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Lou Dobbs Tonight
John Bolton Appointment; Political Fallout; Saudi Challenge; Palmeiro and Steroids; Studying Hurricanes
Aired August 01, 2005 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.
Tonight, President Bush appoints John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. We talk to one of Bolton's strongest critics, and one of Bolton's supporters.
Plus, the king of Saudi Arabia dies. What does that mean for oil supplies and the war on radical Islamist terrorists?
Global warming, is it making hurricanes more destructive? A debate tonight on why hurricanes are becoming more frequent and more deadly.
We begin tonight with the appointment of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. President Bush bypassed Congress, made the appointment while the Senate was out for the summer recess. Senate Democrats protested.
Suzanne Malveaux reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Expressing frustration and defiance, President Bush was clear he had run out of patience. After a five-month impasse with Senate Democrats over his pick for U.N. ambassador, Mr. Bush sidestepped the Senate to put John Bolton in place.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about U.N. reform. So today I've used my constitutional authority to appoint John Bolton to serve as America's ambassador to the United Nations.
MALVEAUX: The recess appointment allows Bolton to serve without the Senate's approval until January 2007. The career diplomat made a brief and humble statement before taking the oath of office.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: And I am prepared to work tirelessly to carry out the agenda and initiatives that you and Secretary Rice direct.
MALVEAUX: Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates, manipulating intelligence and browbeating critics were furious. Senator Ted Kennedy called it a "devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N."
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: This is a person who has serious credibility problems. You're sending him up at a critical time: Iran, Iraq, North Korea, the Middle East, Afghanistan, reform issues.
MALVEAUX: But the White House insisted the Democrats left Mr. Bush with no choice.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It wasn't more documents that they wanted. They just wanted to play politics with this position.
MALVEAUX: Democrats in the White House deadlocked over intelligence records which Democrats believed would have shown that Bolton used his position to intimidate others. The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said after two hearings, 35 witnesses, and 1,000 pages of testimony, senators could not break the impasse.
Senator Dick Lugar said, "Although I would have preferred an up or down Senate confirmation vote, the president's appointment was necessary."
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: John Bolton is not a guy to be weakened, by the way. He's a strong voice. That's what the president wanted. That's what America needs right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, the battle over Bolton crossed party lines when Senator George Voinovich from Ohio stepped in, splitting from the GOP, as well as the president. He released his own statement today saying that he was disappointed in the recess appointment. He believes it will only add to Bolton's baggage, as well as his lack of credibility at the United Nations. But he says this is the president's choice. Therefore, he says, now he will do everything in his power to support him -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: All right. Thanks very much. Suzanne Malveaux.
Well, the president's decision to push through Bolton's appointment could escalate the battle over other presidential nominations, specifically the fight over Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.
Bill Schneider reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): The political arms race in Washington has just escalated.
THOMAS MANN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It was an in-your-face move by the president.
SCHNEIDER: President Bush claims it was justified by Democratic stalling.
BUSH: And because of partisan delaying tactics by a handful of senators, John was unfairly denied the up-or-down vote that he deserves.
SCHNEIDER: For the time being, the Bolton appointment will poison the political atmosphere.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: There will be unhappiness, anger.
SCHNEIDER: This Democrat believes it may not last too long.
LIEBERMAN: Ultimately here in Congress, we'll go on to the next topic.
SCHNEIDER: That's the problem. The next topic is John Roberts' nomination to the Supreme Court, a parallel not lost on Democrats.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: John Bolton was nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations. We requested documents to determine if he acted appropriately in his previous job, and we have been repeatedly denied.
Now John Roberts has been nominated to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court. We hope this nomination will be different, but press accounts suggest otherwise.
SCHNEIDER: Roberts looked like a de-escalation of the political arms race, less of an in-your-face choice than others might have been. But recently released documents have heightened Democrats' concern over Roberts. They want to see more documents from Roberts' work in the administration of the first President Bush, which the current Bush White House has refused to turn over.
Democrats could dare to use the filibuster to block Roberts' confirmation. Republicans could then double-dare to use the dreaded nuclear option, which would end judicial filibusters.
Could President Bush's recess appointment of Bolton actually spin out of control like that? Few expect it to. But...
MANN: It's a very puzzling move reflecting more, I think, the stubbornness of the chief executive than any clear calculation of political benefits and cause.
SCHNEIDER: That's the way wars have sometimes started.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: Thank goodness the Cold War never came to the nuclear option. And you know, the political wars in Washington may not either if somebody can come up with a plausible arms control plan -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Why not, Bill. Thanks very much. Bill Schneider. Well, presidents from both political parties have frequently used recess appointments to fill positions in the executive and legal branches of the government. Now, the current Bush administration has now made 106 recess appointments -- most of those to relatively minor positions.
