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The Situation Room
Protesters in Crawford; Whirlpool to Buy Maytag; 2008 Hopefuls Already in Action; NARAL Drops Ad; Jerry Falwell Interview
Aired August 12, 2005 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 4:00 p.m. in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place simultaneously.
Happening right now, we're following several important stories, including the president and the Iraq war protesters. It's 3:00 in Crawford, Texas, where Mr. Bush passed up an opportunity to meet with the so- called "peace mom."
A retreat from an ad attack on John Roberts. Why did an abortion rights group back off? We're tracking the early winners and the losers in the Supreme Court showdown.
And a frontline fighter in the so-called culture wars, the Reverend Jerry Falwell. This hour, we'll have some tough questions for him about his call for supporters to vote Christian, his stance on embryonic stem cell research, and the influence of religion in politics.
I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Up first, the president's decision to walk on by, or at least drive on by in this case, at his Texas ranch today. The president opted not to have a close encounter with a protester whose son was killed in Iraq.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is joining us now live from Crawford with what happened. What did happen, Elaine?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Wolf. Well, it's not unusual when the president has public events for protesters to turn out along the motorcade route, but it is unusual for that to happen here in Crawford.
Now today, it only took a matter of seconds for the president's motorcade to roll by a group of about 50 demonstrators as the president left his ranch on his way to a Republican fundraiser at a neighboring ranch, an event, by the way, which raised more than $2 million for the RNC.
Now, the protesters were kept at a distance, cordoned off by yellow tape. Law enforcement officials there, as well. President Bush knows the name of the woman who initially started this demonstration. Cindy Sheehan is her name. He was asked about her yesterday at a news conference and he said he sympathized with her.
As the president went by today, Cindy Sheehan up a sign saying, "Why do you make time for donors and not for me?"
Now, since Saturday, Sheehan has been camped out a few miles from the president's ranch, protesting his Iraq policy and vowing to remain put until she can speak with him.
Sheehan's son Casey was 24 years old when he was killed in Baghdad last year. And Cindy Sheehan says the best way she feels that the president can honor his sacrifice is to bring U.S. forces home immediately. But the president has made clear he thinks that would be a mistake, that it would be a betrayal to the Iraqis and it would only embolden the insurgents -- Wolf.
BLITZER: A little windy day there. Where were you, Elaine, when the president drove by that demonstration?
QUIJANO: Well, I was not actually in the travel pool, as they call it, but our CNN producer was, as well as a camera person. And this is actually the system that is set up. A different group of media is assigned every day, rotating, to travel actually physically with the president. And you get a little bit of the perspective of what it looked like from inside that motorcade.
Now, this wasn't actually where the president was sitting, but it gives you a sense of what it looked like from the perspective of the motorcade as the president passed by back and forth from his ranch to that event and back -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Elaine Quijano, reporting for us from Crawford, Texas. Elaine, thank you very much.
Later here in THE SITUATION ROOM, I'll speak live with Cindy Sheehan about her anti-war protest and the pressure she's putting on the president. We'll also from hear from a mother who also lost a son in Iraq and still supports Mr. Bush.
BLITZER: Something is missing today from the fight over John Roberts' nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The abortion right group NARAL has pulled an ad accusing Roberts of supporting violent fringe groups, an allegation widely criticized as misleading.
Our Bill Schneider has more on this decision and how it's playing out politically, especially for one key senator -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, it will be a challenge to keep the confirmation process for Judge Roberts from getting out of control. And one senator rose to that challenge this week, and he earned the "Political Play of the Week."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Senator Arlen Specter, who will chair John Roberts' confirmation hearings, is trying to keep the process under control.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, (R-PA) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I hope that the rhetoric will be low to give Judge Roberts a chance to be heard.
SCHNEIDER: The process threatened to get out of control when the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America released a TV ad calling Roberts...
ANNOUNCER: A justice whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans.
SCHNEIDER: Even though Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL, had said...
NANCY KEENAN, PRES., NARAL PRO-CHOICE AMERICA: That we are not suggesting that Mr. Roberts condones or supports clinic violence.
SCHNEIDER: The nonpartisan group FactCheck.org condemned the ad.
BROOKS JACKSON, FACTCHECK.ORG: If all you knew about Roberts was what was in this ad, you would have a totally false impression.
SCHNEIDER: Many liberals were upset, this liberal columnist says.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot of liberals thought that it was over the top, and that it was important to disassociate liberals from that kind of charge.
