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Your World Today

President Bush Arrives in Pakistan Amid Protests, Strike; Hamas Leaders on Controversial Visit to Moscow; 'Paradise Now' Director Expects Academy Snub

Aired March 03, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: What a welcome. The U.S. president touches down in Pakistan, where he's already touched off a storm of criticism.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Nearly normal. A school proves an oasis of calm for Iraqi children traumatized by war.

VERJEE: And "Paradise Now" is hell for grieving Israeli parents who are protesting the film's Academy Award nomination.

CLANCY: It's 9:00 in the morning in Hollywood, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. A warm welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States. This is CNN International and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

U.S. President George W. Bush was greeted with smiles and handshakes as he arrived in the capital of Pakistan, but the official welcome quite different from the feeling on the streets. Mr. Bush flew into Islamabad amid huge protests and a nationwide strike.

Our Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy is in Islamabad, and he joins us now with an update.

Mike, tell us about the protests.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Zain.

Well, most of Pakistan was shut down by a general strike today called officially to protest those controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, which has sparked a lot of demonstrations and violence, but also targeting President Bush. There were some scenes of violence in Karachi. Police forced to fire tear gas at about 1,200 or 1,500 people who tried to march on the American Consulate. Some scuffling in other cities, as well.

Here in Islamabad, an enormous security operation under way. Parts of the city sealed off. Troops and police on the streets. Pakistani authorities taking no chances with President Bush's safety, especially in light of that bombing attack on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi on Thursday -- Zain. VERJEE: What are some of the issues that the U.S. president is going to address on this trip? Pakistan is a key strategic ally for the United States in its war on terror.

CHINOY: Pakistan is an important ally, but it's a very complicated relationship. And there are some areas of clear differences and some real question marks.

The war on terror will top the agenda. President Musharraf has been a very important ally of the United States, but there's a lot of frustration in Washington since he hasn't been doing as much as he might to try and go after al Qaeda and Taliban remnants and their allies, especially operating in the rugged border areas along the frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For his part, President Musharraf says Pakistan's got almost 80,000 troops there, but those areas have been used as staging grounds for attacks on American troops and on American allies in Afghanistan. Mr. Bush likely to press President Musharraf to do more.

Also, the Pakistanis are not happy with the nuclear deal the president signed when he was in India. Pakistan wondering why its nuclear program shouldn't get the same kind of legitimatization from Washington. So that's a bone of contention.

And then there's the tricky issue of democracy. It's at the forefront of Mr. Bush's international agenda, but here in Pakistan he's going to be meeting a leader who is an unelected military strongman who took power in a military coup. So that's a tricky balancing line for Mr. Bush to walk -- Zain.

VERJEE: There's so much antagonism on the streets toward the United States for the reasons that you pointed out, Mike, but the United States also played a major role in aid efforts after the massive earthquake in Pakistan last October.

Is there an acknowledgement of that by the Pakistani people?

CHINOY: Certainly there's some acknowledgement, and it has to be said that the vast majority of Pakistanis do not share the views of the radical Islamists. That is clearly a minority here, even though the Taliban and al Qaeda do have their supporters. That's not views that are held by most Pakistanis.

But the general unease that you see throughout the Islamic world, the dismay towards the United States, the antagonism towards Mr. Bush because of the American involvement in Iraq, because of the perception the United States is siding with Israel at the expense of the Palestinians, those kinds of issues resonate strongly among ordinary Pakistanis. And so there is this undercurrent of anti-Americanism.

So this is a very important trip for Mr. Bush in the sense this is a major Islamic country and the one whose government is particularly supportive of his efforts on terrorism. So to get the right tone to support Mr. Musharraf would also send a signal that might help defuse some of those criticisms in the Muslim world is a real challenge for Mr. Bush.

VERJEE: CNN Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy reporting to us from Islamabad.

Thanks, Mike -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, as those protests continue, Pakistan, of course, continuing all of its security sweeps. India, on the other hand, sweeping up. That's after the president's three-day visit there.

