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Bush to Meet with Iraq Generals to Discuss Strategy; Iraqi Militia Attacks Police Stations; Catholic Church Condemns Behavior of Priest Accused by Foley

Aired October 20, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: And I'm Don Lemon.

PHILLIPS: Iraqi forces put to the test. A militia takes over a southern city. Will U.S. troops help take down the uprising? Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, joins me live.

LEMON: And he is certainly the man of the hour. Senator Barack Obama. Will he run for president? I'm talking with the who's who in black community and politics. You may be surprised at what they have to say about an Obama run.

PHILLIPS: Terror as a weapon in politics. New GOP ads hit the air waves. How will Democrats counterattack? We're live from the CNN NEWSROOM.

It was a rare success story from the Iraq war. The city of Amara turned over to Iraqis by the British army just a few months ago. Quietly, peacefully. That was then. It's a different story today.

The unofficial army of a radical cleric stormed in and took charge. Iraqi police were no match.

Much more from Iraq in a moment, but first, from Washington, word that president Bush has called in his senior commanders for a huddle on tactics and mounting U.S. casualties.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has that -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that's right, President Bush telling the Associated Press just a little while ago that he was calling in consultations. He was meeting with General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, and General George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Now, we've spoken to our military sources, and they confirm these details and tell us that General Abizaid will be on his way to Washington from his headquarters in Florida, perhaps within hours, will, depending on the president's schedule, possibly meet with him, as well as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, for an initial meeting by the end of today. But that they will get together and have a very substantial review of Iraqi strategy tomorrow at the White House. Now, it is expected that General Casey from Baghdad will join them by a secured video teleconference. Our sources further tell us that this meeting was scheduled just in the last couple of days.

So while many people may view it as a routine review of strategy, there is every indication that the president, within the last couple of days, came to the decision that he wanted to see his commanders, his top commander, at least, face-to-face, sit down, and talk about the current situation in Iraq.

By all accounts, there are a series of options. There are items that they are going to look at with the president to see what they might do differently in Iraq.

If there are options on the table, Kyra, they are being very closely held. No one is talking about them. But this meeting, now, expected over the weekend with the president to talk about the current situation in Iraq and what can be done about it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now we're also expecting a briefing with sec def, Donald Rumsfeld, hosting his counterpart from South Korea, right? We're expecting to hear from North Korea and more than likely more about what's happening in Iraq.

STARR: Well, right. Let me explain to viewers. Over my shoulder you see the flag of South Korea. The minister is here for a series of bilateral meetings with the secretary of defense.

And in just about the next 20 minutes or so, they will appear here in the briefing room and hold a press conference together, taking questions, and that press conference is likely to be very interesting, of course, a number of questions about the situation with North Korea and, of course, the situation in Iraq -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll take it live. Barbara Starr, thanks.

LEMON: And CNN's Arwa Damon is also watching developments in Amara. She is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to senior police officials, the clashes erupted following an incident on Wednesday when a roadside bomb killed the senior intelligence officer for the police for Maysan province.

Following that incident, members of his tribe went to one of Muqtada al-Sadr's offices and detained the brother of a senior Mehdi militia commander. This caused hundreds of Mehdi militiamen to storm into downtown Amara and attack two police stations. The clashes lasted all day on Thursday and into Friday.

Finally, on Friday, the Iraqi police were no longer able to repel the attackers. They deserted the police stations. The Mehdi militia took them over and set one of them on fire. Following that, the Iraqi government dispatched hundreds more police and Iraqi army soldiers to that area. Right now, according to a spokesperson for the Iraqi army, the situation is relatively under control. British forces are on standby, should the Iraqi government ask them for backup.

This incident really underscores one of the main issues facing the Iraqi government today. That is the issue of disarming the militias.

It also raises the crucial question of who controls the streets. From what we are hearing right now, Amara is relatively calm. The question is has relative stability been restored to the city of Amara because of the presence of the Iraqi security forces or is it because Muqtada al-Sadr himself phoned his offices in Amara and called for calm? Additionally, sending a group of representative down to that area to assess the situation.

Again, what is the Iraqi government going to do now about disarming the militias? That is one of the core questions that faces them here.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Here's an up close look at Amara. About 750,000 people live there. It's the provincial capital of Maysan province in the heart of the Shiite-dominated south, not far from the Iranian border.

Mehdi army militiamen have long enjoyed a free rein there. And today, they're said to be roaming the city, setting up checkpoints at will.

Again, we're expecting a news conference at the bottom of the hour with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. You'll see it live right here from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: A formal apology for a former altar boy. CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us from Miami where the Catholic archdiocese is speaking out on allegations of decades' old abuse -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. A few minutes ago, the archdiocese of Miami issued a former apology to ex- Congressman Mark Foley. Given the statements that Father Mercieca has made.

