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Lawmakers Investigate FEMA's Response to Katrina; Bush Meets with Abbas

Aired October 20, 2005 - 10:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Hurricane Wilma. You're looking at pictures just into us from TV Azteca. The video shows heavy surf in coastal Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Wilma remains a Category 4 storm, but could get stronger in the coming hours. Key West residents in Florida face a mandatory evacuation beginning tomorrow morning. Visitors to the tourist spot were told to leave yesterday.
And we want to show you some live pictures there in South Florida. You're looking at folks who are loading up plywood outside a Home Depot there. Folks are taking precautions, getting plywood, especially if they don't have hurricane shutters, another big seller in stores like like Home Depot. And others, generators, as they get ready for the arrival of Hurricane Wilma.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, you can track Wilma's path and find the latest reports on our Web site. Click on to CNN.com.

Lawmakers are keeping an eye on Hurricane Wilma, even while they investigate FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. Capitol Hill hearings are now into a second day. You're looking at a live look right there.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is covering that story for us from Washington -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the only way to describe it is gripping testimony that we've been hearing for the last hour from the man who you see there, who was the only Federal Emergency Management Agency official in the city of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit.

Marty Bahamonde is a public affairs officer and he arrived there on Saturday and he was supposed to be FEMA director Michael Brown's eyes and ears in New Orleans. Now, he instead ended up spending an entire week there, including three days when he was trapped in the Superdome, trying with others to heroically get food and water into the thousands of people there.

But he says from the start, FEMA seemed to be unable to process and respond to the information that he gave them, including the shocking word that he got early Monday morning that the levees were giving way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY BAHAMONDE, FEMA: At approximately 11:00 a.m., the worst possible news came into the EOC. I stood there and listened to the first report of the levee break at the 17th Street Canal. I do not know who made the report, but they were very specific about the location of the break and the size. And then they added, it was very bad.

I immediately called FEMA's front office to relay the news. Their reaction was shock and disbelief. As I passed on minute-by- minute information, I was always under the assumption that it would then be passed to Undersecretary Brown and others. I do not know if this ever happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: ... Congress of how at the Superdome, during those first days, they were promised food and water. But instead of 360,000 MREs, meals ready to eat, they received only 40,000. And instead of 15 trucks of water, only five arrived. And then, finally, Bahamonde described how that when word spread that those inside were planning a riot, he -- that FEMA made the decision to pull he and a FEMA medical team out of the Superdome, basically relinquishing the agency's ability to help anyone there during that critical situation.

So this morning Congress is trying to find out why his pleas, why his information, was not acted on speedily, and why top officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, say that they didn't learn until Tuesday that the levees had broken. So Fredricka, much disbelief and much anger this morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch in Washington, thanks so much.

Well, the White House wants some answers on hurricane response. And right now, they're also focusing on the batle between Israeli and Palestinian people there, and that's why today President Bush is meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The topic is Arab- Israeli peace. The two men will talk to reporters in the Rose Garden just a few minutes from now. We're live from Washington and Jerusalem, straight ahead.

And President Bush had another famous visitor at the White House yesterday. U2 frontman Bono dropped in for lunch with President Bush on Wednesday. Reducing debt to African nations was on the menu. The White House said the meeting was a follow-up to talks the rock star had with President Bush back in July.

And now another look at the numbers there. The Dow is up five points now at 10,419.82 -- 98 now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Can the road map to Middle East peace be revived? That question is being explored this hour, as right there in the White House, President Bush is meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It is their first meeting since Israel retreated from Gaza last month, ending 38 years of occupation.

We expect to hear from the president and Abbas at a news conference from the Rose Garden, scheduled for 10:50 Eastern time. And we'll be carrying that live. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux will be joining us in a moment from the garden.

But first, let's go to John Vause, who's in Jerusalem. And, John, are the expectations high about this meeting between Abbas and Bush?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really depends who you ask, Fred. The Palestinians in the West Bank, who I've been speaking with today, basically don't really care what's happening in the White House, they say they're seen meeting after meeting after meeting. There've been promises and photo opportunities and handshakes, and they say life doesn't get much better. They say gets worse from day to day.

