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The Situation Room
Bush: More U.S., Iraqi Troops Will Die in Coming Weeks; New Book Takes Aim at Hillary Clinton
Aired May 24, 2007 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Happening now, a dire warning. President Bush says expect more U.S. and Iraqi troops to die in Iraq in the coming weeks and months as terrorists, he says, try to derail the plan to secure Baghdad.
Meanwhile, two of America's allies in the region are edging closer to their own battle.
Also, as the National Guard fights abroad, Congress says many Americans are now more vulnerable to a crisis here at home. And one Guard official warns to expect American lives to be lost.
And it takes straight aim at Hillary Rodham Clinton -- a new book suggesting she has a personality disorder, is a liberal in a moderate's clothing and would radicalize the White House. We'll debate the book's merits with the author and one of Senator Clinton's big supporters.
I'm Wolf Blitzer.
You're in the in THE SITUATION ROOM.
They're among President Bush's most blunt warnings -- expect more Americans and Iraqis to die in Iraq. The president says as the plan to secure Baghdad ramps up, so, too, will Al Qaeda and other terrorist ramp up their attacks. Very plainly, the president said enemies, and I'm quoting now, "will continue to bomb and murder in an attempt to stop us."
Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by -- Jamie, the president also talked, at least in some measure, of an evolving Iraq strategy.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
And here at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Bob Gates said that there are some positive things going on in Iraq, but he says he's careful not to engage in what he called "happy talk."
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): With more than 80 U.S. deaths so far, May is coming close to April's total of 104, ranking it as one of the deadliest months of the Iraq War. And as it gets closer to September's progress report from General David Petraeus, President Bush is warning Al Qaeda and insurgents will pull out the stops to try to break America's will.
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to expect heavy fighting in the weeks and months. We can expect more American and Iraqi casualties.
MCINTYRE: The U.S. troop build-up was supposed to hold violence down to build political reform. But there are conflicting numbers about whether it's working.
Health Ministry statistics cited by the "Washington Post" suggest sectarian murders are again on the rise, but the number of unidentified corpses in the Baghdad morgue about the same as before the U.S. crackdown -- just over 300.
But the Pentagon insists overall deaths in Baghdad are trending down, from 1,400 in January to 800 in February, and averaging 500 a month in March, April and so far this month.
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I mean, we're as impatient for this thing to turn in a positive direction as anybody, maybe more so. And, you know, I'd give anything to have to stop doing as many of these condolence letters as I'm writing. It's -- it's a -- it's a terrible thing and people are suffering.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MCINTYRE: Gates said the much-anticipated September report will be a significant contribution to the overall evaluation of how things are going in Iraq. But, Wolf, he said the ultimate decision on whether to change course will be totally up to President Bush -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I noticed at the news conference today -- Jamie, I'm sure you did -- the president on several occasions spoke very positively about the Iraq Study Group, spoke about what he called not necessarily Plan B, but Plan B.H.
What is he talking about?
MCINTYRE: Well, B.H. of course, for Baker-Hamilton, the Iraq Study Group. And it's interesting that the Pentagon is embracing some of the concepts in that report, basically of having U.S. troops pull back, spend more time hunting Al Qaeda terrorists and pushing the Iraqi military out in front.
But President Bush also said he just didn't feel that could be done until the security situation was brought under control. And he's anxiously awaiting that report from General Petraeus.
BLITZER: I was also struck by what the president said, that if the Iraqi government, a sovereign government, he said, asked the U.S. to leave Iraq, the U.S. would leave. This comes at a time when almost half -- maybe more than half of the Iraqi parliament already had signed some sort of declaration saying they would like the U.S. to leave.
MCINTYRE: And if people were actually looking for an exit strategy, that might be it. At some point, if the Iraqi government does make that decision, the U.S. would have to leave -- a task, by the way, would take well over a year -- to get U.S. troops out thereof.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre watching all this at the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, as rogue elements inflame sectarian violence and wreak havoc on U.S. and Iraqi troops, some people in the country neighboring Iraq say they're also under attack.
Many in Turkey, a NATO ally, say a hard-line Kurdish group based in northern Iraq is behind Tuesday's deadly bombing in Ankara that killed at least six people. And they want revenge. And American troops in Iraq could possibly be caught in the middle.
Today, Turkey's prime minister said the parliament would support a strike should the military request one.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is on the border between Iraq and Turkey with this exclusive report -- Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, some 150,000 Turkish soldiers are currently on or near this border between Turkey and Iraq. The military desire would be to go into northern Iraq and destroy the camps of Kurdish militants, otherwise known as the PKK.
