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Glenn Beck

Terror War or World War III?; Can Tough Interrogations Save Lives?

Aired September 25, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

GLENN BECK, HOST: Coming up, is bin Laden dead, alive, on vacation? Does it even really matter?
Plus, the new detainee bill. Does it put our soldiers in even more danger? That`s next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by "prozazozacloftnax", the new anti-anxiety medication designed to keep you from wigging out during tough interviews. "Prozazozacloftnax." Ask for it by name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: All right, big stories this weekend. Former President -- former President Clinton got all riled up during an interview on FOX News Sunday.

A report came out saying that the war in Iraq has made the threat of terrorism even more severe. You think so?

Plus, there was a rumor leaked by the French. What a surprise the French are leaking. Anyway, that Osama bin Laden had died.

Here`s tonight`s point: even if Osama bin Laden`s not dead, common sense is. Here`s how I got there.

Let`s start with the Clinton interview. It was back in 1998, right after the USS Cole had been attacked but before the war on terror. I said this on the radio.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BECK: This ain`t the war on drugs. This is the war on terrorism and I`m telling you in the next -- within the next thirty years, war isn`t going to be anything like what we`ve seen in the past. We`re in a whole new territory now, a whole different kind of war.

Are you ready? Are you absolutely ready to wage war against terrorism? As you see body parts of your neighbor or somebody that you were driving to work with, or as you come out of a store downtown and you see that a child has been blown up and the side of a building is gone, are you still going to support it.

Because have you learned the lesson from Vietnam that we can`t go in and fight it half-assed? This is a war that we`ve declared, and we`ve got to fight it to the last body.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BECK: Now when I said that, conservatives got all upset with me, and remember, I`m a conservative. They were upset because their argument at the time was that Clinton was using the Cole attack to deflect attention away from his personal problems.

Hear me. I am not a fan of Bill Clinton`s. I think the guy is morally bankrupt. But he was trying to kill bin Laden. It didn`t succeed. He admitted it. How can you fault him for that?

What you can fault him for is playing politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Do you think you did enough, sir?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, because I didn`t get him.

WALLACE: Right.

CLINTON: But at least I tried. That`s the difference in me and some, including all the ring-wingers who are attacking me now. They`ve ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried. So, I tried and failed.

When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke, who got demoted.

So you did FOX`s bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Was it reasonable for Chris Wallace to ask this after the 9/11 movie and everything else? Of course it was. But Clinton should have just said, "Hey, I came close to killing bin Laden. He narrowly escaped. I regretted it." Instead, he blames it on another right-wing conspiracy.

You know, I don`t know if the Clintons get this. That doesn`t really work for them. Democrats are doing the same thing that the -- that he`s just accused of Republicans of. What about the left-wing conspiracy that keeps blaming George Bush for everything, including 9/11?

The No. 1 thing that I get e-mailed about on this program is, "OK, Glenn, I heard you about World War III. What do we do about it?"

Here`s what you do. This election, this November, do not vote for a Republican. Do not vote for a Democrat. Don`t vote for an independent. Vote for an American that gets it. Forget about all these political parties. It is not about right versus left. It is about right versus wrong.

We need our leaders to step up and do the right thing. Stop playing the blame game. And that goes for all of us. Who cares if it was Bill Clinton`s fault? The thing we should be worried about is how we win what I believe is World War III.

And one small part of that is, how do we kill bin Laden? How do we do it, man? You know what? Maybe not. Some people already think he`s dead. A report was leaked by the French secret service that indicated that Osama bin Laden may have tied from typhoid fever. Maybe it was E. coli tainted spinach. Maybe. I don`t know.

The one thing I am positive is it`s really only a matter of time before some no-nothing weasel starts saying, "Well, if he`s dead, then why we are fighting in Iraq? We`ve already got the guy who`s responsible for 9/11."

That is not the point. What America needs to understand is this is World War III. It is so much bigger than 9/11, Iraq or the war on terror. Stop calling it the war on terror.

The people that came out with the report said the war in Iraq is fueling Muslim extremists, and we need to understand that. They need to understand that we get it.