But there will be a couple of things to look for when these two men hold that joint press conference in a few minutes from now. The number-one issue for the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas right now, though, the most pressing issue, he says, is to continue expansion of West Bank settlements. The Israelis may have met Gaza, but construction in the West Bank continues at a slow and steady pace.

In fact, this morning in "The Wall Street Journal," Mahmoud Abbas wrote a commentary piece. And in that, he said, quote, "The 26 months since Israel announced its plans to disengage from Gaza, I've witnessed the highest rate of West Bank settlement construction in all of the occupation years." That's all of the years since 1967, ever since Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan. It's position, which is backed up by the Israeli peace group Settlement Watch, which monitors the growth of settlements in the West Bank. So a measure of success today for Mr. Abbas, the kind of language which George W. Bush uses when it comes to the settlement expansion. Will he be tough on Israel? Will he be critical of Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon? Or will he decide to sidestep the issue?

Another big issue for the Palestinian Authority president will be the continued construction of Israel's barrier through the West Bank. The U.N.'s latest estimate says about five percent of the West Bank is being used for construction of that barrier, and according to Mr. Abbas and other aid agencies it's causing a great deal of distress, a great deal of pain for the Palestinians, especially those who are caught on the Israeli side. Palestinians are also looking for U.S. help when it comes to opening up Gaza's borders. The Israeli settlers and the Israeli troops may have left Gaza, but Israel still controls the borders. They still control the sky above, as well as the sea, and also the land crossings.

The Americans, for their part, have their own list. Now, the number one there will be, will Hamas, a militant group which both Israel and the United States considers a terrorist organization -- will Hamas be allowed to field candidates in January's parliamentary elections? Israel does not want Hamas participating. The Americans are going to soften that stance. So we'll find out where the United States stands on that issue. The Palestinian Authority, for its part, says all Palestinians should be allowed to stand in those elections.

The Americans want greater law and order in Gaza and greater security for Israelis. But in all of this, Fredricka, it seems that the biggest problem is credibility. There have been so many meetings, so much has been, and said so little has been done on the ground, that a lot of Palestinians just aren't interested in what's happening in the White House.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Vause, thank you very much. We're going to ask you to stick around. Of course we're going to talk again with you, especially after we hear from Abbas and Bush.

Now here with more on how the road map to peace is unfolding is Ambassador Philip Wilcox, president of the Foundation for Middle East peace.

Good see you, Mr. Ambassador.

AMB. PHILIP WILCOX JR., FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, John underscored a really crucial point here and it's credibility. Abbas' credibility is on the line just as President Bush, his credibility is on the line, when you think about the point of view from the Israelis and the Palestinians. How do you see it?

WILCOX: Well, President Bush has made some strong statements opposing unilateral actions, supporting return to negotiations, opposing settlements and opposing the route of the barrier, but it hasn't been followed up with effective diplomacy or any real persuasion, and therefore, Sharon is continuing to move unilaterally without any restraint, and that's a big problem for the president. It's a big problem for President Abbas as well.

WHITFIELD: So should there be expectations, or high expectations, that the president will be able to apply some sort of pressure to Sharon in order to address the issues of the construction of the wall in the West Bank and address the issue of continued and increased construction of settlements in the West Bank, post-Gaza pullout?

WILCOX: I think it would be good for all parties if the president does that. The president has a lot at stake here -- his own credibility, his legacy. He does not want a new intifada between Israel and Palestine, coupled with the problems the U.S. is facing in Iraq. He's in a position to use his authority and leadership to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, to put it back on the track. I hope he takes advantage of that opportunity.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, how significant is this meeting, given the fact that President Bush would never meet with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when he was living, and now this meeting taking place at the White House. Does it show some promise in your view?

WILCOX: Yes, I think it does. I think the president has established a good relationship with President Abbas. I think he admires his commitment to nonviolence and to negotiation.

It's a question of whether he's willing to exert greater diplomatic leadership and energy to bring these two parties back to the negotiating table to revive the moribund road map and to stop unilateral actions, as well as Palestinian violence.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ambassador Philip Wilcox, thank you so much. We're going to talk with you likely again. We're still waiting for that press conference to begin at the Rose Garden in the White House between Abbas and Bush. And of course when that takes place, we'll be bringing that to you live.

Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us at this moment. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to take you to the White House just for a live look right there, because in moments President Bush will be meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It's a potentially historic meeting between the two. We don't have that live shot, but I'll tell you a little bit about it, potentially historic meeting between the two, where they're trying to smooth out the -- what has been a very rocky road, the rocky road Middle East peace.

And joining us once again is former ambassador Philip Wilcox, who is now the president of the Foundation of Middle East Peace. We're also going to be bringing John Vause when we can out of Jerusalem.

But let's just pick up if we can, Mr. Ambassador, once again. You were talking about the fact that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and President Bush's meeting just might offer some promise.

At the same time, you have to wonder, from the Palestinian point of view, since credibility of both leaders is on the line, whether the Palestinians are trusting Mahmoud Abbas to have their best interests at heart, given the fact that Mahmoud Abbas has also had a few one-on- one meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, as well. Does he have to convince Palestinians that he has their best interest at heart?

WILCOX: Yes, he does. President Abbas' credibility is also on the line. And as he said in his "Wall Street Journal" piece this morning, he's facing a challenge for the hearts and minds of the Palestinians against his adversaries, Hamas. And he desperately needs American support, because he says that Sharon's actions are driving the Palestinians toward Hamas and weakening Abbas.

WHITFIELD: Now, when we talk some of the things that Abbas is hoping for -- among them, to dismantle any legal settlements taking place in the West Bank; also, ending the construction of this wall in the West Bank -- he is also trying to make an appeal to the president to try to encourage Israel to lift some restrictions so that the upcoming elections in January won't be compromised. Right now, West Bank main roads are not allowed to be tread by Palestinians. Might he be able to do any real convincing of the president? Might the president be able to use some leverage to convince Sharon to lift those restrictions?

WILCOX: The president could do so. Certainly, it's not in Sharon's interest to have a weak partner in Mahmoud Abbas or to have Hamas gain substantial vote in the Palestinian elections in January. So both the president and Sharon should try to empower Hamas with policies that will make him more credible, to show that he can deliver to his own constituents. Stopping the checkpoints and reopening the roads, stopping these settlements and the construction of the barrier where it's located would certainly help his credibility and help empower him.

WHITFIELD: Now the days post the Gaza pullout, are you see any signs of encouragement that perhaps this will, indeed, lead to a smoother road to peace?

WILCOX: That was the great hope of everyone, but it seems that Prime Minister Sharon wants to move ahead quickly to consolidate the settlements and Israeli control in the West Bank and over East Jerusalem. If that is the case, then that would certainly threaten a renewed violent conflict.

WHITFIELD: There has been some recent violence, as recent as this past weekend? In any way, do you see this cooling any of that potential progress you talk about?

WILCOX: Yes, I think violence is very bad for both sides. It undermines support among the Israeli public for peace. It reduces their confidence. It also weakens Abbas, who has placed his reputation on the line pledging non-violence.

WHITFIELD: And at the same time now, the president has some demands, just as Abbas has a laundry list of requests that he's making to the White House. The president says he wants to apply more pressure on Abbas to do more to try to alleviate or end the violence by militants. Can he really do that? Is that a high expectation for the president to have?

WILCOX: Abbas can do that, but only if he gets some help from the president, or better yet, from Sharon. He cannot do it alone because he doesn't have the military means to defeat Hamas. He will not risk a civil war. He wants a political process. And the resurrection of a political process -- negotiations, strengthening of the road map -- would be the best thing we all could do for Abbas. And that would certainly be in Israel's interest, as well.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mr. Ambassador, Phillip Wilcox, thank you so much. I'm sure we'll be touching upon your expertise again momentarily.

But first let's go to Suzanne Malveaux, who is there in the Rose Garden, also awaiting the president -- President Bush, along with Mahmoud Abbas. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is a critical time for all sides, of course. This meeting initially was supposed to happen in September. That is when the United Nations General Assembly meeting -- President Bush at that time met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He was supposed to meet with Abbas at that time. He wasn't able to make it.

But, of course, it comes at a difficult time for Abbas and for all of them. Just over the weekend, that attack against the Israelis. Neither one of the sides were talking to one another. And, of course, Abbas faces that critical test -- whether or not he has the kind of credibility to build up his security team. All of this coming after the post-disengagement plan, of course. The first meeting, they say this is really a check-up. The Bush administration sees this as a golden opportunity here to move this forward. But again, they realize that both sides are stuck.

