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Lou Dobbs Tonight
New Wave of Bloodshed in Iraq; 2006 Troop Withdrawals?; Spying Uproar
Aired December 26, 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, everyone.
Tonight, a new wave of bloodshed in Iraq. The U.S. military suffers new losses. We'll have a live report from Baghdad.
The White House. New revelations about a surveillance program that may be wider than anyone imagined.
Also ahead, 2005 on our nation's broken borders, how the illegal alien crisis has become a national emergency.
Also, god and war. The power of faith during the holidays in the world's most dangerous battleground.
And the great Hollywood snub. Why the curtain has gone down on Hollywood's golden age of USO entertainment.
We begin tonight with the war in Iraq and one of the worst days of violence there since the December 15 election. Insurgents have once again stepped up their attacks on Iraqi military personnel, Iraqi citizens and U.S. troops. Three U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the past two days, two of them on Christmas Day.
Now, from Baghdad tonight, Aneesh Raman on the insurgent campaign. And from the Pentagon, Jamie McIntyre, where officials are watching post-election violence with increasing concern.
First, we go live to Aneesh Raman in Baghdad -- Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kitty, good evening.
The two U.S. soldiers killed on Christmas Day, they died as a result of an improvised explosive device. Those remain the biggest killer of U.S. forces in Iraq.
A third soldier killed today after a U.S. military convoy in the capital came under attack by a rocket-propelled attack. Now, that attack capped a day that saw the country marred by violence. At least 20 people were killed, 50 others wounded.
In the capital alone, Kitty, this morning, in the course of just two hours, four car bombs detonating mainly in the Shiite Karada (ph) area of Baghdad, the target of all Iraqi police patrols. Later in the day in the capital, a motorcycle bomb was used and detonated as a Shia funeral procession passed by. Now, north of the capital, in the restive Diyala province, near the city of Baquba, five Iraqi policemen came under attack, all of them killed by machine-gun fire. They were members of a quick reaction force. You can see from the video all the ammunition rounds on the ground.
In that same province today, the provincial governor escaping an assassination attempt. One of his guards, though, was killed after a bomb detonated. And a provincial council member there was killed after her convoy came under attack.
All of this, as you say, amid growing political tensions as we wait for the final results of the election to be announced, Kitty, as early as next week.
PILGRIM: All right. Thank you very much.
Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
Thanks, Aneesh.
Well, the Pentagon is openly discussing the possibility of further U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq in the new year. But the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warns that the levels of troops could rise if the enemy were to cause what he calls problems.
Now, Jamie McIntyre joins us tonight from the Pentagon.
Jamie, we have seen a decline in the insurgency leading up to the recently announced reduction in the number of U.S. troops. What are we seeing now?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the -- I wouldn't read too much into the comments of the Joint Chiefs chairman, General Peter Pace, saying the troop levels could go up. No one at the Pentagon wants to increase the number of U.S. troops. And while it's true that some measures -- by some measures attacks have gone down, the attacks that remain have been very lethal, and as we saw today, continue to inflict casualties.
So what the Pentagon is saying is that it will be up to the Iraqis to continue to fight, and that they're not pinning the withdrawal or drawdown of U.S. troops on defeating the insurgents. They realize that this insurgency could go on for quite some time.
They're also not publicly stating what their goals are, although privately Pentagon officials say they have some hope that by the end of next year, 2006, the number of troops in Iraq could be as low as 100,000. U.S. troops, that is -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Jamie, what would we have to see for the Pentagon to increase the troop levels again?
MCINTYRE: Well, it would have to be something really -- there would have to be a real failure on the part of some -- of these Iraqi units that they're planning to turn over parts of Iraq to. In fact, what you're going to see as this drawdown continues over the next year is you're gong to see geographic areas turned over to Iraqis where there will be no U.S. troops at all. And as they're able to turn over more areas, they're going to use that as the benchmark.
But if -- if those Iraqi troops aren't able to function, that would then require a revision of the plan, and perhaps increasing the number of U.S. troops. Nobody expects that to happen, and certainly they're hoping it doesn't.
PILGRIM: Or perhaps reconfigure what we have there.
MCINTYRE: Exactly.
PILGRIM: All right. Thanks very much.
Jamie McIntyre.
Thanks, Jamie.
Well, as speculation continues over U.S. troop withdrawals, the Bush administration is facing new questions over its secret intelligence-gathering operations. Sources tell CNN that secret White House eavesdropping operations are much wider in scope than anyone imagined.
Dana Bash is traveling with the president in Crawford, Texas, and has the latest on that -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kitty.
Well, the president arrived a few hours ago, hoping to spend the last week of the -- quite a tumultuous week, a tumultuous year, I should say, in peace and quiet of his ranch, and certainly hoping that the new year will help him with a political rebound. But it's increasingly becoming clear that is going to be tough, especially since new information has come to light that the secret 2002 directive allowing domestic surveillance was broader in scope than the president had acknowledged.
