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Lou Dobbs Tonight
President Bush Issues Executive Order Banning Torture of Terror Detainees; What Is America Eating?
Aired July 20, 2007 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight: President Bush calling for bringing in cheap foreign workers. Now the president says we're running out of workers altogether. We will report on the president's prediction of labor shortages in this country and his evolving language.
Regulation of imported food ingredients almost nonexistent. We don't know whether ingredients used in our food are safe or where they come from. Unfortunately, neither does the government.
And almost six years after September 11, the Bush administration is fighting congressional efforts to screen all U.S.-bound cargo ships for radioactive threats. The homeland security secretary says the plan would cost way too much.
All of that, all the day's news, our distinguished panel of political analysts, and much more straight ahead here tonight.
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT: news, debate, and opinion for Friday, July 20.
Live from New York, Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Good evening, everybody.
Is the Bush administration changing the definition of success in Iraq again? A successful surge was expected to lead to withdrawal of our troops. But a high-ranking U.S. commander suggests our troops will have to remain in Iraq for some time to come.
And Senator Hillary Clinton hitting back at the Pentagon. An official there charging that her questions about a withdrawal of troops would help the enemy.
We begin tonight with Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Lou, the U.S. surge is supposed to end with American troops coming home, and that may happen, just as not as soon as a lot of people expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): The U.S. military says the Wild West of Anbar Province, a former al Qaeda stronghold, is a success story. Last week, there were only 98 violent incidents in Anbar, compared to 428 for the same week a year ago. So, the surge forces there should be able to leave, right? Not so fast, says their commander.
MAJOR GENERAL WALTER GASKIN, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE - WEST: The key to this is having persistent presence, but I don't see it happening overnight. I believe it's another couple of years in order to get that to that.
MCINTYRE: A surge force of 120 Marines has been extended 30 days in Anbar to help lock in the gains of the past month, and that illustrates a common misconception, that, if the surge succeeds, it will allow U.S. troops to leave, while in fact success may create more pressure for the troops to stay until Iraqi forces can step in.
Here's what Major General Rick Lynch, another surge commander, told the AP: "It's going to be take me into next spring and summer to generate the sustained security presence."
So what about the September review? The number two commander in Iraq seemed to say he wants more time.
MAJ. GENERAL RAYMOND ODIERNO, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS - IRAQ: In order to do a good assessment, I need at least until November to do that assessment.
MCINTYRE: That apparently offhand comment drew a quick rebuke from the Senate Republican leader, who doesn't want to see November become the new September.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: I think September is the critical month.
MCINTYRE: In a statement, General Odierno insisted he was not moving the goal posts, saying, "My reference to November was simply suggesting that, as we two forward beyond September, we will gain more understanding of the trends."
But one trend is clear. U.S. commanders don't want to see the U.S. surge end too soon.
GENERAL JAMES CONWAY, U.S. MARINE CORPS COMMANDANT: If we pull out and are perceived to be pulling out without having achieved a measure of success, they win.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The consensus of the generals is that the biggest mistake of the past was pulling U.S. troops out too soon. So, it's going to be very hard for General David Petraeus to recommend troop cuts, when his front line commanders are dead-set against it -- Lou.
DOBBS: And what will be the result if we continue to hear from his generals these changing deadlines, trying to make November into the new September; success means we stay; success means we go? This is becoming Orwellian, almost, in the language evolution on the part of this administration and the general's staff.
MCINTYRE: Well, I think you have seen a pretty consistent message from the commanders in Iraq who have bought into this strategy, that it needs to continue into next year. And, again, that's when the troop surge would end if they change none of the rotations.
I think they feel like they have invested a lot of lives, a lot of effort in this strategy and they want to give it time to play out. And that goes directly against the mood here in Washington, which is results soon or pullout.
DOBBS: Yes. It also does not give quite sufficient weight to 30,000 of our troops killed and wounded, without it still a clear articulation of a strategy or a direction.
Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Insurgents have killed three more of our troops in Iraq, two soldiers killed in Baghdad, a third in an operation south of the city; 51 of our troops have been killed so far this month, 3,630 of our troops killed since the beginning of the war, 26,806 of our troops wounded, 12,020 of them seriously.
Democratic presidential front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton is striking back at a Pentagon official who suggested she's unpatriotic. The fight began when Senator Clinton asked about plans for eventual withdrawal of our troops for Iraq. The Pentagon official said discussing that kind of information would help our enemies.
But it turns out it may actually help Senator Clinton's run for the White House, as Dana Bash now reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senator Hillary Clinton knew she was stirring things up when she asked the defense secretary for contingency plans for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's imperative that the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs inform the Congress of the plans they have for redeployment.
BASH: Then came a rebuke from Undersecretary Eric Edelman, a former Dick Cheney aide, saying, "Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq."
So, instead of withdrawal plans, the Pentagon handed Clinton a political gift, a chance to boost her standing with 2008 Democratic primary voters by engaging in a high-profile fight with the Bush administration over Iraq.
Clinton fired back, calling Edelman's response a "timeworn tactic of once again impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions."