WHITFIELD: And, at the same time, Suzanne -- as we await the arrival of these two leaders -- the president has made it clear that he also wants to talk to Mr. Abbas about the state of Syria and Lebanon. What could be expected to come out of that dialogue?

MALVEAUX: Well, as you know, of course, the president is going make the general argument, the general case here, that they need to build democracy. Everyone needs to be involved in promoting democracy in the Middle East. That this is really a spill-over effect, if you will. The problems in Lebanon and Syria's influence in Lebanon, of course, related to that movement.

What we expect that the president is going to talk about with Abbas is specifically some of the concerns the administration has when it comes on the Israeli side. That is the need to ease restrictions for the Palestinians and look to the discussions about the January legislative elections and the role of Hamas in that.

We've heard some very interesting language, initially. The White House Israelis calling for dismantling of that extremist organization, considered a terrorist organization by the State Department. That language has softened somewhat as they realize the political clout of Hamas.

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux. Thank you so much.

Now we're seeing Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and President Bush, now in the Rose Garden. Let's listen in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's my honor to welcome the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian Authority to the White House for the second time this year.

We just had some good talks. Mr. President, thanks. Good, open exchange of ideas.

President Abbas is a man devoted to peace and to his people's aspirations for a state of their own. And today the Palestinian people are closer to realizing those aspirations.

It's a really interesting period of history, I think. I was just commenting to the president when we were in the Oval Office how much things have changed in the Holy Land.

After all, he got elected in January. There were successful Palestinian municipal elections.

BUSH: And then we witnessed the completion of Israel's disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. It's been an eventful year.

And I say it's an eventful year because the ultimate objective is there for to be two states living side by side in peace, two democracies living side by side in peace. And I believe that's where we're heading.

Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank was a bold decision with historic significance.

President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority contributed to the success of the withdrawal in significant ways.

BUSH: Mr. President, thank you.

Through the active coordination and ground-level cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security forces, the disengagement has been completed successfully and calmly.

Israeli withdraw creates new opportunities, creates responsibilities for the Palestinian people.

The way forward must begin by confronting the threat that armed gangs pose to a genuinely democratic Palestine. And those armed gangs must front the threat that armed gangs pose to lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Now, Mr. President, you ran on a platform of peace.

BUSH: That's why the people voted for you.

I strongly support your rejection of terror and your commitment to what you have called one authority, one law and one gun.

The United States, in cooperation with the international community, has helped you achieve this through the efforts of our senior U.S. security coordinator, General Kip Ward.

I appreciate your service, General Ward. Thank you for being here. And thank you for all your hard work to help the Palestinian security forces at a critical time. Job well done.

In the coming days, I'll be naming our new coordinator to build on the progress General Ward has made.

BUSH: This person will take on an enhanced mission to help President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority carry out their responsibility to end terror attacks, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, maintain law and order, and one day provide security for their own state.

The way forward must include rebuilding the Palestinian economy. This goal has the support of the quartet, the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

Quartet Special Envoy Jim Wolfensohn is coordinating a broad effort to generate economic and financial support from the international community for the Palestinian Authority. And he's doing a good job.

I'm going to continue to consult with our quartet partners, to ask Jim to extend his mission until next spring.

BUSH: It's important that we make quick progress on the issues that Jim has identified as most critical for the Palestinian economy, including opening the Rafah crossing, connecting the West Bank and Gaza, improving the ability of Palestinians to travel in the West Bank, and beginning work on the Gaza seaport.

These are all practical steps that'll help the Palestinian economy grow and flourish.

I believe that Arab states have a particular responsibility to help the Palestinians build a strong and prosperous economy. And I urge them to create an environment in the region that strengthens the possibility of peace.

BUSH: The way forward must continue to include democratic elections. The upcoming elections for the Palestinian legislative council offer an opportunity to open the door to the next generation of Palestinian leaders.

They will be responsible for building a peaceful and hopeful future for their country.

In the short term, the Palestinian Authority must earn the confidence of its people by holding elections and having a functioning government that delivers economic opportunity.

The Palestinian Authority must also earn the confidence of its neighbors by rejecting and fighting terrorism.