Now, the National Security Agency is not just eavesdropping on some U.S. calls abroad, but it is collecting and analyzing a large amount of information with the hope of finding patterns to trace terror suspects and plots. And they're doing so with the help of U.S. telephone and Internet companies. That confirmed by a source with information and knowledge about the program.
Of course, this was first reported over the weekend by "The New York Times."
Now, former secretary of state Colin Powell is weighing in on this. He says that he thinks the program is justified and should continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Hearings will be held clearly at the beginning of the new year. But I don't think anybody objects to the president doing this.
He was trying to protect the nation. And we have done things like this in the past. So there is no -- there's no objection to it being done. The question is, was it done in the way that is consistent with the law?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, the White House says the answer to that question is still very much yes. They say the president has the authority and had the authority within his constitutional powers.
But civil liberties advocates, Democrats, even some Republicans, say the answer is no, that he was not within the law. They say that he actually is stretching, maybe even is breaking the law.
And I spoke with Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, just a short while ago. He said that he is very upset, as you can imagine, Kitty, about these new revelations. He plans to press the White House about this in hearings that they will hold in that committee in January.
The point that Secretary Powell was trying to make is that all of this controversy could have been avoided, he said, if the president had just gone through the courts to try to get a warrant. He said that would not have been very hard to do -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much. Dana Bash.
Thanks, Dana.
Well, the latest disclosures on the domestic wiretapping controversy guarantee the Bush administration will start the new year on the defensive once again. Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider joins me now with a look at the political risks for the president.
Bill, what's next for the White House on this surveillance issue? Certainly all of this coming out over a holiday weekend could not have been a pleasant surprise.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: What's next is congressional hearings, and the big question is, will congressional Republicans defend President Bush's policies or will they turn against him? You know, loyalty to the president is one thing, but facing the voters is something else. And they're going to have to do that next year.
The polls show that the public's concern about civil liberties is a lot greater now than it was in the months after 9/11. When asked in January 2002 whether the government should take all steps necessary to prevent additional acts of terrorism even if they violate basic civil liberties, you can see on the left there Americans were divided. But now on the right, by better than two to one, the public says, no, no policies that violate civil liberties.
PILGRIM: Bill, another major issue still to be resolved is the Iraq elections. Now, the success or failure of the Iraqi elections will have huge implications for President Bush. So what can the United States do at this point to ensure the success of the Iraqi government, if anything?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, well, Iraq is now sovereign, and the United States has, of course, a lot of influence, but not complete control any longer. Next month, Iraq will begin deal-making for a new government and an amended constitution.
It looks like the Shiite religious coalition is going to win the most votes and could form a government without a significant role for the Sunnis. The Sunnis did vote in the last election, but they only constitute about 20 percent of the population. They don't want to accept a minor role in running a country that they used to dominate.
The U.S. has to pressure the new government to share power with the Sunnis even though there's a lot of resentment in Iraq over the Sunni domination under Saddam Hussein. Democracy means majority rule, but it also means minority rights.
PILGRIM: Bill, if the Iraqi government does not succeed, what does that mean for President Bush and for the congressional elections in this country?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, well, it means trouble, because continued instability in Iraq will make it difficult for the United States to withdraw troops, and continued U.S. casualties will make it very difficult for the Republicans to keep their majorities in the American Congress.
The administration insists that troop withdrawals will be determined entirely by conditions on the ground. But the political calendar can't be ignored. And we just heard from Jamie McIntyre that the administration is already talking about troop withdrawals -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: And, of course, the political portions of Iraq still very important.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much.
Bill Schneider.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
PILGRIM: Still ahead, New Election Day outrage. Why U.S. states are set to miss key deadlines in the effort to make our elections error-free.
Also, a special look back at broken border crisis 2005: 365 days of missteps, inaction and incompetence in dealing with our nation's border emergency.
And another holiday season in the trenches. How military chaplains are giving strength and comfort to our troops during this trying time away from home.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Just days before three top Enron executives are set to go on trial, one of them could be headed for a plea deal. Now, published reports say former chief accounting officer Richard Causey is in talks for a deal with the government and his testimony could be crucial in prosecuting Enron founder Ken Lay and former CEO Jeff Skilling.
All three men are charged with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy. They are scheduled to go on trial three weeks from tomorrow.
Now, it has been 1,480 days since Enron filed for bankruptcy in a massive accounting scandal. And since then, criminal charges have been filed against almost two dozen former Enron officials.
Well, the new year will also bring what's expected to be a fiercely contested battle for Congress. The deadline is fast approaching for all 50 states to upgrade their voting technology well ahead of the congressional elections. But a surprising number of states are on track to miss that deadline.
Lisa Sylvester reports from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Take a trip back to 2000, the hanging and dangling chads in Florida's presidential election. In response, Congress passed a federal law to make sure ballots are counted accurately. But according to congressional figures, one-third of all states will not make the January 1, 2006 deadline for complying with the Help America Vote Act.
