thing standing between the Iraqis and a civil war is the failure of their political leadership to agree on a national government, a national government of unity. They have not done that. They have not lived up to the deadline, which was last Saturday, for the assembly to meet.

It's critically important that the administration tell the Iraqis that we're not there without limit. We're not there in an open-ended commitment. We're not there without conditions. And the conditions of our continuing presence there is that the Iraqis put their political house in order, that they agree upon a national government of unity.

And that is the only way. Our military leaders keep saying that we cannot win this thing militarily. It's got to be put together politically in Iraq. And again, General Maples was very clear on this today in front of our Armed Services Committee, that unless the Sunni Arabs feel invested in this government, unless they work out a compromise so that the Sunni Arabs are on board with the Shia and with the Kurds, that this violence is going to continue the insurgency is going to continue.

We've got to tell the Iraqi leaders something. The administration so far has not said. All the administration says is, "We're going to stay the course." All the administration says is, "We'll be there as long as you need us." That is the wrong message.

We cannot stay there and solve their problems for them if they refuse to take those political challenges, solve them, make the compromises that are necessary to come up with a national government that includes all three factions.

BLITZER: We're almost out of time, Senator. You were impressed by General Maples. What about the performance, the assessment offered by John Negroponte? Do you think he has a good handle on the situation in Iraq?

LEVIN: I think he probably has one, but what he publicly states is too rosy a scenario. It's too glowing, and it's not reflective of what the reality is, or what our uniformed military people tell us, which is a little significantly gloomier than what Negroponte talks about in public.

BLITZER: Senator Levin, thanks for joining us.

LEVIN: Good being with you Wolf.

BLITZER: And we're going to get a different perspective, a Republican perspective on the ports controversy and the conflict in Iraq in the next hour. The Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, he'll be joining us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Up next, is there another political option besides Democrats or Republicans? That's our question this hour. Jack Cafferty is going through your email.

Plus, religious violence in Iraq. Sunnis battling Shiites. So can the country be governed with its current border? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Jack is in New York with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf. Last night on "Larry King Live," comedian Jon Stewart talked about how far apart the two political parties are. He said Democrats and Republicans can't even agree on what reality is. So we ask this hour, is there another option for us beleaguered taxpayers-slash-voters besides Democrats and Republicans?

Tina in Texas writes, "Term limits. Two terms, then pack your bags and get the hell out of Dodge." Tina's on to something. Term limits and campaign finance reform would probably go a long way towards solving a lot of these problems.

George in Pleasant Hill, California: "You're asking the wrong question, Jack. We don't have a choice anymore between Republicans and Democrats. Our only choice is between neo-con nutbags and invertebrates."

Jeanette (ph): "Mr. Cafferty, tired of the powers that be? Do what the intelligent Texans are going to do, vote for someone else. Kinky Friedman's the choice to beat Governor Perry, and I think he can do it." I hope he does. I like Kinky.

Stan in St. Joseph, Illinois: "I wish there were another option. But sadly, no. There is no other choice than Republican or Democrat. They have the system rigged, from the top all the way to the local precinct. An independent or third part can barely, if at all, get on the ballot legally."

Michael in Silver Spring, Maryland: "Maybe we should try and bring in the United Arab Emirates to take over all the leadership positions in Washington."

And Jeremy writes, "Another option? Sure. You and Jon Stewart. Hell, I'd vote for that."

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Could be a good ticket. Thanks, Jack, very much. Jack Cafferty will be back shortly.

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