JENNY BACKUS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's been hard for Hillary to get some air inside the Iraq debate. She's not seen as the most of pure of the Democratic candidates, being an anti-war candidate.
BASH: Just last year, she was booed by Democratic activists by saying a withdrawal plan is a bad idea.
CLINTON: I do not believe that it is in the best interest of our troops or our country.
BASH: Now Clinton does vote for troop withdrawal and talks about it every chance she gets.
CLINTON: Let's end the war in Iraq in the right way and start bringing our combat...
MCINTYRE: But Democratic voters are still skeptical. And a head-to-head brawl with the Bush Pentagon sets her apart from other anti-war contenders.
BACKUS: The Clinton campaign is hoping that this is another side of their inevitable candidacy, that they can draw a response from the Bush administration, when no one else can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Clinton says she will introduce legislation along with John Kerry to force the Pentagon to brief Congress about their plans for a troop withdrawal from Iraq.
And, Lou, we just got a statement from the defense secretary, Robert Gates, who is clearly trying to diffuse this situation. He says that he is somebody who is a strong supporter of congressional oversight and also of congressional debate on Iraq. He also said that he promises to look into the issues that Senator Clinton has raised -- Lou.
DOBBS: Dana, thank you very much -- Dana Bash from Capitol Hill.
President Bush today accused congressional Democrats of delaying action to fund the war while they go on vacation this summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The House and Senate are now scheduled to leave for their August recess before passing a bill to support our troops and their missions. Even members of Congress who no longer support our effort in Iraq should at least be able to provide an increase in pay for our troops fighting there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: But where was the White House indignation when it was asked about the Iraqi parliament's summer vacation? Press (r)MDNM¯Secretary Tony Snow said: "You're going to try to talk them out of that? You know it's 133 degrees in Baghdad in August."
Tony Snow later retracted those comments. President Bush today addressed the controversy over the administration's treatment of terror suspects -- the president signing an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees.
Suzanne Malveaux has the report for us now from the White House -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lou, as you know, the controversy has been over whether or not there's torture involved -- the Bush administration under a great deal of pressure and criticism in how it treats its detainees. It's very clear in terms of the military, their Army Field Manual lays out the specifics, the details. It goes beyond the Geneva Convention, really considered the gold standard.
The controversy has been over how the CIA interrogation and treats the prisoners in its own custody, some secret prisons. These are considered the most dangerous. This is atypical warfare involving al Qaeda.
Now, President Bush in the past has said the Geneva Conventions did not apply to that specific group, to the CIA prisoners. The Supreme Court said otherwise. Now, the CIA has asked for what it calls legal clarification. Critics call it legal cover.
Either way, Lou, the executive order provides some sort of explanation, including in that, forbidden, murder, mutilation, torture, cruel or inhumane treatment, also, personal abuse done to humiliate or degrade, including sexually indecent acts, acts intended to denigrate one's religion.
It also spells out detainees must receive basic necessities, including food, water, shelter, protection from extreme heat, as well as cold.
Now, Lou, what's important to note is what this executive order does not spell out. While the Bush administration says, look, it has to keep specifics under wraps, they don't want to allow terrorists or would-be terrorists to know what these techniques are, is does not spell water-boarding, whether or not that is permissible, or sleep deprivation. And it define what they mean by extreme heat or extreme cold -- Lou.
DOBBS: Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, from the White House.
Vice President Cheney will assume presidential powers tomorrow for a few hours. President Bush to undergo a routine colonoscopy at Camp David. The president will be under anesthesia, and, during that period, presidential powers will be transferred to the vice president. A colonoscopy screens for colon cancer and is recommended for men over 50. The president is 61. The president last had that procedure five years ago. The test was negative.
Coming up next here, wait until you hear the president's latest rationale to bring in cheap foreign labor to this country. We will tell what you he has to say, and we will hear from a few people about what he really meant.
And the ingredients that make up the food we eat, we will tell why you they may pose a threat to your health and what your government is doing to protect consumers all across this country.
Georgia's Supreme Court hearing the case of a teenager serving a 10-year sentence for having consensual sex with a girl who was at the time 15 years old.
We will have the details, that and a great deal more straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Following this broadcast's extensive reporting on the government's failure to enact country-of-origin labeling, the House Agriculture Committee last night rejected an amendment to the farm bill that would have further weakened those requirements. The House is calling for specific language now on labeling of meats and vegetables with country-of-origin labels.
The government is currently not enforcing country-of-origin labeling, even though it's been mandated by law since 2002. Special interest groups and industry lobbyists want to weaken the existing, but still unenforced labeling requirements. They will make their voices heard, you can be certain, as this bill moves forward to the House floor next week for debate.
Incredibly, tonight, there is something else not being screened before it enters this country, raw ingredients that are used to make processed foods in various drinks. They are not inspected at all.
And, as Kitty Pilgrim now reports, there's virtually no way to tell where those ingredients come from, in many cases, what those ingredients are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These labels tell you how many grams of fat, protein and carbohydrates are in food. But what these labels don't tell you is where any of the ingredients came from.
A congressional panel found nobody else knows either, not the supermarket, not the Food and Drug Administration, and, in many cases, not even the food manufacturers.