You'll remember that he is the priest who now is attached to the diocese of Gozo near Malta, which is near the island of -- near Italy, rather. He is the priest that Mr. Foley has accused of molesting him when he, Mr. Foley, was a teenager between the ages of 13 and 15 years old.

Today, the archdiocese of Miami released a photograph they say is of Father Mercieca. In south Florida, he was known as Father Mercieca.

Now the archdiocese has removed his faculties. In church lingo, means that this priest can no longer practice as a priest. He can no longer say mass, hear confession, wear his clerical robes.

They're now asking, the authorities are, for any other alleged victims to come forward, while the church conducts its own investigation.

And as we have previously reported, the Palm Beach state attorney's office is not opening a criminal case at this time, because Mr. Foley is not pressing charges. That could change if other alleged victims come forward and want to do so -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Susan. You said he is not pressing charges. Statute of limitations in all of this.

CANDIOTTI: He is not pressing charges. Mr. Foley has said, through his attorneys that this is not about that. It is about his healing process.

And to that end, the archdiocese has offered him counseling. Through his attorneys, Mr. Foley has said he would accept that counseling. And the church is labeling the behavior of this priest, in their words, morally reprehensible and inexcusable and against church law -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that report.

In stories yesterday about the priest, who admits he fondled former U.S. Congressman Mark Foley, CNN and other news organizations published an incorrect photograph showing another employee of the diocese. CNN profoundly regrets our error.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, he's certainly not a Republican.

LEMON: But he'll be going on television to boost the Republican cause. Coming up, why the GOP is putting bin Laden on television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: An escalation of violence in Iraq. Tony Snow briefing reporters on that.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

QUESTION: On the partition question, you said yesterday was a nonstarter. Today you said the president doesn't want to think about it. You have prominent Republicans like Senator Hutchinson and Senator Santorum saying that it should be looked at. Why is the administration...

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It has been looked at. It has been looked at.

QUESTION: Why is it a nonstarter?

SNOW: It's a nonstarter because you don't want to re-create the Balkans.

What you have is -- within Iraq there is a sense of national identity. It was expressed at considerable risk by 12 million Iraqis last year. They made it clear that they consider themselves part of a nation.

And the idea of breaking them into pieces raises the prospect in the south that you're going to have pressure from Iran on the largely Shia south, you're going to have difficulties in the north with the Kurds with the Turks and the Syrians who are worried about a greater Kurdistan, and then if you have in the middle a Sunni population that has been cut out of the prosperity by oil to the north and south, you have a recipe for a tinder box.

It makes a lot more sense to continue -- rather than saying to everybody, "Go to your separate corners and be different people," to build on a sense of Iraqi identity that was expressed by people who went forward and voted which an enormous -- at times when a lot of people were saying, "They aren't going to vote. The Sunnis aren't going to participate."

Remember all these predictions that were made last year? They turned out not to be true.

And so, it makes perfect sense to try to work with the Iraqis for what they want rather than to insist that they follow a path that people in Washington people may think is more politically convenient.

QUESTION: Just to follow on that, pressed on the Balkans issue, Balkanizing Iraq, as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said, "Well, the Balkans appear a lot more safe than Iraq is right now."

SNOW: Again, we stand by our position. We love and respect Senator Hutchison, but on this one, we just disagree.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) tomorrow?

SNOW: No, it's a regular -- it's what they call a CCVTC (ph). It is a secure communication. This has been on the schedule for weeks. It is not in response to...

(CROSSTALK)

SNOW: No, it's not in response to news stories. It's not in response to anything else. It's a regular consult that happens at fairly regular intervals.

QUESTION: Let me ask you a question to make sure that I have my arms around it.

We've been talking about tactics and strategy and objectives. Let's get it on the table and for purposes of future discussion, even, have an understanding of what we're talking about.

Strategy, as I understand it, is how war is conducted. It's a plan of action.

SNOW: That's going to fall more into -- let me explain...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... how you implement...

SNOW: Let me try to explain the terms I'm using, the way I've used, because it's given us all plenty to talk about the last two weeks. So I will assert press secretary's privilege to define the terms of the debate and then we can talk about them.

Let's first set the goal. What do you want to achieve? You want to achieve, as a goal, an Iraq that can sustain, defend and govern itself.

What is the strategy? The strategy is to use not merely military force but other means at your disposal to create that secure Iraq.

That includes a security component, military police and so on. It includes a political component: a government that is able to govern and, at the same time, also draws in parties from all over the country who are invested in it.

