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Moammar Gadhafi's Grip on Libya Seems to be Ending; South Carolina Man Films Libyan Rebels; International Journalists Holed up in Tripoli Hotel

Aired August 22, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Want to get you up to speed for Monday, August 22nd.

Moammar Gadhafi's grip on Libya appears to be ending. Rebels say they control 80 percent of the Libyan capital today. Pockets of Gadhafi fighters are holding out. They still control this hotel that's home base for foreign journalists.

Gadhafi's whereabouts are unknown. His loyalists continue to defend his compound.

Rebels keep rolling into Tripoli today with no major resistance. Jubilant Libyans poured into the streets to celebrate after they heard rebels had taken much of Tripoli.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were outside the windows screaming. No one can control the other.

Everyone is screaming and realized that no one wants him. No one wants this dictator. Most of us had our homes closed because we were scared, but there is no more fear. No more. Gadhafi is gone and we don't want him anymore.

The end. Game over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Rebels say three of Gadhafi's sons are in custody today, including Saif al-Islam, the son groomed to succeed his father. Fighters grabbed another son, Mohammed Gadhafi, early this morning. He was on the phone at the time for a live interview with the Arab language news network Al Jazeera. You can hear him talking as rebels approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED GADHAFI, MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S SON (through translator): I'm standing outside my house. I'm being attacked right now. There's gunfire outside my house. They're inside my house.

Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: President Obama, who is vacationing in New England, released this statement: "The momentum against the Gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant." The president repeated his called for Gadhafi to stand down and end the bloodshed.

Well, Gadhafi's regime is on the brink of collapse. Rebels battling the takeover remain in areas of the capital, and there are dramatic events that are reshaping the future of Libya.

CNN's Sara Sidner is on the ground in Tripoli and filed this report just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're not in Green Square. Actually, we're about a half a mile from Green Square. We've been driving through the neighborhoods because we saw Green Square yesterday, with the rebels in that square, although they were a little bit tense because they said there were snipers, although we did not see evidence of any at that time last night.

However, what we are seeing in the streets of Tripoli, all over the streets, are rebel fighters driving through the streets, honking their horns, waving the rebel flag, which was the flag that was in place in this country before the Gadhafi regime came to power about 42 years ago. You're hearing honking. You've been hearing that, too, every now and then from gunfire.

One thing that we should definitely note here is that we are in a basically residential/business neighborhood. This is -- there's bank. There's a store here that's selling clothes. And every single shop is shut down at this point in time.

We're seeing very few residents in the street. And we're talking about -- we're in the early -- late morning now here, in Tripoli, and normally there would be traffic, there would be people on the streets. We're not seeing that. We're seeing rebels in the streets, we're seeing just a few residents who have come out to cheer the rebels on, but a very interesting scene here in Tripoli.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now it's your chance to "Talk Back." Today's question: Was U.S. involvement in Libya actually worth it?

Our Carol Costello, she joins us from New York.

And Carol, a lot of debate over that. The president got some criticism and he got some praise, both for going into Libya.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right about that. There is no question now, Suzanne, though, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's reign is just about over.

Thousands are reportedly dead, and it's likely more will die. But thanks in large part to NATO forces and the United States, Libya will likely be free of a cruel dictator.

Libya is celebrating.

Here at home, in the United States, the celebrations may be satisfying to watch, but the feeling is tempered. Like everything else, U.S. involvement in Libya was conflicted.

Liberal Congressman Dennis Kucinich accused President Obama of an impeachable offense because Mr. Obama moved forward on Libya without congressional approval. Republican Senator McCain was critical because he said President Obama didn't move fast enough to prevent a long, drawn-out fight for freedom.

And Americans weary of war were also concerned about the cost. According to the Obama administration, the Libya mission will cost American taxpayers $1.1 billion by September 30th.

Still, in just six months, Gadhafi is just about gone. Remember, he was slaughtering his own people. Al Jazeera estimates 13,000 Libyans have died in this conflict.

