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The Situation Room
Rumsfeld on the Defensive During Speech in Atlanta; Patrick Kennedy Involved in Car Accident; Moussaoui Sentenced to Life in Prison
Aired May 04, 2006 - 16:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
And we're following a developing story right now. Congressman Patrick Kennedy in a car accident. There are questions about whether alcohol was involved. We'll get the latest.
Also happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. in Atlanta, where Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is put on the defensive. A dramatic showdown as he's heckled and hounded over the war in Iraq.
It's 5:00 p.m. in Alexandria, Virginia, where Zacarias Moussaoui calls on god to curse America. But a federal judge tells him he will die with a whimper after spending the rest of his life in prison. That prison, by the way, may be the toughest in America. We will tell what the al Qaeda conspirator has to look forward to.
And it's 1:00 a.m. in Iraq, where the U.S. military finds the outtakes of an al Qaeda videotape. Is a feared insurgent leader really all thumbs down when it comes to handling a weapon?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
One unrolled a banner reading, "Guilty of War Crimes." Another stood up and turned his back during the speech. And yet another accused Donald Rumsfeld of lying.
Today the defense secretary gave a speech in Atlanta. One of the most sharp-tongued questioners identified himself as a former CIA analyst.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlanta, September 27, 2002, Donald Rumsfeld said -- and I quote -- "There's bulletproof evidence of links between al Qaeda and the government of President Saddam Hussein."
Was that a lie, Mr. Rumsfeld, or was that manufactured somewhere else? Because all of my CIA colleagues disputed that, and so did the 9/11 Commission. And so I would like to ask you to be upfront with the American people. Why did you lie to get us into a war that was not necessary and that has caused these kinds of casualties? Why?
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, first of all, I haven't lied. I did not lie then.
(APPLAUSE)
RUMSFELD: Colin Powell didn't lie. He spent weeks and weeks with the Central Intelligence Agency people and prepared a presentation that I know he believed was accurate. And he presented that to the United Nations. The president spent weeks and weeks with the Central Intelligence people, and he went to the American people and made a presentation.
I'm not in the intelligence business. They gave the world their honest opinion. It appears that there were not weapons of mass destruction there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you knew where they were.
RUMSFELD: I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were, and we were...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you knew where they were, near Tikrit, near Baghdad, and north, east, south and west of there. Those are your words.
RUMSFELD: My words -- my words were that...
No, no, no. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let him stay one second. Just a second.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is America, huh?
(APPLAUSE)
RUMSFELD: You're getting plenty of play, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd just like an honest answer.
RUMSFELD: I'm giving it to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about lies and your allegation that there was bulletproof evidence of ties between al Qaeda and Iraq. Was that a lie or were you misled?
RUMSFELD: Zarqawi was in Baghdad during the prewar period. That is a fact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zarqawi? He was in the north of Iraq in a place where Saddam Hussein had no rule.
RUMSFELD: He was also.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's where he was.
RUMSFELD: He was also in Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, when he needed to go to the hospital. Come on. These people aren't idiots. They know the story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: So, did Rumsfeld ever suggest there was proof of WMD in Iraq, as the questioner claimed? We did some quick fact-checking and we learned this... in March of 2003 on the ABC news program "This Week," the defense secretary said this -- and I will quote specifically -- "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat."
Rumsfeld then added this: "I would also add that we saw from the air there were dozens of trucks that went into that facility after the existence of it became public in the press, and they moved things out. They dispersed them and took them away. So there may be nothing left. I don't know that, but it's way too soon to know. The exploitation is just starting."
Aside from the anti-Rumsfeld ranting, the defense secretary did get a chance to talk some substance on the war on terror. One person he mentioned, al Qaeda's feared leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But is al-Zarqawi as ferocious as he would like to world to believe?
New videotape footage from his recent terror video suggests he might not necessarily be all that ferocious. Coming up, we're going to show you that video. You are going to want to see that.
We are going to get to all of that very, very soon. But there's a developing story we're following here in Washington involving Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, Democratic congressman who was in an accident early this morning, around 3:00 a.m. up on Capitol Hill.
Our Brian Todd is watching this story for us.
Brian, we reported this about 20 minutes or so ago, but for our viewers who may just be tuning in, update them on what we know.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, here's what we know right now. Congressional and law enforcement sources tell CNN that early this morning, Capitol Hill Police observed a car driven by Representative Patrick Kennedy crash into a barricade on Capitol Hill.
Sources say Representative Kennedy was the only person in the vehicle. One law enforcement source said Kennedy was not injured but the car was badly damaged.
