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State of the Union to Propose Domestic Initiatives; Petraeus Undergoes Confirmation Hearing; Day One of Scooter Libby Trial Sets up Arguments; New Passport Requirements Going Smoothly

Aired January 23, 2007 - 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 live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: And I'm Don Lemon.

Cheaper health care is part of the president's State of the Union plan. But does it penalize Americans who already have insurance?

PHILLIPS: A disturbing discovery in the war on terror. Is al Qaeda in Iraq training a new group of terrorists for attacks in the U.S.?

LEMON: And don't leave home without it. New rules on passport travel. Our Jeanne Meserve live with the details. All of this, plus a lot more, right here from the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: President Bush getting ready for prime time. His sixth State of the Union address, now just eight hours away, will be his first before a Congress controlled by Democrats. And though he's expected to focus on domestic issues, Iraq looms large.

CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano at her post with a preview.

Hey, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Kyra.

That's right. Amid bipartisan skepticism over the president's Iraq policy, Mr. Bush tonight will try to reach out to Democrats on domestic issues. Now aides say that his State of the Union address will not be a laundry list of initiatives but rather will be thematic, focusing on issues like immigration, health care, education and energy.

But doubts about his Iraq policy continue to swirl, of course. And coming not just from Democrats but also Republicans, as well. Earlier today on CNN, the president's chief spokesman defended the new Iraq plan, saying that additional U.S. forces are needed to bolster Iraqi troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I don't think anybody at this point thinks that the Iraqis right now have the capability all by themselves. On the other hand, we're spending a lot of time developing that capability, on the job training for Iraqi forces, so they are able and so our troops, when they return home, not only can get the appreciation for a job well done, but we will have sent a message to terrorists that they can't succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president's aides say that a significant portion of the president's address will be devoted to Iraq. And aides are saying that the speech is running about 45 to 50 minutes long. And that's right in the neighborhood, Kyra, of where it was last year.

We had gotten some guidance earlier that perhaps it would be shorter. But now aides are saying that, because there's a lot of territory to cover on the international and the domestic fronts, it will, in fact, be closer to that 45 to 50 minutes.

Meantime, tomorrow, Kyra, on the domestic agenda, the president will begin to try to promote his initiatives by traveling across the country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about some of those initiatives. Cheaper gas, cleaner environment, we all want to hear about that.

QUIJANO: Well, on the energy front two Republican sources with very close ties to the White House are telling CNN that there is something called 20-10 the president is set to unveil tonight. And that is the idea of lowering gas consumption by 20 percent over the next ten years.

Other initiatives, of course, the president of course, calling for renewable and alternative energy sources, things that we have heard before.

But certainly the White House, Kyra, is trying to get out ahead of the State of the Union address and push these domestic initiatives at a time when the political climate, frankly, is very difficult. Nevertheless, this is a White House that very much wants to show President Bush still has the ability to lead -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from the White House, thanks, Elaine.

You're going to hear much more about the president's speech from White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino. She joins us live here in the NEWSROOM. That's a half hour.

LEMON: And as you just heard from Elaine Quijano, the state of Iraq will figure strongly in the State of the Union, and the state of Iraq is violent. More deadly explosions across Baghdad and keen interest in what the U.S. president plans to do about it.

Our Michael Holmes is there -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Don. Yes, a lot of people are going to be interested in what the president has to say. But I have to say, it would be a minority. People in Baghdad, for example, these days get about four hours of electricity a day. Not many people are actually going to be able to watch the speech.

We can, however, expect a lot of it to be in the newspapers around here tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how it's received.

I have to be fair, though, and say that most Iraqis aren't interested in politics, local or international. They're literally trying to get through the day.

As you said, more violence here today. Nearly a dozen more people killed or wounded after yesterday's massive attacks, which left scores of people dead and wounded. This week alone, well over 300 people have been killed or wounded.