But the political question is will Turkey go in even without U.S. approval?
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): This is where the U.S. hopes it will never have to take sides. We're in Turkey heading toward the border with Iraq. The closer we get, the more evidence there is of a Turkish military build-up.
Turkey's army chief says his troops are ready to attack what he calls Kurdish terrorist camps in northern Iraq. And a former Turkish general, Edip Baser, believes an operation could be just weeks away.
Now that snow's melting in the mountains ahead, Kurdish militants have been stepping up cross-border attacks into Turkey and Turkish leaders are furious at Washington and Baghdad for not stepping in to help.
GEN. EDIP BASER, FORMER SPECIAL ENVOY FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM: So for the Turkish people on the street, it is a testing ground for Turkish-American relations. Either we do something and stop this bloody terrorism together -- and so the Americans prove that they are fighting against terrorism of all kinds, not only their terrorists.
HANCOCKS: General Baser has since been removed from his post as special anti-terror envoy, some believe for being too vocal about the failure to crush the Kurdish militant group known as the PKK.
(on camera): This is the only official border crossing between Turkey and Iraq. Every day, more than 1,200 trucks come through into Turkey -- and every single one of them has to be searched to make sure that the PKK is not smuggling through arms. But, of course, the PKK does not have to use this crossing. The entire border with Iraq lasts almost 250 miles. And even the Turkish military has to admit it cannot guard every inch.
(voice-over): The military has crossed into Iraq before, but not since Saddam Hussein was deposed and not since some 150,000 American soldiers have been stationed there.
Kurdistan has been heralded by the U.S. as the biggest success story of Iraq and it wants to keep it that way.
(on camera): In a worst-case scenario, Turkey would attack the PKK in northern Iraq. Iraq would feel compelled to respond. And then American, as an ally and a friend to both, would be stuck in the middle -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Paula Hancocks on the border between Turkey and Iraq.
If you didn't think the situation was complex and dangerous enough, just wait.
And all this tough talk of war comes just before a major election in Turkey. The prime minister's political party facing a stiff challenge from secularist groups. Some analysts say the prime minister's party will use talk of war against Kurdish elements in northern Iraq to rally public opinion.
Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York -- Jack, the Middle East, it's a complicated, complicated place.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Use talk of war to rally public opinion.
It's a strategy that has a proven track record, doesn't it?
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is being assigned some summer reading. Fellow candidate, nine-term Congressman from Texas, Ron Paul, thinks the former mayor of New York City needs to bone up on U.S. policy in the Middle East.
You might not be too familiar with Paul. His name barely makes a blip in the early polling. But he did square off with Giuliani at last week's debate in South Carolina.
Paul had said that U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the attacks of 9/11.
Giuliani dismissed him and that theory, and received a round of applause from the audience.
Well, that's not sitting so well with Paul. So today the Congressman came out with a reading list for Giuliani. The titles include "Dying To Win," which looks at the motives of suicide bombers; "Blowback," which examines U.S. foreign policy; "The 9/11 Commission Report" and "Imperial Hubris," by Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit.
This is not exactly Oprah's Book Club we're talking here.
The question, then, is this -- is Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul out of line giving fellow candidate Rudy Giuliani a reading assignment?
E-mail caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to cnn.com/caffertyfile.
They're squabbling among themselves -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And they will be for many, many months to come, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
BLITZER: Thank you.
Up ahead, the National Guard raising some red flags.
Do American troops have what it takes to handle more than one national emergency at once?
There's a very disturbing answer that came up today.
Also, a debate about Hillary Clinton and whether she's undergone an extreme makeover in her politics. Republican author Bay Buchanan goes head to head with Clinton camp insider Lanny Davis.
And fasten your seatbelts -- the governor of New Jersey has a new message about a life and death issue, an issue that almost killed him.
Stick around.
You're in the in THE SITUATION ROOM.
COMMERCIAL
BLITZER: Tensions in Gaza clearly escalating.
We're just getting word that Israeli aircraft have now fired a missile near the home of the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniya.
The -- according to the Associated Press, the missile hit a tin shack where Haniya's guards normally hang out, where they sleep. But it was apparently empty. No one was hurt.
We're watching this escalating situation in Gaza.
There's also, apparently, some escalating explosives going on in Lebanon, as well.
We're staying on top of both of these developments.
As more American forces are needed to squash cauldrons of violence in Iraq and elsewhere, some ponder how that affects your safety right here at home. Right now the Congress asking one very ominous question and it has a very, very disturbing answer.
Let's go to our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve.
She's standing by -- what was the question, Jeanne, and what's the answer?