Contacted by CNN, Mr. Kennedy's chief of staff, Sean Richardson, said there was an incident involving a vehicle overnight and said, "No alcohol was involved."
Now, CNN sources, who include a top law enforcement official in Washington, and an official in Congress, say officers observed that the car was swerving before the crash and that Kennedy did at least appear -- appear to be intoxicated. Sources say the officers made a decision to drive Kennedy home.
There is no indication from sources that a sobriety test was given or that an arrest was made. One source tells CNN Kennedy told an officer he was late for a vote. Versions from al sources indicate the accident occurred at approximately 3:00 in the morning. In fact, the House of Representatives adjourned last night at about midnight.
CNN has made a formal request for an incident report from the Capitol Hill Police but has not yet received one. Capitol Hill Police also were checking on the source information that we gave them, but they have not formally confirmed this report with us as of yet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian, stand by.
Dana Bash is on the Hill. She's monitoring reaction from various sources, including Senator Kennedy's office. He's the father of Patrick Kennedy.
What are you getting, Dana?
All right. Dana, hold on one second. We have having trouble with your microphone.
I don't know if you're wearing your microphone, but we're not getting you.
I want to bring back Brian while you -- we get your audio up there.
Brian, as you have been working the phones, you and together all of our other journalists here at CNN, the sensitive issue comes up, of course, was he staggering when he left the accident. And presumably, if it was a serious accident, he might have been staggering even if there was no alcohol or intoxication involved. It would be understandable.
TODD: Of course it would, Wolf. And there is a report in the Capitol Hill newspaper, "Roll Call," which indicates that the acting chairman of the Capitol Hill Police, Fraternal Order of Police, an officer named Greg Baird, has written a letter to the acting chief of the Capitol Hill Police asking for a complete investigation of this crash and allowing officers actually to complete an investigation.
Now, according to a letter from Officer Baird to the acting police chief -- and this is as reported by "Roll Call" newspaper -- the officers were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the congressman. Instead, two sergeants who also responded to the accident proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then were "ordered to leave the scene," and that the watch commander was taking over.
This according to a report in "Roll Call" newspaper. According to this newspaper, the letters from Officer Baird to the acting chief of police on Capitol Hill says, "If the events unfolded as they have been reported to me, and I believe they did, a complete and immediate investigation into them is required."
So there apparently is reportedly now some back and forth within the Capitol Hill Police on the whole issue of even conducting an investigation into this -- into this incident, Wolf. And, yes, according to "Roll Call," the officer who wrote the letter to the acting police chief, the officer for the Fraternal Order of Police, said, "The driver exited the vehicle and he was observed to be staggering." Of course not any definitive indication of showing intoxication here.
As you said, anybody just emerging from a crashed vehicle could be staggering for any reason.
BLITZER: That's absolutely true.
Dana Bash, I think we fixed your microphone over there. What are you getting from Congressman Kennedy's office and from Senator Kennedy's office -- Senator Kennedy being the father of Patrick Kennedy.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Yes, you can hear me now. Sorry about that.
The -- I actually spoke with Senator Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy's father, over an hour ago when Brian and our congressional producer, Ted Barrett, confirmed this story. And I asked Senator Kennedy about it. He simply wouldn't go there. He wouldn't talk about it.
He said that -- that essentially his office was going to put out a statement later today. We haven't seen that statement yet. And I can tell you that, as we're getting information, Senator Kennedy's office and the congressman's office, they're trying to gather information, too. So they're trying to get the details on this fast- moving story before they release a formal statement.
So we are expecting one both from the senator's office, but, more importantly, from the congressman's office later today, with more details than what we know right now. As Brian has just been reporting, there is conflicting information, especially about the key point, which is, what our sources are telling us, is that it appeared that Patrick Kennedy was intoxicated, had been drinking, but then what the congressman's office and his chief of staff specifically is saying is that there was no alcohol involved. That is, of course, a key point here, and that is something that we are hoping very shortly to try to clarify.
BLITZER: And we haven't learned from Capitol Hill Police yet whether he was ticketed for this accident, whether he had been speeding, driving recklessly. Is there anything along those lines, Dana, that you're getting?
BASH: It does not seem that that -- that that happened. In fact, one of the law enforcement sources, congressional sources, I should say, talking to our congressional producer, Ted Barrett, it seems that perhaps the congressman was just sort of taken in and perhaps not arrested, and was just taken into the -- into the station.
So we don't know the specifics on that. That is just one of the many things that we are really awaiting final confirmation and more clarity on -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. We'll get that. Dana, stand by.
