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The Situation Room
Hurricane Wilma Devestates Southern Florida; American Public Thinks Federal Government Ready For Wilma Damage; Speculation Heats Up Surrounding Possible Indictments In CIA Leak Probe
Aired October 24, 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. here in Washington and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time. Happening now, damage assessment in Florida. Wilma moving on after hammering the southern part of the state from coast to coast. We're live in areas hardest hit by the hurricane on its collision course through Cuba, Mexico and now the United States.
Also this hour, high pressure on the White House over the Harriet Miers' nomination and the CIA leak probe. A new week of hand-wringing and strategizing is under way, knowing a bombshell could drop any day now.
And the man who would be the Federal Reserve chairman. We'll take a closer look at Ben Bernanke's economic credentials and whether he can hope to fill Alan Greenspan's shoes.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
This hour, Wilma tearing out into the Atlantic Ocean. And south Florida is just beginning to pick up the pieces.
On open waters, the storm has strengthened once again to a Category 3 and is moving northeast, away, away from the damage it left behind in Florida. The state's southeastern coast took a beating from the eighth hurricane to hit Florida over the past 15 months; 125 mile- per-hour winds blasted out windows, peeled away roofs, and knocked out power to millions of people.
Wilma first hit Florida's west side early this morning with an all-too-familiar force. At least one death is being blamed on the storm.
While Florida's just beginning to take stock, the devastation in Cuba is clear; 45-foot waves breached Havana's sea wall. Emergency workers waded through waist-deep water to try to rescue people trapped in flooded neighborhoods.
And in Mexico, the president, Vicente Fox, toured storm-damaged areas in Cancun and became visibly angry at the conditions he saw. Thousands of tourists, many of them Americans, have been stranded for five days, often in filthy conditions and in need of food.
CNN is your hurricane headquarters. We have been covering this story from every angle. Allan Chernoff is in Hollywood, Florida. Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, at the CNN Weather Center.
Let's go to Allan first on Florida's heavily-populated southeastern coast. You're now inside?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're inside of a lobby of our hotel. And, Wolf, during the height of the storm, the winds were so intense that we had to take our satellite dish down for fear that it could turn into an 800-pound Frisbee.
At that point, we were doing reports via telephone. And I was standing in this lobby when, all of a sudden, the wind pushed that pane right through, knocking down this plant.
And that is not the only window pane that was knocked out. There's one up there, as well. And there's a third on the other side of the lobby. Glass all over the floor here, as you can see.
And just above, the window panes that do remain, you can see the sand that was hammering these windows coming in from the beach. And that's well over 150 yards away.
As I said earlier, the sand was just flying all over the place. It was an intense sandstorm by those winds. The restaurant here also shuttered. Many windows there are damaged, and there's plenty of flooding inside of the restaurant.
So the hotel will have a tremendous amount of damage to clean up. They did have lots of damage during Hurricane Katrina, more than 100 rooms flooded.
And, Wolf, it appears the damage this time, far worse.
BLITZER: Were there tourist there? Were there guests there? Or was the place basically empty?
CHERNOFF: Not empty at all, about a quarter full. Of course, they did have many cancellations. But we did have guests here, still had some tourists, also people just taking shelter in the hotel.
It is a pretty solid building. In spite of all this damage that we had in the lobby, outside, the interior is quite safe.
BLITZER: All right, Allan, we're going to check back with you.
Let's stay in Hollywood, Florida. The mayor, Mara Giulianti, is joining us on the phone.
Mayor, what can you tell us about beautiful Hollywood? How badly have you suffered?
MARA GIULIANTI, MAYOR OF HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA: We'll, you know, we've been a Tree City, USA, for about 30 years. And we are somewhat of Treeless City, USA, right now. We have quite a few trees down. I mean, probably in certainly the hundreds, if not the thousands, blocking major and minor roadways. The vegetative debris would be like the Rocky Mountains. I've never seen it like this. BLITZER: So are the streets basically impassable right now? You're discouraging, I assume, people from getting out and driving around?