As I've stated in the past, achieving peace demands actions from all parties.

BUSH: Israel must continue to work with Palestinian leaders to help improve the daily lives of Palestinians. At the same time, Israel should not undertake any activity that contravenes its road map obligations or prejudices the final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

This means that Israel must remove unauthorized posts and stop settlement expansion. It also means that the barrier now being built to protect Israelis from terrorist attacks must be a security barrier rather than a political barrier.

BUSH: Israeli leaders must take into account the impact the security barrier has on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities.

It's a time of great possibility in the Middle East. And the people of the region are counting on their leaders to seize the opportunity for peace and progress.

This work isn't going to be easy, but the path forward is clear.

I want to thank President Abbas for his hard work.

I appreciate your service, Mr. President.

I assured him that the United States will use our influence to help realize a shared vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

BUSH: Welcome.

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Thank you. Mr. President, I would like to thank you for your warm welcome, and I would like to express my satisfaction with the talks that I conducted with you and your senior aides.

You have emphasized, Mr. President, from this place about five months ago the basic counters for the U.S. position regarding the various aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This position, which you have reiterated today, contributes fundamentally to advance the chances of reviving and resuming the peace process in the region.

ABBAS: In the last few months, the dismantling of settlements and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip was concluded. The Palestinian Authority have worked very hard with all its energy in order to make sure that this will happen without any incident, in order to have this as a window of an opportunity that will help us to move faster toward achieving additional steps on the way toward realizing just peace based on your vision and international resolutions.

This window must remain open, and this opportunity must be strengthened through resolving all the outstanding issues.

ABBAS: As you have mentioned, the Gaza crossing point and the establishment of a permanent link between Gaza and the West Bank; at the same time, we must immediately start implementing what the road map and the Sharm el-Sheikh agreements regarding the cessation of settlement activities and construction of the wall in the West Bank, particularly in Jerusalem, in addition to withdrawal of the Israeli forces to positions prior to September 28, 2000, with the removal of the roadblocks, which unfortunately turned the lives of Palestinians into hardship, suffering, humiliation and also, in a very important sensitive issue, which is the release of prisoners of freedom from Israeli jails.

ABBAS: The implementation of these requirements, Mr. President, represents urging (ph) on permanent status issues regarding Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders and more in order to reach at the end peace, which would allow for the establishment of an independent, democratic Palestinian state of all the territories occupied in 1967; that state that would live in a good, neighborly relationship in peace with the state of Israel.

Mr. President, there's approximately 100 days between us and the elections for our legislative council, when the Palestinian people would go to the ballot box to elect, for the first time in 10 years, their representatives.

ABBAS: This, for us, represents a very important landmark. On one hand, it crowns a whole year since I assumed office, and also these elections would represent a renewal process and rebuilding process of our political process.

Also, these elections will consolidate and reinforce the slogan I ran on during my presidential election which emphasized clearly the one authority, the one law, the one legal, legitimate law and political pluralism.

ABBAS: The new legislative council will be mandated by the people to legislate and issue these slogans and make them a reality.

Once again, we repeat our pride of our democratic experience that's been undertaken by the Palestinian people and we repeat and we say that the democracy can lose a lot of its momentum in the absence of freedom and with the continuation of occupation.

Mr. President, our discussions today have allowed us to inform you of what the Palestinian national authority is doing and what we are doing in terms of various policies in various spheres.

ABBAS: We have worked and we'll continue to work to continue to ensure the calm and maintain it. We are also intensifying our work in the field of security. We have taken active steps in imposing the rule of law and public order and ban armed demonstrations.

Our measures are continuing to reinforce the judiciary branch, as well as the administrative reform. We have said, and we did during the last week, started launching a series of economic projects in the infrastructure and in health and education and agriculture in both Gaza and the West Bank.

And here I would like to salute the United States for its contribution, and also the help that came from a variety of Arab countries and countries around the world. And we hope that all these projects will be activated by the donor countries in order to increase the number of projects that our people are in need of.

ABBAS: Our discussion of the overall situation in the region has afforded us the opportunity to point out what we reaffirmed repeatedly through the past few weeks on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

We are determined not to interfere in domestic Lebanese affairs. We reiterate that the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are subject to the authority and the laws of Lebanon, as temporary guests awaiting the resolution of the refugee problem in accordance with international resolutions.