WILLIAM HUBBARD, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: I saw country-of- origin labeling on a jar of apple juice the other day. And it said, apple juice from Turkey, Greece, Germany, United States, China and a couple of other countries. So, what that meant was, they were buying from all those sources, mixing it all together.
PILGRIM: Ingredients for all sorts of food from all over the world are blended together, sometimes with deadly consequences. Poisonous wheat gluten from China was mixed into pet food earlier this year with deadly results.
It's almost impossible to trace which manufacturers used that tainted wheat gluten. It's the same for shipments of most additives and ingredients.
DAVID NELSON, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE: Once it's out of that bag, even then, I mean, there's just -- there's no requirement that consumers be notified of the ingredients -- where the ingredients in their food comes from.
PILGRIM: But some call labeling and checking all ingredients that go into a product a logistical nightmare.
HUBBARD: Our soft drinks contain something called gum arabic, which comes from places like the Sudan and Somalia. Well, are you going to put "Product of Sudan" on there? Well, I don't think you are going to see soft drink guys wanting to do that. But there are these products in soft drinks.
PILGRIM: Other findings of the congressional panel, only 20 percent of imports are listed in the FDA computer system. Only 1 percent are actually inspected. The bulk of imports are not recorded or tracked.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now, some in Congress are standing up for the American people by pressuring the USDA to get moving on country-of-origin rules. In the House and Senate, Rosa DeLauro, Byron Dorgan threatened to cut off the salaries of USDA employees if they don't make the 2008 deadline.
House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson stood up to the lobbyists, rejected their amendment to dismantle country-of-origin rules. So, we are seeing some people in Congress standing up, but we still don't have these rules in place -- Lou.
DOBBS: Even though it's law?
PILGRIM: Even though it's law.
DOBBS: And the gentleman from the FDA suggesting it would be too cumbersome, a logistical problem, isn't it wonderful that the FDA is so concerned about logistics and inconvenience, rather than the safety of the American consumer?
PILGRIM: It is preposterous that this is used as an argument, but it is routinely used as an argument, that you can't trace anything.
DOBBS: Well, that's an abject lie, because you can.
PILGRIM: You can.
DOBBS: And every one of them that says it, including the gentleman from the FDA, ought to be slapped around.
And, by the way, why do those people sitting there in the United States Congress, the chairman of that committee doing a good job, and that committee is doing a good job, but why do they have to sit there and listen to such palpable nonsense from a bunch of lobbyists and bureaucrats? Why not just tell them, get on with the people's business; we are here for the people?
PILGRIM: It certainly seems high time, especially since the law was passed in 2002.
DOBBS: Yes, absolutely.
Kitty, thank you very much. Stay on it -- Kitty Pilgrim.
That brings us to the subject of our poll tonight. The question is: Should Congress pass legislation requiring mandatory country-of- origin labeling for all foods, yes or no? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com. We will have the results here later in the broadcast. And we will send the results to our good friend over at the FDA, who thinks it's such a cumbersome task.
Hard work. I believe the president call that kind of thing hard work, right?
Perhaps some of our reporting on dangerous food imports is being heard by the Chinese government as well. Communist China today shut down three plants linked to tainted pet food and mislabeled drugs. One of those plants in question using an ingredient found in antifreeze and cold medicine that it produced. The cold medicine killed at least 100 people in Panama.
The plant closings come one day after China accused the United States of groundless smear attacks, also saying -- quote -- "It is unfair and irresponsible for the U.S. media to single China out, play up China's food safety problems, and mislead the U.S. consumer."
Well, since this broadcast has been at the forefront of reporting on consumer safety and those tainted and dangerous imports from China, we would just like to point out to them that there is nothing misguided, other than the Chinese government and the way in which it is not in any way screening its products.
But, even more importantly, more disgusting than the Chinese government is the American government that is not doing its job to protect American consumers.
As communist China tries to defend its lax safety standards, another Chinese-made product is being recalled. Black & Decker recalling more than 200,000 of its Grass Hog string trimmer after more than 700 people complained of flying parts, injuries from the grass trimmer ranging from serious legs cut to facial wounds.
Let's take look at some of your thoughts now.
Terry in Illinois: "Lou, isn't it peculiar that our government says that they will not import safe pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, but imports poisonous foods from communist China? What a Congress we have."
What an administration we have.
Bob in California: "Food laws that are on the books and not enforced, immigration laws that are on the books and not enforced. What does Mr. Bush mean when he says, 'We are a country of laws'? What good are laws that aren't being enforced, Mr. Bush?"
And, in response to the Senate Democrats who held that all- nighter this week, complete with cots, to highlight their demand for a withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, Sally in Texas said: "The Democrats got my attention with the cots. How stupid."
We will have more of your thoughts here later in the broadcast.
Georgia's Supreme Court today heard arguments in the case of Genarlow Wilson. Wilson is serving a 10-year prison sentence for having consensual oral sex with a girl. She was 15 years old at the time. He was 17. He's already spent almost three years behind bars. Supporters today marched for his release from prison. Wilson was a high school senior at the time of his arrest.