JEANNE MESERVE, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the question from Congress was does the National Guard have what it needs to respond to multiple crises here at home?
The answer?
No.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): With so many Guard resources deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a grim assessment of the Guard's ability to respond to multiple homeland security crises.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lives are going to be lost and those lives are going to be American lives.
MESERVE: Guard officials say they simply do not have the equipment and supplies they need here in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roughly half of what we need is in our hands here at home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bottom line is that equipment shortages in the Guard result in a slower response time.
MESERVE: Earlier this month, the governor of Kansas claimed the Guard response to killer tornadoes in her state was impaired by equipment shortfalls. Guard officials said their resources were not overly strained in that instance, but say it could be a different story if a major hurricane like Katrina hit the United States at the same time there was another event, like fires or a mudslide or a terrorist strike.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would be overwhelmed and 50 percent would be far less than what would be required. We would need 100 percent of what we're supposed to have and probably then some.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MESERVE: In a recent poll, 52 percent of business owners said they would not hire a citizen soldier, who could be called away for an indeterminate amount of time. General Blum said that could have a big impact on Guard recruitment and tension. It is more worrisome, he said, than Al Qaeda -- Wolf. BLITZER: And what's the story with recruitment for the National Guard right now, Jeanne?
MESERVE: Guard officials say right now it is superb, both for recruitment and for retention. But they're very worried about that poll and whether Guardsmen will sign up if they're afraid about getting a job or keeping a job -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, important issues on the agenda right there.
Jeanne Meserve watching them.
Six weeks to the day after John Corzine almost died in a car crash, the New Jersey governor is launching a seatbelt campaign to keep the same thing from happening to anyone else.
CNN's Carol Costello is watching all of this unfold.
With Memorial Day coming up, it's likely to get people, we hope, to buckle up.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we hope so. And, you know, it should.
Governor Corzine broke his left leg, his sternum, his collar bone, 11 ribs and his lower vertebra. If he had been buckled in, he likely would have walked away with minor injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION)
GOV. JOHN CORZINE (R), NEW JERSEY: I'm New Jersey Governor John Corzine and I should be dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): With that startling introduction, the man who did not wear his seatbelt tells viewers in a public service announcement released Thursday that buckling up is a matter of life and death. And he should know.
Just last April, governor Corzine was beltless, sitting in the front passenger seat when the state trooper vehicle he was riding in crashed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION)
CORZINE: I spent eight days in intensive care where a ventilator was breathing for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So who's that person driving a pick-up truck at his Texas ranch over the weekend?
Yep, it's the president of the United States. and if you look closely, you'll see that he isn't wearing his seatbelt, either.
What about that, your boss wearing a seatbelt, Tony Snow?
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, it's always important to wear seatbelts, especially when driving slowly on the ranch. But I think it's -- it's, in point a fact something, that, you know -- we encourage everybody to wear their seatbelts.
COSTELLO: It's not known if President Bush will be watching governor Corzine's public service announcement.
Now, technically, the president wasn't breaking the law. Texas is one of 49 states that requires adults to wear seatbelts, though it doesn't require it on private property.
Which state doesn't require adult seatbelt use?
New Hampshire.
And just this week, the Live Free Or Die state legislature voted in a committee to keep it that way, even, though 77 percent of fatal crashes there involve people not wearing seatbelts.
Perhaps they, too, might want to take a look at Governor Corzine's message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION)
CORZINE: Buckle up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: It's just such common sense.
You know, as Corzine left the hospital in a wheelchair, he apologized to his state, promising to set a good example.
And, Wolf, this is the start.
BLITZER: I think he is setting a good example and let's learn from his awful, awful mistake. All of us should buckle up.
Carol, thank you.
Coming up, all that toxic dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers has claimed another victim. Carol's going to be back with that story.
And what if all U.S. troops in Iraq were equipped with GPS technology? Brian Todd takes a closer look at the possibility of being able to locate quickly someone who's been captured.
Stick around.
You're in the in THE SITUATION ROOM.
COMMERCIAL
BLITZER: Arrests of Iranian-Americans, accusations that Iran is spreading terror in Iraq and Iran's nuclear defiance -- all of it complicating an already complex situation between the United States and Iran.
Just today, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused the West of trying to stop its nuclear program to stem Iraq's global influence.
CNN's State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, has more -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, every day, the U.S. puts more pressure on Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): The U.S. wants to squeeze Iran harder.
BUSH: My view is that -- that we need to strengthen our sanction regime.