A third part is an economic component, because that is also going to be absolutely necessary, to say to some who have gone into the insurgency because they think they have no prospects, "No, you've got prospects here."

So the strategy is to use all three of those means to bring about the end of an Iraq that can sustain, govern and defend itself.

On the tactical side, you're going to have all three meshing together in different ways, because they do intersect. For instance, when you're dealing with oil fields, you do have security concerns; you have political concerns as well. We've encouraged the Iraqis to treat that as a natural resource to be shared by all.

So that is how I'm bringing it: So you've got goals, strategy, tactics.

QUESTION: OK, but then...

(CROSSTALK) QUESTION: Webster's has tactics as the way you implement strategy.

SNOW: Webster's and I agree on this one.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: I'm sure that comes as great comfort to Webster's.

Here's the... SNOW: Old Daniel's been gone a while, but I'm sure his heirs and assigns are happy.

QUESTION: Here's the question: Under these definitions...

(CROSSTALK)

SNOW: Oh, that's right, Noah. Thank you. Noah. Thank you.

I'm glad I'm here. You guys keep me honest.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Should have gone with Funk & Wagnalls.

SNOW: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Under this term, is the president right now entertaining a change in strategy?

SNOW: No.

QUESTION: Flat rejected. There will be no change in strategy.

SNOW: Again, strategy is you want an economic component, a political component and a security component. You're talking about what I refer to as tactics. So to translate...

QUESTION: I'm talking about policy.

SNOW: No, the policy is pretty straightforward: You use those three components to try to achieve the end.

What you're talking about is tactics, which are the means by which you get those strategies enacted. Correct? The tactics are, for instance, how do you deal with a certain neighborhood in Baghdad, what's the proper way to secure that? That's a tactical issue.

How do you try to reach out to build political accommodation between Sunni and Shia? That's a tactical issue.

How do you try to secure the oil fields in such a way as to increase revenues from the oil fields to build a sense of prosperity? That's a tactical issue.

Those are not strategic concerns. The strategy is the big- picture pieces that I outlined.

QUESTION: What you're telling me is, in the strategy, in this big picture, he's entertaining no change.

SNOW: No. What I'm telling you is, tactically you adjust all the time. He is entertaining no change in believing that you can't do it militarily alone, you can't do it politically alone, can do it economically alone.

SNOW: And on that, I guarantee...

QUESTION: What?

SNOW: An Iraq that can sustain, govern and defend itself -- goal. Goal, strategy, tactics.

Now, let me just reiterate -- and on that point, I think you'll find Democrats and Republicans generally will at least agree that you cannot do it strictly through military operations, you need a political component, you need an economic component. And indeed, all three are mentioned in this letter of the president today.

So at the strategic level, people really do agree. Now the question is how you implement those strategies. And on that, there's wide disagreement.

QUESTION: What is James Baker doing? What are they looking at if not trying to change the strategy?

It almost seems like you're changing the definition of strategy to fit tactics in the middle...

SNOW: No, what I'm trying to do is to come up with some way in which you and I can talk the same language so that we don't all go cross-eyed in total bewilderment and confusion.

And so perhaps -- look, you guys, why don't you e-mail me the labels you want me to use for these various groupings that I've given to you?

QUESTION: James Baker will look at strategy. And you're saying you're going to listen to James Baker and Lee Hamilton and this bipartisan report...

SNOW: Well, I think what they're talking...

QUESTION: What's strategy in your definition?

SNOW: I think they will agree with what I described as strategy, which is...

QUESTION: But you're not even considering a change in -- no, Tony, sorry...

SNOW: No, but that's because we are not going to change our belief that you require -- this is the strategic picture that requires an economic, political and security component. And I guarantee you people on that commission agree.

So what we're talking about, that they describe as strategy, I'll describe as tactics. Sorry we're talking different languages. I'm trying to harmonize for the purpose of answering your question.

(CROSSTALK) QUESTION: ... what the president says he relies on his generals to do, which is tactics?

SNOW: Well, the generals also engage not merely in -- yes, to some extent, yes, but the generals also have a much more detailed, ground-level view of how to achieve these things.

Maybe we need to come up with a fourth label.

But Secretary Baker and Lee Hamilton and others are going to take a close look at ideas that they think are going to be more effective to achieve that strategic goal of an Iraq that can defend itself, sustain itself and govern itself, and to do so in a way that involves security, economic and political components. I think all of that's agreed upon.

So now the question is, what is your mid-level goal? They're going to take a look at the various goals you try to proceed.

I know, we're getting into a linguistic swivet (ph) here.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: It's almost like you're trying to hide behind the term "tactics" to change strategy.