Let me translate bull crap to English for a second. President Bush made huge mistakes in the war in Iraq. We were nimble at first. That was good. Then we had not enough troops in there, in my opinion. But there`s still time to fix it, if we get serious now.

Of course, the war is making enemies. That`s what happens when you go to war. How do you think Italians or Germans or the Japanese felt about us in 1942? Polls during wartime don`t mean squat.

That is why I believe common sense is dead. It doesn`t matter if bin Laden is dead or if Bill Clinton should have killed him in 1998 or if the war is making people angry. What matters is that all Americans get on the same page and win this thing before it`s too late.

So, here`s what I know tonight. You know, it really didn`t take a rocket scientist to predict 9/11. I didn`t predict it, but in `98, I said, believe these people, and take them at their word.

Now, five years after 9/11, let me say the same thing. Believe our enemies, and take them at their word. We are facing a bigger threat than 9/11. We are up against a force of evil that wants to destroy our very way of life. It`s not just Iraq. It`s not just Iran al Qaeda, bin Laden, the border, Hugo Chavez. It`s all of it and more. It is what I call the perfect storm. Stop playing politics and confront this.

I also know that in the upcoming elections, please, ignore the "R`s" and the "D`s" next to the name. Just vote for an American. Find out what these people stand for and vote for the one that you really believe will do the job. Not the party. This is not a political issue like tax cuts. This is about our survival.

Here`s what I don`t know. Will it -- does it actually have any impact whatsoever if al Qaeda`s leader is dead? If Osama bin Laden is dead, does it matter?

P.J. Crowley is from the Center for American Progress, former national security spokesperson for Bill Clinton during this very time period. Let`s start here, P.J. Does it matter if bin Laden is dead?

P.J. CROWLEY, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Yes, it does. I mean, the war against al Qaeda has moved beyond what it was five years ago. Five years ago, we were facing a relatively small, defined force of bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, the veterans of Afghanistan, veterans of Egypt.

BECK: Right.

CROWLEY: Over five years, the threat has evolved. It`s now more like a mass movement. It`s a jihadist movement. So you know, future attacks like we`ve seen, Madrid, London, this recent aviation bombing more likely to come from people who are inspired by bin Laden, but not directed by him.

But Bin Laden, of course, is a symbol of resistance. So does he matter? Yes. Will it end the war? No.

BECK: Right. The war on terror, nobody -- it doesn`t mean anything. It`s meaningless. And it -- and I also believe it`s not big enough.

CROWLEY: Well, or it`s too big. I mean the problem, when you say terrorism, there are a myriad of groups that practice terrorism for a variety of reasons. We have a tendency to lump them all in one basket, but they`re motivated by different things. Hamas is different than Hezbollah is different from al Qaeda. It`s different than the Chechens. We have to treat each one of these components...

BECK: You know, P.J., they all -- they all have one thing in common. This is a holy war. Whether anybody wants to say it or not, I don`t want a holy war. You know, I`m not out carrying the cross for Jesus, and having a holy war. But they are.

They all have one thing in common. They may -- it`s like the Soviet Union and the United States and England in World War II. We didn`t have a lot in common. But we had one enemy. And we fought afterwards, but that`s what they have in common.

CROWLEY: But they don`t have one enemy in common, Glenn. I think it`s important. You have, for example, Islamic jihadists, but you have some Sunnis, some Shia. They`re at war with each other as much as they`re at war with us.

BECK: But that was the same with us and the Soviet Union. They do have one common enemy. It`s called the great Satan, us. And Israel.

CROWLEY: I think what they really are focused on is our influence in the region. We have to pay attention to that. We have to look at the politics, and how they`re perceived by people in the Middle East, in the Islamic world.

We should also not make them 10 feet tall. I mean, these are -- these are, in many cases, young, unsophisticated people. They want to blow us up and change the decisions that we make in the future.

So we have to take them seriously. You`re absolutely right. But we have to make sure that we have a multifaceted strategy to deal with them.

BECK: Right.

CROWLEY: And military occupation, as the National Intelligence Estimate says, may perversely, you know, may put a dynamic that makes us less safe and enflames the threat rather than reducing it.