Mr. President, we reaffirm, again here today, our commitment to peace and negotiated settlements. We expect that our people's quest in this direction will be supported.

The time has come to put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The time has come that the Palestinian people will attain their freedom and independence. The time has come to move quickly toward the resumption of permanent status negotiations.

ABBAS: Peace requires a departure from the policies of occupation and the adoption of the principle of freedom. Peace requires departure from the policies of settlements, construction, collective punishment, unilateral acts that undermine your vision to two states and replace that with progress toward negotiations.

Peace and security cannot be guaranteed by the construction of walls, by the erection of checkpoints and the confiscation of land, but rather by the recognition of rights.

Peace cannot be attained by the enforcement of discriminatory road policies and by the policies of imposition and creation of facts on the ground, but rather through belief in the principles of partnership, parity and mutual respect.

We are presenting, based on wide public support, our positions that call upon the Israeli side to join us in a real partnership for making peace.

ABBAS: We are calling for a Palestinian-Israeli partnership for the sake of creating a better future and for the entire region, that can end decades from wars, occupation and open the doors wide open.

We were promised peace, independence and freedom, and we hope that all of this will be achieved.

Mr. President, once again, I thank you and reaffirm to you, as we did in our last visit, we are leaving Washington more assured and more confident of the possibility of reviving and resuming the peace process and more determined to forge ahead along with the path of peace, democracy and freedom.

Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: We'll take two questions a side.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there are a lot of distractions for your White House: the CIA leak investigation, a conservative uproar and congressional criticism over the Harriet Miers nomination, and even investigations of top Republican leaders in Congress. How preoccupied is the White House by these problems? And how are you dealing with them?

BUSH: Well, I've just finished a very constructive dialogue with the president of the Palestinian Authority, talking about how to achieve peace.

And I've got a job to do. Part of my job is to work with others to fashion a world that'll be peaceful for future generations. And I've got a job to do to make sure this economy continues to grow.

I've got a job to make sure that there's a plausible reconstruction plan for cities affected by Katrina.

BUSH: We got a job to make sure this hurricane headed toward Florida, the federal response is prepared for it.

So to answer your question -- there's some background noise here, a lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining. But the American people expect me to do my job, and I'm going to.

You want to call on somebody, Mr. President?

ABBAS: Yes.

BUSH: Oops. We better go one at a time here.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) President Abbas.

President Bush...

BUSH: Who do you work for?

QUESTION: AFP.

The road map that your administration backs calls for the creation of a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

BUSH: Yes.

QUESTION: Yet, the Israeli settlement activities, despite your repeated calls, included today, still continue on the West Bank.

QUESTION: What is your administration planning to do to get Israel to put an end to those activities?

And then, President Abbas (SPEAKING IN ARABIC) what are the practical steps that you want President Bush to take in order to establish the Palestinian state before the end of his term?

BUSH: As I said in my comments that we expect all parties to adhere to the road map, and we are holding people to account on the pledges that both the Palestinians and the Israelis have made on the road map. And we do so publicly and we do so privately.

A lot of these issues that have been, you know, very difficult for a long period of time become easier to resolve as there's more trust between the parties.

BUSH: And trust becomes a permanent part of the political process as action on the ground takes place.

The Gaza withdrawal is a magnificent opportunity to help develop trust. It's an opportunity to develop trust between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

And, after all, the world watched strong cooperation between two willing governments to help the disengagement of Gaza, which is a -- you know, right now, I guesses we take it all for granted. You look back -- as I think, prior to the disengagement, there was a lot of consternation, a lot of concern. I suspect some of you might have even reported that, "Better watch out. This disengagement could end up being a very difficult period."

BUSH: And yet, thanks to the president's leadership and Prime Minister Sharon's leadership, the disengagement worked, which established trust.

The president's got an assignment and a job and that's to establish trust with the Palestinian people. He is a man who said, "I'm running on peace platform," and therefore, he has talked to us about using security forces to make sure that armed gangs don't disrupt the democratic process.

And our job is to help him do that.

And so to answer your questions, yes, we hold people to account for their promises made on the road map. And many of those promises will be easier to keep for all parties as there's progress on the ground.