When we continue here, President Bush still pushing for open borders, amnesty guest workers program, that is, guest-worker programs, in addition to the eight we already have, right, Mr. President? Our special report coming up next.
And the presidential race becoming competitive in one Southern state. We will have the latest poll results, the latest analysis.
Stay with us. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: The Senate today overwhelmingly approved an overhaul of this nation's student loan programs. The legislation would boost student aid by more than $17 billion. The largest increase would be in Pell Grants, the country's principal aid program for lower income students.
The bill also cutting subsidies to lenders by about $18 billion over five years. The student loan industry has come under criticism over the past year for questionable business practices.
There are unexpected front-runners now among the presidential candidates in South Carolina. A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds Senator Hillary Clinton leading among the Democrats, far ahead of Senator Barack Obama and Senator John Edwards. On the Republican side, New Yorker Rudy Giuliani has taken the lead there.
Bill Schneider has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): You don't need to go to Darlington Raceway to find hot competition in South Carolina. In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton is leading Barack Obama, with John Edwards running third. Clinton and Edwards are closely matched among whites. Two candidates do better with black Democrats -- Clinton...
CLINTON: In the next two hours, I think we will talk about more issues important to the African-American community than the Bush administration has in six and a half years.
SCHNEIDER: ... and Obama.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prison than attend colleges and universities across America.
SCHNEIDER: Clinton's strong black support accounts for most of her lead in South Carolina, but she faces serious competition from Obama.
Look who's leading the Republican race in South Carolina. A former mayor of New York City with moderate views on some social issues.
RUDY GIULIANI (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ultimately, there has to be a right to choose.
SCHNEIDER: South Carolina conservatives have not yet rallied behind a favorite. Giuliani is leading, with Fred Thompson showing strength even though he isn't in the race yet.
Conservatives admire Giuliani's record on terrorism and his defiance of liberals in New York.
GEORGE WILL, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: I would say that your next speaker produced the eight most consecutive years of successful conservative governance in the 20th century in America.
SCHNEIDER: One more hot competition. South Carolina's supposed to be a solid red state. But President Bush's current job approval rating is 35 percent. Right now, more South Carolina voters say they would vote for a Democrat than a Republican for president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: And, if South Carolina is up for grabs, you know, Republicans have got to be worried. And get your mind around this. Who is leading in South Carolina in the Democratic and Republican parties? Two New Yorkers.
DOBBS: That is difficult to comprehend.
(LAUGHTER)
DOBBS: Could there also be something called early stages? SCHNEIDER: Early? Of course it's an early stage. But it's all we got right now. And things are going to change by the minute.
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: And, by God, we are going to analyze it, no matter what stage we are at.
(LAUGHTER)
DOBBS: And it's fascinating. The idea that this -- you're watching two New Yorkers do so well and the idea being that the homegrown son would be doing better -- he actually won, Edwards, last time.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. He won the South Carolina Democratic primary last time. He's coming in third now. He, of course, was from South Carolina.
DOBBS: Right. Right.
SCHNEIDER: And he's a Southerner. And...
DOBBS: And Giuliani and Clinton aren't.
SCHNEIDER: They are not.
DOBBS: So maybe we are going to have to throw out a lot of conventional wisdom here. Wouldn't that be nice?
SCHNEIDER: I hope so, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
DOBBS: Wouldn't that be nice?
SCHNEIDER: OK.
DOBBS: Bill Schneider, thank you very much.
Coming up here next: President Bush still calling for foreign guest workers at the expense of this country's middle-class working men and women. We will have that report for you.
Almost six years after September 11, our government is still undecided about whether to protect our ports from radioactive threat. We will have that report.
And Senator Clinton strikes back at the Pentagon official who says she's unpatriotic. We will be talking about that and a host of other issues with our distinguished panel of political experts.
Stay with us. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DOBBS: The president still pushing his grand bargain, his failed grand bargain, on illegal immigration at the expense of middle-class families. The president now predicting a major labor crisis in this country unless we import more cheap foreign labor.
The president has a long list of catchphrases over the years for why we should support his open borders amnesty policies and, of course, his guest-worker programs -- among his favorites, illegal aliens do jobs Americans won't do and take jobs Americans won't take. President Bush also said we should match willing workers with willing employers to do the jobs Americans won't do.
And now we can add, "man, we're running out of workers" to the list.
"Man, we're running out of workers."
Yes, the president actually said that.
Christine Romans now reports on the president's latest efforts to revive his plans for his so-called comprehensive immigration reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president says failure to pass his immigration reform will spark a labor shortage in this country.
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can make you a prediction, though, that pretty shortly people are going to be knocking on people's doors saying, man, we're running out of workers.
ROMANS: He says the economy is strong, the unemployment rate a low 4-1/2 percent.
BUSH: A lot of Americans are working and there are still jobs Americans don't want to do.
ROMANS: It's a swipe at those who defeated his plan for new guest worker programs.
Senator Bernie Sanders was one of them. He believes if there were a labor shortage, wages and benefits would be rising.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), VERMONT: Wages, in many instances, are going down. Benefits are being cut. And what these get workers programs are designed to do is bring cheap labor in, both at low wage jobs and at professional jobs. And we've got to get a handle on that problem.