Brian, stand by as well.
Jacki Schechner is going online, getting some more information about this congressman.
What are you getting, Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, wanted to take a quick look at his Web site and his bio. Representative Kennedy serving his sixth term in Congress. He took a leave of absence in '98 to finish out a two-year chairmanship with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the DCCC. But he's back now and he's on the House Appropriations Committee, where he was appointed.
His subcommittees include Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Science, State, Justice and Commerce. Again, he represents the 1st District of Rhode Island -- Wolf.
BLITZER: He's 39 years old, as well.
We are going to continue to watch this developing story on Capitol Hill, get more information as it comes in to THE SITUATION ROOM. When we learn it and confirm it, you'll know it, as well.
Let's go up to New York. Jack Cafferty standing by -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, we've got a county sheriff out in Arizona who's vowing to get tough on illegal immigration on his own. Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County says a posse of 100 volunteers and sheriff's deputies will patrol the area around Phoenix and will arrest illegal immigrants.
Arpaio says, "It's important to send the message out to stay in Mexico and don't come roaming around here hoping you are going to get amnesty." That's the sheriff there.
His deputies have already arrested about 120 illegal aliens using a new state smuggling law. But the Mexican consul general wants the aliens released, saying that the state lacks jurisdiction, that illegal immigration is a federal matter.
This is the Mexican consul telling us what to do with people who are in this country illegally. And it's true it's a federal matter, except for this: the federal government doesn't bother to enforce the immigration laws. The federal government doesn't bother to secure the nation's borders. So, here's the question: Should individual states enforce border laws if the federal government won't do it?
E-mail us at caffertyfile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/caffertyfile.
Joe Arpaio's got quite a reputation out there, Wolf. He runs a tent city for his prisoners. He dresses them in black and white striped old-fashioned convict suits, and at one point he forced them all to wear pink underwear. No coddling of the criminal element in Maricopa County, Arizona.
BLITZER: Jack, thanks for that. We will get back to you soon.
Up ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, he's al Qaeda's top man in Iraq and one of the most wanted men in the world. But is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi really as formidable as the image he tries to project? New video suggests he's not.
And does Democratic Senator Joe Biden have a sound plan for Iraq? He wants to split Iraq into three regions, autonomous regions, three regions involving the three main ethno-religious groups. I'll ask him about that in a one-on-one interview.
And there are new developments on a story sure to affect you. It involves your cell phone. The log of the calls you make and the ability of other people to simply see that log, to see who you're calling, we've been watching this story for weeks. There's a new development.
Stay with us. We'll tell you what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Relatives of 9/11 victims came face to face with Zacarias Moussaoui for the last time today. One told him that she hopes he sits in jail without seeing the sky or the sun, without any contact with the outside world.
That may be just what awaits the al Qaeda conspirator. A federal judge today formally sentenced him to life in prison. Moussaoui may be housed with a who's who of convicted terrorists.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is standing by with that story. But let's go to the courthouse. Kelli Arena, our justice correspondent, has the latest on what happened today -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was another extremely emotional day in court today as those 9/11 family members did get their opportunity to directly address Zacarias Moussaoui.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice over): Before Zacarias Moussaoui got a chance to speak, he was forced to listen as three 9/11 family members confronted him.
Rosemary Dillard's husband was on the hijacked plane that struck the Pentagon.
ROSEMARY DILLARD, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: I told him how he had wrecked my life. He took the most important person from me, and that was my husband, Eddie Dillard.
ARENA: Moussaoui, who had entered the courtroom all smiles and flashing a victory sign, was clearly shaken up.
EDWARD MACMAHON, MOUSSAOUI DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He did not react as the Muslim superman he tries to pretend to be sometimes. He looked at her and he was rattled.
ARENA: When Moussaoui did speak, he used his last public address to attack the United States, calling the trial "a wasted opportunity" to understand why people like he and 9/11 ring leader Mohamed Atta hate America.
"We will come back another day," Moussaoui said. "As lock as you don't hear America, you will feel. God curse America. God bless Osama bin Laden. You will never get him."
His utter lack of remorse was difficult for family members to take.
ABRAHAM SCOTT, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: It was extremely hard for me, sitting in that courtroom listening to him, without jumping across that little -- that little fence and doing bodily harm to him.
ARENA: Judge Leonie Brinkema told Moussaoui, "You came here to be a martyr and die in a big bang of glory. But to paraphrase the poet T. S. Eliot, you will die with a whimper."
