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Senate Panel Approves Terror Bill Opposed by President Bush; Series of Shattering Attacks Across Iraq Today; Are Some U.S. Officials Exaggerating Extent of Iran's Nuclear Activities; John McCain Interview; Barack Obama Interview; David Petraeus Interview

Aired September 14, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: 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.

Happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, where Republicans are in revolt. Colin Powell joins key Republican senators who oppose the president's plans for trials and tougher treatment of terror detainees.

Why is Congress caught up in a war of words over the war on terror? Should Congress keep secrets about where your tax dollars are spent? I'll ask Democratic senator Barack Obama.

And she lost a limb in a motorcycle accident. Now she has a high-tech artificial arm powered by her own thoughts.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have the story of a real life bionic woman.

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

President Bush was on Capitol Hill today lobbying Republicans on his plans for tougher treatment of terror suspects, including military trials and more leeway for interrogators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is very important for the American people to understand that in order to protect this country we must be able to interrogate people who have information about future attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But former secretary of state Colin Powell has broken with President Bush, arguing that straying from the Geneva Conventions could put American troops at risk overseas. Powell supports some high-powered Republican senators, including Arizona's John McCain, who have their own ideas about military tribunals. And a short while ago their ideas prevailed in a key committee vote.

Let's go live to our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after a day of twists and turns almost every hour, by a vote of 15-9 the Senate Armed Services Committee approved an alternate bill which was pushed by, among others, Senator John Warner, the chairman of the committee. Placing them directly at odds with President Bush, who has already made very clear that he will block a bill that is other than his own.

At the very heart of their dispute, the president's demand that classified intelligence be withheld from terror suspects when they are on trial before a military tribunal, and redefining the Geneva Conventions more narrowly to ensure that U.S. interrogators who might be using techniques that could be considered war crimes would be protected from prosecution.

As part of a growing public relations campaign that has escalated in the last day, you had the letter that was circulated by Senator John McCain's office from Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and also former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying, "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism. To redefine Common Article 3 would add to these doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk."

Meanwhile, the White House countered with a letter from the current secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, in support of the White House bill. Secretary Rice wrote, "The proposed legislation would strengthen U.S. adherence to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions because it would add meaningful definition and clarification to vague terms in the treaties."

Now, the letters were just the latest installment in a day that began with a visit to Capitol Hill by President Bush, who met behind closed doors with House Republicans not only to boost their morale ahead of November midterms, but also to try to rally support for his anti-terror legislation. In particular, the backdrop, of course, to all of this, Wolf, is the looming November midterms. And as you well know, the fact that you would have Republicans, a split not just between House Republicans and Senate Republicans, but between Republicans in the Senate and the White House and President Bush is certainly going to have a potential political fallout for Republicans as they head into those elections.

You could see both of these bills, both the Warner, McCain and Lindsey Graham bill, and President Bush's bill, on the Senate floor as soon as next week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel on the Hill for us.

Thank you.

Another series of shattering attacks across Iraq today. At least two dozen people are dead, including four U.S. soldiers. This comes as the U.S. military overhauls its textbook for fighting insurgencies based on the very bitter lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let's turn to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you know, there are a lot of books out these days on how to fight counterinsurgencies, but perhaps the most important one is coming out this fall. It's being issued by the U.S. Army.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice over): The grim realities faced by U.S. troops locked in deadly battles with insurgents in both Iraq and Afghanistan have forced a complete rethinking of the U.S. military's textbook tactics for counterinsurgency operations. Lieutenant General David Petraeus helped write the new Army field manual on the subject, the first overhaul in 25 years.

LT. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: And during that time the world turned quite a bit. And the enemies, the insurgents, if you will, have certainly taken advantage of new technologies. It's much more urban now. We're certainly not in jungles right now anywhere, as we were in many respects in the past.

MCINTYRE: Petraeus says the message going out to the current generation of U.S. military leaders is fighting an insurgency is fraught with paradoxes. For instance, the more you protect the force, the less secure you are. The more force you use, the less effective you are. The more successful you are, the less force you can use and the more risk you must accept.

