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President Bush Defends Surveillance Program; Former President Gerald Ford Released From Hospital; Cleaning Up Capitol Hill; U.S. Army Stretched to Breaking Point?

Aired January 25, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour and we bring good news to you regarding former President Gerald Ford.
Fredricka Whitfield in the newsroom been working the developments for us.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good news, indeed, Kyra.

After more than a week of being hospitalized, it appears as though the former president, Gerald Ford, has now been released.

Kareen Wynter is in Rancho Mirage with an update and the circumstances of his release -- Kareen.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.

We got a brief statement a short time ago, saying that former President Gerald Ford had indeed been released from Eisenhower Medical Center here in Rancho Mirage, a very brief statement, but it basically summed everything up, what people were waiting here for the last several days to hear, as Mr. Ford was hospitalized for about 11 days.

We simply know that he's doing well and the Ford family wants to thank everyone for all their support. It's still unclear whether or not Mr. Ford was -- was released some time yesterday or today. We also just got off the phone with the family's personal pastor, Reverend Robert Certain. And he shed -- said -- shed a little light on what's going on right now.

He says the family is, of course, very, very pleased. They're relieved. He -- that he had been speaking to the family on a daily basis, especially Mrs. Ford, who he said was, of course, always concerned about her husband's situation, but not to point that she had to actually stay here overnight at the hospital.

He told us that she went home every night, and that, also, yesterday, the family got some word of his imminent release. And that, of course, came some time today or yesterday. The reverend also says the family was so confident that he had to attend a funeral out of town. And they said, no, go ahead. Do what you need to do. We will be fine here.

So, it gives you an idea of what the media has been -- been releasing -- been getting the last several days through these very, very short releases, Fredricka, just simply that, of course, the condition was not life-threatening, that Mr. Ford was doing well. There was also some indication that, maybe, perhaps, he would have been released last Thursday, as, again, through his press office, we were told that Mr. Ford was not only anxious to leave here, but that he was getting up out of bed, reading the newspaper, eating, but, the days following that, it was very brief, so we really had no idea where things were going.

Word coming, again, today, Mr. Ford has been released -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Kareen -- good news for the 92-year-old and all of his fans and supporters there -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Fred.

Well, the war on Iraq -- the war in Iraq, rather, is raging, boasts Osama bin Lade, and clashes in Afghanistan -- quote -- "are on the rise in our favor." In his latest audiotape, bin Laden could have added there's no apparent limit to the number of young Muslims eager to join his fight against the U.S.

One new recruitment center is Yemen, where CNN's Barbara Starr travelled to Yemen for a story you will only see on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In the cafes of Yemen's capital city, San'a', there is music, tea and talk of politics. In the Old Souk, there are few tourists. Yemen has had a rush of kidnapings of Westerners, especially in the north.

Rashad al Alimi, minister of interior, is responsible for the fight against al Qaeda here. He granted a rare interview to CNN to talk about the security situation.

Rashad said the organized al Qaeda cell here, in the aftermath of the attack on the USS Cole, is gone. But he knows Osama bin Laden still has supporters here. And there is a new al Qaeda worry. Rashad says young men in Yemen, including Saudis, are joining Abu Musab al- Zarqawi's network in Iraq to fight the U.S.

More than 70 men inside Yemen have been arrested, some on their way back from Iraq. The U.S. and Yemen are now working together to track the Zarqawi recruiting network here.

It came to a head when a plot was uncovered last year. The U.S. ambassador explained.

THOMAS KRAJESKI, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO YEMEN: We have some evidence, information that a group that conspired and planned to attack the embassy, to -- to assassinate me, to assassinate the president of Yemen, that some members of that group had been in Iraq and had been in contact with Zarqawi.

STARR: But the U.S. says the government here still has to clean up its own act. (on camera): The U.S. has just cut economic aid to this country almost in half to about $8 million over concern about government corruption here. But Yemen says the U.S. money is vital to fighting the foothold that terrorists have in this country.