BECK: so let me just spend time on this, because I`m so sick of politics. I`m so sick of politicians. If I hear the blame game one more time, I think I`m going to lose my mind. I don`t care -- I mean, I`m a guy on conservative radio that stood up for Bill Clinton in 1998, when you were with him, man.

You know, we`ve got to stop playing this blame game. Because you could go all the way back to Ronald Reagan in Beirut. He said we didn`t pull out, but we did pull out.

CROWLEY: Absolutely.

BECK: So, everybody played a role in this. Isn`t it important what we do now?

CROWLEY: Well, I think, unfortunately, this debate is happening with an election season. I think we`ve got to separate the two. You`re absolutely right. Elections are about accountability. And as you say, mistakes have been made, and we should focus on that.

By the same token, today, not withstanding all the political rhetoric, the war on terror, whatever you want to call it, is not going well. It`s not going well in Iraq. It`s not going well in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and al Qaeda are making a comeback.

It`s not going in the area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, because the rebels have just reached an agreement with the Musharraf government: we won`t attack you if you don`t attack us.

So I think -- but broadly speaking, over time, you know, the White House in its recent, you know, strategy on counterterrorism, you know, said, "We have to seize the battle of ideas." This is what`s going to be decisive over the long run.

BECK: All right.

CROWLEY: Military force will always have a role. We have to really get to the broader issue.

BECK: P.J., thank you very much.

CROWLEY: OK, Glenn.

BECK: Appreciate it. Bye-bye.

Coming up, Congress considers a new and improved terror detainee bill, now with even more ambiguity than ever before. Does it put our guys in the field at risk? And does Jack Bauer actually exist?

Another security issue: our borders. An illegal immigrant arrested for killing a Houston police officer. And as if that`s outrageous enough, until you hear about his rap sheet. You`re not going to believe this.

Also, one man`s promise to his daughter to make a difference to hundreds of families. Finding lost loved ones.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: There`s a lot happening in Washington now, where, you know, hey, the American people have spoken, and now we`re going to get serious about immigration. We need a 40,000 foot view of this, bull crap. And here`s why I say this.

You know what -- you know what jumped off the page when I read that over the weekend? The Dubai ports. Nobody was intending on fixing the ports. What they were do -- what they were doing was tranquilizing you, yet again.

Hey, the American people are awake. Hit them with a dart! They hit us with sleeping darts. They do just enough to where we`re like, OK, now they get it. Yes, that`s right. They listen to the American people. Again, let me translate. It`s bull crap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: And we`re knee deep in it tonight.

Let me ask you this question. How do you pass a law to make something illegal when what you`re trying to prohibit is too classified to even write down on a piece of paper?

That is the trouble that Congress is facing as it tries to pass a new bill that is aimed at better defining the rights of detainees in U.S. custody and spelling out which techniques interrogators can use when they`re trying to get that information.

But because the specific techniques are so secret, the bill instead uses terms like, "serious and non-transitory mental harm," which need not be prolonged. What? So, I can use the extreme sleep deprivation or not so much? Because most of us, I think, would like to just sit back in our cozy living rooms and say, well, that interrogators should just ask those guys where the next attack will be. Just ask them nicely, maybe offer them a lollipop. How can they not talk?

I think, really, most of us would like a Jack Bauer from time to time. The reality is a lot of these guys have information that could potentially save thousands of lives. You`ve got to do what you`ve got to do.

Mike Ritz is a former U.S. Army interrogator.

Do you guys think, Mike, when you sit down, and you`re across the table from an al Qaeda operative with blood all over his hands. Do you think of the law?

MIKE RITZ, FORMER U.S. ARMY INTERROGATOR: Well, certainly, the Geneva Conventions better -- better, you know, take place. It`s not -- you`ve got to realize, as an interrogator, a military interrogator, my job is to extract truthful information. It`s not really -- it doesn`t concern me who`s guilty and who`s innocent, insomuch as I need to get accurate, truthful information that`s really going to save lives.

BECK: OK. Now the way you say that, I can just hear it coming, because I`ve talked to a lot of people who are in interrogation, and some say it absolutely works. Others say, well, it`s not always so accurate. The president has said that the techniques that we use have -- they have saved lives.