Meaning it's all about finesse not firepower.

PETRAEUS: One of the lessons that's in the manual, of course, is that you must continually adapt. You must continually assess and reassess the situation, because what works here today may not work here tomorrow. What works here today may not work down in the other province today.

MCINTYRE: Another maxim Petraeus argues is that tactical success guarantees nothing. In other words, you can win every battle and still lose the war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Now, General Petraeus is careful to say the new Army field manual doesn't have the answers to everything that's going on in Iraq right now, which he concedes is at a very pivotal point. But he says, Wolf, it will help commanders ask the right questions.

BLITZER: Jamie, thank you.

Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

And my interview with General Petraeus coming up this hour right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Are some U.S. officials exaggerating the extent of Iran's nuclear activities? There's a growing dispute over just how great the threat could be, and that echoes an earlier argument all of us recall over Iraq.

Let's bring in CNN's Brian Todd -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the U.N.'s chief nuclear watchdog group is not sure that Iran wants to pursue nuclear weapons. Republican leaders of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee are sure, and now the two groups are in a public and somewhat personal fight over the matter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): A scathing letter from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the leadership of the House Intelligence Committee saying a report from that committee last month on Iran's strategic threat to the U.S. is full of errors. On page 9 of that report, under a picture of an Iranian nuclear facility, the phrase "Iran is currently enriching uranium to weapons grade." In its letter, the IAEA says Iran is nowhere near that capability.

We asked Congressman Mike Rogers, whose subcommittee prepared the report, about the misleading caption.

REP. MICHAEL ROGERS (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: If you take the caption with the text that is right along with the report, it says that we don't believe that they've gotten there. But the point of that whole section is they are trying to enrich uranium to weapons grade.

TODD: A claim consistently denied by Tehran. The House report also says an IAEA inspector removed at Iran's request might have been pulled out for "not adhering to an unstated IAEA policy barring IAEA officials from telling the whole truth about the Iranian nuclear program." The IAEA's letter calls that an "outrageous and dishonest suggestion."

Rogers says the committee's problem is with the IAEA's rules.

ROGERS: The Iranians said take them off the program and they said OK. You can't have Iran getting to pick who is their inspectors.

TODD: The IAEA was in the middle of a dispute over Iraq's weapons program before the U.S. invasion. The Bush administration criticized the agency for being too cautious and led a failed effort to oppose the reappointment of agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

Is this happening all over again?

DARYL KIMBALL, ARMS CONTROL ASSOCIATION: This is a very troubling instance here. This report of U.S. policymakers, in my view, trying to push the intelligence community to find evidence that they believe supports their suspicions and their end policy goals.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Congressman Rogers disputes that, too, saying this report was bipartisan and was reviewed by the intelligence community. U.S. intelligence officials we contacted would not comment on the House report or the IAEA's letter -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian, thanks very much.

Brian Todd reporting.

Let's go to New York and Jack Cafferty for "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It's just, I mean, deja vu all over again. Right, Yogi Berra? Unbelievable. Here we go again.

All right, another topic.

You can't always get what you want. President Bush may be finding that out the hard way.

He's not used to being told no, you know, but he was today by members of his own Republican-controlled Congress. Top Republicans in the Senate, including John McCain and John Warner, may it clear they do not agree with the president's plan to authorize military trials for suspected terrorists. More specifically, they have a problem with the White House wanting to make changes to the Geneva Conventions.

Good.

Members of the administration say they want to protect officials and civilian interrogators from being charged later under the War Crimes Act, not to mention themselves. But this trio of senators, along with former secretary of state Colin Powell, who we haven't heard from in a very long time, and whose newly found voice is very refreshing to listen to, don't think this is a good idea. It's now going to be much more difficult for the president to get his legislation through the Congress before the November elections.

Good.

Here's the question: What does it mean that top Republicans are opposing President Bush on his military tribunal bill?

E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jack, thank you.

Jack Cafferty in New York.