(voice-over): This impoverished nation, a vital U.S. ally in the war against al Qaeda, still under pressure from Washington and finding, the U.S. war in Iraq is posing new challenges.

Barbara Starr, CNN, San'a', Yemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

It's almost over for Alito, unless you mean his new career as Supreme Court justice, in which that case is closer than ever. Sam Alito's Senate confirmation appears to be a foregone conclusion, with 52 senators on record planning to vote yes, probably later this week.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination on a 10-8 party-line vote, leaving Democrats no real weapon left but filibuster. And that, barring some truly unexpected development, isn't in the works. Republicans want a unanimous vote, but 52 will do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I enthusiastically support his confirmation. Judge Alito deserves to become Justice Alito. And those who oppose him are smearing a decent and honorable man and imposing an unfair political standard on all judicial nominees.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Americans have to be concerned with government snooping into their medical records, their library records, listening to their telephone calls. And the role of executive power is an issue of enormous importance and significance at this time for all Americans. I do not believe that Judge Alito would stand up to a president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The White House wants Alito in his new job before the president's State of the Union address next Tuesday.

Well, cleaning up the lobbying on Capitol Hill, can it be done? Lawmakers tried again today in yet another hearing sorting through a plethora of plans for putting things back in order. They all have one thing in common, fears that the folks back home suspect their representatives may have crossed the line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: We're going to do things over the next three to six months that's going to look good on paper, but, until you change the motivations of the institution, you're not going to change the behavior.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: The consequences of Abramoff's crimes are so antithetical to our way of governance and so embarrassing to Congress, that Democrats and Republicans, House members and senators, agree that Congress must act and we will. Trust between the people and their elected leaders is essential to our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Among the reforms on the table, Republican Senator John McCain's proposal to rein in spending on events honoring lawmakers, senior aides and administration officials.

"Obscene and wrong," the heated words of BellSouth employee Vicki Taylor regarding what she contends was illegal activity by BellSouth lobbyists.

CNN's Andrea Koppel has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stone's throw from Capitol Hill, lobbyists and lawmakers have been fixtures at some Washington's finer restaurants. But now, in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, with lawmakers calling for reforms, the power lunch seems not so appetizing.

Vicki Taylor, a former administrative assistant at BellSouth's Washington office, knows all about the wining and dining.

VICKI TAYLOR, FORMER BELLSOUTH EMPLOYEE: I felt like I was paying party bills. It -- it was party time. It looked like party time to me. Furthermore, it's unethical.

KOPPEL: Taylor, who is now on administrative leave with pay, had worked at BellSouth since 1991 and was responsible for processing the lobbyists' receipts from some of Washington's most expensive restaurants.

TAYLOR: I had to look at these receipts every day, and I had to create vouchers and put this information in, knowing that this is not ethical.

KOPPEL: Taylor claims these documents prove that BellSouth lobbyists knowingly violated House and Senate gift rules, which forbid lawmakers and their staff from accepting meals over $50, or a total of $100 a year. In some cases, it appears a single meal could run over $100 a person.

(on camera): How common was it that they passed those limits?

TAYLOR: Well, you see all the yellow highlighting. They passed the limits a lot. KOPPEL (voice-over): But a spokesman for the telecom giant told CNN that "BellSouth respects the rules that officials impose on themselves" and called these documents raw data and meaningless, because they don't take into account whether lawmakers picked up part of the tab.

Still, congressional watchdogs say lobbyists footing the bill for meals and trips is peanuts, compared to the millions raised in campaign contributions. A recent study concluded, 80 members of Congress have used corporate lobbyists to head their fund-raising committees.

MELANIE SLOAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICS: And if they're pulling in those dollars, then members of Congress are listening to those lobbyists with an ear which they may not be listening to everybody else.

KOPPEL (on camera): Banning lawmakers from hiring lobbyists as treasurers or to head up campaign committees is one proposal that is being floated by Republican Senator John McCain, just one of many reforms that some Democrats and mostly Republicans are now putting on the table.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Is Big Brother watching? The American Civil Liberties Union says the government has been watching citizens involved in peaceful protests in Georgia.