SNOW: No. No. No. Because I think the strategy's real clear: You try to use all three of those modalities to achieve an end.

QUESTION: OK, can we talk about -- speaking of generals, General Caldwell yesterday, you said you called him right before you came out here. Why is that?

SNOW: Because I try to touch base with him. I actually...

QUESTION: Do you always every day or just when he says something...

SNOW: No. I actually...

QUESTION: ... that you may not agree with?

SNOW: No. I didn't say anything -- he didn't say anything I disagree with.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) misquoted?

SNOW: No, I quoted him. I said he was quoted somewhat out of context. I didn't say he was misquoted. And I read the full quote yesterday so that people could decide.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

SNOW: Well, he was quoted out of context. OK. Well, then I was wrong. He was quoted out of context. But the other thing is, General Caldwell knows better than I would the situation is on the ground, so I rely on him to try to provide data. In fact, he's putting together some data points, because I know there's a lot of interest trying to figure out metrics for it. He's working that up. But I hope to have some of that for you Monday.

QUESTION: Do you have an idea of the metrics so far? Do you have an idea of how the indicators are going in Baghdad about how things are going? I mean, what's your assessment (OFF-MIKE) with General Caldwell?

SNOW: Let me -- I'll get back to you Monday because I think what you want to do is to have an assessment with a sufficiently good timeline that you can draw conclusions that are defensible. He's working on that. Give me until Monday and I'll bring back the homework for you.

QUESTION: Tony, going back to the strategy, is it still open- ended? At this point, is the president still opposed to any kind of phased withdrawal and also giving the Iraqi government a more specific deadline of when they need to get things going?

SNOW: There are two things.

Number one, the president's made it clear that he is not going to do a phased withdrawal just for the hell of doing a phased withdrawal.

QUESTION: If that's a recommendation that he hears from commanders and...

SNOW: He hasn't heard that from commanders. If he'd heard that from commanders, then he would think about it.

But the notion is he does believe in a phased withdrawal if the conditions on the ground are suitable. And he's always said that. At some point we're going to bring folks home, and we hope sooner rather than later.

The president doesn't like being in this war. Nobody likes being in a war.

But you also understand that if you walk out before the job is done, you create incredible instability in the Middle East, you buy more difficulty for you here at the United States, you lend aid and comfort to people who think that they will be able to attack Americans with impunity here and around the world, you make the world a less (sic) dangerous place by walking away before the conditions are ripe for doing so.

However, when the conditions are right, you bet there's going to be a phased withdrawal. But it's not on an artificial timetable.

As far as talking with the Iraqis, we consult with them. General Caldwell, General Casey, General Abizaid, Zal Khalilzad, members of the administration consult constantly. I mean, the Iraqis don't want us around any longer than we want to be there ourselves. They also want to have the ability to sustain, govern and defend themselves without outside help. So it is surely in their interest to do it as quickly as possible. They've got every motivation to do so. We understand that, and we'll do everything we can to assist them.

QUESTION: Is General Abizaid going to be meeting with the president in person either today or tomorrow?

SNOW: I don't think so. I think this is -- can we double-check, but I think it's by CCVTC (ph). I think this is by secure communications. It's a video conference.

QUESTION: Do you have an update on Amarah -- on the situation...

SNOW: No, I don't. They're still trying to collect data and trying to assess exactly what the situation is.

QUESTION: Can I ask you something about the president said today at the Mayflower?

He was talking about the terrorists trying to influence public opinion: filming their atrocities, he said, e-mailing messages and video clips to Middle Eastern cable networks like Al Jazeera and opinion leaders throughout the West.

Why the mention of Al Jazeera? And to who was he referring when he talked about opinion leaders in the West?

SNOW: Well, I mean, your network has shown pictures of snipers hitting Americans, which is used as a propaganda tool.

So the fact is that -- it shows real sophistication on the part of these guys, because it creates the impression that Americans are sitting ducks and that these guys are capable, when, in fact, while you have a capable enemy they're dying in much greater numbers and suffering much greater damage.

Now, I know that's hard -- as General Caldwell said yesterday, you can have this carnage and progress existing side by side.

Unfortunately, the pictures are all moving in one way.

So the president was referring to the attempt to take images like that and use those as a way of not only -- of trying to break the will of the American people. And it's not going to work.

QUESTION: Do you feel that it was wrong for CNN to show that?

SNOW: No, no, I'm just telling you what happened. Those are editorial judgments, and we're not going to tell you what you do and don't run. This is a free country.

QUESTION: But by mentioning this in a...

SNOW: Well, because you asked the question. You asked who I was referring to.