Mr. Bush ended his trip to the world's biggest democracy by stressing the closeness of two nations that are half a world apart. Before leaving New Delhi, he praised the new U.S. partnerships with India, some of them still shaky and still in the works. He also stressed common democratic values and urged New Delhi to take a lead helping to spread freedom and democracy around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States and India have ambitious goals for our partnership. We have unprecedented opportunities in this world. We can look to the future with confidence because our relationship has never been better. America and India are global leaders and we are good friends, and when we work together there is no limit to what we can achieve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Now, President Bush spent much of Friday in Hyderabad. Now, that is one of the high-tech hubs that fuels India's economic expansion. There, the president said Americans have to reject protectionist trade policies and instead embrace India's growing markets.

VERJEE: No future, that's what the Russian foreign minister says faces Hamas if the group fails to embrace change. Hamas leaders are on a rather controversial visit to Russia.

Matthew Chance has more now from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Well, these are extremely controversial meetings that are being held here in the Russian capital. Russia essentially becoming the first major power to break ranks and to engage in talks with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A top-level delegation from Hamas, led by its political leader, Khaled Mashaal, is currently in Moscow talking to senior Russian diplomats, including the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

Mr. Lavrov saying that he intends to stress to Hamas the need for it to renounce violence, renounce its suicide bombing, and also to recognize the right of Israel to exist, something that Hamas up until now has refused to do.

Nevertheless, Lavrov saying that he believes there is reason for optimism in his talks with Hamas.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I have some cautious hope that having become now a legitimate political factor in the Palestinian and Middle East life, Hamas would reassess its new role for which maybe it was not ready when the elections took place. But now that the elections did bring the results we know, Hamas would reassess its role and Hamas would reassess its responsibility before the Palestinian people.

CHANCE: Well, there seems at this stage to be little justification for that Russian optimism. Hamas is certainly keeping to its well-trodden hard lines on the issue of violence and on the issue of Israel.

The big concern among the international community is this kind of invitation will bestow on Hamas a certain amount of legitimacy, a certain amount of recognition, as well, but the international community will get very little in return.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, meantime, talks between Iranian and European officials have ended, and there was no agreement about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Those talks were held in a constructive atmosphere, according to one European diplomat. But a big sticking point still remains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAVIER SOLANA, EU INTERNATIONAL POLICY CHIEF: For us, as a precondition to constructing confidence, which is what is necessary now, is for them to resume stop in all the (INAUDIBLE) uranium enrichment activities, including, as has been (INAUDIBLE). Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach agreement today. (INAUDIBLE) we thought we should have been able to do, but it has been impossible to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: No further talks now scheduled before the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors will meet on Monday. That board is widely expected to refer the matter now to the U.N. Security Council.

VERJEE: The director of a movie up for the best foreign film, Oscar says that he expects a snub from the academy on Sunday.

CLANCY: Now, some people think that he's getting some publicity, but the film, which has already won a Golden Globe, explores the motivations of Palestinian suicide bombers.

VERJEE: Richard Roth takes a look at the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "Paradise Now" is this year's Oscar's controversy. It's nominated for the best foreign film award. The movie is about suicide bombings in Israel.

NARRATOR: In two extraordinary days, two lifelong friends will struggle with an impossible choice.

ROTH: But relatives of those killed in actual suicide bus bombings are now furious at the choice made by the Hollywood academy.

YOSSI ZUR, FATHER OF BOMBING VICTIM: Our message to the academy is, you have made a big mistake by having this film nominated and by, god forbid, giving it an award. You are going to be accomplices to the evil chain -- evil chain of terror.

ROTH: Yossi Zur's 17-year-old son Asaf (ph) was killed in a bus bombing on his way home from school. This week he joined with fathers of other teens killed in the same attack, sending a petition with more than 32,000 signatures to the Motion Picture Academy demanding "Paradise Now" be withdrawn from consideration.

Not a likely reaction by Oscar executives who are used to controversy.

BRUCE DAVIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACADEMY AWARDS: It's a terrific movie and that's what the Academy Awards are supposed to be about.