ROMANS: Senator Sanders worries the programs we have don't treat workers with dignity and Americans are not always offered the jobs first.
The president did not specify which businesses will run out of workers. But the restaurant industry has warned of looming shortages, as has agriculture. The Western Growers Association says: "Because of failure of immigration reform, some crops this season will rot. Twenty percent of 30 percent of farm workers will not return this harvest because fear of raids and more difficulty crossing the border." Without foreign workers...
JAMES HOLT, AGRICULTURE ECONOMIST: That means, for certain industries, like agriculture, that are at the bottom end of the job pyramid, fit means deciding to cede the production of food and fiber in this country to foreign producers.
ROMANS: But in Colorado, some growers are getting the work done legally by turning to prison labor. This onion field weeded by female inmates paid $9.60 an hour.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ROMANS: The Congressional Research Service, earlier this year, concluded there may be spot labor shortages in agriculture, but found no evidence of nationwide shortages. Senator Sanders says any ag shortages are no excuse for the president's vast guest worker programs. That would be, he said, a handout for business... Lou.
DOBBS: Yes. This is remarkable, why this president is so intractable, so intransigent, so assertive of the idea that we've got to have guest worker programs to secure the borders.
The number of catchphrases, as you've reported, that keep coming out of his mouth... the facts are these... that in the four principal industries that are the greatest employers of illegal aliens... those are referring to restaurants, hospitality, leisure, landscaping and construction... wages are declining, not rising, as there would... as would be the case if there were a shortage of labor.
It is mind-boggling why... how little facts and the empirical matter in this debate which, if it were up to this president, would go on in perpetuity until he got his way.
It's amazing.
ROMANS: The president says that we're coming to a day when people are going to knock on the door and say, man, we're running out of workers. He didn't say what industries, but he said we're running out of workers.
DOBBS: And I know who will be knocking on the door. It'll be George W. Bush, for sure, because he'll be out of a job in about a year -and-a-half, won't he?
Thank you very much, Christine Romans.
Mexico has repeatedly blasted the United States for treatment of Mexican nationals who are living in this country illegally after illegally crossing our borders.
In an interview published today, Mexico's ambassador to the United States says Mexico should stop preaching to the north and instead look at the way it sometimes abuses immigrants who crosses its own southern border with Latin America.
Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan also explained why Mexico's new president is now focused on creating jobs to keep Mexican workers at home. Quoting him: "No country can grow if it is not able to hold on to its women and men."
The ambassador also said it was a dumb mistake to include tips on how best to cross the border in that comic book that the Mexican government distributed to one -and-a-half million illegal aliens back in 2005.
Good going, Mr. Ambassador.
Now we've got a basis for people to start making some sense in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico. Of course, now it's up to the United States to start making a little sense.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today announced new plans to protect trade and commerce after a terrorist attack.
But what is the government doing to prevent just such an attack?
Nearly six years after 9/11, Congress is still forced to demand that all cargo ships headed into the United States be scanned for radioactive materials before they leave foreign ports, while the Bush administration continues to insist that that would be simply too expensive.
Casey Wian reports from the Port of Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
QUESTION: Can we get a few questions, Mr. Secretary?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff toured the Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, the nation's busiest, and saw the latest in radiation detection technology designed to prevent terrorists from sneaking a dirty bomb into the United States.
But lawmakers who accompanied Chertoff say the Bush administration is not doing enough to prevent an attack before cargo ships reach U.S. ports.
REP. JANE HARMAN, (D-CF), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Are we really ready?
I read the latest National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism, a 50-page document. And I worry that we are ripe for an attack. And I worry that a port complex like this could be the first target.
WIAN: Thursday, House and Senate negotiators voted to require the Homeland Security Department to screen all U.S. bound cargo ships before they leave their home ports. But Chertoff refused to endorse that. MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: What we support is a system that gets us as far as is practicable. Obviously, though, we're going to have to do this in cooperation with other countries. And as to the prior point, we've got to make before we put the systems in place overseas they actually work.
WIAN: And that is far from certain. Last year, the General Accountability Office reported that the new radiation detection devices worked less than half the time. And in some cases, their success rate was just 17 percent.
Chertoff says those numbers are outdated and improved, but he admits more testing is needed. Only about 6 percent of the cargo entering the United States is physically inspected.
Homeland Security official say it's only necessary to physically inspect cargo it determines is a potential threat.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WIAN: The reason for today's event was to announce plans... progress on plans to resume cargo shipments after a terrorist attack.
But the question remains, is the federal government doing enough to prevent an attack from happening in the first place... Lou?
DOBBS: That's an amazingly expensive backdrop for government officials to be having a discussion about the progress of plans that are neither firm nor clear nor, in point of fact, in process.
WIAN: Yes, and they're trying to put on a united front, if you will, saying they're... they're all working towards the same goal of trying to prevent a terrorist attack at our ports.
But it's clear there are very, very deep differences between Congress and this administration. The administration says it wants to do everything practicable to secure the ports, not absolutely secure the ports. It sounds a lot like the operational control of the borders they talk about.