Moussaoui tried to interrupt her, but Brinkema got the last word. "You will never again get a chance to speak, and that is an appropriate and fair ending."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Judge Brinkema sentenced Moussaoui to six life terms, one for each conspiracy charge that he pled guilty to with no chance of parole -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli, thanks for that story.
The 9/11 relative who told Moussaoui she hopes he rots in jail with no sun or sky may just get her wish. At the federal prison where Moussaoui will likely be sent, prisoners are about as confined and isolated as a person can be.
Our Chris Lawrence is joining us now live from Los Angeles with details -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, if Moussaoui is treated like most prisoners at the supermax prison south of Denver, he'll get books to read, flexible pens to write with, and between one and four phone calls every month. But he will spend almost every minute of the day completely alone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice over): One of America's most beautiful landscapes is homes to its most dangerous criminals. But most will never see the mountains or each other.
The so-called "Alcatraz of the Rockies" is home to Oklahoma City conspirator Terry Nichols; Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph; shoe bomber Richard Reid, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski; and 1993 World Trade Center terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef.
Supermax inmates spend almost 23 hours a day locked behind solid steel doors in a soundproof cell. The bed, desk, stool, all made of cold, hard concrete. The only window is four inches wide and looks out on another part of the prison.
MICHAEL BRENNAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: It's a very difficult existence.
LAWRENCE: USC law professor Michael Brennan is representing several death row inmates. He says Zacarias Moussaoui will never interact with other prisoners. Only guards. And even then, for a few minutes a day.
(on camera): Do you think the average person understands how harsh that is to be cut off from human contact?
BRENNAN: Whenever you lock someone up and deprive him of any physical, emotional, or social contact with other human beings, you are going to destroy that person.
LAWRENCE (voice over): Moussaoui will be able to watch religious services through closed-circuit TV. Initially, he will be able to exercise alone for 90 minutes a day in a concrete chamber. Every three to six months he will be evaluated and could eventually earn more time outside his cell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now, every prisoner gets three balanced meals a day. But they can also request what's called a certified religious diet. For example, Moussaoui is Muslim, so he can ask for no pork in his meals -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Chris Lawrence, good report for that. Thank you very much.
Coming up, he's feared and loathed, but should he be? There's new video suggesting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi might use more words than action. We have the video al Qaeda doesn't want you to see.
And split Iraq into three regions? That's one idea being floated by Democratic Senator Joe Biden. But would it help solve all of Iraq's problems? I'll ask the senator in a one-on-one interview. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: On Capitol Hill today, demonstration of how the war against terrorism is being fought over the Internet. And in Baghdad, the U.S. military launches a counter attack in that propaganda war, screening outtakes of an al Qaeda tape which seem to show an incompetent insurgent leader.
Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you noted, a war against Zarqawi is not just a shooting war, it's a propaganda war. And the U.S. is showing it can fight fire with fire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice over): The U.S. military hasn't found Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but it has taken a pot shot at him. Specifically, his April 25th video in which he's seen firing a U.S. machine gun "Rambo" style.
Returning fire in the propaganda war with the al Qaeda leader, captured outtakes of the video were shown at a Baghdad briefing. And the U.S. military spokesman openly mocked his ineptitude with the weapon.
MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE: Here is Zarqawi, the ultimate warrior, trying to shoot his machine gun. It's supposed to be automatic fire. He's shooting single shots, one at a time. Something's wrong with his machine gun. He looks down, can't figure it out.
MCINTYRE: If belittling Zarqawi's military prowess is a victory in the propaganda war, it may be one of the few for the U.S. At a congressional hearing, members of the House Intelligence Committee were given a sobering sample of how Internet video has become an effective terrorist tool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is also critical we understand that the global war on terror is not just being fought on land, it is being fought in cyberspace, as well.
MCINTYRE: The videos taunt U.S. soldiers. They mock President Bush. They allege mistreatment of Muslim women. They often lie. But they also work.
BRUCE HOFFMAN, RAND TERRORISM EXPERT: To succeed, we also need not just to kill an capture our adversaries, but also to capture (ph) their variability to attract new recruits and replenish their resources.
MCINTYRE: And critics claim when it comes to providing terrorists with material, the U.S. can be its own worst enemy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: There may be a little more to that Zarqawi tape than just a short-lived P.R. coup. The tape was found during a raid of a safe house south of Baghdad two weeks ago, and it indicates that if the U.S. military isn't getting close to Zarqawi, they are at least getting close enough to somebody, someone who is close to him, close enough to have the original videotape -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie, thanks for that.