SCHNEIDER: On Thursday, Senator Specter sent a letter to Keenan in which he called the ad "blatantly untrue and unfair." "May I also suggest," Specter wrote, "that the NARAL advertisement is not helpful to the pro-choice cause which I support."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's been more closely allied with the pro- choice side. And so when Arlen Specter spoke, NARAL listened.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, they did. In a reply to Specter, Keenan wrote that the ad has become a distraction, and said the organization would stop running it.
Keeping this process under control isn't easy. For that, Senator Specter gets the "Play of the Week."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: The attack ad had an unintended consequence. It rallied the other side. Conservatives, some of whom had been uneasy with Roberts, rallied to support the president's nominee -- Wolf.
BLITZER: So the fear among the liberals, among those opposed to John Roberts, is that what NARAL is doing is simply going to backfire and generate support for John Roberts. Is that effectively what has happened now?
SCHNEIDER: Well, that was their fear. That's why the -- they stopped running the ad, because they were fearful that that could happen. But this only took a few days. And remember, the hearings aren't until next month. So that's going to start it all over again. BLITZER: Bill Schneider reporting for us. Thanks, Bill, very much. His "Political Play of the Week" airs every Friday here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
And in the interests of full disclosure, that NARAL ad did run here on CNN. But since NARAL yanked it, it's not running on this network, obviously, anymore. We are running the Progress for America ad defending John Roberts against such attacks.
We should also note that NARAL had told us and other news organizations that its ad was running on FOX News Channel and we reported that, but a FOX spokesman tells us that NARAL never approached FOX to buy any airtime.
Let's talk more about the Roberts confirmation with CNN political analyst Carlos Watson. He's joining us now from New York.
Carlos, where does this leave -- what -- the political dust that's going to fall from this whole NARAL ad uproar, where does it leave everyone?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The biggest news, Wolf, could be a reopening of a quiet split within the Democratic party, a split somewhat reminiscent, as you recall in 2003, between the Washington establishment Democrats on the Iraq War, and the Howard Dean types who came from outside of Washington who said hit harder and don't hesitate.
I think one of the things that I've heard from a number of people today is that the way in which NARAL responded, essentially pulling their ad within a week, was very different than what Republicans did last year when they were similarly criticized with the Swift Boat Veterans ads, in which -- when they were criticized. They actually stepped forward and ran even more ads. So it's going to be something you continue to hear.
And one last note on this I think will be interesting. Will you see new ads, ads which are funded, frankly, by the blogs who can raise money online for groups outside of traditional liberal interest groups? Something to watch over the next month.
BLITZER: Carlos, what about the president's decision not to meet with Cindy Sheehan, that mother who's camping out in Crawford, Texas, whose son was killed in Iraq? What's the political fallout?
WATSON: Well, clearly the president's in a difficult place, in terms of the polling numbers. We've all seen at least one recent poll put his approval numbers on Iraq under 40 percent. And maybe more significantly, the disapproval numbers, just under 60 percent, could represent a tipping point.
I think the big question here is will the families like Cindy Sheehan become the Fulbrights of this war? You remember some 40 years ago, William Fulbright's criticism ultimately was a key tipping point in moving public opinion against Vietnam. Will the families here become something similar or, conversely, will we see the president do what he's done successfully at least twice before when criticized by families, in this case 9/11 families?
We see him at first resist, in the case of creating the Homeland Department, and later, when it came to creating the 9/11 Commission. But then later embrace these families and say I support your position.
So it's not clear what impact Cindy Sheehan and others will have. You could see the president do what he's successfully done twice before.
BLITZER: Carlos Watson reporting for us, giving us some analysis. Thanks very much, Carlos.
Each hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM, you can weigh in on some of the major stories we're following. We call it the "Cafferty File". Jack Cafferty, once again, joining us from New York. What's the question this hour, Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm ready this time. I got my mike on and everything, Wolf.
BLITZER: Every -- our viewers loved seeing you get prepared for that last appearance.
CAFFERTY: I don't think so.
BLITZER: They did.
CAFFERTY: Time away from the office is a good thing. Just ask President Bush. President Bush is down there at the ranch in Crawford, Texas, for five weeks this time. It's his 49th trip to the ranch since being elected our president, which means that Mr. Bush has spent almost 20 percent of his presidency there. That's according to CBS, which keeps track of this kind of stuff. This doesn't even count the time up at dad's place at Kennebunkport, over there at Camp David.
His staffers insist this is a working vacation. And they point to his meetings that he's holding with advisers as well as trips to other states.
Speaking of meetings, did you see that thing yesterday? We had Don Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice, they all put on their casual clothes and go stand out in the field at the ranch. I mean, how silly does that look? It's just a -- it's a photo op, but it just looks silly. I mean, nobody thinks that that's where they do work, they sit down and draw a plan in the dirt for the assault against the insur -- I mean, it just looks silly.