It says newly released government documents confirm surveillance of anti-war vigils and -- get this -- a demonstration by vegans outside a ham store near Atlanta. An FBI spokesperson says that all of his agency's investigations are based on tips that crimes may have been committed. He also suggested that having one's name in an FBI file isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Road map to a new life or guidebook for breaking the law? The immigration debate heads in a new direction, printed maps to help would-be immigrants, designed in America and distributed in Mexico.

They're straight ahead. Can't miss them on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Is the U.S. Army overdeployed, under-recruited, stretched to the breaking point? Well, a study commissioned by the Pentagon indicates it is. But Donald Rumsfeld begs to differ.

The defense secretary briefed reporters back in the first hour of LIVE FROM.

And CNN's Jamie McIntyre was front and center, more or less, and he was hammering him with those questions as well. Now, Jamie, just -- just before we talk about this study, I was confused, because it seemed he was going back and forth between various studies, "Thin Green Line," and then this military readiness study that the Democrats commissioned.

So, are we able to sort of hammer out what was happening here among all these different studies?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there -- there are two studies. And Rumsfeld mounted a vigorous -- a vigorous defense to both of them, including the one, as you mentioned, that was actually funded by the Pentagon.

It, in fact, showed that both of those studies came to pretty much the same conclusion, that the U.S. Army is in danger of breaking the force in order to try to sustain the deployment of troops in Iraq -- and one of them, again, written by a military expert at the behest of the Pentagon, the other one put forth by Democrats on Capitol Hill, including Senator Jack Reed and the former Defense Secretary William Perry.

And listen carefully here to the comment of the former defense secretary, and then the response by the current defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM PERRY, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: The U.S. military, as Senator Reed has said, is performing superbly in Iraq and Afghanistan. All Americans can be proud of their service and dedication. But the strain, if not relieved, can have highly corrosive and long-term effects on the military.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It's interesting -- I haven't read the report -- I'll have to do that -- I mean, these are the people basically, who did that report, who were here in the '90s. And -- and what we're doing is trying to adjust what was left us to fit the 21st century.

QUESTION: Clean up their mess? Is that what you're saying?

RUMSFELD: I didn't say that.

QUESTION: Did you think it?

(LAUGHTER)

RUMSFELD: No. No, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Interesting, Rumsfeld there suggesting that the real problem that the Pentagon has in trying to maintain forces deployed is the way that the Army is organized.

He's basically arguing that, if you organize the Army right, you don't need a bigger Army. The other fine point here is that nobody's really disputing how the Army is performing today. It's really about what is going to happen a year or so from now.

And when I asked Rumsfeld one of the central criticisms, are you managing the Army in a way today that's going to cause problems down the road, he said he didn't know. He said that he's not sure. And they're looking at that. And he said time will tell.

So, that's really the crux of the debate. Are they managing the problem well enough to prevent future problems? Or are they headed on a downhill path, where they are going to have big recruiting retention problems, say, a year or two from now?

PHILLIPS: And, Jamie, did I understand correctly, when he said, look, I go to General Casey to talk about military readiness and other issues and is the Army strapped during these wars; I don't look to these various reports? Did I understand that right, that -- that, basically, these reports may be coming forward, but that Donald Rumsfeld and General Casey are -- just don't pay attention to them?

MCINTYRE: Well, the -- the -- the response there was in -- in relation to the question -- in one of the reports, the Pentagon-funded report, it was suggested that the reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq perhaps wasn't entirely about the ability of Iraqi forces to take over, but just the need to reduce the stress on the Army.

And Rumsfeld simply said, that's flatly not true, that he relies totally on General Casey to tell him how many troops are needed in Iraq and -- and that that -- the assertion in that report, he flatly disputed.

PHILLIPS: What -- how much do all these reports cost? Do we know?

(LAUGHTER)

MCINTYRE: Well, I don't know how much the Democrats' cost.