In Iraq, meanwhile, nine people were killed, dozens wounded today when a bomb exploded outside a Baghdad courthouse. This follows by a day the discovery of 14 bodies bound and executed in Baghdad.
Is there a solution to the sectarian violence in Iraq? One key U.S. lawmaker suggests dividing the country along religious and ethnic lines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
Senator, you wrote a provocative article with Les Gelb, you made a speech, calling, in effect, for the division of Iraq into three autonomous zones, a Shiite zone, Kurdish and Sunni.
Here's how the White House reacted to your proposal. Listen to this.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: A partioned government with regional security forces and a weak central government is something that no Iraqi leader has proposed and that the Iraqi people have not supported.
BLITZER: It's a controversial proposal you came up with.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: It's not my proposal, though. That's not the proposal.
BLITZER: How do you -- all right. Well, go ahead. What is your proposal?
BIDEN: The proposal is to avoid partitioning. What the proposal is not, it is not partitioning.
It calls for a central government. It calls for everything that is under the existing constitution, under the existing constitution they wrote. Eighteen provinces get to choose whether they want to unite with any others to be provincial areas that exist now, number one.
Number two, if you do not give each of the sectarian areas breathing room like we did years ago in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this place is going to split apart. And so what you do is, you have a central government controlling all the revenues, a central government controlling the borders and the foreign policy.
You give the Sunnis a guaranteed piece of the oil revenue. You, in fact, then are able to have a united Iraqi oil front, which every oil expert says is needed in order to expand the pie.
The Shia and the -- and the Kurds will like it because they in fact will get a bigger amount of money and a smaller piece of the pie. And it's the only thing to keep the insurgency down. But that's not the problem anymore, Wolf.
The real problem is the emergence of a civil war, sectarian violence. Sectarian violence.
BLITZER: You know you have come under some criticism for this proposal. It may not be precisely understood.
Anthony Cordesman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who himself is often a critic of this administration, he wrote this -- he said, "A strategy of dividing Iraq is virtually certain to make things worse, not better, and confront the U.S. with massive new problems in an area with some 60 percent of the world's proven oil reserves."
Do you want to respond to Cordesman?
BIDEN: He's absolutely right. That's why I'm not calling for dividing it. That's why I'm not calling for division. That's why Henry Kissinger said this is a plan that's worthy of getting a very close look. That's why a number of other players have -- who read the speech, who read the whole plan -- have come to the conclusion that it is at least a plan that gives a prospect for Iraq staying together.
BLITZER: Here's how -- there was an editorial in "Investors Business Daily" that went after you as a result of this proposal. It said: "Biden's plan strikes us as Democratic meddling of the most arrogant kind, a political stunt to lend foreign policy gravitas to his presidential campaign. Unfortunately, it came at a time when the political situation in Iraq is at its most delicate."
Those are biting, strong words, saying you're doing all of this for politics.
BIDEN: The answer to that question is I don't need them to tell me whether I have gravitas. Just find out who listens to me, number one.
Number two, the whole notion here is that the administration does not have a plan to take us to a place where the insurgency will cease and/or how to deal with the existing militia. There is already ethnic cleansing going on. Our military has already indicated that the Iraqi Army is not prepared to or designed to deal with the militias. There is already a circumstance where the Sunnis as a whole are uncertain about whether or not to get engaged in this in terms of a circumstance where the Kurds are in a position where they have a republic, a semi- autonomous situation, and that's exactly where the Kurds -- the Shia are going. Read the "New York Times." Read the "Washington Post." They say partitioning is becoming de facto. This is a way to avoid partitioning.
The "Investors Daily" are the same guys that talked about the Dayton Accords not working.
What did we do in Bosnia? In order to keep the country together, we set up a thing called a Republic of Srpska within the context of a united Bosnia.
Now, what's happening? They are pulling closer and closer together.
You'd better give these sectarian warring factions some breathing room or you're not going to be able to hold this country together.
BLITZER: Senator...
BIDEN: It is not a partitioning plan.
BLITZER: Senator, you've suggested that, A, you're running for president in 2008, and, B, you'd make a better president than Hillary Clinton because you have more experience.
Explain to our viewers what you meant.
BIDEN: Well, first of all, I'm running for president of the United States because I think I'm the best qualified Democrat to be able to bring this country together and regain the support and respect of the world. Number one. I'm not commenting on Hillary Clinton. Someone asked me, well, why aren't you for Hillary Clinton? She'd be a good president. I think I'd be a better president. That's why you run. Number one.