RITZ: Well, you know, when you use any sort of, like, high pressure technique. Stress is -- I should point out that stress is an important aspect of interrogation. And stress is the only aspect, the only real technique that we know has proven to work over and over again. But what we`re looking at is, well, what constitutes enough stress to get a person to cooperate?

BECK: You know, this is -- this is so irritating, because we`re fighting the war -- the thing we should have learned from Vietnam is fight to win. Part of a strategy in war is to have the opposing team scared to death of you.

What are we going to have -- we can`t have an attorney come over and hit these guys over the head with a briefcase. Are they afraid of us at all? They must know, you can`t do anything to me.

RITZ: Well, I mean, you look at Guantanamo Bay. You`ve got -- you`ve got guys that have been down there for longer periods of time than most of the staff that`s on a constant rotation. So there is no stress. They`re very comfortable. They`re being treated very well.

You do have high level al Qaeda members there. You do have people with blood on their hands and plenty of guilt. And they`re also resistance trained. So these aren`t your average detainees anyway. Now we`re going to apply the Geneva Conventions, which was originally created for soldiers and not created for this sort of a detainee.

I mean, these people aren`t -- they don`t even fall into the criteria to receive the rights of a lawful combatant. So we`re already not following it already.

BECK: Mike, I don`t understand this. You know what? I`m going to spell this out on the radio show tomorrow. We are AT&T, 1943, say, "Ah, gee, look at the world." You know what? The world has changed. None of these rules apply anymore, because the world has changed. Am I wrong?

RITZ: Well, I mean, some of them may apply. I do think that you touch on something that`s very important. And I`ve been saying it for years. We need to look at the Geneva Conventions globally and see if it fits our current society standards, because, really, the Geneva Conventions, when they were created, they were a reflection of what the society said was appropriate.

BECK: Right.

RITZ: Our society is much different now. If Senator McCain really wants to have an impact in this conversation, and I do think that, he`s one of the few gentlemen that can actually seriously talk about this and open up a dialogue, because people do respect him. And he`s been there. He knows torture. If he really wants to have an impact, he needs to start opening this up.

BECK: OK. Mike, really, time just for a yes or no question. Yes or no, does Jack Bauer exist in America, a guy like that?

RITZ: Sure.

BECK: Love you. Thank you. Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right, want you to take a good look at the face on your screen. This is Jafer the Pilot. He is a U.S. citizen who has been missing since 2003 and is possibly, possibly masterminding a plot to cause what some are calling, the new "American Hiroshima."

We are watching this story closely, and we will continue to update you as we learn more information. But watch out for this face, please.

Every day, you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including on 570 WSYR in Syracuse, New York. By the way, if you can`t find an affiliate in your area, you can sign up and listen online at my web site, GlennBeck.com.

Pat Gray, Houston, Texas, affiliate 950, KPRC.

Hello, Pat.

PAT GRAY, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hello, Glenn.

BECK: The problem with the -- with the illegal immigrant that shot a cop. Tell me this story. It`s fascinating.

GRAY: There`s a lot of problems there. First of all, he -- he was deported years ago, back in 1999...

BECK: Yes.

GRAY: ... after three counts of child indecency charges. He got off on deferred adjudication.

BECK: Really?

GRAY: After indecency by the -- like it`s a speeding ticket or something. They deported him. He comes right back and lives right back here in Houston, Texas. And he`s working in a landscaping company.

BECK: Well, he`s doing the jobs that Americans won`t do. He`s molesting children, and he`s doing landscaping at the same time.

GRAY: Just a humble, lovable landscaper by day, cop killer by night, as well. So last -- last Thursday afternoon, he`s driving around town, 50 in a 30 mile an hour zone, and a police officer named Rodney Johnson, great guy by all accounts, pulls him over. And realizes he has no documentation, no identification, no driver`s license, no insurance. So, he decides...

BECK: And that`s a problem for you race -- the racist hate-mongering cops?

GRAY: Of course. Of course.

BECK: Sure. Just like those cops, Pat.

GRAY: It is. I know. They`re insensitive. So he cuffs him and puts him in the back of his patrol car, patted him down, but he missed, unfortunately -- he made a grave mistake. He missed the 9 mm handgun that was in his waistband.