President Clinton did it on a regular basis. He used the tactic 140 times over two terms. President Reagan, another two-term president, made 243 recess appointments.
In fact, this tactic goes right back to the beginning of our nation. It was used by George Washington.
And later in the broadcast, my guests are Senator Chris Dodd, a prominent critic of John Bolton, and Jed Babbin, a leading supporter.
Well, the White House today also focusing on major developments in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter. Saudi Arabia's King Fahd has died after a long illness. And his successor will face a number of critical challenges.
Andrea Koppel reports from the State Department.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The succession was seamless and predictable.
TURKI AL FAISAL, SAUDI AMB. TO THE U.S.: Crown Prince Abdullah has become king. And his royal highness, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has become crown prince.
KOPPEL: But King Abdullah is 81 years old, just one year younger than his now deceased brother, King Fahd. The new crown prince is 77.
RACHEL BRONSON, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: All these guys are old. And the question is how long we have with Crown Prince Abdullah. Crown Prince Abdullah seems to be somebody that the United States can work with. And the longer we have with him, the better.
KOPPEL: Saudi watchers already looking to the next generation, the grandsons of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the modern Saudi Kingdom, for clues as to who may be the kingdom's future rulers. Among the two best known, Saud Al-Faisal, the kingdom's current foreign minister, and his brother, Turki Al-Faisal, tapped to become the next Saudi ambassador to Washington.
BRONSON: We know that the Al-Faisal family tends to be more Western looking, more -- very comfortable interacting with the West, and from a line that understands the need for reform in the kingdom.
KOPPEL: For 60 years, U.S. dependence on Saudi oil has been the foundation of the U.S.-Saudi alliance. With gas prices in the U.S. continuing to rise, that's unlikely to change.
After 9/11, U.S.-Saudi relations hit an all-time low. But the two allies have since rebounded, broadening their relationship to include the war on terror. Now U.S. demands for more political reform have become a sore spot. But publicly, the Bush administration says it will be business as usual with King Abdullah on the throne.
TOM CASEY, STATE DEPARTMENT: I would say the state of Saudi Arabia and U.S. relations continue to be excellent.
KOPPEL: One difference, experts say. King Abdullah may not be as accommodating of the U.S. as he was under his brother's rule.
BRONSON: Abdullah is going to be a harder negotiator, a harder bargainer. But I think that will actually lead to a healthier relationship because he will be mindful of what his population can take.
KOPPEL (on camera): And while it make take longer to negotiate deals with King Abdullah, experts say in the end, just as oil ties the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Abdullah knows the kingdom's foreign policy interests tie it to the United States.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: In Britain, police hunting radical Islamist terrorists today arrested two more people. They're being questioned about the failed attempts to bomb London's mass transit system on July 21. Meanwhile, more police are guarding London's subway system. Officers are investigating possible links between the July 21 plot and the attacks two weeks earlier that killed more than 50 people.
Still to come, Iran sharply escalates its nuclear challenge to this country and the rest of the world. We'll have a special report.
Plus, a government crackdown on violent gangs with roots in Central America.
Plus, rising human trafficking. We'll have a report from Phoenix.
And what does the death of Saudi Arabia's king mean for this country? My guest is a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: The White House today said Iran could face international sanctions if it resumes nuclear activities. But Iran says it will restart uranium conversion this week, and that's because it says European proposals to end the crisis are unacceptable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM (voice-over): Iran is playing hardball, telling the EU it's running out of time to come up with reasons to keep its nuclear program offline -- a critical blow to Europe, which had been trying to stop Iran's nuclear program with a package of trade and political incentives. Iran says it needs a nuclear program to produce electricity, and claims it has the sovereign right to do so. But the country is awash in oil.
HENRY SOKOLSKI, NONPROLIFERATION EDUCATION CENTER: Once Iran gets into making nuclear fuel -- and it can do this without any more imports of technology from any other country -- they will bring themselves within days of having nuclear weapons at their option.
PILGRIM: The announcement comes just days before president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad takes office. Immediately following his landslide election, the ultra conservative affirmed that Iran would restart its nuclear program.
The world community has warned Tehran it could trigger international sanctions by resuming uranium conversions. Iran voluntarily suspended the process in November 2004 under the Paris agreement.
MCCLELLAN: We repeatedly said that if they're not going to abide by their agreements and obligations, then we would have to look to the Security Council.
PILGRIM: The United States has been skeptical, but verbally supportive of the EU effort led by Britain, France and Germany. Today, the State Department left negotiating details to the Europeans.