GIULIANTI: Well, we're discouraging, but human nature being what it is, they're not only some people are on the roads, but I've noticed that people are already trying to clean up and move things wherever they can.
We are, right now, trying to open up the roadways so that, in neighborhoods where there are important streets, so people can get through and folks will have at least one means of ingress and egress. We're doing that now.
BLITZER: I assume the power is out in Hollywood. What about water?
GIULIANTI: Well, I'm fortunate. I'm at my home, very close to our emergency operation center right now. Our EOC doesn't have water. Our major, beautiful hotel, the Westin Diplomat, still doesn't have water. But most of us don't have power, unless you have a generator. And part of the city has water and part doesn't.
BLITZER: How long, how many days do you expect to be without power in Hollywood?
GIULIANTI: I don't know. FPL announced that they have about 1,000 people ready to try to put back power, at least -- you know, when they get the major grids, if you're on a major grid, it does fine.
There are always some areas that have only a few homes on a particular, you know, pole or a particular transformer. And they tend to be out, you know, sometimes a week or two. We're really hoping within a few days.
Obviously, we're not going to open city hall tomorrow. We've taken damage there. And I know Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, the courthouse and others, have taken damage. But I think we're actually extraordinarily lucky.
BLITZER: All right, Mayor, thank you very much. Mara Giulianti is the mayor of Hollywood, Florida. We'll check back with you, Mayor.
Speaking of power, let's go to CNN's Ali Velshi.
You're checking the power situation, electricity in south Florida. What are you picking up?
VELSHI: The mayor was just talking about Florida Power and Light. Their electrical grid has suffered damage, extensive damage; 3.2 million of their 4.3 million customers are out of power. That's about 6 million people.
Because it's such a large area, 35 counties have been impacted, 27,000 square miles. They're going to start looking at it at about 6:00 Eastern. They have said, if you're out there and you're out of power, don't bother calling in. They know exactly where the power outages are.
And do not wander into pools of water that you can't see. There might be a downed power line right there. So a lot of power out in Florida, more so than previous hurricanes -- Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Ali. Thank you very much.
Let's go to the CNN Hurricane Headquarters. Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, standing by.
Let's try to absorb some more information, Jacqui. What are you picking up?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we still have a very strong storm out there, a major hurricane still with 115 mile-per-hour winds. And it's affecting a lot of the southeastern part of the country right now.
We also have a storm system here in the Ohio Valley that's going to almost hook up with the storm and create a very dangerous situation for tomorrow. We're very concerned about travel, obviously already having problems.
We heard earlier from Ali Velshi about how the winds have to be about 40-50 miles per hour in order for the airports to open. Of course, Miami, not the wind issue right now. Winds are gusting to 35 miles per hour.
We'll check a little farther to the north, into Ft. Lauderdale. Twenty-six miles per hour, gusting up to 37. And on up to West Palm Beach, 33 miles per hour. But we still could see gusts in the 40 to 50 mile-per-hour range. And that's probably why we're not going to see some of these open until maybe tonight or even tomorrow.
We do have trouble into the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. Already the Delmarva area getting hit with some very wet weather already. And also some snow coming down into parts of West Virginia.
Travel delays in the northeast because of low clouds. Into Boston, your delays there about 30 minutes on average. Winter storm watches have been posted across parts of upstate New York through parts of Pennsylvania, the green and the white mountains across parts of Vermont. We could see six or more inches of snow here tomorrow and into Wednesday morning.
And the other big concern, especially into the coastal areas, New York City, sitting on up towards Boston and into Portland, very strong winds, 30 to 40 mile-per-hour here, 55-plus miles per hour expected in Boston tomorrow.
So bad travel day, we are expecting across the mid-Atlantic and the northeast -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Jacqui, we'll get back to you. Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much.
Maggie Rodriguez is an anchor for WFOR, our affiliate in Miami.
That station, I believe, Maggie, has been knocked off the air. What's the latest?
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ, WFOR-TV ANCHOR: Yes, hi, Wolf. It's been about an hour now that we've been off the air. I'm talking to you from a dark newsroom, because we don't have power. Most of our storm shutters are still up.