So the "Talk Back" today: Was U.S. involvement in Libya worth it?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Well, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season drenched Puerto Rico. That happened today.

Irene could dump perhaps 20 inches of rain on parts of the island. The storm is barely holding on to hurricane status, with top winds at 75 miles an hour or so. Irene could threaten the southeastern United States by the end of the week.

Well, New York prosecutors are meeting this afternoon with the woman who says that Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her last May. An attorney for the hotel housekeeper says he believes that all or parts of the case against the former IMF chief will be dismissed. That could happen at a court hearing tomorrow. Now, prosecutors have questioned the woman's credibility.

Dow stocks are starting the new week with a bounce. We're going to check the Big Board. Blue chips are up, I see, by 82 points or so. It's been pretty much a dismal August for investors. The Dow has lost 11 percent of its value this month alone.

Well, the Libyan uprising we are now looking at up close. A CNN iReporter is in the middle of this crowd, celebrating in Benghazi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is by far the largest crowd I've seen in probably months. This is by far the largest crowd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We're going to talk with him live, find out what it's like to watch history in the making.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of the stories up ahead.

First, a Libyan-American in Benghazi turns CNN iReporter. He has a lot to say about the situation on the ground.

Then, the changing faces of Moammar Gadhafi, how he rose to power and then saw it slip away.

Plus, as Tripoli falls, investors are optimistic that Libya could begin exporting oil sooner than expected. We're going to check out what that means for U.S. markets.

And then, most Libyans have lived with Gadhafi all their lives, essentially. We're going to see what's next for the country if he leaves.

And three sons of Moammar Gadhafi are now in the hands of rebel fighters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Right now what's happening is everyone -- we are in Green Square, here in the middle of Tripoli. What we are seeing is rebels all over this square. There are really no civilians, and mostly men with guns in the square, but we're also seeing people running.

There's a lot of gunfire. They say there are snipers. We all had to pull back.

The situation, very tense here, but there is a lot of celebrating going on. Some of this is just gunfire in the air, but people are very, very concerned, because they say there were snipers close to the top of some of these buildings. They're not sure exactly where some of this gunfire is coming from. Every now and then you see people just running, trying to get out of the way.

But right now the rebels have Green Square, and it is an historic moment here in Tripoli, in the capital. The real stronghold of Moammar Gadhafi has now been taken over by the rebels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That is our intrepid Sara Sidner, reporting, as the rebels actually advanced on Green Square. That's in the heart of Libya's capital.

Now, rebels control most of the city. Now they're battling Gadhafi forces in the remaining stronghold. And the march into Tripoli, well, that is seen as the beginning of the end of Gadhafi's regime.

A CNN iReporter from South Carolina, well, he's getting an up-close look at the dramatic events that are sweeping across Libya.

Sammi Addahoumi filed this report from the celebrations in Benghazi when the rebels arrived in Tripoli.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMMI ADDAHOUMI, CNN IREPORTER: This is CNN iReporter Sammi Addahoumi, reporting from Benghazi, Libya.

It is now 1:00 a.m., Sunday, August 21st, quite possibly the first night of freedom for all of Libya.

Freedom Square, Benghazi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Unbelievable.

Sammi Addahoumi, he joins us by phone from Libya.

And you were in the midst of all of that. First of all, just describe for us what that was like.

ADDAHOUMI: Well, (INAUDIBLE). It's the day that Libya has been waiting for 42 years, not just the past six months of war. Everyone has been holding their breath for the past day or so waiting for the big catch of Gadhafi. There's news earlier this morning that (INAUDIBLE) were captured. And it's just a matter of (INAUDIBLE).

Everyone in Benghazi is ecstatic. They're a little sleepy right now from staying up all night, watching the news, in addition to Ramadan. So people couldn't be happier in Benghazi, quite frankly.

MALVEAUX: And Sammi, I'm sorry we're having a problem with your audio. It's a little bit choppy, but we're getting most of your message through here.