CASEY: We're supportive of the EU's efforts to reach a comprehensive deal in accordance with the Paris Accords. But I'm not going to try and do their diplomacy for them or outline their proposals or discussions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: France expressed surprise over the announcement, saying there's no economic or technical justification for Iran's resumption of nuclear activities.
China today warned Taiwan not to formally declare independence. In a speech marking Army Day, the Chinese defense minister said China will never allow Taiwan to split away.
Meanwhile, China, the United States and other countries are continuing talks about North Korea's nuclear program. Those talks in Beijing. The U.S. envoy today said major differences remain between North Korea and the other five countries.
Coming up next, an aggressive crackdown on gang violence in this country. U.S. officials have arrested hundreds of people, more than half of them members of a ruthless Central American gang known as MS- 13. That's next.
And then, John Bolton becomes the United States ambassador to the U.N. without the approval of the Senate. Will the president's bold move cause political fallout for him in Congress? A leading Democratic senator and a supporter of John Bolton join me ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today announced a nationwide crackdown on violent gangs. Chertoff said Operation Community Shield began in February and has led to the arrest of more than 1,000 gang members. And more than half were part of an extremely dangerous MS-13 gang. This originated in El Salvador and has spread to more than 30 states in this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Many gang members come to this country from overseas, or from other parts of the North and South American continent, which means that they are subject to our immigration laws and that when they violate those laws we can take action against them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Immigration and Customs Enforcement told us that most of the nearly 600 gang members arrested in the past two weeks were illegal aliens. Despite efforts by federal, state and local law enforcement, more than 25,000 gangs are active across this country.
Well, gang violence is also escalating in northern Mexico. The State Department recently warned Americans not to travel there. In Nuevo Laredo, the U.S. Consulate was closed after a violent battle between rival drug gangs.
And in a separate incident in Ciudad Juarez, an American woman was shot and killed by Mexican police. Mexican authorities said the officer lost his balance and fired by accident.
Also across the border, Mexican authorities found an 8-year-old girl from Nevada with a convicted sex offender. The man is accused of kidnapping the girl in July and sexually assaulting her.
The broken border crisis in our country is expected to be a key issue when Congress returns in September. The White House is busy planning its response to several new immigration bills now before Congress.
Lisa Sylvester reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH: Thank you to the Hispanic Alliance for Free Trade.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House is crafting an immigration platform, one that Hispanic voters and business interests will like, but does not alienate a conservative base that is demanding tighter border controls. The timing is no coincidence for Republican strategists who have an eye on next year's congressional races and a growing bloc of Hispanic voters. NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: If the Republican Party can expand its share of the Hispanic vote, which is growing extraordinarily rapidly, to 40 or 45 percent, Republicans could be a majority party well into this century.
SYLVESTER: Political hands are worried that anti-immigration voices in the GOP Party may alienate Hispanic voters. Leading that group is Congressman Tom Tancredo. He has proposed legislation that would make unlawful presence a felony and would move U.S. troops to the border to assist Border Patrol agents.
Another proposal, the Cornyn-Kyl bill, blends an expanded guest worker program with tough enforcement at the workplace and on the border.
The Kennedy-McCain bill, the most generous, calls for more visas for low-wage unskilled workers and puts illegal aliens on the path to citizenship.
Which version takes off in Congress will depend on the influence of big business pushing for an opening of borders weighed against public opinion that remains largely opposed to it.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform says amnesty is the last thing Americans want because it sends the wrong message.
RICK OLTMAN, FAIR: How can you convince anyone that you're serious about enforcing your nation's immigration laws when the very first thing you're willing to do is to amnesty those people that have broken the law? It just doesn't work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER: House Speaker Dennis Hastert has said immigration is going to be a priority legislation in the fall. But before Republicans can take on the Democrats on this issue, they first have to settle huge differences within their own party -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much. Lisa Sylvester.
Well, one state government isn't waiting for the federal government to fix the immigration policy. A new Arizona law that goes into effect this month will make smuggling illegal aliens a state offense. Officials plan to enforce the law, not only against smugglers, but their human cargo as well.
Casey Wian reports from Phoenix.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Andrew Thomas ran for Maricopa County attorney on an anti-illegal immigration platform. Now he's making good on a promise to Arizona voters to crack down on illegal alien smugglers.
ANDREW THOMAS, MARICOPA COUNTY ATTORNEY: The federal government has utterly failed to do its duty under the Constitution by defending the border. And Arizona is simply being swamped by illegal immigration. And the people of the Maricopa County, which is the most populous county in Arizona, have been crying out for something to be done.
WIAN: A new law takes effect this month making human smuggling a state crime. Maricopa County is the first local jurisdiction to have teams of prosecutors and sheriffs' investigators dedicated to illegal alien smuggling.