QUESTION: The president's raising it -- I'm saying, by the president raising that issue, is he sending a message that he thinks it's wrong for networks to air that?

SNOW: No. The president, I think, is smart enough not to tell television networks what they can run and can't run. But all we're doing is making it clear what's going on.

I think, perhaps -- I'm sure the editors are savvy enough to know that when they get a video like this, it's designed less to give you a full and complete view of what's going on in the country than to create a sense of triumphalism for the killers of Americans.

That's the intention of that. I think that's hard to dispute. So that's the only point.

QUESTION: On the Abizaid meeting, was he in Iraq or is he in D.C.? Or where is he going to be? Do you know?

SNOW: I think he's either in Iraq or he's at Central Command or in Doha. My sense is he's probably in Doha, Casey's probably in Iraq and the president will be in the White House.

QUESTION: Do you have any plans for an readout...

SNOW: No, no, this is a meeting where they talk about on-the- ground tactics and ongoing intelligence. It happens quite often.

You now know they're meeting. But no, we're not going to spread out the map and let you look at all the dots on it. That's just not going to work.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

SNOW: I'll find out for sure. This is asterisks time. I don't know. But I'll find out.

QUESTION: At the gaggle this morning, when you were asked about the president's closed appearances on behalf of Republican candidates, you just said, "That's the way it is in the land of McCain-Feingold."

Now, I wonder, are you saying that the campaign finance laws limit the president from larger and more open things?

SNOW: No, I think...

QUESTION: Would you elaborate?

SNOW: I think what happens is now when a president goes some place it's got to be paid for, and it can't be paid for out of party coffers because of restrictions on soft money.

So what happens is the people there...

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) party coffers? SNOW: Either, as is my understanding. So what has to happen is that people have got to pony up the cash to pay for the fairly heavy delivery costs of Air Force One and the entourage that goes with it.

So it costs money and people do have to pay. It sometimes suppresses turnout when you've got to pay a lot of money or pay money for it.

I'll tell you what we'll try to do is, because I don't want to palm myself off as too expert on McCain-Feingold or federal election stuff, I'll try to put together a brief summary and we'll get it out so that at least we can point to what the legal provisions are and the implications.

QUESTION: Tony, when was partition last seriously considered?

And what about changes to the way the federal structure of Iraq is being -- if you could stop short of partition...

SNOW: Well, there's a federal...

QUESTION: Would it just give the regions more and more autonomy?

SNOW: Well, there's a federalism debate ongoing in Iraq. And we certainly support the debate. Just that is a far different thing than partition.

QUESTION: Sure, but they're on the same spectrum in the sense that you're giving these regions more autonomy, more control.

SNOW: Yes, well, that's part of the reasonable and ongoing debate for what's going to work best for an Iraqi democracy.

QUESTION: When was partition last seriously considered?

SNOW: I don't have a date. But the fact is...

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

SNOW: What?

QUESTION: Prewar? Postwar?

SNOW: I don't know. I mean, this is one of these things where I think the arguments are pretty clear on behalf of partition.

QUESTION: Two questions.

In connection with your mentioning they are suffering great damage, Wall Street Journal claims that a report from Johns Hopkins of 655,000 Iraqi war dead is bogus.

My question: Is that the case? And if so, how many Iraqi war dead are estimated by our commander in chief?

SNOW: Number one, I'm not going to give you an estimate. And number two, the same organization has used the same methodology, to almost universal criticism.

But I will let the people who handle statistics give you more definitive analysis of it.

QUESTION: One network, WorldNetDaily, quotes two newspapers, Agape Press and the Washington Blade, reporting that at the swearing in of Mark Dybul as an AIDS ambassador, Secretary of State Rice referred to the mother of a gay partner as mother-in-law.

And my question: How does this adhere to the president's belief and policy that marriage is between one man and one woman?

SNOW: Well, the secretary said what she said, and she was showing due deference to the people involved.

QUESTION: I wondered if you could clarify the basis of the story to begin with, because initially it was that it was basically for regime change -- I mean a question of regime change whether or not to go in. And then it moved to inspections, and then the goal post changed to weapons of mass destruction...

SNOW: I would take you...

QUESTION: ... freedom and democracy. And I was just wondering...

SNOW: Well, go back and read U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. That will give you a pretty good take on it.

QUESTION: The Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, stated yesterday, quote, "Under today's circumstances, it is impossible for the United States of America and Iraq to open a front against the PKK and fight with them. Turkey should show us understanding because it's extremely difficult to pull the military forces out from the southern and central part of the country to the northern part..."

SNOW: Let's shorten it up. What's the question about the PKK?