And that's what really occupies the minds of most Iraqis. They are interested in how this new security plan is going to play out, this idea of going in, clearing, and this time holding certain areas, setting up those joint security stations with Iraqi and U.S. forces working together inside suburbs, rather than the U.S. coming in and going back to the bases.

That's going to be really key. It's also going to be key how the militias, the insurgents respond to this plan, whether those joint security stations are going to have a big target painted on them, or whether they're going to gain the confidence of the local people.

Also, will the Iraqi government play along? That is key as well. One Iraqi said to me that Arabs are a patient people. They will wait for the Americans to leave: five years, ten years. Of course, the problem is that neither the Iraqi or U.S. governments have that kind of time, Don.

LEMON: And Michael, you alluded to it. You talked about the Iraqi troops working together with U.S. forces in these sort of joint security stations. When is that going to happen? And how is that going to work?

HOLMES: It's really -- virtually as we speak this is starting to unfold. We were out at the site of one here in Baghdad just the other day when Stryker units were handing over control of it to some of those new boots on the ground that the president has sent in, in this case, elements of the 82nd Airborne. They're in the process right now of setting one up.

There's a couple other suburbs, Gaziliya (ph) here in Baghdad, a very problematic area. Also in Fallujah, where a couple of these are in their infancy. They're starting to get up and running. It's going to take several weeks before they're effective.

The idea is that, Don, here if you're in one area, you don't trust the police. If you're in another area, of another sectarian group, you don't trust the national police. You might not trust the army, you might not trust the Americans. The idea being to get all those groups in together in one place, working inside of a suburb with the people and earning trust that way.

It's a great idea on paper. It's worked in other insurgencies. Whether it works here, of course, well, that's the big question.

LEMON: Michael, you actually were at one of those check points, weren't you? Weren't you just where they were working together? What did you learn from that? Did you see anything different or unusual that you want to report back about?

HOLMES: Yes, this one was in its infancy. It was an area that was actually very conveniently done, because it was a national police building and an Iraqi police building virtually across the road. What they're going to do is wall that off, put in blast walls, have checkpoints and the like. Then move in some Iraqi army elements and then elements of the 82nd Airborne.

I spoke to both an Iraqi army general and also to a major in the national police, both of them expressing hope that this will work. But they're also adopting a wait and see attitude. They're often suspicious of each other.

So the confidence building is not just security forces getting the confidence of the people; it's the security forces gaining confidence of each other. That's a tough job. And it's certainly going to take the Americans to be there on the bases for it to work, otherwise I think they'd all sit around and do a lot of arguing with each other.

So it's going to be very interesting to see. There's a level of confidence that it could, should, might work, but of course, these aren't FOBs, forward operating bases, either. They're not going to be heavily secured, and there are some fears that they could be great mortar targets and, you know, let's hope that doesn't happen.

LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Michael Holmes in Baghdad. Thank you so much, Michael.

PHILLIP: On the Hill, under fire, armed with answers, but asking for patience. Live pictures right now as Lieutenant General David Petraeus, President Bush's choice to lead forces in Iraq. First, though, he has to get through the Senate and the confirmation hearing here.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr keeping an ear to the hearing.

Barbara, what do you think?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, all indications are that General Petraeus will be confirmed by the senators. They've all expressed their support for him, but they are asking a lot of very tough questions. General Petraeus himself calling the situation in Iraq now dire, in his words. He knows he has been walking through a political minefield on the ground in Washington this morning as he's been testifying.

A lot of the questions have actually been centering around all of the resolutions, motions and efforts being made on Capitol Hill to limit U.S. involvement in Iraq. General Petraeus was asked about his reaction to some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: This is a test of wills at the end of the day. And in that regard, speaking purely as a military commander, if confirmed, albeit one who, frankly, does understand enormously and treasures the value of free and open debate, free speech, who has put himself in harm's way to protect those great features of our democracy. Nonetheless, having said that, commander in such an endeavor would obviously like to -- the enemy to feel that there's no hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So not so subtle a statement from general Petraeus that those efforts on Capitol Hill, in his view, are not very helpful and may only be helpful to the enemy forces.