Arizona has taken the lead in local efforts to deal with illegal immigration. Voters passed a law denying welfare benefits to illegal aliens in November. This year, state police began helping federal authorities arrest illegal aliens. And Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has volunteered space in his notorious Tent City Jail to detain those arrested. Nine hundred illegal aliens are here now and more may be on the way.
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUTNY, ARIZONA: As the elected sheriff, I want the authority to protect the people in my county. And this is a serious problem because it does relate to other crimes, too.
WIAN: Alien smugglers are also often involved in murder and drug dealings, so local officials believe their efforts will have a multiplier effect on other crime.
County Attorney Thomas is taking his crackdown a step further. In addition to prosecuting so-called coyotes, he also plans to charge the illegal aliens they smuggle with being co-conspirators. Both will face felonies, with penalties ranging from nine months to three years in jail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN: Still, there could be hurdles, including jurisdictional battles with federal officials, and potential lawsuits from immigrants' rights groups. But it's clear Arizona will continue its effort to do a job the federal government has been unable to do -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Well, exactly, Casey. What has been the reaction of federal officials?
WIAN: Some of the federal officials we spoke to were not even aware of this new Arizona law that goes into effect in just 12 days. But they did say that if they enforce this law, they don't anticipate any jurisdictional battles with the local sheriffs, and other officials here, because there are other crimes, such as murder, that are prosecuted on both the federal and the state level. But the history of the immigration issue would counter that, because there had been lots of turf wars between federal and local officials over illegal immigration -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Fascinating. Thanks very much. Casey Wian.
Coming up, Senate Democrats call it an abuse of presidential power. John Bolton is heading to the U.N. after a historic recess appointment. And I'll speak to Democratic Senator Chris Dodd. He says Bolton is already damaged goods at the U.N.
Plus, new safety concerns for the Shuttle Discovery. NASA considers an unplanned space walk to fix a landing hazard.
And a new steroid scandal for Major League Baseball. One of the game's highest-profile players tests positive and is suspended.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: With Congress on summer recess, President Bush made history today. He appointed John Bolton U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. This is the first ever presidential recess appointment of a U.N. ambassador.
Earlier today, I spoke with Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, who's a leading Bolton critic. I asked him about the president's argument that the post needed to be filled in a time of war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DODD: Well, I agree. I think it's too important to leave vacant. It's also too important to send someone up who lacks credibility and I think is damaged good before he arrives.
We've got critical issues, Kitty, that need to be resolved at the U.N., principally, the reform issues. Then you have Iran, you have Iraq, you have Afghanistan, North Korea, the Middle East. Major questions that need to -- need U.S. leadership. We're sending up a nominee now who's been appointed by the president, not confirmed by the Senate, highly controversial.
You've had the chief of staff of the former secretary of State, Colin Powell, say this would be a dreadful choice. Fifteen members of the Bush administration offered the most damaging evidence on Mr. Bolton. One hundred and two ambassadors, Republicans and Democrats, signed a letter saying, don't send this person up here, he's not qualified to do this job.
So, at a time when we need to be credible at the U.N., I think Mr. Bolton lacks credibility. He's going to hurt us there, in my view.
PILGRIM: Well, one of the great criticisms is he's been too critical of the U.N. And yet you yourself bring up the point that the U.N. needs serious overhaul and reform.
Is he not exactly the voice that is needed in this venue?
DODD: No, we all agree that the U.N. needs reform. There's no debate about that. The question is, who can help us get it done?
If we're sending someone who lacks the support of the Congress, the Senate of the United States, what message does that send to member states of the U.N. that we're going to be asking to do things they're not going to be overly anxious to do?
PILGRIM: Senator, you said yourself that you would be monitoring his performance to make sure there are no more abuses. Isn't the entire world monitoring his performance? And should we not drop the past and let him go forward?
DODD: Well, it's going to go forward. The president's made -- the Senate has been taken out of the decision-making process.
You know, we've had I don't know how many ambassadors from the United States since 1948. Collectively, all of our nominees, from Democrats and Republicans, have had 19 votes against them. One nominee had 13 negative votes. Here we are sending up a nominee that's not been confirmed by the Senate for the very first time. I think that's dangerous at a time like this.
PILGRIM: Not rejected, but just not voted on, correct?
DODD: No, we voted, too. Remember, Senator Voinovich and others.
Now, we had votes dealing with technical process questions here. But there was a growing opposition to Mr. Bolton. We were up at around 45 votes already. There was concerns lately over in the failing to fill out on his forms, that he had been interviewed by the inspector general of the State Department, claimed he had forgotten about it, even though that occurred only months before his nomination came forward.
Not really credible, quite candidly. And when you have the kind of objections being expressed by serious people who know the U.N., know how important it is to have a highly qualified, highly respected individual there, I think we're getting messages from people who are telling us this is a bad choice.