But, actually, this report...

PHILLIPS: Right.

MCINTYRE: ... was 136 pages. It cost $139,000. So, it was roughly $1,000 a page. And, frankly, some people at the Pentagon were looking at it, saying, they don't know there's a whole lot new here. They weren't sure they were -- got their $1,000-a-page money's worth.

But Rumsfeld made the point of saying they -- they really do like to have smart people from the outside look at things a different way, suggest things. And it's up to them to evaluate them and figure out what works.

PHILLIPS: Yes. You never know what they may listen to or not.

Jamie, we're waiting for the president of the United States. As you know, he went over to the NSA to talk about the eavesdropping program, no doubt behind closed doors, probably showing tremendous support to this agency.

So, while we wait for that tape -- I'm being told it's coming up -- let me ask you one more question.

MCINTYRE: Sure.

PHILLIPS: The military readiness study from the Democrats, it did lay out -- it recommended five courses of action to prepare for future military needs. Did the Pentagon study, the "Thin Green Line," did it offer up solutions as well?

MCINTYRE: It did.

And it also recognized the fact that, by the -- by the way, the Army has a plan. They do have a solution, which could work, but it laid out the fact that there are significant risk factors in -- if something -- if another contingency happens, if some things don't work out the way they planned.

And the Pentagon said, as for the Democrats' proposal, that they are going to look at the report. And, again, if there are things that they think can -- they can do better -- the point they're making is, they are well aware that the Army is stressed. They're well aware that the United States is in a war...

PHILLIPS: Jamie, straight to the president. Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... General Alexander and all the folks who work out here for their hospitality and their -- and their briefing.

I gave a speech to men and women who are dedicating their lives to serving the American people and preventing this country from being attacked again.

I was also able to talk to folks who work for the NSA via video. They're in around the world. Some are in Iraq, some in Afghanistan. And it's just such an honor to be able to tell these people that the work they do is vital and necessary. And I support them 100 percent.

Most of the accomplishments, of course, that happen out here have got to be secret. They -- but I know -- I know the good work they're doing. And, so, I want to share with the American people that we are lucky to have such professional, smart people working day and night to protect us.

The National Security Agency is playing a crucial part in the war on terror. And, first of all, the good folks who work out here understand we are at war, and they know what we know, that we face determined enemies who will -- who will -- who will strike without warning.

They -- and they know what I know, that we must learn the intentions of the enemies before they strike. That's what they do here. They work to protect us.

The efforts of the people out here are a crucial part in -- in protecting the homeland. And they have been a crucial part in success in Iraq and Afghanistan as well.

The officials here learn information about plotters and planners and people who would do us harm.

Now, I understand there are some in America who would say, well, this can't be true. There aren't still people willing to attack.

All I would ask them to do is listen to the words of Osama bin Laden and take him seriously. When he says he's going to hurt the American people again, or try to, he means it.

I take it seriously. And the people of NSA take it seriously. And most of the American people take it seriously as well.

Part of the war on terror -- we have seen that part of the terrorists' strategy is to place operatives inside of our country. They blend in with civilian population. They get their orders from overseas. And then they emerge to strike from within.

We must be able to quickly detect when someone linked to al Qaeda is communicating with someone inside of America. That's one of the challenges of protecting the American people, and it's one of the lessons of September the 11th.

When terrorist operatives are here in America communicating with someone overseas, we must understand what's going on, if we are going to do our job to protect the people. The safety and security of the American people depend on our -- on our ability to find out who the terrorists are talking to and what they're planning.

In the weeks following September the 11th, I authorized a terrorist surveillance program to detect and intercept al Qaeda communications involving someone here in the United States. This is a targeted program to intercept communications in which intelligence professionals have reason to believe that at least one person is a member or agent of al Qaeda or a related terrorist organization.

The program applies only to international communications. In other words, one end of the communication must be outside the United States.

We know that two of the hijackers who struck the Pentagon were inside the United States, communicating with al Qaeda operatives overseas. But we didn't realize they were here plotting the attack until it was too late.