ROTH: "Paradise Now" has some momentum for the Oscars. It won this year's Golden Globe's Foreign Film Award.

HANY ABU-ASSAD, DIRECTOR, "PARADISE NOW": I don't believe that my film is controversial.

ROTH: An Israeli Arab, Hany Abu-Assad, the director of "Paradise Now," explains why.

ASSAD: I don't believe it's controversial if you show it from different point of views.

ROTH: The families of suicide bombing victims say they are not opposed to the film itself and support free speech. They feel "Paradise Now" glorifies the act of suicide bombing.

"Paradise Now" was almost embroiled in another controversy. There were objections when Hollywood press releases said the film represents Palestine, not an official country.

DAVIS: When the five films nominated in the foreign language category are introduced to the audience we will use the phrase "the Palestinian territories."

ROTH: The nomination flap may not translate into a box office boost.

IAN MOHR, FILM REPORTER, "VANITY": Last year, "The Sea Inside," a Spanish film, won the Oscar. And it only made $2 million at the box office. So "Paradise Now" is at $1.3 now. You might see a similar result even if it wins the Oscar.

ROTH (voice over): For the filmmakers, it's the biggest night of their careers. For some of the protesting parents back in Israel, it's a dreadful day. The bus bombing which claimed their children's lives occurred on March 5, three years to the day of this year's Oscars.

Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And that leads us now to our "Question of the Day."

VERJEE: Yes. I'm just looking at the list of best pictures here: "Brokeback Mountain," "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Munich." And a lot of them have political messages.

We're asking are, are you troubled by some of the political messages in this year's Oscar films?

CLANCY: Or maybe you're encouraged by them. I mean, tell us what you think.

Send us your thoughts to YWT@CNN.com.

VERJEE: Don't forget to include your name and where you're writing us from, as well.

CLANCY: We're going to try to read some of these out on the air. Right, Zain?

VERJEE: Yes, we will.

CLANCY: We certainly are.

VERJEE: We're going to have much more on the Academy Awards a little bit later on the program.

CLANCY: You're going to be speaking with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and get a sneak peek at what most of the winners and the nominees are going to be eating before and after that ceremony on Sunday.

VERJEE: Yes, we'll talk to him and find out how much pressure he's actually under to make it work.

CLANCY: It's all health food, Zain. It's not pressure.

VERJEE: Well, that's what -- that's what he says. But we'll find out.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. CLANCY: Right now there is a nighttime curfew in effect in the Iraqi capital. Earlier in the day, security forces patrolled the streets, quiet due to a ban on motor vehicles.

VERJEE: The daytime curfew was imposed essentially to prevent sectarian attacks against mosques during Friday prayers.

CLANCY: Meantime, in his daily briefing at the Pentagon, General George Casey said there is improved coordination between Iraqi security forces and the coalition.

VERJEE: And he says despite appearances, insurgent attacks did not intensify after the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. ARMY: Candidly, in the initial days following the bombing, these days were kind of a confusing jumble of exaggerated reporting that actually took us a few days to kind of sort through.

What did we find? First of all, the overall levels of violence did not increase substantially as a result of the bombing. In fact, the levels of violence the week after the violence -- the week after the bombing were comparable to the two previous weeks.

Second, the nature of the violence did in fact change with attacks on mosques and civilian killings increasing initially and then gradually tapering off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: As violence rages on the streets, though, Baghdad's old and young still have to carry on.

CLANCY: And when you stop and think about it, when you look at the population in Iraq, there's a remarkable statistic. Almost half of that population is under the age of 18.

VERJEE: To see how some of the unrest affects the future generations of Iraq and those young people, CNN's Arwa Damon visited an elementary school.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These school boys don't even flinch at the sound of gunfire. Six-year-old Houda walks to school with her brother and sitter. Her tattered backpack almost as big as she is.

"I'm scared to go out," Houda says, but she has to overcome her fear every day.

Miss Rahama (ph) is trying to get her kids to concentrate on math class. Houda is paying more attention to her coloring book than what's on the chalk board. She doesn't care much for math. She wants to be a gym teacher. Barbie sneakers, Barbie pencil case, and her mom promised her more.