QUESTION: The question is, since Mr. Zebari (inaudible) the U.S. government, how do you respond to (inaudible) request to attack the PKK bases?

SNOW: Number one, there has been a move to shut down PKK offices within Iraq. And we're going to let the Iraqi government handle that.

QUESTION: Has the situation in Iran become more dangerous in recent days with the leader saying that Israel should not exist? And has Iran become stronger during this chaos in Iraq?

SNOW: No, I think what's going on -- I mean, it's not the first time that Ahmadinejad has made such comments about Israel.

Meanwhile, there is ongoing diplomatic effort, reflected in comments by Mr. Larijani the other day, to make it clear to the Iranians that the international community, including some of their friends and neighbors, do not want them to develop nuclear weapons. So that's not particularly new.

QUESTION: You talk about winning and victory. And you're talking about an Iraq that can sustain, govern and defend itself. Would you consider a victory for an Iraq that can do those things where there was not a democracy, if they're not actually able to sustain a democracy?

SNOW: Democracy is the goal that we have for the Iraqi people.

But more importantly, it's the goal they, themselves, have set. You're going to have to ask them whether, having risked their own lives and blood in support of a democracy, whether they want to give it up. And so far the pretty clear answer is no.

QUESTION: You cite the elections as evidence of the desire on the part of the Iraqis for nationhood. Is that necessarily inconsistent with the possibility that in the interim the Iraqis have become disenchanted with the failures and the shortcomings of the Maliki government and they no longer have the same attitude about nationhood?

SNOW: That is the kind of question that is probably unanswerable, because it requires -- I mean, you're going to have to be, A, asking the Iraqi people, but you've got a Maliki government that is a little more than four months old and I think it is probably reasonable to suspect that that government needs time to get settled, as it has been doing.

We think they've been doing a good job. And so, you know, I mean, you can speculate all you want.

The most important thing is, on three different occasions now, predictions to the contrary notwithstanding, the Iraqi people have voted in ever greater numbers, first for a constitution and for an elected government.

So I don't see any reason to think that suddenly they're going to say, "We don't want this anymore, we want despotism."

QUESTION: Why won't our government give us an estimate of the Iraqi civilian deaths?

SNOW: It's very difficult to come up with totals. What's happened is we have left that to Iraqis who, in fact, have been providing, through the hospitals, their own estimates.

QUESTION: Tony, can you say a few words about the new Bush space policy that was released, strangely enough on a Friday afternoon before Columbus Day, on the Web site of the Office of Science and Technology?

SNOW: You mean the strategy that strangely enough was announced in July?

QUESTION: No, it was put on the Web site on the weekend of Columbus Day.

SNOW: OK, what do you wish to know? Not that I'm very good at it.

QUESTION: It's about a 16-page document. NASA is mentioned in one sentence. And the gist of it is...

LEMON: OK, we're listening to a White House briefing, Tony Snow there updating reporters on the escalating situation in Iraq. Of course the southern city of Amara this morning taken over by Shiite militia, Muqtada al-Sadr militia there.

Basically, he's saying that there's a tenuous situation in Iraq is basically all he's saying. The goals, and the strategies and the tactics, he's saying, will not change.

And at one point, he became so upset that he put his head down and hit himself on the microphone, because, he said, it was really -- they were arguing semantics there. He said the president will not do a phased pullout, which many have been asking him to do. If the situation on the ground becomes better and they start getting the job done, he said of course that will happen.

We're waiting on a briefing from the Pentagon, a news conference, at the bottom of the hour.

But also I want to tell you, they talked about an event this weekend, General Abizaid, either on his way or will by teleconference, meet this weekend with Rumsfeld and the president. But again, we are waiting for a briefing at the bottom of the hour. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to take questions. We'll bring that to you live when it happens, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's go straight to the NEWSROOM.

Thomas Roberts working details on a developing story for us.

What do you have, Thomas?

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra, this is a story we have been following in the NEWSROOM for everybody for most of the morning, into the early afternoon. Take you to Houston now, where a six-hour standoff with the Houston Police Department has ended. You can see the police department now storming inside the building. This is a convenience store called Sunny's. This morning, around 5:30 a.m. local time, a guy used some type of car, truck, I don't know if that's the actual truck there, but using it to ram through the convenience store to get inside. Now nobody was inside at the time. But his mission was to go inside and steal from the till.

Well, cops got involved, and there was a standoff that ensued. The police believed the man had a rifle. They waited roughly about six hours' time, then they stormed inside, as we see right here. They found the guy hiding inside. So we can report that that is now over. And, Kyra, also report that nobody was injured.

PHILLIPS: Good news. Thanks, Thomas.