DOBBS: Right.
WIAN: They don't talk about 100 percent border security or port security. They're clearly trying to make compromises... Lou.
DOBBS: Compromise and some obfuscation, as well, of a stark reality that perhaps isn't, you know, the best place to have to deal with practicable solutions, as the good secretary of Homeland Security put it.
Casey Wian from the Port of Los Angeles.
Thank you, sir.
The federal government is finally taking some steps that it says will secure our borders announcing construction of the border fence. That border fence construction will begin, we're told now, reliably, some time this fall. We're told by homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. That's pretty reliable. He says that fence is not only to protect the border communities, it's to protect the country.
The Secure Fence Act signed last October into law, authorizes construction of a fence covering a third of the more than 2,000 mile long border with Mexico. About 14 miles of double construction fencing is in place between the Pacific Coast and Northern Mesa, California, but that fence was built back before the Fence Act and actually works.
Since then, by the way, we've matched progress. Only 14 miles of fencing near Yuma, Arizona is even under construction.
Up next, presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton... she's firing back against the Pentagon for questioning her patriotism. We will have that discussion.
And later in Heroes, our weekly tribute to the men and women who serve this nation in uniform, tonight you're going to meet Army Captain Colin Cremin.
Stay with us.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: In a moment, our team of top political analysts.
But first let's look at some of your thoughts.
Wade in Montana said: "What we have is immigration by intimidation from all quarters."
Walter wrote in to say: "Well, how about that? Johnny Sutton is a good friend of Mr. Bush. I guess the Border Patrol agents have a snowball's chance in hell of having Mr. Bush commute their sentences."
I'd rate them slightly higher than that.
Bill in New Mexico: "Let me get this straight. George Bush and ex-president Vicente Fox are buddy-buddy. George Bush and Johnny Sutton are also buddy-buddy. And two Border Patrol agents are in jail for doing their job. Why would we ever suspect any collusion on this case?"
Patrick in New Hampshire: "The story of the Border Patrol agents has gone off the scope of most TV news organizations. Thanks, Lou, for keeping it alive and thanks to the brave bipartisan senators for taking Johnny Sutton to task. This is a travesty to our judicial system."
And, finally: "Lou, don't worry, not all the clergy are with the reverend who says you have no chance of redemption. You're doing a great job for god and country. God bless you."
I appreciate that because that's from Father Bob in Florida. I need all the help I can get.
Joining me now... speaking of all the help I can get... Errol Louis, columnist, New York "Daily News".
Mark Halperin. He is senior political analyst, "Time" magazine.
And Democratic strategist... Democratic national committeeman... did I say that with the appropriate gravitas... Robert Zimmerman.
Good to have you all here.
Well, the Democrats had a sleep-in, a little slumber party. The nation is now safe.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Actually, the nation should be a lot more concerned about the Republicans who didn't sleep in.
(LAUGHTER)
ZIMMERMAN: As far as I'm concerned, the Democrats are stand... are doing the right thing tactically.
DOBBS: Right.
ZIMMERMAN: They're doing the right thing in terms of keeping true to their mission to try to change the strategy. And the real contempt and sarcasm belongs with those Republican senators who say this (INAUDIBLE)...
DOBBS: Oh, I... don't worry. I've got plenty of attempt and sarcasm for them, as well.
ZIMMERMAN: OK.
I thought I would just help you out a little bit, that's all.
DOBBS: We're not going to expend it all the in one shot here.
ZIMMERMAN: OK. But those Republican senators who say this is the wrong mission, it's being executed poorly and don't vote to change it.
DOBBS: What do you think, Errol?
ERROL LOUIS, NEW YORK "DAILY NEWS": I think the... I think it did look like a publicity stunt, which, in fact, it was. It didn't change the course of the debate. It didn't win over a single senator from the other side. It didn't do anything for the troops overseas. And I think the less of this posturing, the closer the Democrats will get to actually sort of accomplishing their goal, which is a troop withdrawal.
DOBBS: You know, let's... let me ask you this, Mark, because I think it's fascinating, because there is merit, there is truth, there is appropriate context. And the Democrats do need those 60 votes in Senate to move forward. But there is no truth to the fact that the Democratic leadership in either house requires 60 votes to have an intelligent, meaningful discussion and debate.
Why in the world are we not seeing that?
MARK HALPERIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, here's my concern, Lou. My concern is that your viewers are going to think this is a rerun of your program. President Bush will not change course. The Democrats can't force him to.
I don't know if you stayed up all night, but some of that debate was perfectly reasonable, perfectly sophisticated.
President Bush will only...
DOBBS: In fact, we're going to have to compare notes...
(LAUGHTER)
DOBBS:... because which part did you see that...
HALPERIN: Two...
DOBBS:... explored the options that are between the polar extremes of complete withdrawal and staying the course?
HALPERIN: Well...
DOBBS:... because I missed that part of the debate.
HALPERIN: Well, complete withdrawal is... is in the eye of the beholder. The president is for a complete withdrawal eventually, as well.
The problem right now is the problem as it's been. President Bush does not plan to change his policy. He plans to continue to pursue what he thinks will work until Republicans force him to change and they're not forcing him to change.