So we're not getting any light in here. And we're off the air trying to figure out what went wrong with our generator. It's horrible, but it's actually the first break I've had since noon yesterday. It's been a rough, rough night and morning today.
BLITZER: It seems -- correct me if I'm wrong -- that a lot of people in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, they're pretty surprised by the enormity of this storm. They weren't necessarily bracing, ready for it, even though they heard it was coming.
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. The word here today is shock. I don't know why, because we certainly warned people enough about the potential threat of the storm.
But I think it's a combination of burnout, from all the storms we've had, and maybe a little bravado, thinking you're invincible. But a very sad thing happened here in south Florida, especially down in Monroe County, where the Keys are located.
People thought they could get away with it, they could get away with not evacuating. And it was a mandatory evacuation order down there. And the reality today is a pretty grim one. The Keys are basically isolated.
No one has any way out, because US-1 is closed. Storm surge came ashore, as expected. And now, before they can reopen US-1 and reopen access to the Keys, they have to, first of all, wait for it to finish receding. Then they have to go and inspect the integrity of the roads and the bridges.
And, Wolf, that keeps people on Keys with no power, no water, no way out. And that means that the FEMA supplies, which are ready to be deployed, can't go in until the roadways are open. So it's a terrible situation for the Florida Keys.
BLITZER: Maggie, we hope you get back on the air very soon. Maggie Rodriguez is an anchor from our affiliate, WFOR in Miami. We'll check back with you, Maggie, if that's OK.
Much more coming up on the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. And there's a crisis related to all that for the Mexican president and a nightmare for tourists. We'll go online for a better view of the hurricane fallout in Cancun, where thousands of tourists remain stranded.
Also ahead, explosions in Iraq. The stunning video and the latest on who died and who's to blame.
And the president fills another high-profile vacancy. Will his choice for the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve pass muster here in Washington and on Wall Street? You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Forecasters believe most of the east coast should be spared from Hurricane Wilma's direct powerful push to the north, but Florida was not spared from the storm, now on the move in the Atlantic and back at Category 3 strength.
The state's southeastern coast got the tail-end of Wilma and possibly the worst of the hurricane. Residents near Ft. Lauderdale report it got pretty violent for a while, with winds leveling trees, crushing fences, and downing power lines.
In Cancun, Mexico, many tourists stranded by Wilma are hungry, frustrated, and they're crying out for help. Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, is following the situation in Cancun. She's joining us now with the situation online -- Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, there's a guy named Kevin in Cancun who has been posting with his laptop and DSL line off a generator. These are some of the photos that he has been posting.
He drove around to give you an idea of some of the damage in Cancun. Now, I don't know Cancun terribly well personally, but it sure looks like a lot of the tourist areas to me.
You can see sort of a carnival atmosphere. You can see just the tangled mess that the infrastructure has become. You can see some of the flooding here. The streets are in pretty bad shape. The photos are really endless.
Kevin did amazing job of traveling around Cancun to give you an idea of what this looks like. I'm going to guess it's an STA Travel building. But who knows? Maybe half the sign there is missing. There's no way to tell.
Take a look at some of the damage, just the plate glass windows caving in from the wind and the rain. Look at the manhole covers. At least that's what it looks like. You can see this guy wading. How deep that water actually is in Cancun.
Hopefully we'll get a chance to show you a little bit more of these photos. They're all online at stormcarib.com -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Jacki, we'll get back with you. Thank you very much. So sad, those pictures, indeed.
Andrea Koppel is joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some other stories making news -- Andrea?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
Ten people are confirmed dead now and at least 22 injured. They are victims of three large explosions that rocked Baghdad several hours ago. They detonated near two hotels housing international journalists.
Just watch this video. This is incredible. You see the smoke billowing there and the flames. This, you know, happened right outside a couple of hotels that many journalists living in Baghdad were in.
And there are conflicting reports as to whether the blasts were vehicle bombs, or rockets, or both. But it's believed that one of the bombs was on the cement truck that you're going to see in this video coming up right here. You see where that little circle is.