Describe for us -- there was tension, you said, beforehand, before the celebrations. What has it been like since you've been there?

ADDAHOUMI: Since I've been here, people have really been waiting, like I said, for so long for this day. As you know from the past five, six months, there's been a standstill, almost a stalemate. And there was even talks before of maybe compromising with Gadhafi, wanting him to stay down but stay in Libya. But the people in Benghazi found that completely unacceptable.

All of them found that completely unacceptable. The only way to end this is for Gadhafi to get out of Libya and for his sons to get out of Libya completely. So the people are ecstatic here in Benghazi. They could not be happier. It's a day they've been praying for, for quite some time.

MALVEAUX: And Sammi, tell us what you're doing in Libya. Why are you actually there?

ADDAHOUMI: Well, I'm here, first of all, to check on family and to celebrate Ramadan with my family here in Benghazi (INAUDIBLE). It's not every day that someone has a chance to encounter a revolution of this nature first hand and --

MALVEAUX: All right. Sammi, we're going to have to let you go. The audio is a little bit difficult to understand you. But thank you so much for joining us. We're going to try to get a better connection and get you back at a later point.

But that was Sammi Addahoumi, who is in the midst of the celebrations.

Well, of Moammar Gadhafi's eight sons, three are now said to be in rebel hands. Our Nic Robertson, well, he has met those sons. He knows them. He's going to join us to tell us what they're like and what the rebels could still be up against.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Libyan rebels are on the verge of breaking Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year-old iron-fisted rule now. So what does this mean for the future of Libya and the region, and the fate of Gadhafi himself?

Well, joining us from via Skype from New York is CNN National Security Contributor Fran Townsend. She is a member of both the CIA and Department of Homeland Security external advisory committees.

Fran, you've met with Gadhafi when you visited Libya previously. Tell us, what kind of man is he? Is he the kind of leader who would voluntary step down?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely not, Suzanne. You know, it's interesting. I've met with not only with Gadhafi, but with Saif al-Islam, with Mutasim, his son.

These are fighters. And we've seen the sons are now taken -- some of the sons taken into custody. I think you can expect that Gadhafi will fight to the bitter end.

He has said that he wants to be a martyr. I was talking with a senior Italian official who has been involved in negotiations, and said no indication that Gadhafi has any interest in an exit strategy. He likes the south of Libya, and so he may have been down there, but I expect that he will be prepared to fight and lose.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, you know, we've seen as examples Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, he has been caged and tried in court in Egypt. And it looks like Gadhafi would be boxed in.

Does he have any incentive really to turn himself in?

TOWNSEND: He's got no -- you know, he's waited now, Suzanne. He's got no negotiating leverage to use, right? He is facing the International Criminal Court. He clearly is responsible for the murder of civilians and war crimes. And so it's not clear to me where he could go and what he could negotiate with.

They now have some of his children in custody, and I don't expect that will move him, either. I mean, I don't think he'll allow them to be used as a negotiating tool even if he was prepared to enter discussions.

MALVEAUX: Fran, it might be a wild question, but knowing this man, do you have any idea where he might be since he's been hiding?

TOWNSEND: You know, it's interesting. I expect that his son -- we're told that Saif al-Islam was governing, and so he could have gone to the south of Libya.

He loves the desert. He has conducted official business down there with foreign governments. And so I suspect he's either in Tripoli or somewhere in southern Libya, in the desert.

MALVEAUX: You mentioned that three of Gadhafi's sons were captured. One has been killed. Are there any members of Gadhafi's family right now who could step into power if Gadhafi is forced into hiding, gives up power, or is killed?

TOWNSEND: I don't expect so. Look, this is a man who refused to have any civil institutions, who refused to share power. He was a dictator in the classic sense, and he held all power to himself.

He actually even undermined at times the head of his intelligence services, his foreign minister, and so I don't expect that there's anyone. The rebels, when they take power, are really going to have to form a government from scratch. There won't be anything that they can fall back on.

MALVEAUX: They have at the very least, Fran, formed this transitional authority. How do they unite and control all of these various tribes that you talk about?