PILGRIM: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said he considers Mr. Bolton very bright. He says it is the president's prerogative to appoint him. How do you sense that, sir?
DODD: I think Kofi Annan is a good politician and very smart. The last thing he ought to be doing is criticizing the person he's now got to work with, whether he likes it or not.
That's not the issue. The issue is whether or not this is a confirmable post by the United States Senate. Democratic and Republican presidents alike are abusing, in my view, this recess appointment process, waiting for a recess to come along and then slide someone into a senior position like this because you don't like the fact that the Senate is objecting to a nominee. That's not a good way to be doing business in my view.
PILGRIM: The General Assembly starts in September. The post is vacant. Isn't time of the essence? And it is the president's prerogative to do this, is it not?
DODD: It's the president's prerogative to nominate. It's the Senate's prerogative to dispose of those nominations. He has now cut us out of the process and cut a lot of senators out of the process, in a bipartisan way, I might add.
Now, there are supporters of John Bolton, clearly. There are also opponents of John Bolton. Even some of the people who are supporting him were terribly disappointed by this nomination.
Remember, this has been before -- since April. The problems have existed since April. The requests for information were made as early as April 17. We're in August. The administration could have complied with those requests. And I suspect had they done it, Mr. Bolton might have been confirmed; narrowly, but he might have been confirmed.
PILGRIM: Senator Christopher Dodd, thank you very much for being with us this evening.
DODD: Thank you, Kitty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, my next guest says John Bolton's recess appointment was the right thing for President Bush to do. Jed Babbin served as deputy undersecretary of Defense in the first Bush administration. He's also author of the book "Inside the Asylum: Why the U.N. and Old Europe are Worse Than You Think." And he joins us now. And thanks very much for being here.
There are some who suggest that this could create a cloud over John Bolton's head and reduce his efficacy at the U.N. What's your reaction to that?
JED BABBIN, AUTHOR, "INSIDE THE ASYLUM": Well, I think Senator Dodd has it precisely backwards. I think all of the controversy and the congressional kerfuffle about this actually strengthens Mr. Bolton. The fact is, he now is very clearly the man that the president trusts with this job, he is the one the president wants there, and will appoint -- has appointed there, even without regard to all of the congressional opposition to him. So this is someone who is clearly carrying George Bush's message to the U.N., and it's going to be a very strong one.
PILGRIM: How might this play at the United Nations? They're in an enormous period of transition. They've had their share of scandal. Some suggest they need to reform completely to be effective in this world. How might that kind of a tough personality mix in that kind of a climate?
BABBIN: Well, it's going to be tough no matter who the American ambassador is. I mean, we could take one approach, which I guess Mr. Dodd would probably be more comfortable with, and have someone go in there and be very low-key and very apologetic, or we can go in there and have someone go in and be very tough, and try to shake up the U.N., which is what Mr. Bolton needs to do. There are two things, if I may go on for just a sec...
PILGRIM: Sure.
BABBIN: One of the things that Mr. Bolton needs to force the U.N. is to embarrass them into coming up with a definition of terrorism. We're almost four years after 9/11. The U.N. made a big flap after 9/11 to say they were going to fight terrorism and lead the fight. And in four years, they haven't even been able to agree on a definition. So maybe Mr. Bolton can move that forward a bit.
Also, he's going to have to be involved very quickly and very thoroughly in the succession to Kofi Annan. Right now, Mr. Annan's term ends I believe the end of next year, the end of '06. And Mr. Bolton is going to have to act very strongly to prevent another person like Kofi Annan from getting that job.
PILGRIM: General-Secretary Annan today was very complimentary and called him very bright, and said it was the president's prerogative to appoint him. Senator Dodd suggests that that's just politics. But yet do you see a good working relationship?
BABBIN: Well, I think there will be a tolerable working relationship. The fact is that Mr. Annan is not the one we need to be working with. The fact that the Security Council itself is made up of equal members, equal except for the five veto-holding members. Mr. Annan, as the chief administrative officer of the U.N., has confused himself over the past several years with someone who is supposed to be setting policy. He and his predecessor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, usurped the rights of the Security Council. They need to be the ones who Mr. Bolton works with. Mr. Annan is, quite frankly, a side show.
PILGRIM: What's the toughest uphill battle John Bolton faces?
BABBIN: Well, I think clearly, the definition of terrorism is the first and most uphill battle, because the Arab states do not want to define terrorism as everyone else does. The second...
PILGRIM: But you know, their definitions seem very U.N. What's the real, concrete issue that he can move forward on, besides a definition?