So the guy maneuvers his hands from back behind him around to the front of him, gets his pistol out of his pants and shoots this officer four times in the face and head and kills him.

When the wrecker driver arrived on the scene, he took a shot at him, fortunately missed. Finally, police arrived at the scene. The guy`s still trapped in the back of the patrol car, of course.

And they take him into custody. And find out that he`d been deported once and came back to shoot and kill a cop. Keep in mind, they`re just good, decent, hard-working, loving people.

BECK: Really? I mean, and here we are dealing with -- with Mexico on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? We`re taking rapists out of your country, and you`ve got a problem with that, and you`re shipping killers to us? Please.

GRAY: Speaking of which, the guy appeared in court today with three attorneys, two court appointed. One paid for by the Mexican government, who was there to...

BECK: You`re kidding me!

GRAY: No, I`m not. Paid for by -- we are -- we are in a war with Mexico right now. They`re the only ones fighting it, of course, but as far as I`m concerned...

BECK: We`re in -- Pat, we are in such denial. You know, you and I have talked so many times about what I call the perfect storm. And we are in denial on every single front. And, my gosh, we better wake up soon.

GRAY: it`s -- or we`re going to wake up dead is the problem.

BECK: Yes. Pat, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

You can hear Pat every morning on KPRC in Houston.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media spin, figure out why a story is actually important.

But first tonight, I want to bring you more of what the people in the Middle East are seeing and hearing on their own television sets as part of our continuing series called "Missed by the Media." Today`s clip features Iran`s President Tom leading a little Iranian pep rally. This was a few months back. I want you to make sure you watch the translations towards the bottom of the video and pay very close attention to the words he chose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Are you weary?

AUDIENCE: No!

AHMADINEJAD: Then who is weary?

AUDIENCE: The enemy!

AHMADINEJAD: I want them to hear you. They are close. Who is weary?

AUDIENCE: The enemy!

AHMADINEJAD: Who is weary?

AUDIENCE: The enemy!

AHMADINEJAD: They know that any transgression or the mere thought of violating the rights of the Iranian people will be met with a slap of eternal and historic proportions.

AUDIENCE: Nuclear energy is our indisputable right. In spirit and in blood, we will redeem you, oh Mahmoud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: "Eternal and historic proportions." And, at the end -- I don`t know if you noticed -- they were chanting Mahmoud. That is President Tom.

And speaking of rage in the Middle East, the pope today met with diplomatic envoys from 20 Muslim countries to try to diffuse the controversy that started a few weeks ago when he quoted the words of a 14th-century emperor who said the Prophet Muhammad commanded Muslims to, quote, "spread by the sword the faith he preached."

After today`s meeting, most of the diplomats in attendance seemed to be satisfied, but the real story is the meeting couldn`t be more worthless. It was practically a meeting at the U.N. The people who were there today, I think, are called -- and this may be the technical term -- reasonable. These aren`t the people that the pope`s message was intended for.

They`re not the people causing the problems. In fact, radical Muslims hate these people as much as they hate us, because those people are not Muslim enough.

I want you to take a look at a cartoon that appeared in a Hamas publication last week. Look at that. Just in case you`re having a hard time making it out, there`s the pope, holding a swastika and wearing a scarf made from the U.S. and Danish flags. And you`ll remember that Denmark is where the Muhammad cartoon controversy all started.

Then, a couple of days ago, a leading Hamas religious leader said this in his weekly sermon, and I quote, "To this arrogant pope, criminal and arrogant, this message is from Allah: Think not that Allah is unaware of what the wicked do. He but gives them respite until the day when eyes will stare in terror."

These people are not bluffing. It absolutely amazes me that the people who are most upset by the pope`s words respond in a way that gives those words even more credibility.

But the worst part is, is what has happened since the ultimate sign -- I`m telling you, this is a sign of retreat. The pope wrote these words. This isn`t off the cuff. He believed in them. He delivered them. So unless you`re afraid, unless you`re in retreat, there`s no reason to apologize. Unfortunately, I really truly believe that the pope, along with much of the Western world, is afraid.