Up ahead, a star in the Democratic Party raising new speculation about a possible White House bid. Where does Senator Barack Obama stand when it comes to the war on terror? My interview with him, that's coming up.

Also, big changes in Motor City. We've got details this hour.

And she's called the bionic woman, and now she is showing off the high-tech prosthetic that's changing her life.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: My interview with Senator Barack Obama, the Democrat from Illinois, coming up. But let's go to the Republican from Arizona, John McCain. He's joining us from Capitol Hill right now.

Senator, thanks very much for coming in.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: You're -- you have a very different stance than the president has right now on several issues involving the war on terror. Let's go through -- through them and explain to our viewers why you believe the president is wrong.

Why you believe, for example, that evidence that the U.S. government wants to use in a military tribunal against suspected detainees, even if it is classified, should be allowed -- the detainees and their lawyers should be allowed to review it.

MCCAIN: Well, I think that the judge can make a decision as to whether national security would be jeopardized by allowing the defendant to have some information that's classified. Certainly means and methods would be outlawed. So I think we see a compromise there so that we could prevent national security from being compromised, but yet still allow the defendant to be able to see some of the evidence against him. It's just not a normal procedure that someone who is subject to the death penalty is not allowed to see the evidence that's presented against him.

BLITZER: So you think the president is -- is going to be flexible on this specific issue?

MCCAIN: No, I think we all can be flexible on it. I think that's -- that's the way you reach agreement.

BLITZER: What about on the issue of torture, as it's called? Right now the U.S. military has specific guidelines, it's been made public. There seems to be a separate standard for civilians like those in the CIA. You're not happy about that.

MCCAIN: Well, the Geneva Conventions have a -- are generally for those in uniform and the treatment of "POWs." There is one provision that applies to people that are prisoners which is much lower than that of POW status, but still some rights are preserved. And what we are seeking is to make sure that the Geneva Conventions covering these circumstances are not changed, because if we amend the Geneva Conventions, then other nations will to their liking. And several letters, including that of General Colin Powell, could put American lives at risk.

Common Article 3, by the way, is what it's called. We will and want to give immunity, both criminal and civil immunity, to those in the CIA who are involved in this. And we would want to protect them in every way. The difference is, is whether you amend the Geneva Conventions or you do as we want to do, and that's to amend or change the War Crimes Act so that these situations are covered under the War Crimes Act, telling them what they can't do and also then giving them the immunity that they need.

BLITZER: Colin Powell, among other U.S. retired military personnel, agreeing with you that if this doesn't change, if the president's position stands, it could -- it could endanger U.S. troops serving around the world. You speak with a little authority on this as a former POW yourself in Vietnam. But go into a little bit more specific details, why you think the fighting men and women of the United States could be endangered if the president gets his way.

MCCAIN: Suppose that we amend the Geneva Conventions to our interpretation of it. Then another country that is not quite as democratic as ours decides they will amend their version. A Special Forces person is captured by them, and their attorney general tells their secret police, OK, here is our interpretation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, have at him.

That's what people are worried about.

The Geneva Conventions have not been amended. They're -- we have adhered to them for 57 years. We think you can accomplish the same goal by amending the War Crimes Act, which is a statute.

Does that make sense to you?

BLITZER: Well, it makes sense to me, but the question is, on the issue of evidence, do you think there's a compromise potentially in the works with the president on this issue of the Geneva Conventions? Are you getting close to a deal with the administration, or are you still pretty far apart?

MCCAIN: Well, we remain hopeful. We've had hours and hours of conversations, and it's in everybody's interest to get this resolved.

Remember, the Hamdan decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court practically mandated that the Congress act. And so it's important for us to act so that these agencies can get about doing their business.

BLITZER: As you know, you and Senator Warner and Senator Lindsey Graham, your version prevailed in the Senate Armed Services Committee. But you've got a long way to go in this process, a very different perspective in the House of Representatives.

How much of a battle is there going to be?

MCCAIN: I hope it's not a battle at all. I hope that we can sit down and resolve our differences. That would be the best way to resolve it.