TOWNSEND: It's going to be very difficult. I mean, one of the things that they have that none of these other government that have fallen and opposition has taken power is money.

The United States has seized more than $30 billion. They do have oil reserves. And so they will be able to have cash if they can organize themselves and set priorities in order to reestablish civilian control of the government.

MALVEAUX: Is there as obvious leader, Fran, that would full that power vacuum if Gadhafi goes down?

TOWNSEND: You know, Suzanne, if there is one, it hasn't sort of emerged clearly and publicly from this Transitional National Council. We'll have to see.

I mean, clearly, Ambassador Feltman has been over there on behalf of the State Department and the administration talking to the rebels. And if there's anybody who can identify who that leadership will be, it will be Ambassador Feltman.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, all of this, as we see, is coming to a head now, but the mission was led with NATO air strikes. There was a limited role by the U.S. government. No American boots on the ground.

President Obama got a lot of heat for his strategy. But do you think now he's been vindicated, that perhaps this could be a model working in the future that would be emulated elsewhere?

TOWNSEND: Suzanne, I don't think anybody is going to point to this -- even when Gadhafi falls, I don't think anyone is going to point to this as a model. This was very slow. It took an awfully long time.

And NATO had to fly over 7,500 sorties over Libya. This was not a model of efficiency. We didn't have good contact and good confidence in our allies on the ground. I think there are some lessons learned from this that will certainly be used going forward, but I'm not sure that I would regard this as a model.

MALVEAUX: Do we know, Fran -- it might be a little bit early -- what this means for security in the region?

TOWNSEND: I don't think we do. You know, people have been very concerned about this opposition. Who has infiltrated the opposition? Are there extremists among them? And I think the Transitional National Council is going to have to be careful as they put people in power that they understand who they are, that they subscribe to the rule of law, and that there is not going to be an opportunity for bad actors, if you will, throughout the region to take advantage of this.

MALVEAUX: All right. Frank, thank you very much.

We want to go to the U.N. That is where Ban Ki-moon, the head of the U.N., is speaking regarding what is taking place in Libya.

Let's take a quick listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BAN KI-MOON, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: -- to make way for a smooth transition.

The international community will continue to do its part to protect civilians from harm. I have been in touch with the chairperson of the African Union, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, and the European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security, and other world leaders. Later today, I will contact the president of the Security Council and members of the P-5 of the Security Council.

I intend to hold an urgent meeting this week among the heads of regional and international organizations, including the AU, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union. My special envoy, Mr. Abdel al-Katib (ph), has been in close contact with the leadership of the NTC, and will continue his efforts. He and my special adviser on post-conflict planning, Ian Martin, will travel to Doha to meet with the leadership of the NTC. The United Nations stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the Libyan people.

For the past several months, Ian Martin has been working to ensure that the United Nations is ready to respond --

MALVEAUX: You've been listening to the head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, talking about various international organizations getting together to meet about the future of Libya, as well as the transitional government that has already been formed in part of Libya.

Well, gunfire outside a hotel in Libya that is home to international journalists. Our Matthew Chance reports from one of the last strongholds of forces that are loyal to Gadhafi as rebels fight to take control.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on.

Up next, rebel fighters are on the verge of taking Tripoli. Gadhafi forces have set up a perimeter around a five-star hotel, and a CNN reporter is inside.

And later, the president's warning to Gadhafi.

Rebels in Libya say they are in control of most of the capital, Tripoli. Now, right now, they are fighting to take over the remaining areas that are held by forces that are loyal to Gadhafi. Now, one of them is a hotel in Tripoli that serves as a base for international journalists.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance is there. And for a while, he wasn't able to leave.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've been sort of weighing up our options. I mean, we're in a bit of a difficult position because we're sort of a man down on the team. We don't have a cameraman with us, and so we're a bit stuck, anyway.

We also haven't got a vehicle, and so that's a problem. Previously, we've been depending on the government minders to take us around, because that was the only way we were allowed to get around. We've now been deprived of all that.