All of that leading to a very remarkable statement from Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, reiterating how much support the Congress has for the troops, if not the policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: I don't think it's going to come as any surprise to the enemy that the American people are, in fact, deeply divided over this strategy. But nothing divides us in our common support of the brave men and women who are fighting in Iraq.

And nothing divides us in our common support that we hope we're wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Petraeus basically, Kyra, making it clear from his military point of view it won't be business as usual. As Michael Holmes was just talking about, Petraeus telling Congress he wants to see troops out in the cities, living and working in the very neighborhoods they are going to fight in and try to protect -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

You can watch continuing coverage of the confirmation hearings for General Petraeus. Just tune in to CNN.com and click on the pipeline. It's free today.

You can also watch live streaming video of the State of the Union speech and the Democratic response free on CNN's pipeline.

And the best political team on television has got tonight's State of the Union all covered. Things kick off at 7 Eastern with a special two-hour edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. The president's address begins at 9 Eastern, followed by the Democratic response. Then we respond with a special "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:30 Eastern and at Midnight, a late night "LARRY KING LIVE". Only right here on CNN.

LEMON: Did Lewis "Scooter" Libby lie to investigators about who leaked the name of a covert CIA official to reporters? Well, that's the key question in the trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, was at the D.C. courthouse for today's opening statements.

Kelli, what do you know?

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you what the lawyers have said. And Ted Wells said absolutely not, that Libby is not guilty, that this is a paper-thin, circumstantial case of he said/she said. That this was a man who was asked about phone conversations that he had three months after the fact. He's a very busy man, you know, highly placed, and who could remember, especially him?

Of course, the prosecutor had a very different take and laid out a time line of conversations he said that Libby had in which he spoke about Valerie Wilson and the fact that she was a CIA employee.

Then he presented an audiotape, very unusual move, an audiotape of Libby's testimony before the grand jury in which he said that the first time that he ever heard of Valerie Wilson was on July 10 when he had a conversation with a reporter. This coming right after this very detailed time line in which Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, said that Libby found out about Valerie Wilson way before that, in early June.

So this really is the crux of the case. Did he lie or did his memory fail him? And that's what this jury is here to figure out. This trial's expected to last about four to six weeks. This is day one.

LEMON: All right, Kelli Arena, thank you so much for your report.

ARENA: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Heading home from the Caribbean? Hope you have your little blue book with you. We're all over the new travel rules straight here from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And his triumph on the gridiron is one for the books. The success of Lovie Smith transcends the game. We'll speak to the first black coach to make it to the football's biggest night, the Super Bowl. That's straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time to show your passport. Otherwise your vacation could end before it begins, even if you're not leaving the hemisphere.

CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, joins us now from Washington with yet another change for travelers.

Hey, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Despite the change, customs and border protection officials say things appear to be going pretty smoothly at the nation's airports today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): No passport? No problem. A new selling point for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

But as of today, people flying from many other Caribbean destinations, Mexico and Canada, will need a passport to enter or re- enter the U.S. Recent five-hour waits at Canadian passport offices, a sign the public has gotten the message.

Passport demand in the U.S. has surged, as well. And U.S. government statistics on air travelers suggest the passport change will go smoothly.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: For the last week, Americans coming back to the U.S., 94 percent, came with a passport. Canadians were 96 percent. Mexico was 100 percent.

MESERVE: But if you don't have a passport, will you be turned around?

STOCKWELL DAY, CANADIAN PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTER: We've got a commitment from the U.S. government that if people show up and don't have their passport, they have other documents, that they don't pose a risk, that it might be a little slower for them but they will move through.

MESERVE: Canada is much more worried about damage to trade and tourism when the U.S. requires people entering by land and sea to have passports. That could happen as early as January 2008, but Canada is asking for a delay.

The U.S. goal is to tighten security.