Straight ahead, a key focus on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Terror.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Terrorism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorists.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: Terrorism.

BUSH: The war on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Ahead in the NEWSROOM, a closer look at war, terror and politics in 2006.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A story just into CNN. A small earthquake in northern California. Reynolds Wolf, what's going on?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. This just came in from the USGS. We have reports of a small earthquake, a minor earthquake, 3.0 on the Richter scale. This is near The Geysers of California, The Geysers being the community. Very small place, just to the north of San Francisco.

As we zoom in a little bit if we can -- there it is right there, just that red spot you happen to see, just right near the center of the screen. That's located about six miles to the west of Cobb, California, also near Sacramento, California, about 74 miles to the west, northwest of that location. Santa Rosa, California, about 28 miles from that spot.

Well, it didn't last very long. Again, a minor earthquake. But certainly enough to rattle the windows and probably knock over a little bit of china.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, the hour's top story, possibly the biggest, boldest move yet by a renegade militia in Iraq. Reports indicate the Mehdi Army of Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr is now in control of the southern city of Amara, near the Iranian border. We're hearing at least 16 people are dead, and the trouble started when the provincial police intelligence chief, who also was a leading member of a rival militia, was killed in that bombing.

It was just two months ago that British troops turned over control of Amara to Iraqi police. Now, we are expecting a Pentagon news conference at the bottom of the hour. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expected to take question. We'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens, right here from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Real regrets or mere rhetoric -- that's the unanswered questions amid unconfirmed reports that North Korea's Kim Jong-il has apologized to China for his recent nuke test and sworn off another one. The test prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to rush off to southeast Asia, and CNN's Zain Verjee is the only network reporter traveling with her.

Zain brings us the latest from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice giving a little more information about a senior level delegation from China that went over to North Korea and met with Kim Jong-il. The message they carried, she said, essentially was come back to the six-party talks.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the message was not unlike the one that the Chinese have been delivering publicly, that Resolution 1718 must be observed and China will observe it. The Chinese obviously wanted to send a message to the north that they had engaged in very serious behavior that China did not support. They also want to -- very much to try and get a return to the diplomatic path and to return to the six-party talks.

VERJEE: I asked her also whether China was seriously considering cutting off fuel aid, cutting off food aid to North Korea, cutting off financing. She really wasn't too specific in answering that. She said, those were under consideration, but the Chinese had an obligation to live up to the expectations of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718.

I asked her, too, if North Korea tests again, what more can the United States do, what more can the international community do, than is already being done? She said there are ways in which deeper trade restrictions could be enforced, but that would lead to deeper isolation of North Korea.

I asked her finally whether the crisis could be resolved ever with Kim Jong-il in power. She said yes, and the only forum is the six-party talks. I asked her, too, would she be willing to go to Pyongyang and talk personally to Kim Jong-il at that senior level, and she said no.

Zain Verjee, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And once again, we're expecting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to brief at the Pentagon. We'll bring it to you live.

PHILLIPS: Plus, he's certainly not a Republican, but he'll be going on television to boost the Republican cause. Coming up, why the GOP is putting bin Laden on TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Want to take you straight to the Pentagon right now live. You see the sec-def there, side by side with the South Korean foreign minister there of national defense, Yoon Kwang. We're going to listen in in just a sec.

All right, let's go ahead and listen in right now.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Our delegations discussed a wide range of issues regarding the alliance, including measures to maintain and increase defense preparedness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

PHILLIPS: Bear with us. We have to have translation because, of course, the Korean minister is not fluent in English. So we will slowly monitor what Rumsfeld is saying and try to see if he mentions anything about the North Korean threats, the relations with South Korea, and also the fact that President Bush will be meeting with his top generals.

We're getting word now General John Abizaid will be consulting him on whether tactic should change in Iraq. That will happen this afternoon at the White House. Let's continue to listen in, and be patient with this as we follow the translation.

RUMSFELD: Our alliance, now more than 50 years old, was forged and tested in the first years of the cold war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

PHILLIPS: Once again, secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, with Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Yoon Kwang. We're going to monitor this join press conference as it's translated. Once they take Q&A, we'll take it live.

LEMON: All right. The terror card, an important warning for the American people, or is it fear mongering? With 18 days until the midterm elections, Republicans plan to air a TV commercial quoting threats from Osama bin Laden, dating back to 1998, accompanied by the sounds of a clock ticking and a heart beating. The ad concludes with the words "these are the stakes, vote November 7th."

Now, not surprising, Democrats are taking a dim view of that ad. DNC communications director Karen Finney issued this statement. Quote, "Once again, we see that the GOP will truly do and say anything, regardless of whether or not it's true, they are so desperate to hold onto power. There is indeed a lot at stake in this election."