The other situation, of course, the overriding situation, is the fact that government is still very much in control of this hotel and the perimeter. And they are not permitting us to go outside.

There have been a number of journalists who have requested to leave the hotel grounds, and they've been refused. Remember, you've got armed men in the lobby of this hotel, armed men in the trees, standing -- hiding beneath the trees, around the compound as well. And so, quite heavy weaponry on the perimeter of the hotel.

And so it's not a possibility, us going out at the moment. We're actually just thinking about hunkering down and waiting for this to pass, whatever comes next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Rebel leaders in Libya say that they have captured three of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. Saif al-Islam, Saadi and Mohammed. Another brother is dead. Now, rebels say think that the other four sons are either hiding or have fled. They have no idea where Gadhafi's daughter is. An anchor with al Jazeera was talking on the phone with a man believed to be Mohammed Gadhafi right before he was captured.

I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm standing outside my house. I'm being attacked right now. There's gunfire inside my house. They're inside my house. Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We don't know what happened to Mohammed or even his brothers.

I want to bring in our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's in Washington today. But Nic, you were the first CNN correspondent to get inside Tripoli when the uprising started. You spent some time with these brothers, as well.

First of all, how significant is that that they have been captured. What are these guys like? Do they have any power?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Saif al-Islam, according to his brothers, was running the country on a day-to-day basis, and he certainly would have had a lot of power and influence and it would have been wielded through his father. His father, we were told had sort of pulled back from the day to day running of the country.

Saadi Gadhafi, probably a less powerful and influential but anyone who was the son of Moammar Gadhafi had power and influence in the country. And he was able to affect certain things on the ground. So these are people who are not going to -- you know, who are not going to be able to influence anything that happens now. They've been caught by the rebels. Indeed, Saif al-Islam is perhaps going to face trial at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. There's a warrant out for his arrest on war crimes charges. So that's a possibility if the rebels hand him over to the ICC.

But Gadhafi himself has relied on his son to sort of runs parts of the Army, run the security institutions. It's been a family-run business. So how vulnerable, Nic, then, is the father, Moammar Gadhafi now that his sons have been captured?

ROBERTSON: It's really heart to calculate at the moment. I mean, there are a lot of rumors and a lot of reports he may have left the country, he may have left the capital. But the fact that three sons were picked up so quickly when the rebels, seems to indicate they were outstarted and outmaneuvered, didn't expect the rebels to move so fast.

Gadhafi's regime have been surrounded by sycophants, people who tell them their countrymen love them, that they're going to be safe, that everything's going to be OK, that the capital is safely in their hands. So they seem to have been outmaneuvered and outsmarted by the pace of events, which suggests that if Gadhafi was thinking of going somewhere else rather than fighting to the end as he's said, that perhaps he too has been outmaneuvered and is now hunkered down somewhere in one of those government loyalists controlled areas within the capital. But it's all supposition.

MALVEAUX: Right.

ROBERTSON: We just don't have facts.

MALVEAUX: And Nic, you've spent a considerable amount of time with the rebel forces as well. Do you have any idea what they might actually do with the brothers that they've captured?

ROBERTSON: One of toughest things that will face them is to keep them safe from the ravages and ill will of the people of Libya, particularly Moammar Gadhafi, but no doubt when Saif al-Islam came on television in February, that he turned most of the people in the country, the majority of the people against him. He was seen as somebody who maybe would step in after the father.

So there's a lot of animosity, a lot of anger to the leadership. So the rebels are going to have to, number one, keep them safe from the people. They certainly have said that they want to try Gadhafi themselves, rather than hand them over to the International Criminal Court, but a lot of international pressure for the Transitional National Council to move in a democratic way, to sort of build a political dialogue across the whole country and pressure on them to live up to international expectations and norms.