"I am happy," Houda says, "because my mom said she would buy me toys and things and new clothes. But I said, 'Daddy, I don't want,' because daddy needs to make money."

Like many students here, her parents don't talk to her about the country's violence. They just say don't go out.

As Houda's classmates compete to answer Miss Rahama's (ph) questions, Mohammed (ph) in the back is not being called on. But it's not his favorite subject, anyway. That would be religion. Ask him if he's ever scared and the answer's a defiant "No."

At recess, our camera gets the attention, though Mohammed (ph) just wants to eat his apple.

(on camera): Violence, sectarian divide, insurgent attacks are not topics of conversation here. Professors say that the kids go through so much trauma outside of school that they want this to be an environment where the kids can just have fun, focus on their studies and just be kids.

(voice over): The fourth grade divas, Hanan (ph) and her gang, rule the playground. She likes showing off her sense of fashion. But then it's to religion class, and the vivacious girls are subdued.

The scarves that were draped on their shoulders now cover their hair. The parents of Hanan (ph), the wannabe engineer, tell her not to be afraid. She'll do her chores when she gets home and then play, but not outside.

"I don't go in the streets," she says. "I just go to my friend's house."

These kids may seem like any others, but teachers say the effects of the war can be found just below the surface.

"I am scared of the explosions," Houda says. "Now at night..." -- but she's lost her thought before she's able to finish.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: We want to draw your attention to events under way right now. We're just getting some of the details in. It's by no means a complete scene, though, but apparently there has been an incident at an important church in the West Bank town of Nazareth.

Of course, Nazareth, the town of the New Testament. Two people disguised as pilgrims threw firecrackers into the Church of the Enunciation. Reportedly, that sparked a riot, or at least some kind of disturbance.

Police and ambulances have been dispatched to the scene now. We're trying to get more details of it. The Associated Press quoting police as saying two people were injured in the melee that ensued. The church, of course, is where Christians believe that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would bear the son of god, Christ.

YOUR WORLD TODAY continue after we take a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, in for Daryn Kagan, at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes, but first, a check on stories making headlines in the U.S.

Former California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham is being sentenced today for corruption. Cunningham admitted accepting $2.5 million in kickbacks and bribes from contractors in exchange for steering government work their way.

Some of his booty included a Rolls-Royce, a yacht, homes, travel, meals, valuable Persian rugs and various antiques. Cunningham is asking a federal judge to spare him the maximum sentence, 10 years in prison

The so-called cell phone bandit will be making her calls from prison. Candice Martinez was sentenced today to 12 years. Martinez got her nickname after surveillance video showed her chatting on the phone while robbing a bank. Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy and weapons charges. Her boyfriend got a 12-year sentence last week for his part in the four robberies.

In Union City, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, a clash of the Titans. As you can see, the train won.

No one was injured, but there certainly were some tense moments. Apparently, the semi trailer got stuck on the tracks and was unable to get out of the train's way. The semi was carrying vegetable oil.

Now to Hurricane Katrina. Six months later, and renewed concerns about the response to the storm.

This morning on CNN, former FEMA head Michael Brown said President Bush made a mistake in being overconfident in FEMA. Brown had been sharply critical of a decision to tuck the agency inside the Department of Homeland Security. He told CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM" about a warning he made long before Katrina hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BROWN, FMR. FEMA DIRECTOR: I had been screaming internally that the budget cuts, the personnel cuts, what they were doing within Homeland Security was in fact marginalizing FEMA. And I predicted that at some point, in a very specific memo to both Tom Ridge and to Chertoff, that at some point FEMA would fail. I just didn't expect to be in the middle of that failure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, Brown went on to call Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff naive about disaster response. Brown said he thinks Chertoff should be fired.

The White House is standing behind Secretary Chertoff. Deputy White House Press Secretary Trent Duffy appeared on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." He denied the administration set FEMA up for failure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT DUFFY, DEPUTY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was well aware that this was a devastating storm and we pre-positioned more manpower and material ahead of the storm than ever before. It turned out not to be enough.