Critics say state and federal lawmakers have not done enough, despite having more than three years to get it right.
DAVID MOON, FAIRVOTE: And it's just the degree to which, you know, policymakers don't value our votes. If we had these types of errors in our banking system, in our ATMs, you know, people would be outraged and legislators would be lining up to solve the problems.
SYLVESTER: By the first of the year, all states must have a statewide voter registration database and make upgrades for voters with disabilities. States cite a number of reasons for not being ready.
Lack of money: even though the federal government distributed $3 billion for upgrades, state leaders say that's still not enough.
Technological challenges: some voter registries are maintained on the township level that make it difficult to consolidate lists. And finally, issues with the electronic voting machines. Hackers in Leon County, Florida, with the same access as election officials were able to change results on Diebold electronic voting machines and leave no trace of tampering. But states that missed the deadline for whatever reason can face fines.
GRACIA HILLMAN, U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMM.: Under the Help America Vote Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has the responsibility for enforcement. And the Justice Department will take each state's situation on a case-by-case basis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER: Diebold Election Systems could not be reached for comment on the security of its machines, and the Department of Justice would not comment on when it will start issuing fines. But officials say it is an option on the table.
And states that won't be ready by January 1 are now looking to have their systems in place for the congressional elections in 2006 -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: This is an issue that won't go away until it's fixed. Thanks very much.
Lisa Sylvester.
Well, 2006 will be starting a bit later this year, not by much. A leap second will be inserted into the world's clocks just before midnight on New Year's Eve, Greenwich Mean Time. Now, leap seconds are occasionally needed in order to keep atomic clocks in sync with the rotation of the Earth, which has been slowing down. Now, the last leap second was added about seven years ago.
Just ahead, securing our borders, the promises made and broken by many in Washington to address this critical issue. We'll have a special report on where we stand, what needs to be done.
And later, it's Vicente Fox versus the United States. Mexico's president spent much of the past year meddling in the affairs of this country, and we'll highlight some of his finer moments.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Now, we've reported extensively here on this broadcast about the growing illegal alien crisis in this country. In 2005, our lawmakers in Washington promised to address this critically important issue, but as the year ends, Washington has accomplished very little in the fight to secure our borders.
Casey Wian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was a lot of talk.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The fact of the matter is illegal migration is a severe and growing threat to our country.
WIAN: There was a lot of action.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't support illegal aliens.
WIAN: But none of it did much to stop another three million illegal aliens from crossing our broken borders.
Politicians of all levels felt the heat this year as the effects of illegal immigration spread. Schools and hospitals grew more crowded, street corners more clogged. Voters became fed up. In August, the governors of Arizona and New Mexico declared states of emergency.
While Washington fiddled, a Tombstone, Arizona, newspaper man took action.
CHRIS SIMCOX, CO-FOUNDER, MINUTEMAN PROJECT: It's not about who you are or where you come from or what language you speak or what color your skin is. It's about you're breaking into our country.
WIAN: In April, Chris Simcox and activist Jim Gilchrist launched the Minuteman Project. They dubbed it the nation's biggest neighborhood watch program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should see the sight out there on that line. It is fantastic. You've got -- we've got already the first morning crew is out strung along the line, flags are flying, Border Patrol is there. There are hundreds of illegals on the other side standing over there incredulous.
WIAN: It captured the imagination of Americans of all stripes fed up with porous borders and willing to do the job themselves.
RON MILLS, MINUTEMAN VOLUNTEER: I think that homeland security begins right here at this border. It's the back door. It has to be locked. Every sing one of us locks our door when we go home. Why can't our country lock our doors?
WIAN: The Minuteman Project sent a message to Washington. Even Hollywood noticed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE WEST WING": Senator, are you saying the minutemen should get help with the illegals?
ALAN ALDA, ACTOR, "THE WEST WING": We've got a 2,000-mile border here, and most of it is unprotected most of the time. We can't have real homeland security if we can't secure our borders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE WEST WING": Senator, the Border Patrol has asked the minuteman to stop operations. Why do you support minuteman? ALDA, "THE WEST WING": I understand why the minutemen are here. I understand their frustration, and I share their goals. But I agree with the Border Patrol. We should leave law enforcement to the professionals.
WIAN: With the publicity came a flood of bills from politicians suddenly anxious to be seen engaged in the debate. There were proposals for secure ID cards, fences, civilian patrols and even sending the military to the border. Through it all, President Bush kept pushing his guest worker program.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need to match willing employer with willing employee for jobs that Americans will not do.
WIAN: But as the year wore on, it became clear most Americans and even members of the president's own party didn't agree.
Back in January, 93 percent of "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" viewers didn't believe it would fix our broken borders.
This month, the president got the message loud and clear. The first piece of legislation to secure our borders finally made it through the House. It contained provisions to build a 700-mile fence and impose tough penalties on businesses hiring illegal workers. But after much debate, no guest worker program.