And that is the International Criminal Court has an arrest warrant for Gadhafi, Saif Gadhafi, and the head of intelligence. If they're caught, the pressure is on for them to hand them over to the International Criminal Court, an important test in many people's eyes for their transitional national council, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. All right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much, knick. Excellent reporting as always.

Well, President Obama, he's away from the White House, but he's certainly not out of touch. We're going to take you to live remarks at Martha's Vineyards. That is where the president will make his views known on Libya. A statement up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama is vacationing on the Massachusetts coast. He's being kept up to the minute on what is happening in Libya.

Our White House correspondent Dan Lothian is with the president on Martha's Vineyard. And Dan we know as many of his vacations go at Martha's Vineyard, there is no break from the news, in the developments of the world.

I suspect that he is watching very closely to what's going on in Libya.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He is. You know, perhaps presidents should take vacations in a different month because August always tends to blow up with something while presidents are out on vacation. And this one is no different.

The president was hoping to focus on jobs, and working on that speech that he plans to unveil his jobs proposal when he returns to Washington. That is still ongoing. But also the administration has to focus on the situation in Libya. President Obama has been getting frequent updates on the situation there from John Brennan, his counterterrorism advisor. He also took part in a conference call with senior members of his national security team.

So the president very much staying on top of the situation there, but not saying a whole lot on camera. The pool crews traveling with the president yesterday as he was going to a takeout restaurant in Oak Bluffs, did ask him for any comment at all on Libya, and the president said that he wanted to wait until they got more confirmation before he would weigh in, at least on camera.

But the president did release a statement on the situation in Libya, saying in part, quote, "The momentum against the Gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Gadhafi regime is showing signs of collapse. And the people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator."

The big question now is what will happen next? The administration very cognizant of the fact that there are still a lot of uncertainties with the rebel organization, which the U.S. is backing. So that is something they'll be watching very carefully over the next few hours in the day, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Dan, I don't know if we know this yet, but do we know if anyone has reached on the with the rebel forces, as this is unfolding?

LOTHIAN: We don't know what the latest is on that. We -- that is one of the questions we will ask in an off-camera briefing that will be taking place in a little less than a half hour from now. We were expecting an on-camera briefing from the deputy White House spokesman Josh Earnest, but we were informed just a short time ago that that will be taking place off camera. I think the there in Libya is still so fluid that they want to be very careful about the message they put out on camera. But those will be some of the questions that we'll be posing to him during that briefing in a little less than a half hour, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Dan, what I think what I'm hearing you saying, as well, is that until there's a more significant development, we're probably not going to see the president on camera later this afternoon?

Is that right?

LOTHIAN: Perhaps. Yes. I'm not going to just say that we won't see him. We simply don't know. Right now there's nothing on the president's schedule. And up to this point they've been careful about not weighing in too heavily until they get more confirmation about what is going on there.

It's always possible that even without any conclusions, the president will come forward. But at this point, we know of nothing on the schedule.

MALVEAUX: All right. Dan, keep us posted. Appreciate it.

Well, you know, leaders around the world, with the exception of Venezula's Hugo Chavez are calling on Moammar Gadhafi to step down, end the bloodshed. British Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his vacation to chair a meeting at the UK's national security council. He said it's clear from the scenes in Tripoli that the end is near for Gadhafi. He has committed appalling crimes against the people of Libya, and must go now.

Well, French President Nicholas Sarkozy says he urges Colonel Gadhafi to avoid inflicting new feudal suffering on his people, calling on his forces to a cease fire, to drop their weapons.

And China's foreign ministry spokesman released this statement, "China respects the choice of Libyan people. China hopes the situation in Libya gets stabilized as soon as possible, and people can live a normal life there."