Number two, you know, Wolf, I've been on your program for three years. Name me something I've been wrong about on Iraq so far. Name me something. Remember before we went to war? Not just me, but Dick Lugar and others, weren't enough troops, weren't going to be greeted with open arms, wasn't going to be enough oil to pay, couldn't -- the center could not hold.
I'm not coming at this because I'm running for president. I have laid out alternatives consistently for the past two and one half years. I visited there six times. I get this -- ask, Wolf, your contacts, the colonels and the captains in the United States military training the Iraqis. Ask them what they're worried about. They're worried they're training members of the militia just to be better killers. That's what they're worried about.
BLITZER: You said you haven't made any mistakes.
Was it a mistake -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- that you voted for the resolution authorizing the president to go ahead with this war? BIDEN: No. The mistake was thinking that they would have the competence to deal with it. If I had known how incompetent the civilians in this administration would be in conducting the war and its aftermath, I would have never voted for it. Had I been president, would have asked for the same authority that I voted to give the president.
BLITZER: Senator Joe Biden, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.
BIDEN: Thank you.
Thank you.
BLITZER: And when we come back, we'll get to Capitol Hill, where we're following the developing story we've been reporting on. Congressman Patrick Kennedy involved in an accident. There are now questions whether alcohol was involved.
And we told you first here in THE SITUATION ROOM how your cell phone records are not so private. Is the federal government now doing something about that?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
The State Department spent more than half a billion dollars last year on public diplomacy. Much of that went to a P.R. campaign aimed at the Arab and Muslim world. But a critical report from Congress says the United States is not getting the message out.
Is this country losing the battle for hearts and minds to al Qaeda and its allies?
Joining us now is Dina Habib Powell.
She's Egyptian-born, fluent in Arabic.
She's deputy undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.
I know you've gone out throughout the Arab world speaking in Arabic, trying to get the message. I'm sure you've seen this GAO report, this General Accountability Office report.
One of the criticisms it says is that posts, meaning diplomatic posts, lacked a clear theme or a message and did not identify specific target audiences. Many public diplomacy officers in the Muslim world cannot communicate as well with local audiences as their position requires.
You can, but can your colleagues? DINA HABIB POWELL, DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE: Well, we -- I have seen parts of the report and I can tell you, Wolf, that that report was based on the last couple of years and some of our tenure. Karen Hughes and I have been at the State Department now for nearly eight months and the good news is we were proud to present a six month report to Congress that laid out some of the initiatives that the GAO mentions.
First of all, the National Security Language Initiative that the president announced brings together resources from the Department of State, Education and Defense and really does increase the number of Americans that will be speaking Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and other languages around the world. Because it's important that it's not just our diplomatic officers around the world, but that we encourage more Americans to speak other languages and be public diplomacy advocates. And so that's one of the most important things we're working on.
But if I could just address the GAO report in a quick way, which is that when the president announced Karen Hughes as the undersecretary for public diplomacy, I think he was sending a real signal that public diplomacy has to become a national security priority. And I just came from a meeting Karen chaired at the White House that included Steve Hadley, Dan Bartlett, members of the cabinet -- I'm sorry, representatives of the cabinet agencies -- to talk about strategic communications.
BLITZER: It's a very critical issue.
Donald Rumsfeld, though, belittles the entire operation. He told Rush Limbaugh on April 17th, he said this. He said: "Abu Musab al- Zarqawi and bin Laden and Zawahiri, those people have media committees. They are actively out there trying to manipulate the press in the United States. They are very good at it. They're much better at managing those kinds of things than we are."
That doesn't -- it's not a vote of confidence from the defense secretary.
HABIB POWELL: Well, I think what he was referring to was that after the cold war, we had people in our government that actually said we've won the battle for minds and hearts. And 9/11 was a rude awakening.
We have worked hard since that time to reestablish public diplomacy as a national security priority. And it includes major structural changes at the State Department.
But, you know, you just had a piece talking about Zarqawi. I'm sure you read Ayman Zawahiri's letter to Zarqawi in Iraq. That's a letter that sounded more like desperation than winning. Anybody that advocates the indiscriminate killing of women and children, and mostly Muslims, is not exactly offering a vision of hope and opportunity that I think the United States and the allies we have around the world are.
BLITZER: It's a great case and you're trying to do it now on a woman to woman basis, taking American -- prominent American women and taking them to the Middle East and trying to get them involved.
Explain to our viewers what this is all about and if it's going to score some results.