BOB JACKSTA, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: Today, we have people arriving in our ports of entry with a number of different type of documents, birth certificates, driver's license, thousands of different types, and we think this is going to be bring it down to one consistent, uniform form or document. MESERVE: But at least one security analyst thinks the security payoff isn't big enough.

JAMES CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I really think that we ought to be looking at harmonizing our policies, creating a common perimeter, creating a western hemisphere that's safe, rather than trying to wall America off with an imaginary line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: For now, U.S. officials are going to show some flexibility in enforcing the new rule, but down the road you can expect to hear "no passport, no entry."

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: So why do they think it's going so smoothly as it appears to be?

MESERVE: Well, there was a good educational push. If you were shopping for airline tickets, you read all about this on travel sites, in the newspapers. They've really tried to get the word out. There have even been some special promotions. Some resorts down at the Caribbean were offering rebates to compensate people for passports.

And it had an effect. I mean, when you look at the statistics on people applying for passports in the U.S., officials say it went up month by month and week by week and reached its height the week of January 10. People really getting the message here, that they were going to need the passports to travel.

Will there be problems? Undoubtedly. But they aren't as big as they might have been.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks.

MESERVE: You bet.

LEMON: President Bush has some ideas that may affect your taxes, your car and your health cost. The White House previews the State of the Union address coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And kitchen question, how do you get a sponge clean? We have all the late-breaking scoop. Don't go away. I know you want to know.

LEMON: Dying to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: They scour countertops, scrub dishes, soak up spills from busy floors. A lowly kitchen sponge spoils in obscurity ordinarily. It did, however, get the attention of engineering researchers.

They found that you can safely sterilize sponges. Microwaving them at full power for two minutes should kill most germs. Now you know.

Is the pill losing its punch? The government's considering higher standards for birth control pills now. The FDA pointing out that newer pills don't appear to work as well as the older ones. That's apparently due to lower doses of hormones.

LEMON: Well, President Bush is expected to make energy one of the priorities in his State of the Union address tonight. He's likely to call for a bigger push into renewable sources of energy. And a fresh government report suggests one solution is to look deeper, underground.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with all the details for us, as usual.

You know everything, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm trying to know a lot about this, because there's so much interest in renewable sources of energy, Don.

LEMON: Yes.

LISOVICZ: A study commissioned by the Energy Department looks at tapping heat that's locked miles below the surface of the earth. Doing so could unleash a significant energy source. The study says it would cost less than $1 billion spread out over 15 years to set up the technology.

Here's how it works. Holes would be drilled into granite that are two to three miles deep. The granite is insulated at a temperature of about 400 degrees. Water would be pumped down into the reservoir, where it absorbs heat from the rock. Then the water flows back up to the surface to a power plant. It appears that the water gives off the heat, generating steam and electricity.

It sounds complicated, but it's already in use. There are dozens of power plants that do this on a small scale in Europe and Australia. The U.S. stopped its research in this area during the 1970s.

In other words, this research -- the last time there was a lot of research was during the last energy crisis, Don. There was a lot of interest in renewable energy then, too. And then when oil prices simmered down, it sort of got left behind.

LEMON: Yes, just sort of put by the wayside. So is there significant potential, really, in this source, Susan?

LISOVICZ: Well, the people who did this study, Don, say that tapping granite for energy could result in 100 billion watts by 2050. That's about 10 percent of the country's current generating capacity. And that obviously is important, because energy demand is expected to grow and because many plants that generate nuclear and coal-fired energy will soon be retired.

The study claims that geothermal energy provides a long-lasting option. We'll see.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: That's the latest from Wall Street. Coming up, there's a gap in the corner office of the Gap. I'll have details in the next hour.

Back to you, don.

LEMON: Oh, very clever of you, Susan Lisovicz. You're so smart. OK, thank you.

I know you guys, everybody's going to be paying attention to the State of the Union tonight, business folks, everyone. Coming up, the deputy press secretary, Dana Perino, joins us live from the White House.

And a rookie senator but a veteran writer will give the Democratic rebuttal to the president's address. We'll show and tell, straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

The Bears. Can you say that?