Early in the new year, a divided Congress will take up the issue again.
(on camera): The Border Patrol beefed up its presence this year, adding new technology and 1,300 agents, while apprehending more than a million illegal aliens. The Border Patrol plans to add another 1,700 agents to the southwest border alone next year.
Casey Wian, CNN, San Diego.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: That brings us to tonight's poll. Do you believe that our nation's borders are more secure than they were one year ago, yes or no?
Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll bring you the results later in the broadcast.
Just ahead tonight, a year of embarrassment for the Mexican government. President Vicente Fox has made a series of unnecessary and dangerous comments about the U.S. border. We'll have a special report.
And a former top immigration official will be our guest.
And then, rising fears that Americans, old and new, are taking U.S. citizenship for granted. We'll talk to the author of "The 50 Percent American." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Still ahead, a special report on President Vicente Fox's year of shame. But first a look at this hour's top stories.
Another U.S. soldier has been killed in action in Iraq. The soldier died today when his vehicle was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Two U.S. soldiers died on Christmas Day.
Another failing grade for the U.S. anti-terror effort. A new report is blasting federal officials for their pathetic performance during a recent terror drill at Logan Airport. Now, the drill showed an almost total lack of ability to respond to a terror attack.
And get ready for some football tonight. It's the end of an era, the last-ever ABC "Monday Night Football" broadcast. It's the second- longest running series on network television. The 35-year tradition moves to ESPN next season.
As 2005 ends, relations between Mexico and the United States are getting worse by the minute. Mexican President Vicente Fox has over the past year tried to dictate our national immigration policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM (voice over): The war of words with Mexico appears to have hit a low point. President Vicente Fox has spent the past week attacking the plan which includes a proposal to build a 700-mile fence along the border. Foreign Luis Ernesto Derbez has condemned the bill as "stupid and underhanded."
U.S. officials tried unsuccessfully to keep relations on a cordial basis, inviting the Mexican president to the ranch in Crawford, Texas, on March 23. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice making a tour also that month.
But Mexico pushed its advantage on the issue, gaining billions in remittances from Mexican workers in the United States.
VICENTE FOX, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There's no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States.
PILGRIM: Already, Mexico is airing radio ads urging workers injured on the job in the United States to sue. And it's lobbying religious, business and community leaders in the United States to influence domestic policy on immigration.
President Fox has long been casual about the legality of Mexican workers in the United States. Fox has even hired a U.S.-based P.R. firm that tries to spin the issue of illegal immigration saying this country always welcomed immigrants. ROB ALLYN, ALLYN & CO.: These folks are pioneers who are coming in search of a better life. And the idea is to put the Statue of Liberty out there welcoming those workers, not erect a wall.
PILGRIM: But that argument makes no distinction between legal and illegal immigrants.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Well, my next guest says President Fox has it all wrong. He says a border fence is crucial to our nation's national security and safety.
Former INS special agent Michael Cutler joins me tonight, and he's currently a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies.
And Michael, thanks for joining us.
MICHAEL CUTLER, FMR. INS SPECIAL AGENT: Happy to be here.
PILGRIM: Let's start with Vicente Fox's comments. What do you make of this sort of diatribe that goes on south of our border? And, in fact, it's incumbent upon Mexico to help us with this, isn't it?
CUTLER: You would think, but then again, look at how much money that they're getting by having their people come to the United States. You know, I think the most valuable export that Mexico has are its people that they send north to get jobs in the United States. From what I read last year, something on the order of $20 billion was wired back into Mexico from illegal aliens working in the United States.
So I'm not shocked that he's upset about it.
PILGRIM: They're desperately dependent on these remittances, as you point out, for workers to be sending money back to Mexico. It does boost their GDP, it does help their economy. And yet, you could -- you could possibly see someone being a little bit more conciliatory when they're that dependent on the United States.
Do you see President Fox doing this for political gain?
CUTLER: Well, I think he's playing to the audience, although I don't believe he's going to be able to run for re-election. But I think it's the message that his people want to hear, but it's also a way of distracting his own citizens from the real issue.
CUTLER: But I think it's the message that his people want to hear, but it's also a way of distracting his own citizens from the real issue. The question is why would a country that's rated as being either the sixth or seventh wealthiest nation on the face of the earth have to send their people to their neighboring country to have a decent future, when that future should be provided for them within their own borders?
And the thing that's very disturbing to me is that our own government doesn't take issue with President Fox. You know, the president of the United States, George Bush, keeps saying we're fighting the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them over here. Meanwhile, he's implemented a program of surveillances and wiretaps here in the United States. Obviously, terrorists are here.
It begs the question how did they get here? Well, their arrived either by crossing the Mexican border, the Canadian border or they arrived through the various ports of entry, and we're not dealing with any of these issues.
So I think that Vicente Fox is probably also emboldened by the lack of response by our own government.