Here's what General Mike Hayden said. He was a former director here at -- at NSA. He's now the deputy director of the national intelligence -- deputy director of national intelligence.

And here's what he said earlier this week: "Had this program been in effect prior to 9/11, it is my professional judgment that we would have detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States and we would have identified them as such."

The 9/11 commission made clear in this era of new dangers, we must be able to connect the dots before the terrorists strike, so we can stop new attacks. And this NSA program is doing just that.

General Hayden has confirmed that America has gained information from this program that would not otherwise have been available. This information has helped prevent attacks and save American lives.

This terrorist surveillance program includes multiple safeguards to protect civil liberties. And it is fully consistent with our nation's laws and Constitution.

Federal courts have consistently ruled that a president has authority, under the Constitution, to conduct foreign intelligence surveillance against our enemies.

My predecessors have used the same constitutional authority on numerous occasions. And the Supreme Court has ruled that Congress gave the president additional authority to use their traditional tools or fundamental incidents of war in the fight against terror when Congress passed the authorization for the use of military force in 2001. These tools include surveillance to detect and prevent further attacks by our enemies.

I have the authority, both from the Constitution and the Congress, to undertake this vital program. The American people expect me to protect their lives and their civil liberties. And that's exactly what we're doing with this program.

I will continue to reauthorize this program for so long as our country faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups. This enemy still wants to do harm to the American people. We cannot let the fact that we have not been attacked lull us into the illusion that the threats to our nation have disappeared. They have not disappeared. The terrorists are still active.

And we have seen their activity in London and Madrid and Bali and Beslan and Amman and Baghdad and many other places since September the 11th. Just last week, as I mentioned earlier, we heard from Osama bin Laden. The terrorists will do everything they can to strike us. And I'm going to continue to do everything I can within my legal authority to stop them. And so are the good people here at NSA.

In the long run, we can be confident in the outcome of this struggle, because we have seen the power of freedom to defeat tyranny and terror before. And we can be confident because we know our military and law enforcement and homeland security and intelligence professionals are working day and night to protect us.

I'm grateful for the skill and dedication of the good folks who work out here. These are fine patriots. And they're making America safer.

Thank you all very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The president of the United States -- that's actually a tape turnaround. We are expecting to hear from the president live at the White House, showing his support for Samuel Alito.

But there, once again, as critics have come forward and said, hey, wire -- wireless -- wiretapping is against the law -- the president, once again, saying he has the authority, under the Constitution, to do what he needs to do with what he calls terrorist surveillance program there at the NSA, the National Security Agency, showing his support for what the men and women do there, defending his spy program.

We are going to take a quick break -- more LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: No signs of waking up. It's three weeks today since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke and fell into a coma. Now his doctors are consulting specialists from a long- term care facility that boasts a high success rate in waking comatose patients. No work on whether Sharon will be moved there, but he remains in critical but stable condition.

In the West Bank in Gaza today, Palestinians turned out by the hundreds of thousands to choose their first new parliament in a decade. Security was extreme and seemingly effective. CNN correspondents tell us they haven't heard a single report of violence.

Eleven parties were on the ballot. Fatah, the ruling party, founded by the late Yasser Arafat, is expected to win the most seats, but not a majority. It's likely be forced to share -- it will likely be forced to share power with the militant group Hamas, an idea that greatly alarms Israel and the west.

In the past, Hamas has called for Israel's destruction and it still isn't willing to negotiate with Israeli's leaders. The U.S. calls it a terrorist organization. Official results are expected sometime Friday.

A well-meaning effort to save lives, or a how-to for breaking the law? The latest chapter in the immigration debate is taking the form of maps created by a U.S. group and printed by the Mexican government. Here's CNN's Casey Wian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Arizona-based group funded and run mostly by churches is now mapping the way for illegal aliens trying to sneak into the United States, literally.

Humane Borders is distributing these high-resolution maps to potential migrants in Mexico, showing how to safely cross the border illegally. The maps help aliens locate water stations, Border Patrol rescue beacons, roads and railroad tracks, and they show how far aliens can expect to walk in one, two, or three days.