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: Let me pour this down just a little bit, because Mark and I seem to be, you know, just glancing here rather than confronting the issue.
Let me put it this way. At what point in that evening's meaningful, substantive debate did you hear a discussion from either Democrats or Republican as to what would be the implications and consequences of withdrawal on both the population of Iraq...
HALPERIN: Right.
DOBBS:... upon the Middle East, upon U.S. interests and upon U.S. foreign policy in the region in years to come?
HALPERIN: At about 3:15 a.m.
DOBBS: Who was it...
HALPERIN: Just kidding...
DOBBS: Who was it? Let me just...
HALPERIN: No, I'm just kidding, Lou.
Look, there is...
DOBBS: I wanted to get that.
HALPERIN: There have been discussions in the Senate amongst what we used to see regularly in Washington, a bipartisan group of centrists who want a compromise. Any sensible foreign policy analyst in the White House, on Capitol Hill, anywhere in the world, believes the same thing... there needs to be, eventually, some U.S. withdrawal, some U.S. troop presence and a responsible dealing with the aftermath once the withdrawal begins.
The timing of that, the terms of that, it's all going to have to be decided. But that's not where the debate is, Lou, because that's not what the president is interested in. There's too much distance between Pelosi and Reid and Bush for that debate to be meaningful right now.
ZIMMERMAN: You know, it's really not about when, in fact, they're going to lead. This is a debate about whether the Republican Senate is going to step up, recognizing this... and across the board there's a recognition this mission has failed. The surge is a completely poor strategy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not across the board.
ZIMMERMAN: Amongst... amongst most Republican... among many Republican leaders. When you have John Warner, when you have that caliber standing up, and Richard Lugar standing up, you have legitimately important Republican leaders who recognize this surge, from the very beginning, was nothing more than a political cover for a failed strategy.
HALPERIN: But not the president and not the military leaders...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why...
HALPERIN: And not the military leaders on whom the president is relying.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in December, said the surge was a failed strategy and should not be pursued. And it's... I mean, Errol, I differ with you in that this is very important for the troops, because they at least show that the Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate is trying to bring them out of a shooting gallery of a civil war and focus on fighting Al Qaeda, which is resurrecting itself. LOUIS: Well, they could... I mean they could do that with some of these funding resolutions. They could...
ZIMMERMAN: They're trying to.
LOUIS: They could... they can literally sort of draw the line in the sand and say that they're simply not going to allow anything beyond that.
ZIMMERMAN: They have tried. They have tried it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But...
ZIMMERMAN: Look at the Hagel-Webb Amendment, for example, that was designed to say to the soldiers, no, you don't go back for another mission until there's a proper period of time.
LOUIS: But, Robert, they know that they have to get more Republican votes. They have to have some kind of an intelligent dialogue with them.
Do you think that that's what happened?
(CROSSTALK)
LOUIS: It's going to require political and public pressure.
DOBBS: May I just... again, assert for your consideration, gentlemen, shouldn't there be an intelligent dialogue on Capitol Hill, in the House and the Senate first?
It's my contention we haven't not had that. I don't believe either the policies of this president or the approach in tactics of the Democratic Party, unexamined, would withstand intelligent debate and real rigorous analysis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have had...
DOBBS: We haven't seen it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have...
DOBBS: And this is a Congress... we have all heard from the leadership... and I happen to believe that they... they absolutely want to be factual. They want to be empirical, not just ideological.
Why can't we get there?
HALPERIN: I'll just say again, the distance between Speaker Pelosi and leader Reid and President Bush is too vast to foster the kind of debate you'd like to see.
DOBBS: Well...
ZIMMERMAN: We've had had hearing after hearing...
DOBBS: I'm not talking about that nonsense.
(CROSSTALK)
ZIMMERMAN:... hearings before.
DOBBS: I'm sorry?
ZIMMERMAN: You've asked about hearings, whether there's an (INAUDIBLE)...
DOBBS: No, no. What I'm talking about is an intelligent debate on the part of this Congress. Because this is not as simple as either the president or the Democratic leadership... they've been positioned into polar extremes that are cartoonish in caricatures of a... of a position rather than a responsible direction of the policy. We... and we all know that.
ZIMMERMAN: I don't agreed Reed-Levin is a cartoonist solution. I this it's an intelligent approach for phased redeployment, Lou.
DOBBS: OK.
ZIMMERMAN: And I... and I think it's certainly something that's carried both in the House and the Senate.
DOBBS: Then I will defer to you and move to something far more important and substantive.
How are things going in South Carolina for your candidate?
ZIMMERMAN: Actually, pretty good.
DOBBS: That's why I asked.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
DOBBS: I want to put... I want to see a smile on your face.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, you know, it's... actually, it's kind of remarkable from where she started. Watching John Edwards, who was...
DOBBS: You're right. She started with incredible disadvantages. She the had the most money. She had been a sitting U.S. senator from New York...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A pretty good political adviser.
DOBBS: First lady for eight years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
DOBBS: And some apparatus inherited from her husband...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She overcame...