PILGRIM: How worried are you that Mexico could become a corridor for terrorists to move through? Because it's no secret that this board is unprotected?
CUTLER: Well, the border has been rewritten with invisible ink, and I'm petrified not only about the Mexican border. I worry about the Canadian border. I worry about all areas of access to our country.
You know, we know that right now in South America there are terrorists training in Brazil in an area called the Three Corners region. We know that there's millions of Muslims who live in Brazil. Now, that's not to say that all Muslims are bad guys, but I do worry about radical Islam.
So we are certainly at risk, and we know that the president of Venezuela is not our friend. We know that there's been an election in Bolivia with the president who describes himself as America's worst nightmare.
PILGRIM: Do you think that this will get worse in light of anti- American movement in Latin America? It's starting to gain some ground, especially the Bolivian elections just recently. Hugo Chavez applauding President Fox when he said the border was stupid. They are former adversaries that have now reconciled to excoriate the United States on the border issue?
CUTLER: Well, it seems like my enemy of my enemy is my friend, you know. They both decided they don't like the United States, and I think it would give them opportunities to do harm to us.
And you know, look at the problem we have with Bolivia. It's a major source country for cocaine. And the president of Bolivia was involved with the coca crops, and his attitude has been now, hey, the United States has a problem with cocaine, let them not use it. So I don't think he's going to do much to help us with our efforts to eradicate the presence of cocaine within our borders. And we know that drugs helps to fund terrorism.
So of course, from many levels, our lack to secure our borders imperils the safety of our country.
PILGRIM: You know, you bring up a very interesting point. It's blame the consumer, and in this case it's the United States, that the drugs end up in the United States. They blame U.S. consumer for causing the problem. They blame U.S. businesses for causing the illegal immigration.
There is definitely a tone of blame the consumer of illicit products, whether they be illegal aliens or cocaine. Do you think that this is clearly not a legitimate defense of not -- of letting lawlessness pervade your country?
CUTLER: No, the blame game is a great way to deflect criticism. Of course, we should do more, I guess, to end the demand for drugs in our country. But if you look at economic situation, the South American countries involved with the drug trade find that this is a major source of revenue. Just as they find having their people come to the United States to work is a major source of revenue.
They're driven by profit, and we're driven -- our country appears to be driven by the greed of big business, aided and abetted by our government when it refuses to take a strong stand on the issue. The borders have to be secured. That's the bottom line.
PILGRIM: Michael, you've been in this a long time. What do you see in terms of legislation moving forward that might help this problem?
CUTLER: Well, I think that Mr. Sensenbrenner's border bill is a great step in the right direction. But it's only the first of many steps. Not only do we need to secure the border; we need to restore integrity to the immigration system.
We hear talk about a guest worker program. That would be exactly the wrong thing to do. We would wind up in a situation where undocumented aliens would show up at immigration offices and ask for guest worker identity documents which would enable terrorists to circumvent no fly lists and other watch lists.
What we really need is comprehensive reform but not meaning what it does now, guest worker. It means that the system needs to have integrity, that we need enough people at the border, enough inspectors at the airports. It won't be cheap but the situation now is far more costly and far more risky to the future of our country. And I think the politicians are starting to get it.
And you know, I just saw an article where they say Tom Tancredo is gaining new respectability in Washington. He was the firebrand, as we all know, who started this whole thing. And finally, I think he's starting to gain traction, as they say in Washington, and I'm encouraged by it.
PILGRIM: We certainly applaud your tireless effort to bring this subject to the floor of the American debate. Thank you very much, Michael Cutler.
CUTLER: As always, thank you for having me.
PILGRIM: San Diego's most popular Spanish language station could see its license revoked in an illegal alien programming scandal. A retired Houston lawyer is demanding that the FCC deny a license to KROM over a segment that he says helped illegal aliens escape capture. During the segment, listeners apparently call in and tip off illegal aliens to the location of border patrol agents. KROM is already operating under an expired license.
Well, we want to take a look at now some of your thoughts, and here are some.
Jim in Washington: "I don't understand why President Bush is trying so hard to get the Patriot Act passed. He doesn't seem to think he needs any other authorization than his own gut feelings."
Tim in Utah writes: "Well, it just boggles my mind the ignorance of the American people. When it come to the question should the president have the right to wiretap certain telecommunications that may involve terrorism, the fact of the matter is, this policy affects less than one percent of the American people. What are these ignorant people afraid of the Secret Service stealing: Grandma's cookie recipe?"
Well, Scott Wolf in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania writes: "I hope our senators have the same conviction as our representatives and pass the latest immigration reform legislation. A border fence is long overdue. I wonder if that hypocrite Vicente Fox has a turnstile at his southern border with Central America. My guess is no."
Robert M. sums it all up. He said, "The citizens of the U.S. are being treated like mushrooms by politicians: kept in the dark and fed manure."