Now, as to FEMA going forward, we do need to strengthen their capabilities, particularly in a regional sense. One thing we learned in Katrina was that we do need to have closer relationships with state and local officials so that when crisis strikes we're working with people that we know, that know the communities best, and that know the neighborhoods the best. And that's what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You can hear more from former FEMA chief Michael Brown later. He will be a return guest on CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM" tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Nightmare in paradise. Incredible pictures from Hawaii.

Heavy rains have triggered major flooding on the island of Oahu. This raging river is normally a quiet stream, believe it or not. One area of the island has recorded more than a foot and a half of rain.

Roads have been shut down and schools closed. Flashflood warnings remain in effect.

Upstairs now to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen in the Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: An author's very personal story of dealing with his daughter's illness. James Reston talks about his new memoir, "Fragile Innocence," on "LIVE FROM" at the top of the hour.

Meantime, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello to our viewers around the globe and in the United States. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. Here are some of top stories we're following.

Angry protesters fill the streets across Pakistan as the U.S. president begins a two-day visit. Islamist parties have called a nationwide strike. George W. Bush arrived in Islamabad just a little while ago. He's expected to meet with President Pervez Musharraf, thanking him for his help on the war on terror.

CLANCY: A nighttime curfew resuming in Baghdad now. Earlier in the day, security patrols were in the streets, while a ban on motor vehicles was also in effect. That daytime curfew, extraordinary, imposed to prevent more sectarian attacks during mosques during Friday prayers.

Russia held talks with the Palestinian group Hamas on Friday, despite objections from Israel. Moscow says Hamas, which will lead a new government in the territories, should not be isolated from international dialogue. It also says should renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist. But Hamas says that there's going to be no peace until Israel's occupation ends.

And now to the latest on the spread of bird flu. Officials in France say the country's poultry sector now losing about $48 million a month as the disease hits sales both at home and abroad. This comes after authorities confirm several new cases of the H5N1 strain in wild birds.

Jim Bittermann visited the annual Paris farm show to try to gauge public reaction to the bird flu threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The French like to call it the biggest farm in the country and there's no doubt that in a nation obsessed with food, the annual Paris Farm Show brings together a full range of agricultural riches.

Except this year. After bird flu turned up on one turkey farm in southeastern France, organizers took the precaution of banning all live fowl from the show, even if the occasional leg of lamb got dressed up to look like a chicken.

(on camera): The agriculture fair has survived without live chickens, but some chicken farmers may not. Just the one case of bird flu in domestic poultry has been enough to knock 25 percent off the sales of poultry in France.

(voice-over): With all table birds in the country now confined indoors to avoid contamination, and since humans are not at risk from properly cooked poultry products, those in this $3.25 billion industry believe the sales slump is nothing short of hysteria.

ANDRE LEPEULE, FRENCH POULTRY INDUSTRY: They are quite angry, yes. We don't understand why public is reluctant to buy -- to buy chicken meat or turkey meat or (INAUDIBLE).

BITTERMANN: At the huge market south of Paris which handles the food for much of the country, the gloom in the poultry section is perceptible. Not only have domestic sales plummeted, but 44 countries have imposed partial or total bans on French exports.

CHRISTINE LAGARDE, FRENCH MINISTER OF EXTERIOR TRADE: I would like to stress that it is one single bird. And it's not, you know, the whole of the country which is at risk.

BITTERMANN: Nonetheless, with markets now choked with surplus poultry and cold storage packed to capacity with frozen chickens, ducks and turkey, some poultry producers are looking for alternatives.

A marketing man for one of the largest says some supermarkets are now giving away a chicken with each one sold and that eventually, poultry meat may be donated to charities.

The public's reaction has been so drastic that many in the industry can only wonder what will happen if more bird flu begins to shows up down on the farm, something that remains a possibility as long as infected wild birds continue to arrive in France.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right. From the latest on bird flu in Europe, let's turn our focus right now on U.S. politics. The next presidential election, less than three years away, the big question in many circles is will Hillary run?