Anyway, I digress. Critics of the president say there's more than enough to keep him busy in Washington and he ought to spend more time there -- the war in Iraq, we got rising gas prices, we got terror threats, we got deficits, we got a whole list of stuff.
So, the question this hour is this. Is President Bush taking too much time off or perhaps not enough? CaffertyFile@CNN.com.
BLITZER: We'll look forward to the response. Thanks very much, Jack Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome.
BLITZER: With the "Cafferty File."
Coming up, why they might as well put a revolving door on the borders of Iowa and New Hampshire. It may be a long, long way until 2008, but there's plenty of early action in the race for the White House. Our Candy Crowley following every move, even at this early stage.
Plus, the Reverend Jerry Falwell in a new skirmish in the so- called culture wars. Was his call to vote Christian, anti-Jewish?
And we'll tell you why supporters of the Republican who wants Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's job are taking exception with Bill Clinton's comments here in THE SITUATION ROOM only yesterday. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There's nothing like the Iowa State Fair now under way in Des Moines for attracting prize-winning livestock and would-be presidents. Today the former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, is there, more proof he's mulling a race for the White House.
Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is here, but she spends lots of time in Iowa and New Hampshire trying to figure out what's going on. Candy, tell our viewers what's happening.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I can hear my family going, look, August of 2005 is way too early to talk about the primary and caucus month of January 2008. But they'd be wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): Only 1,180 shopping days until the next presidential election.
LOU D'ALLESANDRO, (D) NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE SENATE: I think our perception is it never ends. So, it isn't that early.
CROWLEY: Which is to say business is brisk in New Hampshire.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: I promise you that I have no thoughts about the year 2008.
CROWLEY: An amazing number of people are not running for president along the highways and byways of New Hampshire and Iowa.
SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, (R) IOWA: So often that most Iowans are not going to go a week without some contact with a candidate for the presidency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody is at the starting gate yet, but we've got a lot of people running around in the paddock. CROWLEY: Among those in the paddock, testing the waters, keeping their options open, or who just like Iowa in August Clark, Edwards, Bayh, Richardson, Warner, Kerry, McCain, Frist, Allen, Romney, Romback, Hagel, Gingrich, Pataki, all told they have visited Iowa and New Hampshire 30 times since last year's election.
Ready or not, the game is on. And most of you are paying attention. Sixteen percent told CNN/Gallup they already have a good idea of who they would choose. Fifty-two percent say they're watching the '08 news. Put us in that piece of the pie.
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) FRM. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. My campaign is to do something about poverty in this country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: A final word about the name you didn't hear: Hillary Clinton. No trips yet to New Hampshire or Iowa. But she is, in the words of a top New Hampshire Democrat, like a goddess kind of out there. With billing like that, you don't really need to visit New Hampshire this early.
BLITZER: A goddess. That's a nice phrase for Hillary Clinton. So, who else has the early buzz out there?
CROWLEY: We ought to say, really, it's a hum, not quite loud enough to be a buzz. This is off, off, off Broadway.
Having said that, on the Republican side, Mitt Romney, governor of Massachusetts, was introduced by a women's group out there. And the woman gave her -- here's his resume. And she looked and she said you know, Governor, you're not too hard on the eye. He gets rock star treatment out there.
On the Democratic side, Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico. It's just a pulse to him, as you know. There a -- he connects well with people both as a speaker and you know, one-on-one. So, those two right now on either side are getting the early hum.
BLITZER: Hum, hum, that's a new phrase. All right. Thanks very much, Candy Crowley, with that.
He's a top lobbyist here in Washington and a major Republican fundraiser. But today Jack Abramoff is in court facing fraud charges. Coming up, could his troubles affect top members of the U.S. Congress?
And he's one of the leading members of the Christian conservatives, but this week he found himself in a bit of trouble. The Reverend Jerry Falwell standing by to join us in THE SITUATION ROOM.
And later, she's a hot item online. We'll tell you what the bloggers are saying about that anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan. She'll be on our program in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Looking at the Reverend Jerry Falwell. He'll be joining us shortly here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
But first, let's get a quick check of other stories we're following. Once again, Zain Verjee joining us from the CNN center -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.
Thirty-six days after U.S. subways, city buses and commuter trains were put on high alert after those deadly attacks in London, the Homeland Security Department is set to lower the national threat level for mass transit. In just over three hours from now, the threat level will begin to be lowered to yellow, or elevated.