BABBIN: But Kitty, the whole point is the U.N. does not deal with concrete issues. It deals with concepts. It doesn't implement anything, it doesn't fix anything, it doesn't do anything, except by the actions of its members. So Mr. Bolton can use the bully pulpit there and drive people perhaps in the right direction.
As to the U.N. itself, maybe, just maybe if Mr. Bolton is forceful enough, and his personality is persuasive enough, he'll be able to get the U.N. to do things like cooperate substantively with Norm Coleman's investigation of the oil-for-food scandal. Little else will get done.
PILGRIM: All right, thank you very much for joining us, Jed Babbin.
BABBIN: Thank you. PILGRIM: Thanks, Jed.
Now, for tonight's poll question. Do you think that President Bush was right to appoint John Bolton to be America's ambassador to the United Nations during the congressional recess? Yes or no. Cast your vote at LOUDOBBS.com. We'll bring you the results a little bit later in the broadcast.
Turning now to a shocking development in the world of baseball. Baltimore Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro has been suspended for 10 days after he tested positive for steroids. Just months ago, Palmeiro told a congressional hearing on steroid abuse that he was clean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL PALMEIRO, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: I'll be brief in my remarks today. Let me start by telling you this. I have never used steroids, period. I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Well, today, Palmeiro apologized to his fans. He says he never used steroids intentionally. The White House says President Bush, who is friends with Palmeiro, believes him.
Coming up next, new leadership for Saudi Arabia after the death of King Fahd. How it could impact our relationship with Saudi Arabia. A former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia is our guest next.
And then, stronger and faster hurricanes and rising temperatures around the globe. Is there a link to that? We'll talk to the author of a fascinating new study and another expert who has some problems with that study. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: More now on the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. This is the first change in leadership in that country in 23 years. Crown Prince Abdullah was named king earlier today.
Well, my next guest served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia under President Reagan and the first President Bush. Walter Cutler now joins me from Washington, and thanks very much for being here.
You have vast experience in the country. What's your assessment of where we stand now in U.S.-Saudi relations?
WALTER CUTLER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA: Well, there is a continuity to the relationship that really goes way back, and it relates to mutual interests. Sure, we have our ups and downs, but when you think really of how different our two peoples, cultures, religions are, I think it's rather extraordinary that the bilateral relationship has been as smooth as it has been. And even though after 9/11 -- obviously we've had a lot of difficulties, but on the leadership level, president to king, it continues to be very good and I think it's going to continue that way in the days ahead.
PILGRIM: You were in Saudi Arabia about two weeks ago, correct? And give us your assessment of where they stand politically on the war on terror. They're a critical ally. Are you optimistic at all that they'll be able to eradicate radical Islamist terrorists from Saudi Arabia or at least the attacks that emanate from there? CUTLER: Well, eradication may be a little strong, but since the Saudis had their own 9/11 -- I like to put it that way -- because two years ago, 2003, as you may recall, there were horrendous attacks in the capital city of Riyadh, not only Westerners being injured or killed, but also Saudis and other Muslims.
And this really hit home with the Saudis. And since then, we've seen a lot of action by the government to round up these al Qaeda types and I might say, a lot more cooperation with us. And so far, I think there's progress. When I was there a few weeks ago, security was evident, but it was perhaps not as stringent as it was two years ago.
PILGRIM: You know, back to the funeral preparations. A lot is being said about who will attend from the United States. President Bush has been criticized publicly in this country for being a little bit too close to the Saudi royal family. Might that factor into the decision?
CUTLER: Well, you know, I have no idea and I don't know what plans are being made. This has all happened within the last few hours. But I think that those who criticize the president or the Bush family, put it that way, for being too close to the king and now the new king, I think they have to realize that we have really very strong common interests.
And I'm talking about security. I'm talking about oil. I'm talking about the potential for the Saudis to be even more helpful in countering terrorism. Don't forget, we're talking about the home of Islam here. So, what the Saudis do or don't do, has a wide impact and I think that the -- this close personal relationship, frankly, is in our interest.
PILGRIM: Let me ask you some details about London -- and I know that there aren't very many, but your assessment of them. There is some indication that text messages were sent from the London bombers or some of the suspects, to Saudi Arabia. How do you assess that?
CUTLER: Yes, I've read about that just today in the press and frankly, I think the last thing the Saudi government wants is further identification with this kind of terrorism.
They have very good relations with the British and I think it's -- it perhaps tells us something, that some of the initial reports about this alleged Saudi connection actually comes from Saudi officials themselves. So, I think you can expect full cooperation on this one.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much. Ambassador Walter Cutler, thank you, sir.
CUTLER: You're welcome.
PILGRIM: Here's a reminder now to vote in tonight's poll. Do you think President Bush was right to appoint John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Congressional recess? Yes or no. Cast your vote at LOUDOBBS.com. We'll bring you the results in just a few minutes.