REP. J.D. HAYWORTH (R), ARIZONA: This is not humane. It is insane. Just stop and think about this analogy. Since it is aiding and abetting and illegal action, why stop there?

I mean, if you really want to redistribute income, why not get together a group of prospective bank robbers and give them the combinations to the safes of major banks in the United States?

WIAN: The maps also show where illegal aliens have died trying to cross the Arizona desert and contain warnings to potential border crossers saying, "don't go. There's not enough water and it's not worth it."

REV. ROBIN HOOVER, PRES., HUMANE BORDERS: Our experience is that many, many of the migrants do not understand what they're about to experience when they cross the border. We believe that the most basic level of ethics is informed consent.

WIAN: There was no mention of the informed consent of U.S. immigration authorities. Humane Borders announced its plan in Mexico City. The Mexican government's human rights arm has agreed to print and distribute the maps in Mexico.

They're also being endorsed by Pima County, Arizona, which is already helping pay for Humane Borders' water stations. County officials say that's less expensive than dealing with the dead bodies of illegal aliens.

Even Arizona Republican congressman Jim Kolbe supports the maps, though only as a way to prevent deaths.

Opponents say they may have the opposite effect by giving illegal aliens false hope about avoiding the dangers of crossing the Arizona desert.

WIAN (on camera): We called Customs and Border Protection to ask if it considers the distribution of the maps a crime. A spokesman says he is researching the matter.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're waiting to hear from the president of the United States any moment now from the White House, of course, talking about Samuel Alito, his support of Samuel Alito. The debate, predictable. The outcome, barring any bombshells, a foregone conclusion.

Nevertheless, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito is make the rounds on Capitol Hill one last time. He met with various Senate leaders and fence-sitters as floor debate begins on his fitness for the job. The president now stepping up to the mic. Let's listen in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all very much. Thank you all for being here. I just finished a meeting in the Oval Office with a group of distinguished lawyers, many of whom come from different backgrounds, and they've got a wide range of political views.

They share two things in common. They all clerked for Judge Sam Alito, and they strongly support his nomination to be an associate justice to the Supreme Court. The relationship between a judge and law clerk is extremely close. Each judge has only three or four clerks a year, and these clerks serve as the judge's aides and advisers.

They provide legal research. They discuss and debate pending cases. And they see firsthand how the judge arrives at decisions. These fine men and women with me today have worked side by side with Sam Alito. And they are uniquely qualified to assess what kind of Supreme Court justice he would be.

As the full Senate takes up Judge Alito's nomination, it is important for the American people to hear what his former clerks say about this fine judge and his approach to the law.

One of the clerks I met today, who describes himself as a Democrat, said this about Judge Alito. "He is meticulous in the way he goes about deciding cases. He's meticulous in the way he goes about finding what the law is." I can't think of better qualities for anyone to serve as a judge on the Supreme Court.

Another former clerk here today says this: "I'm a Democrat who always voted Democrat, except when I vote for a green candidate. But Judge Alito was not interested in the ideology of his clerks. He didn't decide cases based on ideology."

Another former clerk who described himself as a proud member of the NAACP and the ACLU says, "after a year of working closely with the judge on cases concerning a wide variety of legal issues, I left New Jersey not knowing Judge Alito's personal beliefs on any of them."

Another former clerk who describes herself as a left-leaning Democrat told the Senate this about Sam Alito: "He's a man of great decency, integrity and character. I believe very strongly he deserves to be confirmed as the court's next associate justice."

Another of Judge Alito's former clerks worked for Senator Kerry's presidential campaign. She said this about Judge Alito: "I learned in my year with Judge Alito that his approach to judging is not about personal ideology or ambition, but about hard work and devotion to law and justice."

In case you were wondering, Judge Alito has also the support of Republican clerks. In fact, he has the strong support of all 54 of his former clerks, regardless of their political beliefs.