HABIB POWELL: We believe it will. This is a partnership with "Fortune" magazine. As you know, "Fortune" has the list of most powerful women in business. And we have gotten CEOs like Anne Mulcahy of Xerox, Anne Moore of Time Inc. Gerri Elliot from Microsoft, to agree to mentor emerging businesswomen from around the world.
You know, the U.N. Arab Human Development Report, year after year, cites that the full participation of women is a major deficiency in the Middle East and economic opportunity is another deficiency.
This is a way to get emerging businesswomen to shadow our CEOs, our best advocates out there for public diplomacy and opportunity in America, and to go back, more importantly, and empower other women in their villages and communities.
And I've got to tell you a story. Yesterday, Secretary Rice met with them and we were all brought to tears by stories these women were telling about how they were here not for themselves, but for the women they left behind and how they've got to empower them and change hope in their villages and communities.
BLITZER: I suppose you're probably among the most effective that we have in dealing with this admittedly very, very difficult process.
Dina Habib Powell, congratulations.
You just had a baby.
HABIB POWELL: Thank you.
BLITZER: You're back on the job.
Good to have you here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
HABIB POWELL: Good to be with you.
Thanks for having me.
BLITZER: Good luck to you and your colleagues.
HABIB POWELL: Thank you so much.
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs is getting ready for his program, that begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou, tell our viewers what you're working on.
LOU DOBBS, HOST: Thank you, Wolf.
Coming up at 6:00 Eastern here on CNN, we'll be reporting on a showdown looming between the Senate and the House over a spending bill that critics say is stuffed with billions of dollars of pork.
Will the president use his veto or have the opportunity to use his veto for the first time in his presidency?
We'll have that complete coverage.
And among my guests tonight, two congressmen who are taking on corporate interests and lobbyists. They've introduced legislation to crack down on employers who hire illegal aliens. Congressman David Dreier and Congressman Silvestre Reyes join me here.
And I'll also be talking with the former inspector general of the Homeland Security Department, who has written a critically important new book, "Open Target." And America is that open target in his assessment.
We'll have all of that and a great deal more, coming up at 6:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
We hope you'll join us.
Wolf -- back to you.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Lou.
We will.
And we're going to go back to Capitol Hill when we come back from a quick break here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We just got a new statement in from Congressman Patrick Kennedy's office about the accident that he was involved in last night, actually, early this morning, around 3:00 a.m. on Capitol Hill.
We'll tell you what they're saying.
Also ahead, with gasoline prices so high, it seems everyone wants one. That would be hybrid cars. But they don't come that cheap. So how are hybrids really selling?
And in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, should the "Star Spangled Banner" be sung in English or Spanish or both? The debate goes on as many celebrate Cinco-de Mayo, including President Bush.
We're going to have details.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We've been following a developing story up on Capitol Hill for the past hour, hour-and-a-half or so involving Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island.
Let's bring in our Dana Bash.
She's getting a statement from the congressman's office.
He was involved in an incident, a traffic accident, around 3:00 a.m. early this morning up on Capitol Hill.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
Well, we now have the first official statement from the congressman's office. And he says, in a written statement: "I was involved in a traffic incident last night at 1st and C Streets Southeast, near the U.S. Capitol. I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I was fully -- I will cooperate with the Capitol police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake."
Now, that the official statement from Congressman Kennedy.
Now, backing up, our sources who told us about this earlier today said that essentially what the police officers there observed was the car swerving before it actually hit the barrier. In fact, two sources tell us that it appeared that he was intoxicated.
One senior congressional source here, in fact, used the words "stinking drunk" to describe the way officers observed Patrick Kennedy.
But one other thing that I should clarify. You asked me earlier, Wolf, whether or not the congressman was arrested and the answer to that is no. He was not arrested. In fact, we are told that he was taken not anywhere -- not to the station, but actually taken to his house and was not given a sobriety test. And, in fact, the chief of police is investigating the decisions made on the scene, why, in fact, he was driven home, why he wasn't given a sobriety test or arrested or even taken into the station.
That is being investigated.
But as I mentioned, the official statement from Patrick Kennedy is that he was not intoxicated, he was not drinking and that he is cooperating with the investigators, who are looking into exactly what happened in this incident and how it was handled afterwards.
BLITZER: We're going to continue to follow this story and have a lot more in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Dana, thanks for that.
Up next, how private are your cell phone records and who -- who can you call and when, if you want to get records of your phone calls?
There are some new developments in this story.
We'll tell you what's going on.
And also in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, should the "Star Spangled Banner" be sung in Spanish? As many around the country, including President Bush, celebrate Cinco-de Mayo, there are some fresh developments in this debate. We'll share them with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Ali Velshi.