But I think you're going to find that there are many, many military personnel that would be deeply concerned about amending the Geneva Conventions, and that we could use a different approach and provide the same protections to our men and women who are engaged in interrogation activities.

BLITZER: And just to be historically correct, when you were a POW in Vietnam, you weren't accorded the Geneva Conventions. You were brutally treated and tortured.

MCCAIN: But later on in our captivity the Vietnamese changed our treatment rather dramatically. There was also an American that was captured in Somalia not that long ago where he was being mistreated, and we insisted he be treated according to the Geneva Conventions Common Article 3 and he was. And he was later released.

We have the moral high ground because we adhere to the Geneva Conventions. And we're not like these other countries, and we understand that al Qaeda would never observe it. But many of us are afraid there will be additional wars in the history of the United States.

BLITZER: One final question, Senator, before I let you go. How concerned are you that three powerful Republican senators, you, being John McCain, Lindsey Graham, John Warner, that some Republicans might say you're giving aid and comfort to Democrats during this very, very bitter political season less than eight weeks before an election?

MCCAIN: Well, first of all, there are other Republicans that agree with us, and there's many other people around the country like General Colin Powell who agrees with us. This is not -- this should have nothing to do with politics, nothing.

This is about the lives of American men and women who are serving our country. I believe that we can work out our differences, and I will bend every effort to do so. It's very important. Not because we have an election coming up, but because we have men and women who are serving in the military who need every protection we can provide them with.

BLITZER: Senator John McCain, thanks very much for coming in.

MCCAIN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Appreciate it.

And coming up, we'll get a different perspective. That would be from Senator Barack Obama. He's a rising star in the Democratic Party. That interview coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: My interview with Senator Barack Obama coming up.

But let's check in with CNN's Zain Verjee. She's joining us for a quick look at some other important stories making news -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, actor George Clooney playing the part of advocate this time in front of the United Nations Security Council. The Hollywood heavyweight, along with Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, urged them to take action now to stop the bloodshed in Darfur, in western Sudan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: This genocide will be on your watch. How you deal with it will be your legacy. Your Rwanda. Your Cambodia. Your Auschwitz.

We were brought up to believe that the U.N. was formed to ensure that the Holocaust could never happen again. We believe in you so strongly. We need you so badly.

We have come so far. We're one "yes" away from ending this. And if not the U.N., then who?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the Darfur war. More than two million people have become refugees. The war's lasted for about three years. So far the United Nations has voted to impose sanctions on a few alleged war criminals and has also voted to send thousands of peacekeepers to the region, but Sudan's government hasn't agreed to allow the troops in the country.

To save some money, Ford will pay some of its employees to leave. Now, that's according to an official with the United Auto Workers. The union leader says Ford will offer buyout and early retirement packages to more than 75,000 workers.

This, as Ford tries to restructure its business amid sagging profits and huge losses. Ford officials have not confirmed the packages, saying they'll soon announce the details of their restructuring deal.

A new development in the college shooting in Canada that ended with two people, including the gunman, dead. Police officials say the gunman had no criminal record, but he was disturbed.

His name is Kimveer Gill, a 25-year-old from near Montreal. Police say they have yet to determine a motive. An 18-year-old girl was killed in the attacks before Gill died himself during a shootout with police -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you, Zain.

Authorities, by the way, are scrutinizing entries made by the shooter online.

Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is following that part of the story -- Abbi.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, online, on a site called VampireFreaks, which has an online profile bearing Gill's name and photos and also this message, "You'll come to know him as trench." And this is an extensive online profile that we're seeing here. There are 55 photos posted of guns and knives, combat boots. All of these have captions of them, like, "Love the kneeling stance," or the rifle, or another one up here, "My blade is sharp."

Now, looking around these, they are posted with a Web handle of fatality666. A long list of likes, dislikes, multiple references to guns, paranoia, depression. There's even a doctored photo of a gravestone bearing the name "Kimveer," saying, "Lived fast, died, young, and left a mangled corpse" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you, Abbi, for that.