Judge Alito has earned broad support from his fellow judges on the Third Circuit. Seven of them took the extraordinary step of testifying on his behalf before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Former Chief Judge Ed Becker, who sat with Judge Alito on more than 1,000 cases, said this about his colleague: "I have never seen a chink in the armor of his integrity, which I view as total. He's a real judge, deciding each case on facts and the law, not his personal views, whatever they may be."

Another colleague on the Third Circuit who was appointed by President Clinton said this about Judge Alito: "He's a fair-minded man, a modest man, a humble man, and he reveres the rule of law." The judge went on to say, if confirmed, Judge Sam Alito will serve as a "marvelous and distinguished associate justice."

All these brilliant legal minds are united in their strong support of Sam Alito, and in his confirmation hearings, the American people saw why.

Judge Alito is open-minded and principled. He gives every case careful attention. He makes decision based on the merits. Judge Alito understands that the role of a judge is to interpret the law not to advance a personal or political agenda. Judge Alito's a man of character and integrity. Judge Alito will bring to the Supreme Court a broad range of experience and accomplishment.

Before he became a judge, Sam Alito served as a federal prosecutor, assistant to the solicitor general where he argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court, an attorney in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and the U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in one of the nation's largest federal districts.

In 1990, Sam Alito was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He now has more prior judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in more than 70 years.

The American Bar Association gave Judge Sam Alito his highest possible rating, a unanimous well qualified. It based its rating on its assessment of his integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament. In the past, leading Democrat senators have called the ABA's rating the gold standard for judicial nominees.

Yesterday, Ed Rendell, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania and former chairman of the Democrat National Committee, came out in support of Judge Sam Alito. Governor Rendell said he was not pleased with the way his fellow Democrats have handled Sam Alito's nomination and said that Democrats should vote to confirm him.

Governor Rendell put it this way, as long as a Supreme Court justice has high academic qualifications and significant integrity, and Judge Alito certainly does, we should confirm him.

There's no doubt about Judge Alito's qualification, his intellect, or his complete response to our constitution and laws. He's exactly the kind of person Americans want on the Supreme Court.

The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to give every judicial nominee an up or down vote. In its 216-year history, the Senate has held an up or down vote on every Supreme Court nominee with the majority of Senate support. And I call on the United States Senate to put partisanship aside and give Judge Alito the up or down vote he deserves and to confirm him as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court.

I'm grateful to Judge Alito. And I appreciate his wonderful wife, Martha, and their children for their dignity throughout the confirmation process. America's fortunate that this good, humble man is willing to serve. And all of us look forward to seeing him take a seat on our nation's highest court. Thank you, all, for being here. Appreciate it.

PHILLIPS: The president of the United States showing his support for Samuel Alito, insisting he is exceptionally qualified as a number of other Republicans, of course, have shown the same report.

Let's go straight now to the Senate floor. Democratic Senator John Kerry, a number of other Democrats, showing their concern, saying that he's outside the mainstream.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: ...for all of these and for other compelling reasons, I oppose this nomination.

In the past, in the 22 years that I've been here, Mr. President, like many of my colleagues, I have voted for federal court nominees despite the fact that I disagreed with them ideologically.

I have voted, I'm confident, literally, hundreds of times if not thousands. In fact, I voted for Justice Scalia because despite our ideological differences in the confirmation process we heard the promises of open-mindedness, an open-mindedness that we haven't seen in the court.

So we've learned the hard way. The words of the confirmation hearings simply don't erase ideology. They don't erase a track record. And that ideology cannot be overlooked because a justice's decisions can and will have a profound impact on the rights that we otherwise take for granted.

So something more is needed. A Supreme Court justice needs to understand and show a record of understanding and a clear track record of respect for those constitutional rights and liberties that we confirm them to uphold.

He or she needs to recognize the importance of precedent and the limited situations in which overruling is acceptable. He or she needs to appreciate the significant struggles that our nation has endured in the context of racial, sexual, and disability discrimination and to be aware of the road still travelled and that awareness of the road still to be travelled has to be evidenced in the decisions and writings of that nominee.