VERJEE: U.S. and European diplomats say the current pressure on Iran to stop enriching uranium is not working. So, once again, they plan to turn up the heat -- expanding sanctions, like travel bans on Iranian officials, limits on imports and exports of military technology, and restrictions on dealing with Iranian companies and banks.
TOM CASEY, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: It's sanctions designed to give the Iranians appropriate incentive to change their behavior.
VERJEE: U.S. officials say they're reluctant to hit Iran where it hits the most -- its energy sector -- fearing sanctions on Iranian oil would drive up prices around the world.
(VIDEO CLIP OF SPEECH BY IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD)
VERJEE: At a rally on Thursday, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, says the U.S. can get as tough as it wants, but Iran won't blink.
Inside the Bush administration -- division. Vice President Cheney wants a tougher stance. Nine U.S. warships are hovering close to Iran's shores. Secretary of State Rice favors diplomacy, like direct talks with Iran about Iraq, scheduled for Monday.
Which side will prevail?
AFSHIN MOLAVI, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: In Washington, we're going to have a battle over what to do about Iran going forward over the next 18 months. It will depend on what Iran does to see who wins this argument in Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VERJEE: Iran will be the top of the agenda when Secretary Rice travels to Europe next week. But even though the talk of sanctions is starting again, there are still efforts to bring Iran back to the table -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee is over at the State Department.
Now let's check back with Carol.
She's monitoring some other stories incoming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now.
What's going on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, let's start with this, Wolf.
For the first time since the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, in 2001, New York's medical examiner attributes a person's death to exposure to toxins released into the air that day. Government Attorney Felicia Dunn-Jones died five months after being caught in that massive dust cloud caused by the collapse. Her death is now classified as a homicide and her name is being added to the official list of World Trade Center victims.
A thick column of smoke marks the spot where arsonists set fire to a non-functioning oil well in northern Iraq today. The deserted well was attacked in the wee hours of the morning. Officials say it doesn't appear to be the work of insurgent groups. Iraq has the second largest estimated oil reserves in the world. Production has plummeted since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In small business news, a Mequon, Wisconsin gas station owner stages his own protest of oil prices. Get this, Harvey Pollack shut down his pump for 24 hours today and urged residents not to buy any gas. He says he hopes to convince oil companies that the public is throwing (ph) a big economic stick. Pollack says at $3.39 per gallon for regular, he makes about $0.07. In Pollack's words, "Somebody out there is making money at these prices, but it's not me."
I don't think it will make any difference, though, sadly, but good for him -- Wolf.
BLITZER: At least it's a gesture.
COSTELLO: Yes.
BLITZER: Thank you, Carol, for that. Coming up, the making of Hillary Rodham Clinton, presidential candidate. In her new book, Bay Buchanan calls it an extreme makeover. She'll defend her position in what's expected to be a lively debate with former Clinton White House insider Lanny Davis.
And is ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro on the road to recovery?
Stick around.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
COMMERCIAL
BLITZER: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Happening now, 2,000 Iraqis take to the streets to protest sectarian violence. The demonstrators came out in Baghdad's mostly Shiite Arbil neighborhood, where a car bomb killed 25 people on Tuesday.
A rally of a different sort in Syria, where officials say more than a million people came out in support of a new term of president Bashar al-Assad. President al-Assad, who took office after his father's death back in 2000, will be the only candidate in Syria's June 27th election.
And a message to Cubans from long-time president Fidel Castro. In a written statement, the 80-year-old Castro says his condition has finally stabilized since he fell ill. He says he's regaining his strength and has put on some weight. Castro relinquished power to his brother Raul last July. We're watching his health.
I'm Wolf Blitzer.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
She's a frontrunner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and the subject of a new book -- a new book by Bay Buchanan. It's entitled "The Extreme Makeover of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton."
Is what you see what you get from candidate Clinton?
Joining us now, the outspoken author, a former CNN political analyst, Bay Buchanan -- who is also now a senior adviser to equally outspoken Republican presidential hopeful, Congressman Tom Tancredo.
Also joining us, Lanny Davis, former special counsel to President Bill Clinton, who's known Hillary Clinton, I guess, since law school days at Yale Law School.
LANNY DAVIS, FORMER CLINTON SPECIAL COUNSEL: That's right.
BLITZER: Bay, let's start with you, the title -- "The Extreme Makeover of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton" -- you put Rodham in parentheses. Here's what you write on page eight: "Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to run for president as someone she is not.
This talk of an evolving Hillary is part of an extreme makeover to get the old Hillary remolded and repackaged into a marketable political force for 2008."
All right, give us one piece of evidence why you say that.