(CROSSTALK) DOBBS: So is this going to be a riches to riches story that you're about to...
ZIMMERMAN: I'll take it, either way. The bottom line is she started out behind in Iowa and she's picking up steam there.
DOBBS: Right.
ZIMMERMAN: In South Carolina John... John Edwards was born there. He represented the neighboring state...
DOBBS: Robert, I have to say...
ZIMMERMAN: I try my best.
DOBBS: It's funny because with you all, it is never enough to be doing well. It has to represent momentum and overcoming... I mean there's just, you know, have to write a...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Expectations.
DOBBS:... great political narrative here. It's not enough to be ahead.
Is it much too early to divine much from this?
LOUIS: It's early. It's maybe not much too early. The thing that everyone remembers, I think...
DOBBS: My God, you guys are being so discreet in your partisan...
LOUIS:... is that, listen, there was a...
DOBBS: Early but not too early.
LOUIS: There was this narrative. I remembering being in Burlington, Vermont and watching this guy called Howard Dean announce for president. And it looked like the wind what at his back and he had young people and he had the Internet and he raised all this money and he was the favorite going in. And it was over within about seven days.
DOBBS: Yes.
LOUIS: And voters have a way, fortunately, in our democracy, of surprising everyone, even the pundits.
HALPERIN: What it means right now is there are two heavyweight candidates in the Democratic field... Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. If you look at the early states, they both have some strength.
John Edwards and all of the other Democrats, if they want to be players here, are going to have to find a place to breakthrough. It does not look, right now, like that will be South Carolina.
DOBBS: As our Bill Schneider is reporting this week, none of the above beating everyone on the Republican side.
The import?
HALPERIN: There... we can't really say because the Republican Party has never lacked for a frontrunner. And now you could make an argument that any of three people are the frontrunner and the guy who was the frontrunner two months ago could be poised for a comeback.
So you just don't know. The Republicans have never dealt with this as a tribal group.
LOUIS: None of the above tells you that there's a lot of dissatisfaction out there. Dissatisfaction is a very volatile and unpredictable emotion when it comes to voters.
DOBBS: And I'm not giving you any opportunity to cop out on these Republicans.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
DOBBS: We can safely conclude, and I'm sure in agreement, it's early days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's early days.
DOBBS: Robert Zimmerman, thank you very much.
Errol Louis, thank you.
Mark Halperin, thank you.
HALPERIN: Thank you.
DOBBS: Up next, Heroes, our weekly tribute to the remarkable men and women who serve this nation in uniform.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Heroes now, our weekly tribute to the outstanding men and women who serve this nation in uniform.
Tonight we want to you meet Army captain Colin Cremin. Captain Cremin earned a Silver Star for his leadership while his convoy was ambushed in Iraq. He now trains soldiers heading for duty in Afghanistan.
Lisa Sylvester has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Colin Cremin grew up in the military. His parents met while serving in Vietnam. CAPT. COLIN CREMIN, U.S. ARMY: My dad was General Brown's aide, the four star in charge of Air Force. And my mom was Creighton's Abraham's secretary, the ground commander. So one four star said to the other four star, I think my aide should date your secretary. And that's actually how they met.
SYLVESTER: Cremin wanted to continue his parents' military legacy. His dream was to become a pilot. But poor eyesight kept him from that goal. So instead, in August 2000, he left his mortgage industry job and joined the Army. Cremin served 12 months in Iraq on a rebuilding mission with the 1st Armored Division. His unit was preparing to return home when violence erupted in Sadr City. They would stay in Iraq for an additional three months.
His bravery was soon tested. April 17, 2004, he was commanding a convoy... 70 large tractor-trailers transporting tanks from Al Kut to An Najaf.
CREMIN: When we came through Diwaniyah, there was a huge tractor- trailer that had been overturned on our primary route. And our primary route was to skirt the city. You don't ever want to go, you know, through an unknown. And it was... as we passed through, I guess, the downtown portion of Diwaniyah, that's pretty much when all hell broke loose.
SYLVESTER: The convoy was under attack.
CREMIN: It's almost inscribable. You've got insurgents that were on the rooftops firing down on us. You've got people firing down windows, alleyways, heavy small arms fire and a lot of RPGs. And they were just... any opportunity to shoot at any vehicle that came by.
SYLVESTER: Under heavy enemy fire, Cremin ordered all vehicles to a safe rally point, directed troops out of harm's way and protected sensitive military equipment. For his leadership and bravery, he was awarded a Silver Star.
Today, Cremin is stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas. Calling on his experience in Iraq, he trains Army, Navy and Air Force personnel for deployment to Afghanistan, where they will train Afghan forces.
He says the most important thing for them is patience.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DOBBS: And Captain Cremin has applied for a post as instructor at West Point.
We wish him well.
Coming up next, we'll have the results of our poll.
Stay with us.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight. Ninety-nine percent of you say Congress should pass legislation requiring mandatory country of origin labeling on all foods imported into this country.
Thanks for being with us tonight.
Please join us tomorrow.
For all of us, thanks for watching.
Have a great weekend.
Good night from New York.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" begins now with Miles O'Brien... Miles.
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