Well, you know what? It`s time we refuse to retreat. All of the terrorists who might be offended by anything that`s happening in this war, you and your radicalized version of Islam, I deeply apologize. I never, ever intended to offend you. We only intended to kill you.

Earlier in the show, we talked about the Geneva Convention and the controversy about the rights of U.S. detainees. As a country, you know, we understand that the documents we live by -- the little things like the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and, yes, even the Geneva Convention -- form the cornerstone of our society. It really is who we are.

So would you be surprised if I were to tell you that the real story tonight is that there is a bill just waiting to be signed that has the power to directly usurp the Constitution? It`s true. The worst part is, nobody is even paying any attention to it.

In California, there`s a bill that would commit the state to award their 55 electoral votes to the presidential election to the candidate with the most popular votes nationwide. It`s already been passed by the legislature, and it`s sitting on Governor Schwarzenegger`s desk. If the governor signs it, which he has to do in the next five days, the real end- run around the Constitution comes next.

By relying on a little-known device called an "interstate compact," each state that ratifies this plan would be bound to the other, almost like a constitutional amendment, but not quite. Given that the biggest 11 states make up a majority of the Electoral College vote, this plan could allow the legislatures of just 11 states to bind together and change the entire way we elect our president.

Now, I`m no constitutional scholar, but I am a thinker, and I kind of doubt that 11 rogue states banding together is what our framers had in mind.

But with all of that said, I don`t necessarily think the idea of a popular vote is a horrible one, although I have some serious reservations about New York and California making all of my decisions. You know, I also have the same kind of problem with the candidates only campaigning in Ohio and Florida. My issue isn`t with the idea; I`d just like to actually hear the arguments.

Our Constitution calls for an amendment to make a change like this, something that has failed every time it`s been brought up. If our current system is really that bad, great, then come up with the alternative, make the case to the people, and get the votes you need to change it the right way, not some back-alley scheme.

Dr. John Koza, he is the guy who came up with the plan that has been approved by the legislature and is sitting right there on the governor`s desk.

Hello, Dr. Koza. How are you, sir?

JOHN KOZA, PHD, ORIGINATOR, NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE: Thank you, Glenn. I`m here.

BECK: You know, I am increasingly convinced we live in a world of secret combinations. Convince me, sir, that that`s not what you`re doing here. Why are you not making the case the way it has failed every time? Instead, you`re doing it legally, but back alley.

KOZA: The Constitution wisely gives the states exclusive and complete power to award their electoral votes in any manner they choose. There`s actually nothing in the federal Constitution that needs to be changed in order to implement the nationwide election on the president.

The states have this power now. The existing system is not in the federal Constitution. It`s in 51 separate state laws. And those state laws may be changes at any time by any state, through the normal process in the state legislature.

BECK: OK, but this has been approached at the federal level, I believe like some insane number, like 700 times. It fails every time. Again, why wouldn`t you -- because this is really -- this is back alley. You say it`s not, but it is. I mean, you`ve got to make the case to the American people, and it`s not happening. Nobody`s talking about this.

KOZA: Well, our proposal would only take effect when states representing a majority of the American people enact identical laws. So we are making the case right to the American people. And remember: 70 percent of the American people have long supported the notion that the president should be elected by a nationwide popular vote.

BECK: Yes, well, 70 percent of the American people also believe we live in a democracy, which we don`t. We live in a republic. The governor, is he going to sign it?

KOZA: We expect he will because the governor has personal experience with just how unfair the current system is. In 2004, he had to go to Ohio to campaign for his choice for president. That`s rather ridiculous, given that he is the governor of this state, and the voters of this state ought to be able to participate in presidential elections. The voters in two- thirds of the states are excluded from the presidential election because they don`t live in a closely divided battleground state.

BECK: What other states are close to passing this?

KOZA: It passed the Colorado senate. We have bill sponsored lined up in 22 states, and we fully expect to have sponsors in all 50 states by January.

BECK: I`m just going to take a guess that, when Al Gore lost, you asked yourself, "Gee, how did this happen?" And this is what gave you the idea.

KOZA: Well, I`ve been a supporter of nationwide popular election since I was in college, so the Gore election was interesting. But the real problem is not the isolated election where the second place candidate wins, but the fact that two-thirds of the voters of the United States do not matter in presidential elections under our current system.