And we have seen remarkable progress during the past year. And the progress isn't over this year. There'll be elections.

This is a very hopeful period.

BUSH: I'm very upbeat about being able to achieve this vision.

I understand it's hard. Things don't happen overnight. Old feuds aren't settled immediately. And it takes a while.

The key thing, as far as I'm concerned, is that there are partners in peace. Prime Minister Sharon wants there to be peace. President Abbas wants there to be peace. And both men are showing strong leadership toward achieving that objective.

And that's why I'm confident. I'm a heck of a lot more confident today than when I was when I first came into office. And I know that's nearly five years ago and that's an eternity for some.

But there's been remarkable progress in this part of the world. And we'll continue to work with the parties to achieve this important objective: two democratic states living side by side in peace.

ABBAS: Thank you.

The truth is, our answer to that question, we have to change the question: What are we supposed to do as Palestinians and Israelis to do?

First of all, we have to work. We have to do our part. We have to think as partners. So many years passed by, more than four years, we did not have any dialogue, we did not have any talks. And now we have confidence. We need to rebuild and build on that confidence and on the relationship.

And on our side, we are extending our hand to be true partners in the peace process, and we hope that the Israeli side also will do the same.

So we can do our part. And what we ask President Bush to do is what he mentioned during his remarks: the road map and the achievement, the realization of his vision.

The road map talks about settlements, about the barrier, all these issues that will facilitate the road to achieving true peace and will facilitate building the confidence between the two people, the Israelis and the Palestinians.

QUESTION: Thanks very much, sir.

Senator Specter called the rollout of the Miers nomination chaotic. Is that a fair criticism? Are you satisfied with the way the nomination has been handled? Would you be willing to release any more documents about her if it would help?

BUSH: First of all, it's an unusual nomination because she's never been a judge. And so, generally, people are used to looking at different court, you know, written opinions and how one ruled on this case or how one ruled on that case.

That's not the case with Harriet.

I picked Harriet for a lot of reasons. One reason was because she had never been a judge.

BUSH: I thought it made a lot of sense to bring a fresh outlook of somebody who's actually been a very successful attorney, and not only a successful attorney, but had been a pioneer for women lawyers in Texas.

I remind you that she was one of the top 50 women lawyers in the United States. She was consistently ranked that way.

And so it's a little different process than the norm. I understand that.

And, secondly, the questionnaire that she filled out is an important questionnaire. And, obviously, they will address the questions that the senators have in the questionnaire as a result of the answers to the questions in the questionnaire. But one thing the questionnaire does show, if people look at it carefully, is Harriet's judicial philosophy and the main reason I picked her to serve on the bench, if confirmed, and that is that she is not going to legislate from the bench.

BUSH: She will strictly interpret the Constitution.

I said that when I ran for president. I said, "If you elect me, I will name people that will have that judicial philosophy."

I've now had two chances, one, John Roberts and now Harriet Miers. And they share the same judicial philosophy. That's what the questionnaire says.

And so Harriet will answer all the questions asked.

But out of this will come a clear picture of competent, strong, capable woman who shares the same judicial philosophy that I share.

BUSH: You want to call on somebody, Mr. President?

QUESTION: Thank you, President Abbas. As President Bush referred and said that the only way to achieve progress in the peace road is combating armed gangs, and you are facing difficulties in doing this.

Are you going to seek help and support from American President George Bush to help you in disarming the resistance movements?

And, President, you say you wanted to see the Palestinian state (inaudible) before the end of your presidency. Are you still hoping to see something like that? This is number one.

Number two, don't you think that the time has come to talk about time tables to get the two parties to the issues of final status negotiations?

ABBAS: Regarding your questions, I am saying that we are truly in need of help from the United States in a variety of issues: economic issues and financial issues and also security support.

ABBAS: And the reason is having General Ward among us, a man who has done a magnificent job and we appreciate him and appreciate his work very much.

Regarding our internal issues, we are following a policy. I believe it is a successful policy. When we started and we asked everyone to accept the Hudna, or "the calming," all the organizations that are recognized accepted that.

Then we moved into another phase, and that is the phase of banning all public demonstrations with firearms. All groups accepted that.