He's got the bottom line -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, oil is way down today. And I'll tell you more about that in a minute.
But one of the most popular questions I've had today is gas prices go up in a hurry when crude oil rises, so how come they don't come down as fast?
Well, listen up. You are already probably seeing some price drops across the country. But if you're not into second guessing the oil industry, you can do what tons of Americans are doing and vote with your wheels.
Those hybrid electronic vehicles that I'm always carping about, well, sales have more than doubled in the last year. There are more than 200,000 new hybrids registered in 2005, so you'd better get them while they're hot. And if you want to know where they're hot, well, California would be one place. That state accounted for more than a quarter of all new hybrids on the road last year.
Now, the problem remains the same for the auto makers. Folks say they're interested in buying a hybrid, especially when gas prices are high, but then they get a little sticker shock. They find out that these hybrids, before you take advantage of the tax breaks and some of the perks, they cost $3,000 to $4,000 more than a regular gas model.
Toyota and its Lexus division accounted for seven out of every 10 hybrids that were sold in 2005.
I was telling you about crude oil, they may as well be giving it away, Wolf. It's down more than $2, to under $70 a barrel. Yippee!
As for stocks, the markets, of course, like that. The Dow is now less than 300 points shy of its all time high, up 38 points today, to 11,438.
And the Nasdaq, Wolf, gained 19 points.
BLITZER: Ali, thanks for that.
How private are your cell phone records?
Not private enough. The federal government has announced that they're trying to crack down on companies that sell your phone records for a price.
Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, has been following the story with our entire Internet team.
She's got some new developments -- Jacki.
SCHECHNER: Wolf, you may remember back in January I took this cell phone -- which isn't mine -- and I paid about $110 to this Web site and I got all of the incoming and outgoing calls. Well, since then there have been a series of congressional hearings and all of the major cell phone companies have filed suit for injunctions or actual lawsuits to shut these companies down.
The company that we purchased the records from is no longer online.
Well, there's also more good news today. The Federal Trade Commission has filed five additional lawsuits against companies that it says is using unfair practices to get customers' phone information without their consent and then turning around and selling it. They want the companies to stop and they want them to forfeit that money.
Well, we reached out to the five companies today. Four of them either had no comment or didn't call us back.
We did speak to one company, Information Search, and they tell us that they never called a telephone company to get a customer's records. They did refer people to companies that they knew did this. And they say they're going to fight the suit -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks for that, Jacki.
Up next, the states or the federal government -- who should be enforcing immigration laws and securing the nation's borders?
Jack Cafferty will be back with your e-mail.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go back to New York.
Jack Cafferty is standing by with The Cafferty File -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf.
One county sheriff in Arizona vowing to get tough on his own on illegal immigration. Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County says a posse of 100 volunteers and sheriffs deputies will patrol the area around Phoenix and arrest illegal aliens.
The question is should individual states enforce border laws if the federal government simply won't do it?
Nobody said no. Hundreds of e-mails, nobody said no.
Brent writes from Idaho: "Thumbs up to the Arizona sheriff. If other states should take his lead, maybe our laid back senators would get the picture that something has to be done with all these illegals. If Idaho's Bonneville County sheriff wasn't such a milquetoast -- and you who you are -- he would do the same and get a bunch of the lawbreaking illegals off the streets."
Mike in Arkansas: "We don't need a group of cowboys deciding what to do about immigration. We need to force our elected representatives in Washington to act. They should be locked in their chambers and not allowed to see the light of day until they make up their minds about what to do."
Vic in Roxboro, North Carolina: "When the government fails to do their job, it's up to the local authorities to do so. As a police officer, you are sworn to protect the public. With these illegals come bad people. Remember the boat lift with the Carter administration? It's the same with Mexico. So, yes, the people are doing what is necessary to protect their lives and homes. Wouldn't you?"
Eric in St. Louis writes: "I guess they'll have to, but this is an unfair burden to put on the states, especially those on the Mexican border. President Bush, please get the message that the American people would like you to enforce our laws. It is, after all, your job."
And Stanley in Aiken, South Carolina: "If the Feds won't do the job, it's up to the individual states to deal with the illegal alien issue. Sonny Perdue, governor of Georgia, recently signed legislation to do just that. I live in South Carolina. I hope our governor will do the same. Bush and Congress have their collective heads in some dark place and it ain't the sand" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: See you in one hour.
Thank you, Jack.
We're here weekday afternoons 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Much more on Democratic Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
Until then, let's go up to New York.
Lou Dobbs standing by -- Lou.
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