It went through hotel security and positioned itself just moments before one of the explosions. And they happened in rapid succession at a time, unfortunately, when people were going home to break their fast for Ramadan.
Now, Iraqi officials say, as you might imagine, there's considerable damage.
The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq is nearing the 2,000 mark. A Marine assigned to the 2nd Marine Division was killed by small-arms fire during a fire fight in Ramadi yesterday. That means 1,998 American troops have now been killed in Iraq since the beginning of the U.S. invasion, leaving just two more deaths before they reach that awful mark -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Andrea, thank you very much. We'll get back with you.
Once again, President Bush has looked inside the White House to find a nominee for a high-profile and very powerful position. Now his choice to be the Federal Reserve chairman has a tough act to follow.
Let's check in with CNN's Ali Velshi. He's joining us in New York.
This is a nomination decision that has enormous ramifications for the American economy and for all of us who are interested in interest rates, and inflation, and very mundane but criminal matters.
VELSHI: And none of the reasons for that are the kind of things that are enjoyable to talk about on TV, Wolf, because it's meaty, complicated stuff. But every time somebody makes a mortgage payment, pays their car, pays their credit card bill, pays off a personal loan, the Fed may have had something to do with that.
The Fed has a long and storied history in America. And it's the cornerstone of the separation of our central bank from our government policy, the idea being that you can reelect -- you can elect a new government and your day-to-day finances don't necessarily change.
The idea of the Fed chief as independent from the government, from the White House, is very important. That's something that Alan Greenspan did very well.
He did a lot of other things that people think he did very well. And one of the things that Ben Bernanke says is that, under him, if he's confirmed, you can expect more of the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN NOMINEE: Our understanding of the best practice in monetary policy evolved during Alan Greenspan's tenure at the Fed and it will continue to evolve in the future. However, if I am confirmed to this position, my first priority will be to maintain continuity with the policies and policy strategies established during the Greenspan years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And one of the things that a lot of people are saying is that there probably isn't a lot of headwind in getting Ben Bernanke confirmed by the Senate. He was a frontrunner. And everything he believes about the economy is on the record -- Wolf?
BLITZER: He's also got a very nicely trimmed beard. I don't know if you noticed, Ali, very nicely trimmed beard. We'll watch that, see how it grows over the next few weeks.
(LAUGHTER)
We'll get back with Ali.
Still ahead, facing the fury. Our correspondents brave the elements as Wilma smashed into Florida. Up next, the closer look at what it was like when the hurricane made landfall earlier today.
Plus, the White House weathering two political storms that are brewing in Washington right now. We'll have the very latest on the CIA leak story and the battle over Harriet Miers' Supreme Court nomination. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The worst of Hurricane Wilma appears to be over. The storm, though, remains a powerful Category 3. It's racing up the Atlantic coast right now. So far, it's expected to stay relatively far offshore.
The Florida Keys got an early hit from Wilma and was swamped by a storm surge of up to eight feet. But less than 10 percent of the residents had evacuated. Now they're coping with the fallout. And it is significant.
In this unusually busy and destructive hurricane season, each storm is somewhat different as it blasts ashore. Our correspondents Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella withstood the winds and the rain on Marco Island just after Wilma hit.
Look at this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're actually, if you can believe it, protected by a corner of the building here. And I can start to see some structural damage back there, Anderson. Some of the windows are getting blown out, some of the protective materials, the awnings, the water's being whipped off the pool just like the waves.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, take a look, Phil, if you can, at the pool. The water is getting totally taken off. And it's an amazing sight. I'm surprised, though, I mean...
ZARRELLA: I've had a wind reading of 85 miles an hour, but then I couldn't stand up any longer.
COOPER: It's actually kind of hard to breathe out here in this wind.
ZARRELLA: It is. I can barely hear what Anderson is saying. I know we could not step out beyond this corner of the building where we are. That would be impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Dramatic reporting by our Anderson Cooper and John Zarrella in the thick of the storm earlier this morning.
President Bush today promised quick action to help Floridians in need after Hurricane Wilma. But he and his administration remain caught up in two big controversies swirling here in Washington.