BECK: Right. You know what? I have to tell you, honestly, Doctor, I agree with the problem, as you have assessed it. I am just tired of people wanting to do something and then not coming through the front door, but always trying to come through the back door. You know, we live in a society where, if you disagree with a law, you don`t go to Congress and have it changed. You go to the court system to try to have it changed.

You know, if you can`t beat Limbaugh on the radio with Al Franken, then let`s start talking about the fairness doctrine. I`m just tired of it. Doctor, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

That is "The Real Story" tonight. If you would like to read more about this bill or the concept of interstate compacts, or if you`ve found a real story of your own, tell us about it. Just visit glennbeck.com. Click on the "Real Story" button.

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BECK: If I hear one more person talk about this stupid Dog the Bounty Hunter, I think my head is going to explode. If I live in a country where there`s a rapist hanging around, and somebody from another country comes in and arrests him, and takes him out of our country, that`s not really a law I really (INAUDIBLE) hunt him down. In fact, may I give this message? All Mexican bounty hunters, you want to come over here and take all the dirt bags off our street? Come on, brother. Bring it on.

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BECK: Tim Miller is a man who has suffered incredible hardships over the course of his life. But instead of using that as an excuse, he actually channeled this awful experience into something that is having a significant impact in a positive way on people`s lives. Tim Miller, the focus of tonight`s "Real America."

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BECK (voice-over): It`s a blazing day in Houston, Texas, and Tim Miller is hot on the trail of a missing person.

TIM MILLER, EQUUSEARCH DIRECTOR: Busy day in Texas.

BECK: He and his crew are looking for the body of Gloria Ryan who police suspect was murdered by her own son.

MILLER: She`s wrapped in a blanket.

BECK: They think he dumped her body here on the outskirts of the city, somewhere off the highway.

MILLER: Give me that right there.

BECK: Tim has set up a makeshift headquarters at a nearby Harley shop and gathered the local media to help get the word out. Her brother is there, waiting anxiously for any news.

MILLER: We need to get her body home.

BECK: And Tim is determined to make that happen.

MILLER: There`s one thing worse than having a murdered loved one; that`s knowing that they`re dead out there some place and never being able to say good-bye.

BECK: Tim Miller is the founder and director of Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit organization devoted to finding missing people, dead or alive. He`s weathered, wiry, and with a cell phone constantly at his ear. Using four-wheelers, horses, trucks, helicopters, any way he can, Tim hunts for the missing, and he is relentless.

MILLER: The best thing that can ever happen is we find that missing person alive and bring them home, and we`ve done that hundreds of times.

BECK: It`s not a glamorous job. He works around the clock, getting by on donations, sometimes barely making ends meet, but he walks on. He keeps searching, because he has to. You see, Tim made a promise to God and to his daughter, Laura.

MILLER: You see, this is where Laura`s body was found.

BECK: In 1984, Laura Miller was just 16 years old when she went missing.

MILLER: For 17 months, every time my phone would ring or somebody would knock on my door, I`d literally get heart palpitations thinking she was coming home.

BECK: But Laura didn`t come home. And in the year and a half before they found her body, Tim lived in a quiet desperation, begging the police to search for her and try just a little harder.

MILLER: I kind of beat my own self up because I remember when I reported Laura missing that I told them about this area out here where another young girl had been found. Her body was found five months before Laura disappeared.

BECK: But police brushed it off and told Tim to butt out. It was a group of kids that finally stumbled onto Laura`s body, along with the remains of another girl.

MILLER: I miss her every single day. I love her. So many things I wanted to do with her that I didn`t do.

BECK: Instead, Tim honors her here, at the grave marked with a wooden cross he made with his own two hands. Tim also honors her with EquuSearch. Take a good, hard look. You can see the tragedy etched in the lines of his face. He`s overcome a lot: orphaned as an infant, bounced around in foster care, and then Laura.

MILLER: Come on, guys, come on.

BECK: But here at his ranch, with the horses, Tim looks the most at peace. It`s here that he reflects back and tries to put life in perspective.

MILLER: I come out here in my barn, and I start thinking about all the cases that we`ve worked.