In Mississippi, a judge grants bail to convicted killer Edgar Ray Killen. The judge granted Killen's release on bond of $600,000 during the appeal of his manslaughter conviction. In June, Killen was found guilty of felony manslaughter for the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers in Mississippi. Killen was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
The governor of New Mexico declares a state of emergency in four counties. The declaration allows Governor Bill Richardson to free up money to be spent on items like fighting drug smuggling, and funding the state's Office of Homeland Security.
An update now from Sri Lanka. Reuters is reporting that two people are under arrest in connection with the assassination of the Sri Lankan foreign minister. He was shot in the head outside his home in Colombo. The official died after emergency surgery failed.
BLITZER: Zain -- a quick, question, Zain, about the foreign minister of Sri Lanka. What was his role in the peace process there? Because as you and all our viewers know -- at least many of our viewers know, there's been a civil war that's been waging -- raging -- in Sri Lanka for some time.
VERJEE: The foreign minister has really taken a hard line against the Tamil Tiger rebels. I mean, this was really the man widely believed responsible for banning the Tamil Tiger in the United States and Britain and in Australia, as well. He's been considered a very high profile target over the years. And he has had one of the most intense security details.
He has played a very, very important role in the process, although of late, there was a bit of a strain between him and the Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga over how to handle the Tigers, particularly in the aftermath of the tsunami.
As you mentioned, Wolf, the war has been going on in Sri Lanka for more than 20 years. The Tamil Tiger rebels basically want this, they want autonomy in the north and in the east of the country. There's been a ceasefire now for about three years, but with the death of the foreign minister, it really raises a lot of questions and a lot of concerns about the repercussions it could have on the peace process, because the war, Wolf, has killed at least 64,000 people. And there are a lot of hopes and high stakes on this. BLITZER: All right. Zain Verjee reporting for us. Thank you, Zain, very much.
Should religion play a major role in the Supreme Court battle over Judge John Roberts? That's just one of the questions we'll be asking the Reverend Jerry Falwell. He's standing by. He'll be my guest here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Congress getting its hands on some crucial documents that could determine if baseball star Rafael Palmeiro lied to lawmakers about using steroids.
And her son was killed in Iraq. Now she's outside the president's ranch in Texas protesting the war. Coming up, I'll speak with Cindy Sheehan next hour on THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now the latest ammunition in the so-called culture wars. Justice Sunday II is set for this weekend, another attempt by religious groups to try to influence the process of selecting and confirming federal judges. This comes after a week in which the Reverend Jerry Falwell has been under fire himself by the Anti- Defamation League for urging voters to -- quote -- "vote Christian in 2008."
Let's talk about those stories and more with the Reverend Jerry Falwell. He's joining us from Lynchburg, Virginia.
REV. JERRY FALWELL, FOUNDER, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: Hi, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Reverend Falwell, for joining us.
Here's what you wrote in that fundraising letter. Among other things, you wanted people to utilize momentum of the sweeping conservative mandate of the November 2, 2004 elections to maintain a faith and values revolution of voters who will continue to go to polls to vote Christian and call America back to God.
You understand that irritated some?
FALWELL: Well, it irritated Abe Foxman. But it took nine months to do it. That letter was dated November 30, 2004. And as soon as we sent it out, one of our own editors here said, Dr. Falwell, that may be misinterpreted.
BLITZER: But let me interrupt, Reverend Falwell. What Abe Foxman and the ADL pointed out is that it was repeated on your Web site earlier this month, the same banner "vote Christian".
FALWELL: Well, let me explain that also. But in November, 2004, following that faith and values turnout, which most pundits believe reelected Mr. Bush, we were saying to Christians in a Christian audience to not vote Republican, don't vote Democrat, but vote your Christian values. Had I been in a synagogue, I would have said vote your Judaic values. And we realized that this might cause a problem. And we stashed it ourselves nine months ago. One of our Web site operators left one sentence in there that was taken out last month when we found ourselves a problem.
Abe has my telephone number and I have his. We're supposed to be friends. We're great friends of Israel. Eighty million evangelicals support the Jewish people here and everywhere. And Abe should have telephoned me rather than in a slow fundraising month like August, putting out a press release.
BLITZER: Here's what he said...
FALWELL: He ought to know better, and I would never do that to him.
BLITZER: Here's what he said in his statement -- August 8, statement. Abe Foxman of the ADL. "Reverend Falwell's recent statements are directly at odds with the American ideal and should be rejected. Understanding the danger of combining religion and politics, our founding fathers wisely created a political system based on individual merit and religious inclusiveness."