Well, tonight some fabulous pictures of this year's champion swimmer in the Alcatraz Invitational, a 1.2-mile swimming competition. That's from the infamous prison-island of Alcatraz, to the shores of San Francisco.
Jake, a 65-pound golden retriever, the only non-human to compete in the race. He crossed San Francisco's cold, choppy waters in just under 42 minutes and finished 72nd. That's out of 500 swimmers. Pretty good.
Jake and his owner swim four miles a week together and Jake always gets a special treat before a big swim. He gets scrambled eggs. We thought you should know that.
When we return, warnings tonight of stronger, deadlier hurricanes. Is global warning to blame? We'll debate a controversial new study on global warming.
And the death toll rises from India's huge monsoons. Torrential rains paralyzing India's financial capital. We'll have the very latest on that, coming up.
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PILGRIM: NASA announced tonight that the shuttle astronauts will go on an unplanned, risky space walk Wednesday to fix another shuttle problem. Astronauts will try to pull out or cut off two fabric strips that are sticking out from the belly of the shuttle.
Now, NASA says the strips -- they're called gap fillers -- could overheat and cause problems for the shuttle landing next week. Now, astronauts have never rehearsed this kind of operation before. Shuttle astronauts went on a seven-hour space walk earlier today to repair the International Space Station. They replaced a broken 650- pound gyroscope that helps steer the space station. Pretty critical.
Well, today's quote of the day comes from NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. And when asked, is there intelligent life beyond the Earth? He replied, "I think there must be. I would find it more surprising if among 400 billion stars in this galaxy and 100 billion galaxies, we were the only evolved, intelligent species. I would find that an incredibly remarkable circumstance."
Well, interestingly, the astronauts on board the Shuttle Discovery agree. And Eileen Collins, there commander, told a reporter she finds it -- quote -- "unimaginable," that we'd really be alone in this universe.
Well, tonight there's a debate on hurricanes and global warming. Is there any link? Well, Kerry Emanuel is a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and he's the author of a new study which found that hurricanes are growing more destructive because of global warming. That's what his study says.
And my other guest, Chris Landsea, he disagrees. He's a hurricane researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
And, Gentlemen, thank you very, very much for being here.
Dr. Emanuel, just tell us why you think it's linked to global warming or if you indeed you do?
KERRY EMANUEL, PROFESSOR, MIT: Well, there are a lot of things going on, of course. There are natural climate fluctuations and there are other things as well. But my study focused on the amount of energy that's dissipated by hurricanes over their lifetime.
And when you look at the two ocean basins in which hurricanes are relatively well measured, you see that this measure of hurricane energy has been increasing over time -- superimposed, of course, on natural oscillations. But what's really remarkable about it is how well it's correlated with sea surface temperature in the tropics, which is relatively well measured. And that's what gives us some cause to think that this might be a global warming signal that we're seeing.
PILGRIM: You certainly have created the perfect storm of debate, though, however, over this study. And let's get Dr. Landsea in to talk about it. What fault do you find with this study or do you?
CHRIS LANDSEA, HURRICANE RESEARCHER, NOAA: Well, Professor Emanuel has provided some wonderful insights during his career and this is a very interesting study that he's presented. The question though is how has he treated the data? What's the methodology? Is it accurate? Because he's -- to be able to see the global warming signal, he's had to reduce substantially the wind speeds during the 1950s and 1960s.
PILGRIM: Why is that a problem? If you look at different sets of data?
LANDSEA: Well, another way to look at it would be just to look at the ones that hit the United States. And if we look at those, especially over a longer period of time, we don't see this trend toward increasing destructiveness from those sets of hurricanes.
PILGRIM: Professor Emanuel?
EMANUEL: Well, that's a fair point. In fact, my paper sort of emphasized the energy expended by hurricanes over their lifetimes. It's not entirely clear whether there is or should be a relationship between that and the amount of damage hurricanes do when they make landfall. I think this will be an important point of research that needs to be pursued.
PILGRIM: Dr. Landsea, everyone's desperately trying to figure out what's going on. We've had a very early hurricane season. We've had billions of dollars in damage already. Is not any study valuable?
LANDSEA: Well, certainly. We do know that there's cycles of hurricane activity, that 25 to 40 years tend to be very busy, followed by about the same amount of time where it's relatively quiet. The last 10 years have been exceptionally busy. But when you look at historical storms hitting the U.S. and other countries in the Caribbean, it's very similar, what we've seen recently, to the 1920s, to the late 1960s. So what we think it's a cycle of activity, rather than a very long trend upward.
PILGRIM: Professor Emanuel, but yet there's some doubt about winds, aren't there, that point to a non-cyclical pattern?