BAY BUCHANAN, "THE EXTREME MAKEOVER OF HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: Well, it's clear. There is an attempt here not only to hide the fact that she is a liberal, that she is from the far left part of her party, but also the character herself.
Just think back a few years ago, Wolf. She was the first lady of the United States. After three years in the public limelight, 52 percent of Americans believed she was a liar and 68 percent believed she had violated the law or done something wrong. She had done this on her own, yet she takes no responsibility for any of this.
She has to make that image over, and she's done a very, very good job, but character stays with you. You don't move to another job and leave your character behind. And that's a critical aspect when you're running for president. We must know her true character.
BLITZER: Lanny, you've known this woman for a long time. Is Bay right?
LANNY DAVIS, FMR. SPECIAL COUNSEL TO BILL CLINTON: She's not right, but she's entitled to her opinion, Wolf. But it is just opinion.
This is a person I've known, is ready to lead this country, has been on the front lines in two terms of a successful presidency, has fought for public education and children for over 35 years. She is the same Hillary Rodham Clinton that I knew.
She is bright, she's committed, she's public service-oriented. She's kind, she's a good friend, and the American people will get to know her the way the people of New York got to know her, where even red state counties in 2006 overwhelmingly supported her. And she will be the Democratic Party nominee, and she is the candidate of change and she will be our next president.
BLITZER: The people of New York State, which is a big state, they overwhelmingly supported her both times.
BUCHANAN: Sure. They certainly did. She used all the money, enormous sums of money, to recreate herself. That was part of the makeover, the early days of the makeover.
There is no question that this person, as you look at the facts -- and that's what I followed, is the facts -- story after story of a person, very, very poor judgment. She took this land deal, a stupid land deal, something you and I could have gotten into. It went south. She wouldn't accept that.
She fought it, fought it, brought that thing right into the White House. A multifaceted federal investigation. She couldn't fire people in the White House without having...
BLITZER: She's referring to the old Whitewater land deal.
You remember that, Lanny?
DAVIS: I think so.
BUCHANAN: Whitewater...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You were deeply involved in explaining what was going on.
BUCHANAN: It was a stupid deal that she couldn't give up.
BLITZER: Let me read another quote -- another quote from the book.
"The makeover presents a Hillary who is softer and more appealing to middle America, but don't let the smiles and pleasantries fool you. Hillary has the heart of a hardened feminist."
BUCHANAN: No question about it.
BLITZER: All right. So what's wrong with being a hardened feminist?
BUCHANAN: You know, I agree.
BLITZER: There are a lot of good feminists out there who are loving and wonderful people.
BUCHANAN: You know, I'm going to tell you, there is nothing wrong with being a liberal, there's nothing wrong with being a radical feminist. Just admit it. Just run as who you are.
I happen to be very fond of Lanny here, and he and I don't agree. I love Donna Brazile as a sister. We don't agree. But they are who they are and they let us know, and that's when you run for president.
You tell the American people who you truly are, what you truly believe. She is a radical feminist who is trying to disguise that, because they know, the Clintons know, if she comes across as who she is and what she believes, she can not win. That's why they needed the makeover.
BLITZER: Do you want to respond?
DAVIS: Look, again, this is opinion, entitled to opinion. But I know Hillary Rodham Clinton, the people of New York knew her as an authentic, dedicated public servant.
After 9/11, $30 billion taking care of the victims of 9/11 and their health care. She serves people, and she is ready to lead, Wolf. And when Bay sees her as president, which I expect she will starting in 2009, she will see somebody ready to lead from day one this country with the experience far exceeding any other candidate.
BUCHANAN: This is a woman after 9/11 as a U.S. senator went on national television and fabricated where her daughter was, talked about how her daughter out jogging that morning and stopped near the towers, heard the planes crash. You could imagine how traumatic that would be for this young woman, and we all feel enormous compassion.
It was fabricated. It was all made up. Chelsea herself says she never left the apartment that morning.
And so what kind of character would get on national -- a mother would get on national TV and make up stories about her daughter? This is somebody...
BLITZER: I'm not familiar -- are you familiar with that story?
DAVIS: Not only...
BUCHANAN: The facts are there.
DAVIS: Not only am I not familiar, but I do know with absolute certainty that both Clintons were dreadfully worried about not being able to reach Chelsea Clinton on the occasion of 9/11, and she was in the downtown area. I don't know where Bay is getting her facts, but let me just go back to...
BUCHANAN: It's all documented in the book.
DAVIS: ... opinion is one thing, and I've respected Bay and her brother Pat for having opinions, more conservative than mine.