FALWELL: And I agree totally with that. And the problem is, Abe knows I agree totally with that. And he does not have a better friend, and nor do the Jewish people in this country or Israel, than the evangelicals of the nation.
And Abe just has a tendency to beat up on his friends. He ought to be beating up on those people who are bombing the Israelis out there in Israel. And at any rate, he's my friend and I just think it's unprofessional. I would never do that to him.
BLITZER: All right. I want to move on. Was it a mistake, though, to utter the words, to write the banner "vote Christian" and to circulate those bumper stickers?
FALWELL: Well, we were speaking to a Christian audience. And I don't think it was improper. But we, ourselves, decided it would be misunderstood by persons who didn't know the context. Speaking to our Christian audience, we believe strongly that Christians should not vote Republican or Democrat, should vote their Christian values. When I'm speaking in synagogues, I say vote your Judaic values. And Abe knows that. That's the problem. And he did that in spite of knowing better.
BLITZER: All right. Let's move on, talk about Justice Sunday II this weekend.
The Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, attended the first one, Justice Sunday -- won't be attending this one. Since then, he's come out in favor of expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Listen to what he said. I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BILL FRIST, (R-TN) MAJORITY LEADER: I am pro-life. I believe human life begins at conception. But to me it isn't just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And he says these embryos, these cells are going to be discarded in any case. Why not take advantage of them to try to cure some of these diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other serious injuries?
FALWELL: Well, I'm a good friend of Senator Frist, strong supporter. And he is correct. He is pro-life and we all believe that. I personally disagree with the premise that federal funding should be used in an unlimited way to involve itself, ourselves in embryo cell testing and that kind of thing.
BLITZER: He's not saying unlimited. He's not saying unlimited. He's saying it should be restricted, but it should be focused on those embryonic cells that are going to be discarded in any case. Why not use them?
FALWELL: Well, I can only say that as a pro-life person who is strictly and totally pro-life, I'm against abortion. I'm against using federal funds for embryonic stem cell testing at any point, even the early 24 stem cells. And it's where I stand as a man of God and a believer in the scriptures. And at the same time, I respect the senator and I will continue to support him.
BLITZER: How are you feeling? Because we all had a scare a few weeks ago when you were you were over at the Mayo -- you were in the Cleveland Clinic, was that right?
FALWELL: I was. I had four stents put in. And I'm doing much better. The doc said, Jerry we fixed you. And I took his word for you. And I have gone right back to my preaching schedule.
It's an amazing place up there, 33,000 employees and a million patients a year. And I'm very grateful for the work that Dr. Whitlow (ph) and the people at The Cleveland Clinic did on my behalf. And I'm grateful to the Lord for at age 72, as of yesterday, giving me a little extension here.
BLITZER: Well, happy birthday, Reverend Falwell. You look pretty good. Looking like you lost a few pounds. Did you?
FALWELL: Well, I have. And I'm working on it hard. My wife, who is also my warden, has put a Martha Stewart ankle bracelet on me, and I'm eating salads. And I don't like them. And I'm exercising. And I don't like it. But I'm doing what I'm told.
BLITZER: Well, you're going to try to do the best you can. Reverend Falwell, as usual, good luck to you. We're happy you're feeling better. And we hope you'll be here in THE SITUATION ROOM on many occasions down the road.
FALWELL: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: On our "Political Radar" this Friday, members of Congress now have their hands on all Major League Baseball documents on Rafael Palmeiro's positive steroid test. The papers were turned over today.
Lawmakers are trying to determine if the Baltimore Orioles slugger lied in March when he testified under oath that he never used steroids. If the answer is yes, Palmeiro could be charged with perjury.
A lobbyist with ties to the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles today after surrendering to face indictment. Jack Abramoff is charged in Florida with fraud in the purchase of casino boats from a businessman who was later shot to death. And as we told you when this story began to unfold yesterday, Abramoff is a major figure in the investigations involving the number two man in the House of Representatives, that would be Tom DeLay. But DeLay is not connected at all to the Florida case.
A new source of contention in the New York State Senate race about something you heard here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Yesterday, the former president, Bill Clinton, defended his wife against attacks by GOP candidate Jeanine Pirro. In our exclusive interview, he insisted Senator Clinton is running for reelection, not for the White House.
The head of the New York GOP issued a statement questioning Bill Clinton's honesty, saying he's the only person in New York State who doesn't think Mrs. Clinton is running for president.
Still ahead, we'll talk more about Justice Sunday II and its impact in our "Strategy Session."
Also ahead, the anti-war protester who still hasn't talked with President Bush at his ranch. I'll speak live with Cindy Sheehan and with a Bush supporter who also lost her son in Iraq.