Abbi Tatton, our Internet reporter.

Up next, Senator Barack Obama. I'll ask him about the war on terror and some Republican suggestions that Democrats are more interested in protecting terrorists than they are in protecting the American people. Barack Obama, that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

More now on our top story, the fight to create military tribunals for suspected terrorists amid the broader fight over whom would better handle the war on terror. Right now Democrats and Republicans are squabbling over just that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And joining us now from Capitol Hill, Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois.

We'll get to politics, we'll get to some other issues in a moment, Senator. But what about this Republican effort right now to paint not only you, but almost all Democrats as weak on terror? In the words of one House Republican leader, "more interested in protecting terrorists than the American public"?

How are you going to fight back on that?

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Well, first of all, I hope they didn't say it about me personally. This is the usual routine that the Republicans have trotted out before every election. And the question is, is it going to work a third time despite the irrefutable evidence that the policy in Iraq that they pursued has failed, that Afghanistan is getting worse, that every intelligence officer that you talk to and every objective observer that you talk to would indicate that we actually have more active terrorists around the world than we did at the time of 9/11.

BLITZER: But the president says that may be true but right now Iraq has become the centerpiece in the war on terrorism and it's better for the U.S. to be fighting terrorists there than to let them come to the United States. OBAMA: Wolf, there was just a report in the last week indicating how badly the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating. The place where the people who actually carried out the 9/11 attacks have been making a haven. We know that in fact the number of U.S. troops and the number of NATO troops that have been killed in Afghanistan actually exceeds the number that have been killed in Iraq.

So I think it's a little difficult for the administration to credibly claim that somehow their strategy has been successful when the situation is rapidly deteriorating in the area there was bipartisan unanimous support to act and strike to dismantle al Qaeda. Finally we have a situation in which Osama bin Laden is still at large and is still engineering these activities.

BLITZER: How do you explain, senator, how do you explain the point that the president and others keep hammering that it's been five years since 9/11 and there's been no terror attack here in the United States and that this administration deserves some credit for that.

OBAMA: Listen, first of all, I think that's a wonderful thing. That transcends politics. The notion that somehow any of us want terrorist attacks, that I want my eight-year-old daughter or five- year-old daughter subject to terrorist attacks I think is ridiculous. So when you hear House members make some of the statements that they've made, I think they are frankly offensive and I think they were intended as such to pick a political fight.

There is no doubt that we have taken some good steps. I think that the administration has done a good job when it comes to dealing with the financial networks that terrorists utilize. I think that we have made some improvements in terms of how we monitor people who come into this country. But our overarching foreign policy I think has made us less safe rather than more safe.

BLITZER: The president insists, and this is an issue under way right now, as you know, in the House and Senate that he needs legislation authorizing these warrantless wiretaps because they are so critical in preventing terror attacks like 9/11 in the United States and as far as the military tribunals for suspected terrorists are concerned there has to be some guidelines there so that they, the suspects and their lawyers, don't get the evidence that could be classified and could endanger what are called sources and methods in the intelligence community.

You want to resist him on both of those issues, don't you?

OBAMA: Let's separate out the two issues because they have been conflated in the debate. On the surveillance issue what we want to do is set up a system whereby the president has full authority and power to track and monitor without the knowledge of those he is tracking, the whereabouts of terrorists. That's something that the Democrats want as much as any administration officials want.

The only difference is that we think it is appropriate for somebody to be watching the watcher. It's a basic principle of American jurisprudence and our constitutional checks and balances that we don't have the executive branch unilaterally making the decision in case there's abuse.

I'm not suggesting that the president might abuse this surveillance power, but there have been instances in our history, relatively recent history, in which such surveillance power has been abused. And so the question is do we simply make sure that there is some mechanism, the court, the Senate Intelligence Committee, that in a secret way is making sure the executive branch is not going off on tangents.

Now on the issue of military tribunals, I would just commend all the viewers to listen to what General Colin Powell said today, what almost every JAG officer and military expert has said and that is that if we weaken the Geneva Conventions, if we create a system in which we're tolerating torture or abuse or depriving anybody that we have detained, some basic rights, not the same rights as U.S. citizens have, but some basic rights recognized under international law, then our troops are potentially vulnerable if they are captured.