BLITZER: You've been...
BUCHANAN: You know...
DAVIS: But one conservative principle that you should endorse is that the Clinton administration and Hillary Rodham Clinton balanced budgets, brought surpluses back. Fiscal conservatism is what Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton stood for during the days of surpluses in this country, as opposed to pork-barreling deficits that we've had under Republicans.
BUCHANAN: But her record -- but you've got to go back to the record.
She is a U.S. senator, she is one of the number one spenders in this first two years. She was the number one. She always votes to increase government, always. She talks about balancing the budget, but if you tried to pay for everything she's voted for, we would be a bankrupt nation.
BLITZER: You've been criticized for this paragraph in the book, and I'll read it to you and let you respond. "As I studied Hillary from her early years, through her days as first lady, it became more and more evident that extreme insecurity is a dominant personality trait." You go on and write this: "After days of research, I was led to a fascinating field of study involving narcissistic personality style. The symptoms of the related disorder were intriguing. I have included them in an end note."
Now, we went to the end notes, we didn't see any end note at all explaining what you're talking about.
BUCHANAN: You know, and that's unfortunate, because it was to be there. It was cut off at the print, and my publicist will be glad to get you a copy of it. But this was interesting.
There is no question in my mind this is a very insecure person. And the reason I know that is I read her book.
In my book I give documentation, I have documentation where I show her own words, proving without question that she feels this. Insecurity -- and I say this in my book -- in and of itself does not in any way restrict anybody from becoming a great leader, Wolf. John Adams was insecure and wrote about it extensively. The problem is how she's addressed it. She...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: It's your opinion, though, and I want Lanny to respond. Your opinion that she has this narcissistic...
BUCHANAN: No, no. I didn't say that in the book.
BLITZER: ... personality style.
BUCHANAN: I said I was led -- as I studied insecurity I was led to this. And I asked the reader...
BLITZER: But you're not a psychologist.
BUCHANAN: No. But -- and I didn't suggest she has it. I'm very clear in the book that it's for the reader to look at where I was led and decide themselves.
And then I make it very, very clear, I cannot make that judgment. All I do know is she's insecure. I have a Ph.D. in life. I can guarantee you, this is a very insecure woman.
DAVIS: Let's at least leave your viewers with facts rather than opinions.
This is a woman who for almost four decades has been dedicated to public service, advocating for children, advocating for health care, advocating for workers. And in the White House, shared with her husband, the president, the commitment to fiscal conservatism, balancing budgets, and leaving the country with a surplus.
The future president Hillary Clinton will be a combination of a centrist Democrat that this country needs, but truly bring back fiscal responsibility.
And Bay, even you will have to admit that the deficits under a Republican administration should have been troublesome to you and your brother.
BUCHANAN: But you cannot call her centrist. Her record is right up there with Kennedy's and Dodd's.
DAVIS: No, she's...
BUCHANAN: The ADA, American Democrats for Action, give her the same rating as the Dodds of this country. She is a liberal through and through, and she is recognized as such.
DAVIS: She is a progressive Democrat, there is no question, in the center of our party. We're for working people, and that's where she stands.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVIS: But I am saying that this...
BUCHANAN: The record does not show that.
BLITZER: All right.
DAVIS: ... country wants to go back to the prosperity of the Clinton years and changing the future. And she's the candidate...
BUCHANAN: She is a socialist, and I prove it, Lanny. She's a socialist.
BLITZER: We've got to leave it there, guys.
The book's entitled "The Extreme Makeover of Hillary (Rodham) Clinton".
Bay Buchanan, a former CNN analyst, joining us, now working for Tom Tancredo.
Good to have you here back in THE SITUATION ROOM.
BUCHANAN: Great to be with you, Wolf, always.
BLITZER: Lanny Davis, always good to have you here as well.
DAVIS: Thank you, Wolf. Thank you.
BLITZER: Up ahead, you've seen the painful videotape of a 91- year-old man being pummeled by a carjacker. Coming up, you're now going to see the tables turn.
And just ahead, also, technology that could help American troops missing in action.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Right now, in the so-called Triangle of Death near Baghdad, a massive military search. U.S. and Iraqi troops are looking for two U.S. soldiers missing after that May 12th attack. Today the military announced the new development concerning one soldier among the missing.
Our Arwa Damon is embedded with troops involved in this desperate search -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the U.S. military is now officially confirming what many of the soldiers here at the Camp Yusufiya already knew, that the body that was recovered from the Euphrates River yesterday was that of Private Joseph Anzack, just 20 years old.