Plus dangerous runways. We'll tell you why some airports don't have buffer zones, as they're called, that could save lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. A growing protest by soldiers' mothers. A controversial ad getting pulled. And conservative Christians getting ready to flex their muscle.
We're going to talk about all of that here in our "Strategy Session." Joining us, CNN contributor, former Gore campaign manager, Donna Brazile, along with Republican strategist Rich Galen. Thanks to both of you for joining us.
Let's talk about Cindy Sheehan. Her strategy is what now? It's pretty clear the president is not going to meet with her again. He met with her a year ago.
DONNA BRAZILE, FRM. GORE CAMPAIGN MANAGER: She's going to remain outside I think, until the president himself visits her or perhaps invites her over to the ranch for iced tea or something else to drink.
But what's happening right now is that more people are coming to the ranch site. The protest is still growing in number and strength. And as you saw in a poll just recently, 61 percent of the American people now disapprove of the president's handling of Iraq.
So I think Cindy Sheehan is making a difference in terms of those who oppose this war.
BLITZER: Another almost half a dozen mothers who have lost sons in Iraq are joining her outside the Crawford Ranch.
RICH GALEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: That's a long way from any kind of mass demonstration. I mean it's -- the president's is going to be there until he comes back to Washington at the end of August. And then nobody will cover her.
The other alternative for this ending is for her to stop getting covered, then she'll go home. But look...
BLITZER: It's a tough decision for the president.
GALEN: For any president, whether it's Bill Clinton or Dwight Eisenhower or George W. Bush, any president has to balance -- or any commander for that matter, always has to balance the interests of one soldier or one mother of a soldier, in this case, against the interests of the entire mission, the entire campaign, or for a president, the entire country.
It is a very difficult thing to deal with. But the notion of people staking out the motorcade to see if it was going to stop for a protest is kind of silly. If a presidential motorcade stopped for every protest they went by, they -- much work wouldn't have been done.
BLITZER: It probably would have been easier for the president to change his mind and invite her in for a glass of a cup of tea or a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea or something had she not aligned herself now with some of these political groups MoveOn.org and others. Now it -- all of a sudden, it becomes much more of a political brouhaha as opposed to a sympathetic mother who is grieving, who lost a son in Iraq.
BRAZILE: I think that's the way some on the right are now portraying her, as a capture of MoveOn. But she's not. This is a woman who feels very strongly about what happened to her son in Iraq. She has strong views about what should take place now -- that the troops should come home. And I think that she's going to stay out there and continue to raise public awareness and attention to what's going on in Iraq.
GALEN: Look, I spent six months in Iraq.
BLITZER: Six months where?
GALEN: In Iraq. And I was with these young men and women everyday in some really tough places under tough conditions. And nobody wants to get killed. Nobody wants to get blown up. And I'm telling you, these young men and women understand why they are there. They understand what the mission is. They're proud to be there. And they will say in words to this effect, either we fight this war here now, or I'm going to have to be fighting or my grandchildren fighting it back in Oklahoma or Tennessee.
BLITZER: All right. Let's move on, talk about this NARAL ad, this very controversial ad put out by the abortion rights group that they've now pulled, in part -- maybe largely in part -- because of Senator Arlen Specter who is a supporter of abortion rights wrote to NARAL, and among other things he said this, "the NARAL advertisement is not helpful to the pro-choice cause, which I support. When NARAL puts out such an advertisement, in my opinion it undercuts its credibility and injures the pro-choice cause."
This ad basically suggesting that John Roberts, the nominee for the Supreme Court, supported violence at these abortion clinics.
BRAZILE: I thought it was the right decision to pull the ad. As President Nancy Keenan said, the president of NARAL, the ad was a distraction from the real legitimate issues that many in the pro- choice community are raising about Judge Roberts' views on the right to privacy and Roe v. Wade.
Look, NARAL wants to protect Sandra Day O'Connor's legacy on the court. She was a swing voter on many important issues involving civil rights and civil liberties. And that's why they went out there to put this ad in its public education campaign.
GALEN: You're giving them way too much credit for being reasonable people, first of all. They were against Judge Roberts even before he was officially announced. That's number one.
Number two is, this is the kind of ad you get in a state Senate race or a congressional race where you find some section of some bill that somebody voted for or against and make a bill degree about it, and either people pay attention to it or they don't. This was an amateurish ad that never should have never gotten on. So, they don't get credit for taking it off, because they put it on in the first place.