In short, Mr. President, ideology does matter. The Supreme Court's ideologically-driven decisions have been the most regrettable in our nation's history. Decisions like Korematsu, Dred Scott and Plessey v. Ferguson.

In fact, ideology matters more in this nomination than it would in many others. We are replacing, as I said, Sandra Day O'Connor, President Reagan's nominee to the United State's Supreme Court and a person who has really occupied the balance, the current center of balance, of the court.

PHILLIPS: On that note of balance, we first heard from the president of the United States and other Republicans insisting that Samuel Alito is the exceptionally qualified individual to take that seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

On the other side, Senator John Kerry, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, who spoke right before he did, coming forward opposing that nomination.

Well, thousands of American women are struggling with eating disorders. And a new documentary takes an unflinching look at four of them. Ahead on LIVE FROM being the serious side of the Sundance Film Festival.

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PHILLIPS: The Sundance Film Festival isn't always about pure entertainment. It is also a showcase for hard-hitting and sometimes hard to watch documentaries. A new one deals with the potentially deadly obsession of eating disorders.

Entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson looks at it.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always been overweight and I'm never going to be thin. I was always overweight.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's dying to be thin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to be thin. I want to be thin.

ANDERSON: Brittany (ph) suffers from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. So do Polly (ph), Alisa (ph) and Shelly (ph). The new documentary "Thin" provides an intimate and shocking look at these four women and their battles with body image.

LAUREN GREENFIELD, FILMMAKER: I want to learn what it's like to have an eating disorder, what the day-to-day reality. That's it's not the glamorous illness that we sometimes see in the magazines that celebrities have.

ANDERSON: Photographer-turned-filmmaker Lauren Greenfield gained unprecedented access into a Florida treatment center. For ten weeks, her cameras captured the gritty reality of the recovery process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to drop dead at any time and you don't realize that. ANDERSON: Intensely private family therapy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel so weak compared to her, so stupid compared to her.

ANDERSON: Emotional group sessions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see so many thin girls and I'm not one of them and I can't take it anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's been so honest.

ANDERSON: Even heart-wrenching art therapy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think looking at this now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see problem areas.

ANDERSON: All caught on tape.

GREENFIELD: I think societal pressures and media pressures about body image are a big reason that we're seeing such high numbers of girls with eating disorders now.

ANDERSON (on camera): Greenfield says this documentary grew from the pages of her acclaimed photo book "Girl Culture." For five years she tracked the relationship between women and their bodies and what she discovered is disturbing.

GREENFIELD: I think the body has become a very powerful vehicle for girls to use. One girl who was in my book "Girl Culture," Erin (ph), said that she didn't know how to use her voice so she used her body instead.

ANDERSON: The women in Greenfield's film are far from alone. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as many as 10 million females and one million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder.

GREENFIELD: It's hard to witness girls with eating disorders because it is a slow suicide. Polly was saying today that she has the bones of a 65-year-old at 31 years old. Alisa has two children. And at one point in the film, she says all she cares about being thin and that was her whole goal and if it takes dying to get there, so be it.

ANDERSON: Ultimately, the women in Greenfield's film hope that sharing their pain will help others.

GREENFIELD: It's so difficult to have this illness. It's such misery at times. And they felt that if this film could help one parent or one -- one parent identify their daughter with an eating disorder, they wanted to do it if it could make a difference in someone else's life.

ANDERSON: As for Lauren Greenfield, if the film affects just one person or maybe saves one life, all the work, all the effort, will have been worth it.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Park City, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Japanese researchers knew they'd have to dig pretty deep to find what they were looking for in Antartica, and so they did. They sank a drill nearly 10,000 feet down, coming up with what may be the oldest sample of ice ever recovered, possibly a million years old. So what does it mean? Researchers think that the ancient ice could provide clues to climate change over history.

The closing bell is about to ring. We're live from the New York Stock Exchange when we return.

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