PHILLIPS: FDR in World War I told us fear was something to be feared. For the GOP post-9/11, it's something to be used against Democrats to great effect. Will it work again?

Here's CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're fighting an enemy that knows no rules.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a hard fight.

RUMSFELD: Terrorist.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Terror.

BUSH: Terror.

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Terrorism.

CHENEY: Terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terrorism.

BUSH: The war on terror.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Bush administration's message is clear. Be afraid, very afraid. The threat of terrorism is real, and only the Republicans are suited to protect American people.

VIN WEBER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: There's an element of fear that properly ought to be instilled in people, and that has been in every previous world.

BUSH: There's an enemy that still lurks, an enemy that still plans, and enemy that still plots, an enemy that still wants to hurt the United States of America.

MALVEAUX: Democrats say it's fear mongering.

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: What the Republicans bring you is fear and smear.

MALVEAUX: Cut through both sides' spin, the strategy of focusing on this doomsday scenario is one that works. In 2002, Republican lawmakers successfully captured eight seats by making the fight against terror their party's platform.

ANDREW KOHUT, PEW RESEARCH CENTER: It was before the war in Iraq and before the war in Iraq went badly.

BUSH: I see a great day coming for our country and I'm eager for the work ahead.

MALVEAUX: Two years later, President Bush successfully won reelection, despite the growing violence in Iraq, by painting his opponent, Senator John Kerry, as weak on terror.

WEBER: The theme is the Republicans are strong when it comes to security issues and the Democrats are not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's vicious and dangerous.

MALVEAUX: The late President Reagan hammered that theme in his drive for reelection with his famous bear ad, representing the Cold War threat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Kerry and the liberals in Congress voted to slash America's intelligence operations.

MALVEAUX: President Bush used a pack of wolves to illustrate the terrorist menace in his reelection bid.

WEBER: If the people don't feel some sense of threat, they're not going to vote on national security issues.

MALVEAUX: That's why analysts say the president and Republicans are constantly talking terror, now leading up to the congressional midterm elections. But pollsters warn it may not work this time.

KOHUT: There's one word that explains it, and that is Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Suzanne Malveaux's report first aired on CNN's election special "BROKEN GOVERNMENT." You can join Jack Cafferty tonight 11:00 p.m. Eastern for an encore presentation, only on CNN.

LEMON: Just outside Baghdad, but a world away, U.S. troops take on the mud, muck and insurgents. The report from Baghdad straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a surprising turn of events in Orange County, California. The GOP wants one of its own congressional candidates to drop out. Republican Tan Nguyen He is running against incumbent Democrat Loretta Sanchez. Orange County Republican Leaders Blame Nguyen for a letter that threatened Hispanic immigrants with arrest if they voted.

The county GOP chairman calls the letter "obnoxious" and "reprehensible." Nguyen acknowledges that his campaign sent out the letter, but he says he didn't approve it. Nguyen's lawyers says that he's going to stay in the race despite his own party objections.

And as we head into the midterm elections, stay up to date with the CNN Political Ticker. The daily service gives you an inside view of the day's political stories. See yourself at CNN.com/ticker.

Want to take you back now to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, answering questions from reporters.

RUMSFELD: The situation in Iraq has changed over the years and evolved, not surprisingly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

RUMSFELD: And the commanders there are constantly adjusting their tactics and techniques and procedures, just as the enemy has a brain and makes adjustments as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

RUMSFELD: We are all -- they are always reviewing the situation and there's nothing that I can add at this point, other than General Pace and I had a meeting this morning with John Abizaid and General Casey for about an hour on a secure video and I think -- today's Friday?

I think tomorrow we're going to have another one of our regular meetings, where General Abizaid and General Casey and I, and Steve Hadley and the president and the vice president have a regular session, where we -- I think this is the third or fourth of them, where we are updated and review the circumstance and discuss the way forward, so it's nothing unusual.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

RUMSFELD: We've expected the violence to come up during Ramadan, as has been indicated, over sometime. It has in previous years. And it is higher than it has been. And it's certainly something that General Casey is addressing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN KOREAN).

PHILLIPS: We're going to continue to monitor the secretary of defense there, side by side with Republic of Korea minister of national defense, basically his other half, but in South Korea, same type of job, just talking about the situation in Iraq.

We're going to continue to talk more about that, the violence in Amara, and also this change of tactics. Now the president going to consult two very powerful generals within the U.S. military, as you heard from Rumsfeld. We're even being told that General Abizaid is on his way to D.C., getting ready to meet with the president, actually, this afternoon.

Second hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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