PHILLIPS: The Bears.

LEMON: The Windy City's pride. Of course, their coach, Lovie Smith, transcends the game. Ahead, meet the first black coach to make it to the super bowl. My interview with Coach Lovie Smith coming up in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: But first, flames fanned by Santa Ana winds are slowly being brought under control in southern California. This fire near Thousand Oaks is about 15 percent contained. The winds are dying down and firefighters say that nearby homes are not in any danger. About 30 acres of brush have been burned so far.

LEMON: And a new obstacle for utility crews still hard at work in Oklahoma 12 days after a debilitating winter storm. The ice is finally beginning to melt. That means huge puddles and lots of mud, and utility trucks getting stuck. More than 12,000 homes and businesses are still without power. Then there are snowball fights, sledding, snow men, snow man building, rare treats indeed for these kids in the southwest. And elsewhere it seems to be snowing where it's supposed to and getting cold almost everywhere.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: The constitution requires the president to brief Congress on the state of the union from time to time. Once again that time has come. President Bush delivers his address tonight and joining us with some insights Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. Dana it's called -- the president is going to unveil his 2010 plan. Interesting to me, he's going to talk about energy and lowering gas consumption.

DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: That's right, the president looks forward to giving this traditional annual address in front of the Congress today. He's going to talk about many issues and energy's certainly one of them. What you've just mentioned is the 2010 program. That's where we would reduce our gas consumption by 20 percent in 10 years.

LEMON: Well Dana, the last time he said that we were addicted to oil -- and most people thought that there would be a much bigger push to get us to consume less gasoline and to look into alternative fuels. It doesn't appear that it's been as strong as the president had initially said.

PERINO: Oh, I think it's been quite strong. A lot of this is also in the appropriations area where we're waiting on the Congress to act on some of those bills so that we can push that money to help the developing markets in these new technologies. But what's really exciting is how American ingenuity has been put to use and we see these new technologies springing up, which allows the president to make such an ambitious goal as his announcement tonight. I think it's something that the Congress can really come together on and work on together on behalf of the Americans.

LEMON: All right, let's talk about tax breaks when it comes to health insurance and health care. The president's proposing a tax break for health insurance premiums. Now Harry Reid, who is the Senate Majority Leader, said, quote, "It attacks people who have health insurance. It doesn't make sense. I think we need to look at how we do bring the 47 million who don't have health insurance into the real world so they can go to the doctor when they want."

PERINO: Well, we look forward to the president being able to go up there and reveal his policy and I hope that all the members of Congress will listen and have an open mind about it. What's exciting is that this is basically going to bring those 45 million to 46 million people who don't have health insurance into the world where they can have that health insurance, not have the anxiety that comes from not having health insurance, and it's going to, you know, stop the penalty against people who don't get insurance from their employer and have to buy it on their own. They will now get tax money -- a tax break in order to be able to purchase that on their own and probably save on their taxes as well, most likely.

LEMON: So you don't think it attacks people who already have health insurance?

PERINO: Well, it's a tax reform piece -- remember, for example, my family, if there was a family, you would get a $15,000 deduction. And if you -- then you would go and you would shop your policy around. Or if your employer pays for your insurance, you would be able to shop around and find out if your policy costs up to that $15,000. If it does not, then you'll get that extra in your tax count.

LEMON: We're talking about the state of the union, the president, the administration, always picks topics they want to talk about energy, they want to talk about taxes and health care and the federal budget. The criticism is that -- you know, you always say that the state of the union is strong. Are we as strong as our weakest link, I was listening to some of the people on the radio this morning saying Katrina is a very weak link, minimum wage, a very weak link, immigration, Iraq, gas prices, does the president plan to address all of these issues that are important to the American people?

PERINO: I'm not sure where they got all of those. I think that if you look at this economy, this economy is going gangbusters and is quite strong. We have -- the Congress just passed minimum wage piece legislation. I know that's moving through the Hill. It's something that the president has supported --

LEMON: The economy may be strong but the people who are -- the poor especially in the country, especially when you look at hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, those people are suffering, the economy isn't strong for them.