VERJEE: That is, the former first lady, now U.S. senator, Hillary Clinton hasn't declared her candidacy.

CLANCY: Of course, that doesn't mean anything.

As John Roberts tells us, there's an awful lot of interest in her plans for 2008.

VERJEE: In fact, some are said to be just obsessed about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next great president of the United States of America, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are two constituencies anxious to see the junior senator from New York take a run at becoming the first female president of the United States.

One, Democrats who think she'd energize her party.

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Hillary Clinton, if she throws her hat in the ring, will not only create waves, but she can, of course, have a surge of support from so many voters across the country.

ROBERTS: And second, Republicans, who think Hillary Clinton's personality and politics won't play well with voters.

ED GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: She does not have the same ability to connect with voters that her husband has. And that underlying anger and that underlying pessimism and almost cynicism is off-putting to voters and could result in helping to elect the Republican nominee.

ROBERTS (on camera): So will she run or won't she? The Republican strategist who got the current president into office has no doubt she will. But in a recent interview, Hillary Clinton was, let's say, non-committal.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Karl Rove spends a lot of time obsessing about me. He spends more time thinking about my political future than I do.

ROBERTS: But the Democratic smart money is following Mr. Rove.

BRAZILE: I bet that she runs in 2008.

ROBERTS: Certainly, all the signs are there. She's traveled often to politically important states, though she studiously avoids New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina. She's been working with one of her husband's foreign policy speech writers. Maybe most important, the money. She already has a huge war chest, $17 million, to battle a no name candidate in her Senate campaign this year.

A campaign veteran says her fundraising apparatus is set up to run a national, not just a state, race. And the architects of Bill Clinton's 1992 victory, James Carville and Paul Begala, have recently signed on to help her raise even more money.

(on camera): This has got to mean that she's going for 2008.

PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: If she is, she hasn't told me. I want her to. But, you know, I'm not like the person who makes this decision. She's got to decide for herself.

ROBERTS (voice-over): Political handicappers put her well ahead of former Virginia Governor Mike Warner, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson, presumed candidates for the Democratic primaries.

The big question, can she win a presidential election? Republican polling shows she's seen as far more liberal than voters in general, and there's no doubt Hillary Clinton is a polarizing figure.

BRAZILE: She is one of those leaders that attracts large -- largely negative responses from the other side.

ROBERTS: A lightning rod to be sure, one whose every statement is hypersensitized.

CLINTON: Because when you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about! ROBERTS: Some Democrats worry rather than talk about the issues, she'll be the issue; and that after Gore and Kerry, that's the last thing they want. Already, Republicans are trying to label her.

GILLESPIE: Senator Clinton has shown herself to be someone who does tend to be somewhat negative. Angry, brittle.

ROBERTS: But Democrats believe those negative labels may only increase her appeal with that critical voting block: women.

BRAZILE: The Republicans are trying to label her as uncontrollable, emotional, angry, brittle. It won't work. Those are all stereotypes used to stop women from running for office.

ROBERTS: At this point, there is one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on. Another Clinton candidacy would certainly change the dynamic of presidential politics.

John Roberts, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: We're following a developing story out of Nazareth. An Israeli police spokesman has confirmed a Jewish man and woman dressed up as Christian pilgrims and they set off a firecracker in the church in Nazareth, the Church of the Enunciation. And that basically sparked riots after people heard the news. You know, two people have been likely injured.

A spokesman from the Red Star of David says that a crew in an ambulance tried to reach the area of the compound in order to evacuate the people that had been injured, but they were stopped by a mob who broke the windows of the ambulance as they tried to get in there. The local leadership is currently trying to talk to the mob and to sort things out, but we'll continue to follow this story and bring you developments on the situation there and on the rioting.

CLANCY: All right. As we look to that, we'll look to something a little bit lighter. Find your frock, because we're rolling out the red carpet.

VERJEE: Hollywood's Oscar party is just days away, and guess who's coming to dinner?

CLANCY: That's right, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. He'll tell us how to eat like stars, Zain!

VERJEE: He's working...