Not by al Qaeda because you'll hear this red herring where the Republicans say al Qaeda will just behead U.S. troops. They are not going to give them a trial. There's no doubt that's true. But there are governments, states that may in the future sometime engage in conflicts with the United States. We've got to make sure our troops are going to be subject to some basic laws of decency.

And that is what is at issue. And that's the reason why you're seeing people like John McCain and Lindsey Graham and John Warner and most of the military resist the president's approach.

BLITZER: Let's talk about what is being described as your first major legislative achievement since becoming a United States senator. Lifting the veil, if you will, on some of the federal spending. Almost all of the federal spending. The pork barrel spending, as it's called.

You and Republican Senator Tom Coburn managed to get legislation through. It has still got to work its way through the process with the House. But there were two U.S. senators who tried to block this in secret. Eventually they failed. Ted Stevens and Robert Byrd. When you see them, what do you say to the guys who wanted to put a hold, as it's called, on this legislation?

OBAMA: Look, I admire Robert Byrd tremendously and I admire Ted Stevens. Some of this is I think generational. Get some of the old lions here in the legislature. They are accustomed to doing things certain ways. And I think what Tom Coburn and myself have simply been trying to do that most federal spending is well spent.

There is some waste, abuse and fraud. The more transparency we have in the system the more accountability we have in the system. The more accountability we have to the American people, to the taxpayers, the more likely that our money is going to be well spent.

And this bill, which actually passed the House yesterday, so we expect a bill signing sometime next week, does something very simple. It says we're going to create a searchable database that anybody can access to track where the federal money is going. You don't have to hire a lobbyist or a federal contracting expert to find out, is your money being well spent?

And I think the testimony to the fact it was a pretty common sense idea is it's rare where you see the kind of coalition we put together across the political spectrum.

BLITZER: It's been described as almost a Google search database that anyone can go and if you or any other member of Congress or the Senate if they -- if you're pushing through pork barrel legislation, the citizens out there, all us will be able to see it and weigh it and adjust our thinking. If in fact it was justified or not.

OBAMA: That's exactly right. The basic idea is if you think that this is a wise way to spend taxpayer money, then you should be willing to stand up and defend it. And everybody should know about it. That kind of openness I think has been the hallmark of American democracy since its inception.

BLITZER: Senator Barack Obama, thanks very much for coming in.

OBAMA: It was great to talk to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, the battle of Baghdad. The U.S. military hits back at the death squads causing so many of the deaths in Iraq. Our Michael Ware will join us with details.

And coming up this hour. Some call her the bionic woman. A young ex-marine is praising a medical device of the future. We're going to introduce you to this very special woman. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour. He is standing by to give us a preview. Hi, Lou.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf, thank you. Coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN. Tonight reporting on the rising number of American casualties in Iraq. Five more of our troops have been killed in the past 24 hours. We'll have an exclusive report from Baghdad.

Also tonight, a showdown between the president and leading senators over the treatment of suspected foreign terrorists. The Senate defies the president. We'll have a live report for you from Capitol Hill.

And the House overwhelming voting to build a 700 mile long fence along our southern border with Mexico. Will the Senate go along? What will the president do? We'll have that special report and a great deal more. We hope you'll join us for that and all the latest at the top of the hour here on CNN. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Lou, sounds good. Thanks very much. And as Lou just said there's been absolutely no let-up in the violence across Iraq. At least 24 people killed today including four American troops. U.S. Army Lieutenant General David Petraeus commands the army's Combined Arms Center, spent a long time in Iraq and is trying to pass on the lessons learned there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: General, thanks very much for coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.

LT. GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: It looks from the outside at least that the situation in Iraq, the various sectarian warfare, the insurgency, it looks like it's going from bad to worse as we watch it on a daily basis. You have the luxury now of watching it from afar. Is that your assessment?