BLITZER: Is it ever appropriate in these kinds of situations, Donna, to take a close look at his Catholic faith, or the fact that he and his wife adopted children? Because there have been articles in the "New York Times" and there have been questions raised in connection with that. Are there certain issues that should be beyond the pale?
BRAZILE: Look, as a fellow Catholic, I think it's inappropriate to ask him about his personal religious beliefs. But I think it's appropriate to see if those personal beliefs will in any way color or direct his thinking in terms of the court itself. Article VI of the Constitution is very clear in terms of the role of a judge in interpreting the Constitution.
But look, I firmly disagree with this notion that NARAL was the first to put out an ad. Progress for America put the first ad-out three hours or four hours after the president nominated Judge Roberts. And NARAL has a right to put their own ads out there.
GALEN: This goes all the way back to 1960, when John Kennedy, the first Catholic to be seriously considered for the presidency and maybe -- I think the first one maybe to be nominated. He was asked these same kinds of questions. And he said the same thing. Look, I'm an American. And that's what I'm going to do.
So, I don't think Judge Roberts is going to have any trouble with those kinds of questions. And frankly, he's not going to have any trouble being confirmed.
BLITZER: Rich Galen, Donna Brazile, we'll continue this discussion. Thanks very much. A grieving mother and a growing protest against the war in Iraq. We've been talking about Cindy Sheehan, she'll join us here in THE SITUATION ROOM, to tell us what she wants to say to the president right now.
Plus, a tropical storm expected to become a hurricane, headed toward the U.S. East Coast. The latest on Irene. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're getting this just coming into CNN right now. Check this out. The former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, completing his first submarine dive since he left the U.S. Navy in 1953. This time, it was in a brand new nuclear vessel bearing his name.
The USS Jimmy Carter pulled into this Navy submarine base after a night of cruising below the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. And that would be appropriately enough off the Georgia coast. He was accompanied by his wife and a crew of 151 sailors.
Good for him.
Time now for a check of other stories we're following right now. CNN's Zain Verjee joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Zain.
VERJEE: Wolf, passengers like these may soon be on their way. British Airways has resumed its flights after striking workers at London's Heathrow airport returned to their jobs. The strike forced the airline to cancel hundreds of flights, leaving at least 100,000 passengers stranded all over the world.
Will it or won't it? That's what forecasters are asking as they try to figure out if Tropical Storm Irene will hit land. The storm is getting stronger. It's just shy of hurricane status with winds hovering around 65 miles an hour. Its center is 300 miles from Bermuda and 700 miles southeast of North Carolina.
Thousands of Americans take it, now they'll have to report their use to the government. The FDA says those who take the acne drug Accutane must enroll in a national registry. The FDA is trying to monitor access to Accutane and its generic alternatives, because it causes birth detects. And it's on a very long trip to Mars. NASA launched its Mars reconnaissance orbiter from Cape Canaveral, Florida this morning after a one-day delay blamed on a computer glitch. Once the spacecraft reaches the red planet early next year, it's expected to gather more information about Mars than any previous probe -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Getting back to that issue at Heathrow Airport, the British Air, the strike, how are the passengers -- there are thousands of them. How have they been coping?
VERJEE: Wolf, they have been frustrated, fuming and absolutely livid. A lot of the hotels just didn't have any rooms available. So people have been sleeping on benches, on floors at Heathrow Airport. There's been a makeshift snack corner that's been set up, and people queuing up for food and drink. The question, though, really for British officials is how to get 100 planes and 1,000 crew back on track to get the passengers out -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Good question. We'll see what's going on at Heathrow. We'll monitor that. Zain, thank you very much.
Lots of other questions, except one very important question we're monitoring here in THE SITUATION ROOM this hour. Jack Cafferty sorting through the e-mail. He's joining us from New York with the "Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Wolf, good to be with you. The question this hour, President Bush taking too much time off or not enough?
The first answer comes from Tom in Alma, West Virginia. "Until the other day, I would have said the president needed time off to do some chores at the Crawford ranch, but I found out the broken-down shed that CNN reporters have been standing in front of for the last six years was nine miles from the Texas White House."
And I'll tell you something, Tom, I didn't know that either. I learned it right here on THE SITUATION ROOM. That's this phony old barn that they stand in front of next to some school. I always thought it was part of the ranch. It's nine miles from the ranch. So, we've been tricking everybody.
John writes this, "The president's on vacation for 33 days. Congress for 32 days. Why is that a story?" Perhaps, John, because during that period, the country is relatively secure and safe.
Stephanie in Pennsylvania, "Come on, Jack, what's the difference? The people who pull his strings may have to use longer strings, but other than that nothing changes when he's on vacation."