PERINO: Well the president has dedicated -- in fact the American taxpayer has dedicated a significant portion of their money to go to rebuilding New Orleans and it's under way. The state and the local governments are working on making sure that the moneys that the federal government has already given can then be distributed to those local folks. Of course, it's going to take sometime to rebuild New Orleans. But the president is absolutely committed to his end of the bargain to making sure that happens.

LEMON: How does the president plan if at all, to address immigration in his speech tonight?

PERINO: He will talk about immigration. This is obviously one of those topics where convictions run very deep on all sides and the president is going to call for a very serious, a very civil debate, but one that is conclusive, one that will end up with a bill on his desk that he can sign this year. You will hear similar things that the president has talked about in this past year, about increasing border security, a temporary worker program, as well as rejecting amnesty but also trying to assimilate new immigrants into the country.

LEMON: We're running out of time, but I imagine Iraq will be a big focus of the speech tonight, correct?

PERINO: It certainly will. It's a big challenge in front of the country. The president will also put it in the context of the global war on terror.

LEMON: Dana Perino, thank you so much for joining us.

PERINO: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: The president won't be the only one addressing the nation tonight. When he's done, the spotlight turns to a freshman senator, Jim Webb of Virginia for the Democratic response. CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash joins us with that. Hey Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra, well you know, you would think that Democrats who now, of course, run Congress would have chosen their prime-time platform tonight to showcase their new female House Speaker or perhaps the new Senate Majority Leader. But, instead, they chose someone who was just sworn into the Senate 18 days ago, a senator who just won his campaign in Virginia by wearing the combat boots of his son who is serving in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): The cramped temporary office reminds you he is a senate newcomer, in office barely three weeks.

I love what you have done with the place.

SEN. JIM WEBB, (D) VIRGINIA: What can I say? I have a computer, that's a start.

BASH: Yet Democrats picked Virginia's Jim Webb for a major role, responding to the president's state of the union address. On one hand it makes sense. Webb's come from behind victory in November gave Senate Democrats their one-seat majority and the Republican turned Democrat has been against the Iraq war from the start.

WEBB: There were reasons that the country decided to go in a different direction, and I will be someone who is able to put a face on those reasons.

BASH: But Webb has not signed on to what Democrats call their unified Iraq position, begin troop withdrawal in four to six months. He says he is still looking for what he calls a responsible strategy.

WEBB: We have to reach the point where American combat troops are no longer on the streets of Iraq. The question is how do you do that?

BASH: Webb wants Democrats to use their new power to restrict aid to Iraqis, but opposes blocking money for U.S. troops. The decorated Vietnam veteran became a Republican because Democrats cut funding while he was in combat.

WEBB: At the end of the Vietnam War, the Democratic Party really did lose its bubble and its credibility on how to deal with national security issues.

BASH: His ties to Vietnam are still strong. His wife was a refugee. He speaks Vietnamese.

WEBB: [ speaking Vietnamese ]

BASH: Iraq is personal too. His son is a marine serving there.

Don't you think that actually gives you a leg up in some way, that you really do have a personal investment? WEBB: The responsibility of a leader is to act as though there were someone there that they had a personal responsibility toward. My beliefs on this would be the same either way.

BASH: Webb insists it's nothing personal, but he is looking forward to telling the country why he thinks the president's policies are wrong.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And while the White House is saying the president's state of the union address will be upwards of 50 minutes, Democrats tell us Senator Webb's rebuttal will be about eight minutes. And he of course will give his blunt assessment of the Iraq war. But we're told before he gets to that, he is going to talk about another issue that he and other new Democrats say that they won the campaign talking about, and that is the economy, specifically what they call economic problems or economic disparity between the wealthy, the middle and the working class. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Dana, Webb is a Vietnam vet. Has he responded to the comparisons that many people are making between Iraq being another Vietnam?