We truly love hearing from you. Send us your thoughts at LouDobbs@CNN.com.
Well, an Oklahoma man has a text message to thank for saving his life. The man was taking a Christmas day nap when his house caught fire, and luckily his cell phone was nearby and woke him up just in time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody had text messaged me, "Merry Christmas," and that's when I got up. I opened the door, all the smoke came in. And only thing I could do is jump out the window. I couldn't do nothing else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Well, two other people in the house escaped unharmed. The fire department looking into whether a space heater started that fire.
Still ahead, U.S. citizenship. Millions of people around the world want it. Millions who have it are shockingly taking it for granted. We'll have a special report ahead.
And thanks for the memories. Why the Hollywood elite has virtually abandoned the USO this holiday season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: As we approach a new year, hundreds of thousands of people are hoping 2006 will be the year that they earn the great privilege of becoming an American citizen. Well, it's the dream of countless people from around the world, yet tonight, there are growing concerns that our country is devaluing what it means to an American citizen.
Christine Romans reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For years, immigrants came to this country to fulfill the dream of American citizenship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I will support and defend...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I will support and defend...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I will support and defend...
ROMANS: Half a million immigrants pledge their allegiance to the United States each year. Now, many fear we are chipping away at what it means to be an American, devaluing the citizenship those millions worked so hard to attain.
We don't enforce our own laws. We give Americans rights and freedoms without requiring any responsibility. And bestow automatic citizenship to the children born here to parents in the country illegally.
REP. DANIEL LUNGREN (R), CALIFORNIA: It is the question of what kind of a society we want to have. It is a question ultimately of whether or not we value citizenship? There are some people who don't believe citizenship means much these days, that we're all part of the international community.
ROMANS: Professor Stanley Renshon says we no longer require Americans to have an attachment to this country.
STANLEY RENSHON, AUTHOR, "THE 50% AMERICAN": There have been two broad cultural movements which really put a dent in American national identity. One of those is multiculturalism, and that's basically the idea that ethnic or racial identities ought to trump any other identity, including an American identity.
ROMANS: He says the other danger to the meaning of citizenship is the idea that we should be citizens of the world, that multiculturalism and globalism are driving a surge in dual citizenship, even though to be an American citizen, one must renounce foreign powers. But more and more people believe the oath of allegiance to America is anachronistic. PETER SPIRO, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SCHOOL OF LAW: I don't see any necessary conflict between being a British citizen and an American citizen or an Italian citizen and an American citizen, or indeed a Mexican citizen and an American citizen. We're not talking about a world in which we have starkly contrasted political systems any longer.
ROMANS: But it is a world with starkly contrasting values, culture and language.
(on camera) And American democracy stands in stark contrast with the rest of the world. Ours is a nation of immigrants but a nation of integrated assimilated immigrants.
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Recently, Lou talked with a author Stanley Renshon about our national identity and the growing concerns about assimilation and dual citizenship. His book is called "The 50% American: Immigration and National Identity in the Age of Terror."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOU DOBBS, HOST: The idea that there is a diminishing national identity, to hear Peter Spiro say that, I mean, that just slams into your ear.
RENSHON: Well, he's one of those people who believes that it's rather easy to be a citizen of this country and a citizen of another country, and there's no inherent conflict between the idea. But it's really a wrong premise. Some kinds of identities are really incompatible.
DOBBS: For example?
RENSHON: Well, for example, it's very hard to be an observant Jew and an observant Muslim. You have to be one or the other. It's very hard to be a person who's attached to the American national culture and at the same level be attached to a different culture.
DOBBS: One of the things that screams at me, every St. Patrick's Day, every Columbus Day, I'm going get lots of e-mails and letters for saying this. But I see people celebrating a distant history in their lineage, presumably, that has nothing to do with celebrating America, and I find that astonishing. Frankly, I resent those kinds of holidays.
RENSHON: Well, I don't. I think it's perfectly all right for people have connections to their ancestors and their own countries. We have multiple attachments and it doesn't bother me if somebody remembers when they were Irish and so forth. But most of that ethnicity is really symbolic ethnicity. It's really about wearing a shamrock or having a glass of green beer. DOBBS: Well, let me explain why I don't like it. I have just a visceral reaction to it. And that is that this is a country so focused on the differences among our 300 million citizens, we don't celebrate enough our commonality, our similarities, our bond, and I have become very sensitive to this.
RENSHON: You should be, and I think that's an absolutely correct observation. We make a lot of room for ethnic holidays and don't make room for America.
DOBBS: Let me ask you this, professor. The idea of dual citizenship. Was it always possible for an American to hold dual citizenship?
RENSHON: It was not always possible. At one time, you took the risk of having your citizenship lifted, but the Supreme Court ruled that you couldn't do that. And since that time, we've been in a state of limbo with regard to the law.
But what really has changed is that a lot of the countries that send immigrants to us have woken up and discovered it's very good to have a lot of immigrants here from the home country who are attached back to the home country.