The news here greeted with mixed emotions, both relief and sorry. Relief because this would mean closure for at least one of the families of the three kidnapped soldiers' sorrow and frustration because many of the troops were hoping that they would be able to find all three of their missing men still alive.
Now the mission to find the two remaining kidnapped soldiers and to bring the attackers to justice does continue in all of its in intensity. Overnight raids yielded the number two al Qaeda operative in this area. The U.S. military now hoping that he will be able to provide them with further clues to lead them to their remaining missing men.
The troops here are just as determined as ever to bring the attackers to justice. The battalion commander saying this was not done out of revenge, but that there that would be a reckoning -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Arwa Damon on the scene for us as this hunt, this search continues.
Could a popular technology that's found in many cell phones and helps millions of drivers navigate around town actually be used in incidents like these?
Let's go to CNN's Brian Todd.
Brian, how might GPS and other tracking devices be used to help keep U.S. troops in Iraq safe?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a couple of different ways, Wolf.
The obvious is they can help troops and their commanders figure out where they are, maybe even where the enemy is. So we've been pressing military officials on their possible use for an individual soldier in this situation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TODD (voice over): A relentless search for two missing American soldiers in Iraq. Could tracking devices placed on their bodies have helped to find them faster?
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: That kind of technology does exist. Obviously, it's not down to fine microchips at this point, but it does exist, and it is used in this theater by certain forces when they're conducting specialized-type missions.
TODD: Because of the high risk and sensitivity of those missions, we cannot say what units the troops who carry tracking devices are assigned to, what the equipment looks like, or where it's placed on the body. Just about every U.S. military vehicle in Iraq has GPS or another type of electronic tracking device so their commanders can monitor them. It's called blue force tracking.
Some law enforcement units back home have experimented with chips that give physical data about officers but don't have tracking signals. U.S. military officials say soldiers and Marines in most regular combat units in Iraq, like the missing soldiers' division, are not outfitted with tracking devices. One reason, the danger involved if a soldier carrying one gets captured.
MAJ. BOB BEVELACQUA, FMR. AMY GREEN BERET: That provides certain options for the adversary. If he knows that this is a tracker and somebody's going to come back and get this tracker because they think it's associated with a human being, they have the ability to set up an ambush for whatever unit's going to come back and try and find this unit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: One option, placing a tracking microchip under a soldier's skin. Former U.S. Special Operations officers tell us they believe that's being developed. Current military officials won't comment on that -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What about the cost, Brian? Is that a consideration?
TODD: It's a huge consideration. Just about every former officer I spoke with says the cost of outfitting each combat troop with a training device is one of the main reasons they don't have them right now.
BLITZER: So, when you weigh the pros and cons, former Special Operations types, what do they say? What should be done?
TODD: Well, some don't think that they should be used on each individual soldier because of the risks that we talked about, about possible ambush if an enemy gets his hands on it. But others say if they can deal with the cost, it is worth it, not only to track missing soldiers, but they can also possibly be able to help officers differentiate between friendlies and enemies on the battlefield back at the command center.
They can track them with different colors.
BLITZER: Brian Todd watching this story for us.
Good work, Brian. Thank you.
Such devices are not just tools for war, by the way. They're also tools that could keep you and your family safe.
We saw that back in February when three mountain climbers and their dog were stranded overnight on Oregon's Mt. Hood. Rescuers found them all safe by tracking their mountain location unit, a device similar to the one seen here.
Also, many models of cell phones use GPS tracking software that could locate you in case of an emergency. And there are several products available to keep track of children. Many of them act as emergency cell phones and tracking devices, with some even able to display on a map the places your child has visited.
Up ahead, he was beaten in a Detroit parking lot. Now a 91-year- old man confronts his accused attacker.
And later, the changing face of Google. Is the search engine getting so big that it's becoming big brother?
Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
BLITZER: We've told you the story of a 91-year-old man being pummeled by an attacker in a Detroit parking lot. Now the tables have been turned on the accused attacker.
Allan Chernoff is joining us from New York.
Allan, tell us what's happening right now.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if you can believe it, now the attacker is claiming that he is in danger. As many times as we've seen this video of the attack outside a Detroit liquor store, it is still not easy to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice over): It was 8:30 in the evening when a thug assaulted 91-year-old Leonard Sims as he was about to check a lottery ticket. This store surveillance video called the assailant punching Sims 21 times.
In court Wednesday, the World War II veteran and former barber confronted his alleged assailant, 22-year-old Deontae Bradley.
LEONARD SIMS, BEATING VICTIM: He started punching and said he wanted a light for his cigarette. And before I could answer, he started punching me.