Well, he went from U.S. enemy to friend, then back again. What the end of Moammar Gadhafi's regime means for the future of U.S. relations with Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: As his regime crumbles around him, Moammar Gadhafi remains in hiding. Now, that's a far cry from the dynamic leader who appeared on the world stage back in 1969. Well, back then, the world was introduced to a handsome 27-year-old with big plans for his country. But as soon as he seized power, he took control over almost every aspect of Libyan life, including business, media, oil and the military. And as he grabbed more power, the facade continued to crack. He expelled American and other western gas companies and investors and tortured and assassinated his opposition. By 1980, the U.S. had severed all diplomatic ties. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Gadhafi is an irresponsible animal, who has no scruples, he has no morals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Throughout the 1980s, tensions between the United States and Libya intensified. Years of skirmishes between the U.S. and Libyan aircraft resulted in former President Ronald Reagan calling him a mad dog and the U.S. labeling him public enemy number one.

Then, followed bombings in Rome, Vienna, and then a disco in Berlin frequented by Americans, all linked to Libya. In 1986, the U.S. had enough and retaliated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At 7:00 this evening Eastern Time, air and naval forces of the United States launched a series of strikes against the headquarters terrorist facilities and military assets that support Moammar Gadhafi's subversive activities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The end of the '90s saw a softening of the former strongman. He handed over Libyans suspected of the Lockerbie bombing after refusing for years. He even took responsibility for the bombing and agreed to compensate victims and their families.

Well, that same year, Libya also abandoned efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. So by 2006, Washington had resumed all diplomatic ties. And in 2008 he met with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The meeting between Libya and a high-ranking U.S. official that in more than 50 years.

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CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I thought he was serious. He said at one point that it has taken too long, that the lessons of history had to be learned.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Well, Gadhafi's recent good guy image took a turn this year as the Arab spring in engulfed the Middle East. His willingness to slaughters his own people just to stay in power forced NATO and the U.S.'s hand and potentially could mark the end of his 42-year-old regime.

Well, 40 years of an on again/off again relationship with the United States and Moammar Gadhafi. Well now, with his regime on the brink of collapsing, we want to talk about the road ahead for the United States and Libya and what it means for us here at home.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he's joining us from Washington. And Wolf, we just saw this piece and outlined here. And we have seen Gadhafi's role and his image change in the eyes of the United States. He's gone from the mad dog of the Middle East, public enemy number one, now to a friend under Bush, and now despised as a dictator and murderer.

Where do you suppose in following these administrations we stand now?

WOLF BLITZER, : Where the U.S. and Libya is going to go now with the new transitional authority that's about to take over? Is that the question, Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Yes, that's right.

BLITZER: I think the U.S. has established a good relationship with the leadership of the National Transition Council as it's called, the headquarters in Benghazi, but presumably they've move it to the capital of Tripoli once that entire capital is until control of the rebels.

There have been high-level contacts, including over the weekend, the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, was in Benghazi, meeting with the rebel leadership, coordinating, if you will, other NATO allies, especially the French and the Italians, the British. They've been meeting regularly with these rebels, with the transitional authority.

I assume that they're going to have a very good relationship. And if you listen to Ambassador Aujali, the representative of the transitional authority here in Washington, the former Libyan ambassador to the United States who broke with Gadhafi months ago, he's grateful to the U.S., grateful to the NATO allies. So I think there will be an effort, at least in the beginning, to establish a good, strong relationship between the new Libya, the post-Gadhafi Libya and the west, including the United States.

I think potentially there's some good signs, but as anything in North Africa and the Middle East, it's a fact of life, no matter how good it looks, it could go the other way, too. It's just the nature of the beast, if you will.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. And, you know, President Obama, when he first introduced the U.S.-led air strikes with NATO, was a very limited mission on his part, no U.S. boots on the ground. He was criticized by Congress from both ends, some who said he didn't even have the authority to get the United States involved, that he should be impeached. Others thought he hadn't gone far enough.

Are you hearing anything from lawmakers who are reacting to seeing perhaps the collapse of Gadhafi's regime?

BLITZER: Yes. He was criticized from the left. Dennis Kucinich, the Congressman, thought that there should have been some congressional war resolution passed, and he spoke of the possibility even of impeachment. So it wasn't exactly a blatant threat or anything along those lines. The key critics were from the right though. Senator McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Lieberman, if you will. They were among those who were very critical that the U.S. wasn't being assertive enough in initially establishing a no fly zone and then in maintaining an aerial bombardment against Gadhafi's forces.