DOBBS: For example?
RENSHON: Well, for example, Mexico. For example, China. There was one incident where a country in South America had a number of people here in the United States who had been given temporary refuge. And the president got a hold of the telephone company in his home country and he got the names and listings of every single immigrant from that country and placed a call to them, asking them to write to Congress, to their local committeemen to get their countrymen to stay.
DOBBS: The fact is the issue that is concerning, frankly, to me, is we struggle with assimilation of our legal immigrants. The difficulty is illegal immigration. It is the focus of what we do.
We welcome immigrants in this country. We always have, always will. But this is a country now in which there are more illegal immigrants than illegal immigrants. What is that doing, in your judgment, to our national identity?
RENSHON: Well, it's corroding it, and it's very corrosive to attachments to the American national identity. When you have a government that either can not or will not protect the integrity of the community, you've really got a very serious problem.
DOBBS: We've got a serious problem. We refer to it, frankly, as a crisis, our lack of border security in this country, our immigration -- illegal immigration crisis. But what does it say about a people that does not demand that its government enforce laws and represent the will of the majority of the people in this country?
RENSHON: Well, if you look at surveys, the people are demanding it. The question is who's listening? DOBBS: My question was, what does it say about the people who are not demanding it in point of fact, because we continue to allow our government not to enforce laws and permit our border to be absolutely insecure?
RENSHON: I think our government continues to not respond to what is the overwhelming sentiment of most Americans that I've seen, which is they want something done at the borders and they want something done about the problem of illegality.
DOBBS: Stanley Renshon, thank you very much for being with us.
RENSHON: Pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: A reminder now to vote in tonight's poll. Do you believe our borders are more secure now than they were a year ago? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We'll bring you the results in just a few minutes.
Well, looks like Austria's hometown hero has lost some of his luster. Arnold Schwarzenegger's name was officially removed from a stadium in the southern city of Graz. Some activists there were angry after the California governor refused to block the execution of convicted killer Tookie Williams.
Now, capital punishment is illegal in Austria, and some consider it barbaric.
In a preemptive move, Schwarzenegger wrote the mayor of Graz and asked that his name be removed.
Still ahead, war is war, but the United States military chaplains around the world head a very different type of battle this time of year. And we'll talk with two of them next.
Also, Hollywood turning its back on U.S. troops. Why they just don't make them like Bob Hope anymore. Next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Our nation's film, comedy and music stars have a long tradition of entertaining our troops during the wartime, particularly during the holiday season. But this tradition sadly appears to be coming to an end, and some now say Hollywood is virtually abandoning our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, stars such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, constantly made trip overseas to keep up troop morale. And the USO officials had no trouble booking stars to appear in their popular reviews. Bob Hope appeared in USO shows for almost 50 years.
But these days the USO is having major problems recruiting stars. Comedian Robin Williams still signs up for the USO, but he is a rare exception. Troops during this holiday season are making due with relatively unknown hip-hop and country groups, Al Franken, two Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
Some say the unpopularity of the Iraq War has a lot to do with this holiday's entertainment no-shows, but some say Iraq has merely become too dangerous for the stars to make the trip.
Robin Williams, for his part, is urging entertainers to sign up for the USO. He calls it an amazing experience, one that entertainers will never forget.
Well, one group is not worried about making the trip, a group committed to the psychological and spiritual well-being of our troops. They are the military chaplains, and they are deployed around the world, offering guidance to troops of every religion.
Earlier we talked with two military chaplains about their experiences in fighting the war on radical Islamist terrorism. One of them is a Christian minister, the other a rabbi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAPLAIN MAJ. MARK NUCKOLS, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: The great things that I saw was how willing the people were to receive us in handing out humanitarian aid that was in and around our area. There near Mosul and then up north in the more Kurdish region of Zakko (ph) and Ibrahim Khalil (ph), which is the entry point for all the supplies coming into Iraq. Very willing to receive us and very, very thankful that we were there offering that.
It was good for the troops, too. The soldiers were able to -- felt like they were doing something beyond just supplying their own men and other soldiers but also provide things for the local people.
PILGRIM: Beyond the mission. You got a Bronze Star for this work. I know you're reluctant to brag about it, but let us brag for you. Tell us -- tell us why.
NUCKOLS: The soldiers go on what's called combat logistic patrols. In the Second World War, they called them convoys. Here they call them combat logistics patrol because they are in a combat zone all the time.
And when I would leave and go with the soldiers on these, as well as going up to visit, I would always be with a part of a combat logistics patrol. And my commander deemed it, I guess, worthy of such an award. I was very honored.
But it was wonderful to involve the people back home in the states who donated so much of this stuff, churches and schools that gave in order for us to provide this for those soldiers.
PILGRIM: And you were distributing it?