... appetizer platter where the waiter is going to help them to serve.

We have some spicy peppers with crabmeat. We have some artichokes here. They are marinated. Some seared tuna. Here we have white and green asparagus with prosciutto. Some are of the Oscars with smoked salmon, some marinated shrimp. And after that, we're also going to give people a small celery apple soap one with gold leaves on top.

And for main course this year, we have a wonderful flaktra (ph) risotto, a seared chicken breast. So it's really delicious. The whole dining room, the whole ballroom, going to smell like truffles. And for dessert, we have a wonderful chocolate cake with our gold- covered Oscar. So we're going to give an Oscar to everybody.

Now, here you have this white chocolate cake, and inside is our six-layer chocolate cake. We serve it with a little raspberry sauce and raspberry sorbet. And then on top of it, we're going give everybody a little Oscar like that to take home. We wrapped them so and so people can have a little souvenir from the Governor's Ball.

VERJEE: That looks absolutely fantastic. I wish we could all eat like that at least one time in our lives. How many different continents does this kind of food come from?

PUCK: Well, we have it obviously a little bit from Italy, a little bit from France and a lot of the different things from Asia. But, you know, here I only have a few of our chefs working here.

But on Sunday we'll have 350 chefs in the kitchen, and we're going to have 900 people in the dining room, including servers, bartenders, bus boys and everything. So it's like a veritable army, really, to take on the job. Because we have to do it really, really fast. It takes about an hour and a half to serve 1,600 guests.

VERJEE: You have to do it so well because of the kind of event this is and who will be there. You know, the decor of the room, I understand...

PUCK: Everybody from...

VERJEE: Yes.

PUCK: From George Clooney to Barbra Streisand to Michael Douglas, obviously Ang Lee and all the nominated movies, the nominated actors and actresses. So I think it's going to be one of the greatest parties in the world. I don't think you can ever see that many celebrities in one room.

VERJEE: Celebrities, though, especially when in one room, can also be a little bit fussy, maybe even fussy about food.

PUCK: No!

VERJEE: Does that worry you? Does it stress you out?

PUCK: No, not at all. Not at all. You know, they are so hungry, especially the women. You know, they have to go to the hairdresser, to the nail thing, to do makeup, and then they fit in their skinny dresses. So come 10:00 at night, they are starving. And I remember last year Barbra Streisand, I went to say hello in the dining room, and she said, Wolfgang, give me a little bit of food. I'm still hungry. I didn't eat all day.

VERJEE: So they're not too worried, then, about figures. Last quick question. Any disasters that you're worried about or that have happened before? You know, if a centerpiece doesn't show up or...

PUCK: No, you know, we just had one problem once but nobody ever noticed it. When we first moved into our new home here at the Kodak Center, just as I was serving the main course, the electricity and the gas, everything went out. So it was like a blackout. But the dining room, the lights stayed on. So for ten minutes, I almost got the heart attack because I didn't know when it's going to come back. Ten minutes later, it came back. We continued to serve. And in the dining room, nobody said what do you mean, you had a blackout?

VERJEE: Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck joining us from Tinseltown with four of the chefs who have helped him around him, but there will be 350 on Sunday night. Thank you so much.

PUCK: Thank you so much. Have a good day.

VERJEE: Good luck. It looks great.

PUCK: Thank you.

CLANCY: That was great, but they'll pull a plug on us if we don't get to a break right now.

Your e-mails, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: To the inbox now, as promised. We've asked you, are you troubled by the political messages in this year's Oscar films?

CLANCY: Jeanne says in Connecticut says, "Personally, I'm encouraged to see so many intelligent and human films being honored this year. I'd rather such thoughtful, well-made films nominated than a bunch of blockbusters." VERJEE: Stephen in Canada writes, "I feel that Hollywood today is nothing more than a sewer pipe to pump left-wing political propaganda into the homes of our society."

CLANCY: And finally this viewer writes, "Controversy is exactly what filmmakers should be looking for in a movie."

VERJEE: We'll see what happens on Sunday. Thanks for joining us. This has been YOUR WORLD TODAY.

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