Now all groups are on their way to the electoral process, so all groups will become a part of the political Palestinian fabric. I believe this will create a new phase in the life of Palestinian people.

ABBAS: It's a phase of democracy and pluralism in full-fledge in order to be a solid base for peace in the region.

BUSH: I believe that two democratic states living side by side in peace is possible.

I can't tell you when it's going to happen. It's happening. And the reason I can't is because there will be moments of progress and there will be moments of setback.

The key is to keep moving forward, is to have partners in peace to move forward.

But one thing that will not happen is that the United States will try to conform and force parties to make decisions based on the political schedule in America. That doesn't make any sense.

What matters is the decisions made by the Palestinians and the Israelis and the confidence earned as we move forward.

BUSH: So you said I would like to see two states before I get out of office. Not true; I'd like to see two states. And if it happens before I get out of office, I'll be there to witness the ceremony. And if doesn't, we will work hard to lay that foundation so that the process becomes irreversible.

Timetables are, you know, an interesting thing. Everybody wants a timetable, it seems like, on different issues. And these are very complicated matters, where years of conflict and years of mistrust are being resolved by some basic truths.

And one of the basic truths is, free societies are peaceful societies. So we look forward to working with a partner in peace, a person who said, "Vote for me, I'm for peace"; and a man who declares his understanding that the Palestinian people -- the long-suffering Palestinian people will be well served by a democracy -- a truly functioning democracy.

And so, Mr. President, we're glad you're back. I want to thank you for your strong leadership. And we wish you all the very best.

Thank you, sir.

WHITFIELD: In this second meeting this year between President George W. Bush and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but the first since the end of the 38-year Israeli occupation in Gaza, we were hearing words of hope to tackle a plan of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, with emphasis on rebuilding a land, and ending violence, and ending the status quo, having two states, in the words of President Bush, living side by side in peace.

Suzanne Malveaux is in the Rose Garden there.

And while we heard the two leaders, Suzanne, their dialogue appeared to be going according to script. We also had to hear questions from the press corps there, asking President Bush about what the president is now calling background noise. We're talking about other prominent issues that are in the news, from the investigations involving high-profile Republicans, to questions about his nominee for the Supreme Court, Harriet Miers.

This didn't go according to plan -- according -- by, you would think, by the White House standards, though, did it?

MALVEAUX: Well, you know, Fred, it's really interesting and sometimes quite predictable, these situations. The foreign press asking about the Middle East peace process, the roadmap, and where that's going. The American press, what we want to know essentially is how the president and the administration is able to carry on and stay focused on that mission, on those topics in light of all the troubles the administration and the Republican Party seems to be facing at this time.

Now, of course the president minimizing what he calls opining, some background noise in all of this. But clearly very significant to this administration, troubles, problems with his nomination of Harriet Miers. The conservatives speaking out very loudly against that.

And, of course, the CIA leak investigation. Word that top officials, his top official, Karl Rove, as well as the chief of staff to the vice president, Scooter Libby, both remain the focus of that investigation. People wondering whether or not there are going to be indictments.

What we've heard from this White House and many people behind the scenes, it's like it's the elephant that is in the room that they are pretending just isn't in the room. They say they've remained focus, they've tried to remain focused here, but obviously there is quite a bit of anxiety and concern -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Suzanne Malveaux in the Rose Garden. Thank you so much there in Washington.

Ambassador Philip Wilcox is back with us. He's the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Thanks for sticking around, Mr. Ambassador.

WILCOX: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Well, President Bush talked about a plan of coordinating security and getting international support. Abbas focused on rebuilding and renewal of the political process.

Are these differing objectives, or do you see them as symbiotic ones?

WILCOX: I think they're compatible, although the president did not call for an early resumption of negotiations. That was a very central part of Abbas's request. That suggests that the administration is not proposing some new American initiative and still hopes that the parties themselves can regain trust and make the right decisions.

WHITFIELD: Ambassador Philip Wilcox, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Thank you so much for joining us.

WILCOX: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: And for your analysis.

Now looking straight ahead, Hurricane Wilma churning in the Caribbean and expected to make a big turn toward the Florida coast. The newest information on the strength and the path of the storm from the CNN weather center, straight ahead.

Plus, who won that $340 million in last night's Powerball? We'll all meet the lucky winner later on in this show.

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