NUCKOLS: Yes, they coordinated and distributed what's really the big thing that I did. And involved the soldiers, was key. PILGRIM: Let me turn to Afghanistan, and Chaplain Kronenberg was there for the high holidays. Correct.
CHAPLAIN COL. IRA KRONENBERG, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: I was there both for Passover, then I came back to the states, Fort Dix, and went back for our holidays again.
PILGRIM: You know, it's amazing. You're a rabbi and -- and yet, you're in a Muslim country. How was that?
KRONENBERG: Well, I found it very interesting in terms of the acceptance of the people there. One of the things I had done, one of my surgeons who had come to my Passover Seder, I went to visit him in the hospital. And fortunately, the time I was there, there were no American soldiers in the hospital.
They were treating Afghani children who had stepped on mines or kerosene stoves might have blown up. And how they -- the appreciation that was shown to American Army, the doctors and nurses who cared so much.
And the fact that I was a rabbi didn't make a difference. The same way the hospital chaplain there was a female Protestant minister, and I had asked her how did they treated her as a female minister and a Christian minister in a Muslim country. And the reaction is, we're there to help them, and they're grateful. And it was very -- it felt very good.
NUCKOLS: That's the great support that we have for one another, is that...
PILGRIM: You're a Lutheran minister, correct?
NUCKOLS: Yes, ma'am. And the great support is that for him, his Jewish soldiers come to him for specifically Jewish things, but then soldiers come to him just because of a confidant and what-not. And we're in support of one another and one another's mission without compromising each other's faith beliefs. A beautiful thing.
PILGRIM: I'm absolutely confident that the men and women that you deal with gain in spiritual knowledge and self-knowledge when they interact with you two gentlemen. What have you gained from doing this?
KRONENBERG: Well, one of the things that I think I gained is a deeper appreciation for what we really do over there. You know, no matter what one's opinion is about whether to go to war or not to war, and whether we should have gone in, not gone in, I think we all really believe that our soldiers are heroes and have to be supported. They're doing a tough job out there.
To be away from one's family, especially the holiday time, in my case, during Passover. I noticed one young man who came to my Seder, who couldn't have been more than 20 years old. And it was kind of obvious he had never been away from home before for that. And now Christmas time for the Christian soldiers, being away. They're really heroes out there, what they're doing. And we do see that the appreciation. I saw it in Afghanistan, the Afghani people, the real deep appreciation they have for making their lives better.
PILGRIM: I have to give you the last word.
KRONENBERG: Sure.
PILGRIM: They tell me we're almost out of time.
NUCKOLS: The beautiful thing is, is because we wear the uniform as chaplains, we have an inroad with the general all the way down to the private that we don't have in the civilian realm. In the civilian realm, both of us are fairly narrow in our -- in our group that we have to meet. But there, we're very broad in the sense that the care and concern that's given to one another is done regardless, because we wear the same uniform.
So at those times of the year, for both Jewish or Christian or Islamic or Buddhist soldiers, to be able to offer just the camaraderie of being fellow brothers or sisters in arms is really a great honor. And it's something that, I think, affected me a lot, just the fact that wearing the uniform and being able to serve binds some people together, because you're going through it as of one.
PILGRIM: Well, our troops are very lucky to get both of you...
NUCKOLS: Thank you.
KRONENBERG: Thank you very much.
PILGRIM: ... Chaplain Nuckols and Chaplain Kronenberg. And Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
NUCKOLS: Same to you.
KRONENBERG: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Still ahead, the results of our poll and a tribute to our troops. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Now the results of tonight's poll. Only one percent of you believe that our borders are now more secure than this time last year.
Finally, our nightly tribute to our troops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Staff Sergeant Tony Seals (ph), stationed here at Kabul, Afghanistan. I'd like to tell everybody back in Winona, Mississippi, including my wife, Lydia, my son, Miguel, and my daughter Christina (ph), Merry Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. My name is Chief Foreign Officer II Rutger (ph) here in Taji (ph), Iraq. I want to wish my family and friends in Cochranton, Pennsylvania, and my grandmother in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, happy holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I'm 1st Sergeant Curtis Jones (ph) from Fobs Pike (ph), Iraq. I want to say merry Christmas and happy holidays to my wife Sela (ph) and my grandkids and all my family in Clarksville, Tennessee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, I'm Sergeant Nonitsau (ph). I just want to say happy holidays to all my friends in Buford, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. I miss you all, and I'll see you soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My name is Staff Sergeant Calvin Farley (ph). I'm in Tikrit, Iraq. I want to wish my family and friends a merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm 1st Specialist Akimba Stevens (ph), stationed here at Personnel Support Detachment, Bahrain, sending a happy holidays to my family and friends in Atlanta, Georgia. Hopefully, I'll see you guys soon. Love you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: We wish them all a safe return.
Thanks for being with us tonight. For all of us here, happy Hanukkah. Good night from New York.
THE SITUATION ROOM starts with Tom Foreman, in for Wolf Blitzer -- Tom.
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