Leo in Beverly, Massachusetts, "We're at war. Everybody has to make sacrifices. First, the wealthy in this country, like W, were forced to accept huge tax cuts. Now extended vacations. Will their suffering never end?"
And Dennis in Grand Haven, Michigan, "Jack, you always have a chair. You do say a few things that are interesting. I see Wolf doesn't have a chair. He's full of enlightening perspectives on the day's news. Is this a seniority issue: getting a chair? How senior do you have to be to get a chair there? You're obviously senior to anybody I know." That's not funny, Dennis. "But Wolf works really hard and he really needs a chair."
BLITZER: You know, a lot of people...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: I just sat. Did you notice during the interview with Jerry Falwell, I was sitting?
CAFFERTY: I didn't notice. But you should have a chair. You should have anything you want. This is a big, long, tough program and they should take better care of you.
BLITZER: All right. We're going to get a chair here.
CAFFERTY: Tell Boreman (ph) to go out and buy you a chair. They've got a big budget. They're not spending the money.
BLITZER: David Boreman is our Washington bureau chief for those who don't know. Jack Cafferty, thanks very much.
Was there music during that?
CAFFERTY: No, mercifully there wasn't. I guess my harping and complaining has succeeded in killing that awful music. I hope it has.
BLITZER: I love that music. Thanks very much, Jack Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: Well, you should get a CD and play it at your house.
BLITZER: I will.
A controversial commercial, very controversial, yanked off the air. It's a hot topic online. We'll take you "Inside the Blogs" and see what they're saying about the battle over the Supreme Court nominee.
A divorce scandal allegedly involving one of New York's top Roman Catholic clerics. That story coming up in our next hour.
Plus, gripping tapes of radio transmissions on 9/11. We'll show you why they're just now being released.
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BLITZER: There's a developing story we're following out of New York. CNN's Ali Velshi has got the news. He's joining us live. Ali, what's happening.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Wolf. We have been following the story of Maytag and Whirlpool, the bid by Whirlpool to take over Maytag. Well, Maytag's board of directors has now voted formally to accept Whirlpool's $21 a share proposal to buy it. The two companies will merge. And they will, in fact, now be responsible for a lot of names between the two of them.
These are the names that we buy, we keep at home. So you are going to see Whirlpool and Maytag, that's Hoover, Jenn-Air, Amana, those are the companies that Maytag has, they're all merged. And perhaps you'll be paying more for your fridges and stoves pretty soon -- Wolf.
BLITZER: So, one very big appliance company.
VELSHI: One very big appliance company.
BLITZER: Thanks, Ali. We'll see you in the next hour, which is about to being.
An abortion rights group, as we've been reporting, is now pulling its controversial ad against the nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court. It's still a very hot topic online. Our Internet reporters Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton are back to take us inside the blogs -- ladies.
JACKI SCHECHNER, INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, you may remember earlier in the week, there was a huge online push to get this NARAL ad off the air. A lot of bloggers, especially conservatives, were linking to the FactCheck.org, saying the release -- saying that the ad was false. This is a nonpartisan consumer advocacy group. Conservatives rallying behind it.
Now they're very happy that NARALl withdrew the ad. This is QandO.net, a neo-libertarian blog -- conservative, in other words. They say now the reason why this happened is there's too many watchdogs out there and your methods of old propaganda 101, is what they call it, are not going to work anymore.
Now, the left finally speaking out on this. This is the Maha Blog. And basically what they're saying is OK, big oops for NARAL. They should have pulled the ad. Good going on that. But now it's time for the left to rally around a cause to find a voice when it comes to Roberts.
ABBI TATTON, INTERNET REPORTER: So that's one big story out there. Other bloggers are looking ahead to the weekend to Justice Sunday, which is happening in Tennessee this weekend. Sharmane Yost is one of them. She is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council that's behind the event. She's blogging there.
She's also got a group of conservative bloggers to live blog the event with her. She put out a call a couple of weeks ago to try and get people involved. A small group of them are going to be there. They came under a little bit of criticism from some bloggers, because the expenses of these blogs were going to be paid. Bloggers like Jeff Jarvis don't really feel comfortable with that, so decided not to go.
SCHECHNER: One person who is going to be there, which is interesting, is Voluntarily Conservative. He's a guy in Knoxville. This is happening in Nashville. He says that local people were getting the jump on tickets. So, he called back the Family Research Council and said he was a blogger. And guess what, now he's getting in.
The quote was, who knew that being a blogger, Wolf, would open such doors. We'll send it back to you.
BLITZER: All right. Very interesting. Thanks very much.
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