BASH: Specifically, he has not said that. In fact, it's interesting. He is somebody who says over and over again that he still thinks that the reasons for going into Vietnam were ok and that it was -- it was an appropriate thing to do. But what he says -- and actually he repeated today, is that he thinks that the president simply does not have a plan. He is not in favor of sending additional troops, the 21,000-plus additional troops to Iraq. And he specifically says that he thinks that's not a new plan, he said it's just a tactical shift and a strategy. But, again, he says over and over, he simply does not see what that strategy is coming from the White House. What should be done about it, he talks about diplomacy, going from the outside in, in the region, things like that, but, again, it's interesting, Kyra that he has not signed on to what the Democrats fought very hard internally to come together on, and that is a withdrawal starting in four to six months from Iraq. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Dana Bash on the Hill, thanks.

LEMON: Protests, gunfire and death in Beirut. A live report on Hezbollah's attempt to bring down the U.S.-backed government, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Provocation and confrontation beyond any limit. The embattled prime minister of Lebanon describing his newest battle in the form of a mass protest and general strike in Beirut. At least three demonstrators are dead, dozens wounded. CNN's Anthony Mills is there with the latest.

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, today's demonstration, today's events, mark a very serious escalation in the protests that have gripped the heart of downtown Beirut until now since the first of December of last year. But today, everything changed. Those protests expanded and they changed in nature as well. A general strike called by protest leaders was enforced by thousands of young men who set up burning barricades, burning tires, burning cars, large earthen mounds and rocks strewn across major roads and intersections, not just in the capital Beirut but also across the country. So really Beirut, the capital, paralyzed and, indeed, much of the country. Major entry points into Beirut were blocked. The road to the international airport remains blocked. So total paralysis. And combined with all of that, yes, violence. At least three people killed in gunfire internal security forces tell us. And about 100 injured. Most of them in gunfire. With every hour that these protests continue -- and there's no sign that they're abating for the moment -- the fear on the street among ordinary Lebanese grows that this is a slide into civil war. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Anthony, meanwhile, Hezbollah is still a legitimate part of the government there, so what type of political pressure is being put on Hezbollah to quell this violence?

MILLS: Well, Kyra, the Lebanese government, or at least different Lebanese political parties, were engaged in national dialogue talks to sort out their differences just a few months ago. Those broke down, those collapsed and then six pro Hezbollah ministers walked out of the government. So now they say that effectively a large portion of Lebanese are not represented in the government. They're calling the government unconstitutional. So that's really what it's about, is getting representation, at least as far as the opposition is concerned. Now, Lebanon's western backed, U.S.-backed prime minister, has called this nothing short of a coup. He believes that he's being toppled, effectively, by a party which many of his allies say is being backed by Iran and Syria. So quite a standoff there politically. But on the streets, the real reality of it is, that violence is in the air, and many people are concerned about where this is all headed. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Anthony Mills, we'll continue to track it. Thanks.

LEMON: His triumph on the gridiron is one for the books. The success of Lovie Smith transcends the game. We'll speak to the first black coach to make it to football's biggest night, the super bowl. That's straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: That was in 1985, the Chicago bears rapping about their 1986 super bowl entry and eventual win. It only took 21 years, but the bears are back in the big game. This time, they're making history. Their coach Lovie Smith is the first African-American head coach to get his team into the super bowl. And just hours after the bears' NFL NFC win, Lovie learned he'd go up against his friend from the Indianapolis Colts, fellow African-American head coach Tony Dungy.

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TONY DUNGY: It means a lot. I'm very proud to represent African-American coaches. I'm so proud of Lovie, tremendous job they did. But more than that today this is about Indianapolis and the colts and our team. And we're excited about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has to be a special moment for you, being the first African-American coach to coach in the super bowl. Can you express in words what that means to you?

LOVIE SMITH: It's hard to say. We've been blessed and I realize the position we're in, thanks to the guys who are just getting us in the position where we can do it.