CHERNOFF: Several men stood nearby and did nothing to attack. Sims collapsed after his assailant stole his Chevy Malibu. He suffered multiple bruises and damage to his hearing. Seeing the video in court made his wife thankful her husband is still alive.
NORA SIMS, WIFE OF LEONARD SIMS: My mind went back to when I saw my husband in the hospital. I did not think he was going to make it.
CHERNOFF: Deontae Bradley is charged with assault and carjacking, carrying a potential sentence of life in prison. At Bradley's arraignment Wednesday, police officer Kevin White read what he said was Bradley's confession.
OFFICER KEVIN WHITE, DETROIT POLICE: "I hit him a few times, got the keys, and drove off in the car."
Question: "Why did you commit the crime?"
Answer: "It wasn't intentionally. It's something I did, and it was stupid."
CHERNOFF: Now Deontae Bradley claims he fears for his safety in jail, telling his lawyer he's been threatened, a claim to which Mrs. Sims has no sympathy.
N. SIMS: Well, let the prisoners have him. Let him see what it's like to be hit 21 times.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Bradley is being held on $1 million bail -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Allan Chernoff, what a story. Thank you for bringing it to us.
Moving on now, is Google living up to its motto of "Don't be evil"? Google CEO Eric Schmidt sparked a frenzy after commenting on collecting personal data to improve Web searching.
Let's go back to our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner.
How concerned, Jacki, should we all be?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, frankly, it depends on how much you personally care. See, Google is working on making Web searches more personalized.
If you search on Google now for something like Paris, you're going to get results for Paris, France, the city, and Paris Hilton, the celebrity socialite. What Google wants to do is anticipate which of these results you'd prefer based on what you've searched for before.
Of course, this obviously brings up all kinds of privacy concerns based on what kind of information Google is storing. But they say they know this, and that's why they make this option "Opt In".
You can choose whether you want to browse anonymously or whether you want the Web browser to store what you've searched for in the past. But the Electronic Privacy Information Center says that this is just not enough, Wolf. They say it is not entirely clear what information Google is actually hanging on to.
BLITZER: All right, Jacki. Thank you.
Still ahead, Jack with your e-mail on whether GOP presidential candidates are out of line or in line.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now Republican presidential candidates on the record about their favorite music. The Associated Press asked White House hopefuls what music they bought most recently.
We heard the Democrats' choices. Now let's sample the Republicans' play list.
Rudy Giuliani, he apparently is an opera fan, opting for Verdi's Macbeth.
Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, went in a very different direction, the goth rock group Evanescence from his home state of Arkansas.
Mitt Romney bought an iTunes selection from rock legend Roy Orbison.
John McCain went with surfer rock, "The Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys."
What do you think of their taste, Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I like Roy Orbison on the Republicans side and Ray Charles on the Democrat side.
BLITZER: Me too.
CAFFERTY: The question this hour: Is Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul out of line giving the former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, a summer reading assignment on the history of American foreign policy in the Middle East?
Ed writes from Texas, "Not at all. If Mr. Giuliani believes Iraq's the central front in the war on terror, he should spend more time studying our enemy and less time profiting from the events of 9/11. Our enemy's decentralized, geographically dispersed. If Mr. Giuliani doesn't understand that, then he shouldn't be our president."
Richard in Alabama, "I was disgusted during the GOP debate the way Congressman Paul's reasoned, academic responses to complex issues were degraded by Rudy Giuliani and turned into applause points. Paul was using his brain when he asked us to review our policies in the Middle East and how they affect the Muslim world. Giuliani simplified it into a lie that Paul said we were responsible for 9/11."
J.C. writes, "Not at all. Just a little tip from an old pro. Rudy got caught with his top button undone."
Louis in Seattle, "Not at all out of line. Like the old phrase goes: 'The truth will set you free.' America's now imprisoned by its own willful ignorance of the root causes of Middle East aggression toward the U.S. Books like these should be required reading for any high level politician."
Jeremy in California, "Giuliani's response to Paul and the subsequent applause by the audience just goes to prove how ignorant and arrogant we are here. That's a book list all Americans would be well served to read."
Richard in Seattle, "As a Democrat, I found Representative Paul's comments closer to mine than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican. And as an ex-New Yorker, I'm quite sure Rudy won't read anything that he's told to read."
Ted in Chicago, "Who's Ron Paul? Am I alone on this one?"
If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, where we post more of them, along with video clips of "The Cafferty File" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: See you back here in one hour.
We're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekday afternoons from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right after Lou Dobbs.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Let's go to Lou. He's in New York.
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