PETRAEUS: Well, I think it's a pivotal time for Iraq right now, Wolf. I think the focus on the security in Baghdad is appropriate. I have been out of the country of course for a year as we mentioned earlier. But certainly there's a number of challenges some of which are really new since February of '06 when the Gold Dome Mosque in Samara, the third holiest shrine of Shia Islam was bombed.

And that really seemed to unleash a number of these different sectarian militias, has caused a great deal of sectarian violence and it added a very new and challenging dimension, certainly to the security effort in Iraq.

BLITZER: General, it looks like the sectarian strife which some say is already a civil war is more of a threat to Iraq than the insurgency.

PETRAEUS: Well, certainly is a very big threat, Wolf. Again this is an issue that at the end of the day Iraqi political leaders really have to grapple with.

BLITZER: But you know that these militias are really gaining strength, the Shiite militias, the Sunni militias, the Kurdish militias, increasingly these various ethnic groups, they want to rely on themselves rather than relying on a national Iraqi police force or a national Iraqi army.

PETRAEUS: That certainly is a lot of the challenge with which they are having to deal, Wolf. As you know a government, a national government has to have the monopoly on certainly the legitimate use of force. And in this case particularly since the bombing of the Gold Dome Mosque, the emergence of much more violence fomented by these militias, is -- has been very troubling.

That is exactly however what General Casey, General Correlli (ph), the other leaders on the ground in partnership with the Iraqi security force leaders. And again most importantly with Iraq's national leaders. Let's remember the militias are linked to political parties of Iraq. And at the end of the day political leaders of Iraq have got to get these militias under control.

BLITZER: There is this huge province, the al Anbar province. A U.S. military intelligence report the other day suggested that yes, the U.S. militarily can continue to fight their but politically for all practical purposes this huge part of Iraq is already lost. Is that your assessment?

PETRAEUS: Well, again, Wolf, as I said it's been a year since I have been on the ground even longer since I was on the ground in Anbar province. I did see the reports on that. It's obviously of great concern. Again, it does highlight the importance of this political aspect of the resolution of these challenges.

BLITZER: General Petraeus, we have to leave it right there. Lots of work ahead for the U.S. military clearly. Thanks very much for coming in.

PETRAEUS: Good to be with you again, Wolf. Thanks.

BLITZER: And up ahead, Republicans versus Republicans. Right now President Bush facing opposition over his military tribunal bill from members of his own party. So Jack Cafferty is wondering, what do you think about this? Jack with your e-mail, that's coming up.

And some call her a real life bionic woman. A young ex-marine looking at a new lease on life. Stay with us. You're going to meet her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check back with Jack Cafferty in New York -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: Wolf, the question this hour is what does it mean that top Republicans are opposing President Bush on his military tribunal bill.

Janelle writes from Roland Park, Kansas, "Jack, it means there are at least some Republicans who are thinking like Americans at last. I had begun to wonder. Just because the president wants permission to act like a barbarian doesn't mean we should let him."

Fran writes in South Carolina, "It sounds like he's pushed the envelope too far. We've all had enough of his lies, deceptions, his boasting, his bragging, his bring-'em-on rich boy spoiled brat presidency. It finally caught up with him. Now he lost respect and that's the end, amen. Who's going to pay attention to him anymore?"

Matthew in Chicago. "It means you can't rewrite the Geneva Conventions. I can't believe I actually just typed that. What is wrong with Bush?"

Dave in Alabama. "The sobering voice of General Colin Powell was the wakeup call. Powell for president."

Ron in Miami. "Cafferty, as with the decreasing gas prices and now key Republicans standing up to President Bush, does this not seem a bit fishy like election year politics? Republicans are running scared and find themselves fending for themselves."

And Don in Ukiah, California, "I can see now that a few good men are stepping up to face off with the chicken hawks. It's about time."

You didn't see your e-mail here you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile and read more of them online. If you don't see it there don't complain to me. Because I have nothing to do with the ones that go online.

BLITZER: A lot of people go there to read those e-mails, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Some do.