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LEMON: Lovie Smith joins us now to talk about that win and also making history. Lovie, it looks like it was really cold there in soldier field on Sunday night.

LOVIE SMITH, CHICAGO BEARS COACH: Yes, it normally is. We wanted Chicago Bear weather and that was exactly what we were able to get. Nothing like a game late in January here in Chicago.

LEMON: Yeah, the last couple of days for you, what have they been like? Have you gotten any rest, are you tired?

SMITH: Well, no, you don't get tired Don on weeks like this, but I'll just say we've done a lot of celebrating. Exciting times. It's a special time. I'll voice what Tony said. I mean, we're definitely blessed to be in this position and we're going to enjoy every moment of it.

LEMON: Yeah. You and Tony Dungy are good friends, you've known each other since 1996 since he hired you, as a matter of fact. You talked to each other every Monday after your games over the weekend. What was this phone call like this past Monday?

SMITH: Well, I couldn't wait, you know, to talk to Tony about the big win. They had a big come from behind win. I got a chance to see the second half of it. So a lot of the conversation went along those lines. From Tony, of course, knowing Tony, he talked a lot about our game and how excited he was for the bears to get there also.

LEMON: And Lovie, you know, you have been listening to the radio and the commentators, some people have been making a big deal about the two first African-American coaches to go to the super bowl. Others say it's not a big deal. Do you feel that this is a pivotal moment?

SMITH: I definitely think it's a pivotal moment. Whenever you're the first to do something, you know, it has to be a special time. We are blessed to be in this position. What this should do is just open up more doors. Hopefully some day we won't have to talk about it because now that's out of the way. But right now, we are the first and we're excited about that.

LEMON: And not many people know -- and at least outside of sports that you were hired on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday in 2004, January 15th.

SMITH: Yes, it's only fitting, you know, to -- of course, we know what Martin Luther King Jr. meant to all of us and, for me, to fulfill a lifetime dream of mine, to be hired by one of the greatest sports franchises in the National Football League on that day is truly a special day for me and my family.

LEMON: Yeah, you had three goals when you came to the bears. One was to beat your arch rival Green Bay. The other goal was to win your division. The other one was to go to the super bowl. You beat Green Bay four out of six times, you won two division titles, and now you're going to the super bowl. You have to feel satisfaction in that.

SMITH: Yes you have to lay out a blueprint of what you see in that program. We were able to do that. The guys bought into it right away. But the third goal on there was to win a world championship and won an opportunity and we have that right in front of us. Our team is excited. And just -- we know there's a big challenge ahead of us but we're anxious to face it.

LEMON: I've got two more questions for you. One, the "super bowl shuffle." Everybody saying, is there going to be another "super bowl shuffle" and this time will they really know how to sing and dance, and are you going to be a part of it?

SMITH: Well, I don't dance and I don't sing. If they are planning to do one, of course, I won't be part of it, but I haven't heard anything about another "super bowl shuffle" coming up any time soon.

LEMON: We would like that. You know I have to say, everyone asks, where did the name Lovie Smith come from? We were speaking to your mom who is a lovely lady, and your sister. She said, Mae Smith said the name came from his great aunt, my husband's aunt, I wanted the baby named after her and we didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl. Her name was Lavona and I couldn't name him a girl's name so I just named him Lovie Lee.

SMITH: That's how it goes. When you're a guy named Lovie, one thing people do is remember the name. So that's helped me a lot. Just, you know, what's in a name. I know that I'm definitely proud to be Mae Smith's son and hopefully she's excited about the position we're in too.

LEMON: Yeah, she is very excited, they're very proud of you, as well as the folks are in Chicago and throughout the country. Good luck to you come super bowl and thank you for joining us today, Lovie Smith.

SMITH: Thank you Don.

PHILLIPS: President Bush will lay out some big proposals in the state of the union speech but does he have the time and clout to get any of them done? We're going to take a look straight ahead. And a quick check on Wall Street, Dow Industrials up 67 points. Susan Lisovicz following all the numbers for us from Wall Street. We'll be right back.

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