Let's bring in our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry.
Let's talk, Suzanne, first of all about the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. The president was speaking about that earlier today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, and the president still expressing some confidence here. He believes that Harriet Miers, he says, in his words, will receive a good and fair hearing on the Hill.
But the president did not specifically a reporter's question about whether or not the White House is engaged in a contingency plan to withdraw her nomination, if all of this doesn't work. But the White House press secretary later today dismissing that, saying that there are no such plans for that to happen.
President Bush did make it very clear, however -- and this may complicate the situation -- is that he is not willing to turn over documents about Harriet Miers' days at the White House as White House counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee because he believes it would set a bad precedent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They've asked for paperwork about the decision-making process, what her recommendations were. And that would breach very important confidentiality. And it's a red line I'm not willing to cross.
People can learn about Harriet Miers through hearings, but we are not going to destroy this business about people being able to walk into the Oval Office and say, "Mr. President, here's my advice to you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Wolf, very clearly the president setting the stage for yet another battle with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
BLITZER: What's happening, Ed Henry, on the Hill on the Harriet Miers nomination?
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's interesting -- what Suzanne is reporting there, that drawing of the red line by the president, really could be another dangerous sign for Harriet Miers up here.
A short while ago, Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter said he read those comments to mean the president really is not in the mood to compromise on this documents issue, but Specter and other Republicans on his committee are saying the president needs to find a middle ground where he does not have to turn over privileged documents covered by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege, but needs to find a way to turn over some documents.
Specter prodding the White House ever so gently there. This is coming as Democrats are also ratcheting up the pressure, saying a lot of documents need to come over because they think that Harriet Miers is a blank slate. This is all combustible, because it's coming at a time when there's talk that Harriet Miers is facing pressure to withdraw her nomination.
In fact, just a few moments ago, CNN producer Ted Barrett caught up with Harriet Miers and posed that very question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED BARRETT, CNN PRODUCER: Ms. Miers, there are a lot of people who think you should withdraw your nomination. Is there any chance you'll do that?
HARRIET MIERS, NOMINEE FOR SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: Are you having a good afternoon? I'm having a great afternoon.
BARRETT: Is there any chance that you'll pull out, ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. She's not taking any questions today. Thanks.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HENRY: She's obviously trying to put on a brave face, a happy face there. But the fact of the matter is, this is not just Democrats pushing for documents on the Hill, a usual partisan spat. It's top Republicans asking for these documents, as well, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Standby, Ed. I want to go back to Suzanne.
The CIA leak investigation. The grand jury is supposed to wind up on Friday, its last session. They're supposed to meet on Wednesday. The scuttlebutt here in Washington, indictments could come perhaps as early as Wednesday or Thursday. What are you hearing at the White House?
MALVEAUX: Well, that's certainly true, Wolf. That is the expectation, that perhaps it could come Wednesday or Thursday. As you know, in the eye of that political storm, Karl Rove, as well as Scooter Libby, top administration officials with the White House.
Now, many people asking, what is the White House doing to prepare for all of this? Many of them, insiders, saying that they feel a sense of anxiety, that they have very little control over the situation here. But nevertheless, they are getting much advice from political pundits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: They've just been hit by a Category 3, possibly Category 4. And if it goes to the indictments, it could be Category 5, a tidal wave, because there are so many different things that are coming together. It's very difficult to handle any one of these.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, according to one Republican insider, they say they believe they have a window of 80 days. If they can get beyond these 80 days, then, perhaps after that window, they'll be able to regain their political footing -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Ed, what's the strategy on Capitol Hill among the Democrats, when it comes to the CIA leak investigation?
HENRY: Democrats are looking to pounce on several fronts. First of all, they're already saying that if -- and that's a big if -- Scooter Libby and Karl Rove are indicted, they will immediately call for their resignations from the White House and vice presidential staff.