BLITZER: Thanks very much. See you back here at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Up next. She is called the bionic woman thanks to a high tech prosthetic. We're going to show it to you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A young ex-marine doesn't have just the latest technology at her fingertips, it is her fingertips and a lot more. Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has details in our "Welcome to the Future" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAUDIA MITCHELL, BIONIC ARM RECIPIENT: This looks a little difficult but the fact of the matter is it would be impossible with one hand.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago one hand was all Claudia Mitchell had. She lost her left hand and arm after a motorcycle accident but today the 26-year-old ex-marine is the first woman to be fitted with a most advanced prosthesis of its kind, a bionic arm powered by her own thoughts.

Today in front of doctors, scientist and the media she unveiled her new arm. Cheering her along Jesse Sullivan, the first person to be fitted with this bionic arm. Steve Austin, and Lindsay Wagner reunited. Well sort of.

MITCHELL: My mind says open my hand. Everything works the way it should and my hand opens. I can open jars, I can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without my bread sliding everywhere. I can hold a big fat deli sandwich that is piled with cold cuts. I can -- so there are a lot of daily tasks I can do now.

GUPTA: The arm was developed by Dr. Todd Kuiken at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. What they did was rewire her. It is called targeted muscle enervation. The nerves in her shoulder that once went to her amputated arm were rerouted and connected to muscles into the chest. Those rerouted nerves flow into the chest muscle and direct signals once sent to her amputated arm now to her new robotic arm.

DR. TODD KUIKEN, REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: So when she thinks close her hands the hand nerves go to a piece of muscle and the hand closes. She thinks bend elbow, a different piece of her chest muscle contracts and she bends her elbow.

GUPTA: The arm has three motors that control movement in the hand, wrist and elbow. But Kuijen is already testing a new six motor arm on Claudia to see how much it improves flexibility and function. And he says motorized legs with powered knees and ankles are next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Welcome to the future, right? I mean this is amazing stuff. It's not quite $6 million. It's about $4 million of research to create the arm. $200,000 for the actual implants themselves. It's amazing this particular technology and what the future might hold, Wolf.

BLITZER: Amazing. And the pictures, this is really remarkable when you think about it. You have a special report that we're going to be airing this weekend. Talk a little bit about the whole issue of a genius.

GUPTA: This was so much fun to put together. Talking about genius, everything from what makes a genius, every parent I know wants their kids to be geniuses. How do you make that happen? What is a genius? For the most part, Wolf, someone who is able to constantly know lots of facts but put the facts together in unique and novel and creative ways. Putting disparate thoughts together.

That really is sort of the basis for genius. We get at that quite a bit as well as meet children whose brains are just remarkable, autistic savants, everything. I hope you watch it, Wolf. I'll be anxious to hear what you think.

BLITZER: Well, I have already seen parts of it. I'm telling you, it's great, great stuff. Our viewers are really going to like this. Sanjay, excellent work, as usual. Sanjay Gupta's special on genius, that airs Sunday night, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. You're going to want to see this. This is great, great stuff.

Transportation Department calls it, quote, "The greatest life saving improvement since the safety belt." Today the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing regulations that would require all new vehicles including anti-roll-over technology. Let's bring in Abbi Tatton. She has the details.

TATTON: Wolf, this is exactly the kind of accident these new proposal is seeking to avoid. A roll-over, according to the Department of Transportation. This has higher fatality rates than other kinds of accidents. Now under the new rules proposed today by the Department of Transportation, auto manufacturers will have to make electronic stability control standard in all vehicles that they make.

This is ESC, where senses kick in to detect is the car is going out of control. This is animation from manufacturer Continental showing the stability system, kicking in so the car does not spin out. Now ESC is currently standard on about 40 percent of 2006 vehicles. The Department of Transportation says if it becomes standard on all then this could save about 10,000 lives a year and 250,000 injuries. Wolf?

BLITZER: Abbi, thank you very much. Remember we're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekday afternoons from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern for two hours. Then back for another hour at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. One hour from now. Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT starts right now -- Lou.

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