And if you saw the statements Suzanne, that Lindsey Graham and John McCain jointly released last night, they certainly welcomed what's going on in Libya right now, and they welcomed the U.S. role, although they said it could have been handled a lot better, could have been done much more quickly if the U.S. had not delayed in unleashing U.S. air superiority, air power, over Gadhafi's elements there.

But NATO did play a pretty robust role in all of this and I think there's no doubt that if it had not been for NATO, which, when all is said and done, is still led by the United States, If it had not been for NATO, the rebels would not have been able to overthrow Gadhafi's regime and get rid of Gadhafi, which they're on the verge of doing right now.

MALVEAUX: All right. Wolf, good to see you. Thank you very much, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: We want to know what you actually think about all this. Today's Talk Back, was U.S. involvement in Libya worth it? Carol Costello, she's up next with your responses.

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MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our Talk Back question. Carol Costello is here with your responses.

Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Suzanne. And welcome back, by the way, we missed you.

MALVEAUX: Thank you. I missed you, too.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

Today's Talk Back question. Was U.S. involvement in Libya worth it? This from David. He says, "Yes. It's worth if it a leader is killing his own people and not letting them enjoy freedom as we do, then the whole world needs to be involved."

This from Antonio. "No, it's not worth our investment. We have way too much upon our own plate. We need to get our own infrastructure in order and organized before we have to deal with the rest of the world."

This from Johnny. "Absolutely. Gadhafi has been too long mistreating his own people. Keeping control by keeping them poor and uneducated. He's corrupt and for sale to the highest bidder for doing evil. He is everything America is not." And this from Larry. "It remains to be seen. If we end up with a democratic society with good relations and a good source of oil, then it's worth it. If we just have changed one dictator for another, then it wasn't."

Keep the conversation going on Facebook.com/CarolCNN and I'll be back with you in about 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Well, a rebel victory could mean Libya re-opens its oil refineries than expected. But does that mean cheaper oil for the U.S.? We're going to get a report from the New York Stock Exchange.

So how much oil do you think the U.S. imports from Libya? Is it A, 11 percent; B, 3 percent; or C, 23 percent? That answer in a moment.

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MALVEAUX: So how much oil do we get from Libya? Is it 11 percent, 3 percent, or 23 percent? The answer, just 3 percent.

Global investors, they're waiting to see if a rebel victory in Libya would send down oil prices.

Alison Kosik, she's live at the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, so tell us. Do you think fighting in Libya could actually mean translate into cheaper oil?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There could be cheaper oil, yes, but you won't see it everywhere, Suzanne, because the fact is there are different types of oil out there and they're traded in several places.

So oil that's traded in Europe, if you look at it, it's down 1 percent today. Here, the oil trade here in the U.S., it's on a more upward trend during this session. Analysts say, you know what, the price drop that you're seeing in Europe is more of a knee-jerk reaction. That prices there are going to be going up there, too, because the fact is, we're not going to be seeing oil just flow right out of Libya right away. It could take months or years because we really don't know what kind of shape the infrastructure is in. You really have to assess the damage first and expect oil prices to keep on kind of going up until we see the oil really come out of there, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And we know that Europe relies on Libya and other African nations for oil, much more so than here in the United States.

So how will the oil exports from Libya affect the markets here, do you think?

KOSIK: You're not going to see much affect here, Suzanne. Most of Libya's oil actually goes to Italy and France. Where do we get our oil from? Libya doesn't even factor into the top five places. We get our oil from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico. And, if you want to compare it in barrels, we actually got 30,000 barrels from Libya per day in December. But in Canada, we got two million barrels per day so you see the difference there.

Gas prices are expected to go down, though, but that's not because of oil prices, because of the slowing economy, because of less demand. It's not necessarily the reason we want to see oil prices and gas prices go down though -- Suzanne.

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