EMANUEL: Well, that's right. And if one only looks at the Atlantic -- and I have to emphasize that only about 12 percent of all the storms that occur globally, all the hurricanes occur in the Atlantic -- it's really dominated, as Chris suggests, by these quite natural cycles of 20, 30, 40 years. And we have been in an upswing. In fact, many scientists predicted that we would be in the upswing now, and that's really dominating the scene in the Atlantic.
It's -- if you look, on the other hand, at global storm activity -- that's hard to do, unfortunately, because we don't measure storms very well everywhere -- but if you look at least in the northern hemisphere, you don't tend to see quite as much dominance by these inter-decadal cycles. They are still there. There are different ones in the Pacific than the Atlantic, but it's when you look at the hemispheric trends, that you -- that this sort of long-term trend really begins to stand out.
PILGRIM: Dr. Landsea, forgive me for not embracing pure science, but for those of us in the news media, the real question is, can we do anything about this?
LANDSEA: Well, it's still a very valid question, on what magnitude global warming is producing in hurricanes, what kind of changes are occurring. I'm not convinced yet that we are seeing a global warming signal in the hurricane activity. We still need to reassess all the hurricanes themselves, and try to get our database cleaned up, because it's a very messy database that Professor Emanuel has had to work with. And we're trying to address that with some climate work.
PILGRIM: Professor Emanuel, you get the last word on this.
EMANUEL: Well, I think I would say something that I'm almost certain that Chris Landsea would agree with me about, that even if there were no climate change or no change in hurricane activity, the big problem that we face is that a lot of people are moving to places which are at risk for hurricanes. And that's going to go on, unfortunately, whether we have climate change or changes in hurricanes or not. And that's -- if we're going to do something about it, that's the place where we need to really focus our efforts.
PILGRIM: Gentlemen, you've enlightened us, both of you. Dr. Chris Landsea and Professor Kerry Emanuel, thank you both for being here tonight.
EMANUEL: You're welcome.
LANDSEA: Glad to help out. PILGRIM: Western India today hit with massive new rainstorms. It was the sixth day in a row of heavy rainfall for the region. The death toll from the monsoons climbing towards 1,000. More than 400 people are feared dead in the city of Mumbai alone. Last Tuesday, a record 37 inches of rain fell, and that triggered collapsed buildings and landslides.
Still ahead, the results of tonight's poll, and a preview of what's ahead tomorrow. Stay with us.
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PILGRIM: Now the results of tonight's poll: 86 percent of you think President Bush was wrong to appoint John Bolton to be America's ambassador to the United Nations during the congressional recess; 14 percent of you think he was right to make the recess appointment.
Well, let's take a look at some of your e-mail thoughts.
And Jamie from Cincinnati, Ohio, writes: "After Congress approval of CAFTA last week, it becomes very clear to me that in China, government owns business, and in the United States, business owns government."
Stella in Marshall, Arkansas: "Why not form our own protection for our own borders? Our government is not taking care of us. And besides, with CAFTA, there will be a lot of unemployed people with free time."
And Jerry Franco from South Carolina: "We do not need another level to protect our borders. We've already had an excellent trained armed uniformed cadre to do that. They're called the National Guard. Bring them all back from Iraq today, and see how professionals handle the border assignment."
Bob from California: "For five years, Bush has said that he really wants to reform immigration. But when the Senate finally took up the issue last week, the White House went missing."
And Paul -- or Paulo from Miami, Florida writes: "Would you care to explain to us how in eight days, the Scotland Yard found four suspects, and even out of the country? And we in two years cannot find this bin Laden guy?"
Well, we do love hearing from you. Send us your thoughts, LOUDOBBS@CNN.com. And each of you whose e-mail is read on this broadcast will receive a copy of Lou's book, which is called "Exporting America." Also, if you'd like to receive our e-mail newsletter, you can sign up on our Web site, at LOUDOBBS.com.
Finally tonight, Judith Miller, the Pulitzer Prize-winning "New York Times" reporter has now been in prison for 26 days, for protecting her confidential sources in the CIA leak case. A group from Committee to Protect Journalists recently visited Miller, and demanded that she be released. The group included "Wall Street Journal" Managing Editor Paul Steiger and veteran journalist Tom Brokaw. Thanks for being with us tonight. Please join us tomorrow. One author says random bag searches in our nation's subways are -- quote -- "politically correct suicide." Author Paul Sperry is our guest.
And one American community divided over whether to help illegal aliens find work. The head of the group is calling for a new day labor center for illegals. He's our guest.
For all of us here, good night from New York. ANDERSON COOPER 360 starts now live from Maradi, Niger -- Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Kitty, thank you. Thanks very much, Kitty.
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