BECK: You can`t forget all the people still missing and their families experiencing the same quiet desperation he once felt, like Dave and Beth Holloway, whose daughter Natalee went missing in Aruba. Tim and his team spent 73 days combing the beaches, looking just to bring Natalee home. Wherever Tim and his team are needed, he goes: to Sri Lanka after the tsunami in 2004; and to New Orleans after the ravages of Katrina.

The people who volunteer with Tim come from all walks of life, and many are there because Tim once helped them find a loved one. For Phillip Yates (ph), he does it because he believes in EquuSearch. He took off from work to help find Gloria`s body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s one of the best things I`ve ever done in my life. I just feel good about doing it. I wish I started a long time ago.

BECK: Phillip and Tim and the whole team search for Gloria`s body well into the night. And the next day, after Tim finished his interview with us, he went out looking again. This time, he found her. He brought her body back home to her family, just as he promised.

MILLER: I know what the families are going through. I`ve unfortunately been there. This is not a career I would have chosen, by any means.

BECK: For Tim, it`s just one more family that he`s helped in a list of many and one step closer to his ultimate promise to Laura.

MILLER: This place is OK now. It didn`t used to be.

BECK: He`s come to peace with Laura`s death, because he`s now able to bring that same peace to so many other families.

MILLER: Well, her death wasn`t in vain. It really wasn`t.

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BECK: If you`d like to learn more about Tim`s organization or you want to make a donation, you can visit his Web site at www.EquuSearch.org.

Back in a minute.

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ANNOUNCER: Thursday night, Glenn throws out the first pitch at an Angels game. Just one problem: He throws like a girl.

BECK: It`s a frickin` nightmare, man.

PETE ROSE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: It could be worse. They could make you sing the national anthem.

ANNOUNCER: Pete Rose has some free advice on this week`s free podcast. "Ask Glenn." Download it on iTunes or at CNN.com/glenn.

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BECK: All right. It`s time to do our little "Ask Glenn" segment. This is where we get rid of all that "research," and "facts," and "reading" that we do for the rest of the show, and I just start making stuff up.

Let`s get to the first question of the day. It comes from Phil in Akron. He says, "Hey, Glenn, I saw that Mel Gibson is out bashing the Iraq war during the press push for his new movie. Do you have any P.R. advice for him?"

Well, yes, actually. And I am finally glad that the world can begin to rotate because Mel Gibson`s opinions have reappeared. Last time we heard from the Gibson Think-Tank was when were treated to something that sounded like a very slurred version of "The Jews did it." This time, a little less slurred, but not much more insightful than that.

He said, quote, "What`s human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?" Well, Mel, may I point out, you may not like the reason or agree with the reason, you may not even be able to understand the reason, but there really is a reason.

Regardless, now, I may not be a Hollywood star, but I am a thinker and a recovering alcoholic, so, Mel, let me offer this advice: Shh. And I don`t think, you know, after two months of you stumbling around on the side of the road, blaming your untied shoelaces on the Jews, I don`t think this is a good time to start bashing anything, or anyone, for any reason. Get through a few sentences without your breath smelling like a distillery before you become an expert on world events, OK?

Speaking of dangerously bad drivers, Mark in L.A. writes, "Glenn, now that gas prices are down, I`m looking for a way to handle my other major transportation problem, and that is idiots on the road. How do I help fix this problem without WMDs?"

Well, Mark, there is an easy way. In fact, I believe we have an instructional film on the topic. If somebody cuts you off, you just get out in front of the car and wait until traffic stops. Then you calmly walk back, and then -- look at this. Then you do this. Now, make sure you throw your helmet like that, if you`ve got one. Slap through the window, and then get ready to defend yourself here, because there`s usually a somewhat rotund individual that will come charging at you with all the grace of an angry hippo. There.

This is amazing, isn`t it? Absolutely. There it is. There it is. The jump attack again. Boom! I think I saw this. This is that Will Ferrell movie, isn`t it? Or is it the new movie from Jet Li that came out this weekend? Anyway, I think you`re supposed to land on your feet there.

We will see you tomorrow on the radio -- don`t miss it -- and then back here tomorrow night on Headline News. See you later, you sick freak.

END