But then the Democrats hope to broaden this and really tie it to two of their broader themes for the 2006 midterm elections. First of all, look beyond this whole Joe Wilson controversy and say that this is all about the White House mismanaging the war in Iraq. And secondly, they want to tie it to this broader claim by the Democrats that there's a culture of corruption among Republicans, that they've gotten drunk on power. That's why, on Wednesday, you're going to see the Democrats have an event here on Capitol Hill where they trot out some former Clinton administration officials to say that this White House mismanaged the war. On Thursday, they're going to have a culture of corruption press conference.
I can tell you, the Republicans are responding already and saying that it's ironic that Democrats on the Hill are bringing up former Clinton officials since the Clinton White House faced so many scandals of their own.
Now, on another front, Democrat Dick Durbin today went after the Republicans for suggesting that maybe this Joe Wilson case is really not a big deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: So to minimize this Valerie Plame investigation and to say it's over some technicality. For goodness sakes, the security of America and the security of the men and women in our intelligence agency, that isn't a technicality that is part of the defense of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, Senator Durbin was reacting specifically to Texas Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson on NBC yesterday suggesting that maybe this case is not a big deal. You can see Democrats pouncing already. And clearly, based on whatever goes down at that federal courthouse this week, you're going to see a lot of reaction here on the Hill, Wolf.
BLITZER: Two of our very strong reporters: Ed Henry, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much both of you.
All of us here in Washington, we're going to be very busy this week watching both of these stories. Stay with CNN for complete coverage.
When we return, back to Wilma. The government was criticized for its response to Katrina. Do you think Washington was ready for Wilma? New poll numbers coming up next.
Also, the other Bush: When it comes to hurricanes, Florida's governor shows who's in charge. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Search and rescue teams are beginning to fan out across Florida's southern coasts, both coasts, now that Hurricane Wilma has blown out the state -- blown out of the state and into the Atlantic Ocean. The storm first hit Florida earlier this morning on the west coast, but it remained a powerful force as it churned eastward. At last report, at least 2 million people are without power across Florida. And about 36,000 are in shelters. Florida officials say three people have died there as a result of the storm.
A hurricane weary public is weighing in on the governor's response to the recent spate of disastrous storms. Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He's got some new poll numbers. What are you picking up?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we asked people what they think about the federal government's preparation to deal with Hurricane Wilma. You may recall a couple weeks ago, we reported that people gave President Bush low marks for handling Katrina and high marks for handling Rita.
Here is the question, "is the federal government prepared for the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma?' And the answer is, yes by two to one: 65-32 percent.
BLITZER: The Florida governor, Jeb Bush, he's been in the spotlight whenever there's a hurricane. He's the younger brother of the president of the United States. How is he doing right now?
SCHNEIDER: Well, Americans think the federal government is prepared. But it's the state government? Governor Jeb Bush's answer, hey, we're talking about Florida here.
BLITZER: Looks Like we lost that videotape of your piece. But let's talk about Jeb Bush for a moment while I have you. He seems to come across as the governor of Florida as someone very much on top of what's going on when it comes to these kinds of hurricane disasters.
SCHNEIDER: OK. Well, we have the piece ready now. Let's take a look at what Governor Bush has been doing for the past week in preparation for this hurricane.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. JEB BUSH, (R) FLORIDA: One of the reasons why we might do better than other places is that Florida is come of Floridians, people who understand how important it is to prepare for these storms.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The governor calls it a...
J. BUSH: A culture of preparedness.
SCHNEIDER: On Wednesday, he told a congressional hearing...
J. BUSH: If Wal-Mart can do it, why can't the government do it is kind of the question that I've been asking for the last six months. And in fact, we can.
SCHNEIDER: On Thursday, he advised Florida families...
J. BUSH: Tomorrow is a great time for people to pull out their family preparedness plan.
SCHNEIDER: The governor promised the state will set an example. Troops: check. J. BUSH: The Florida National Guard is on the move. More 3,000 soldiers and airmen have been mobilized and another 3,000 are on alert.
SCHNEIDER: Ice, water, food: check, check, check.
J. BUSH: 200 trucks of ice, 225 trucks of water, 86,000 meals that we have stored.
SCHNEIDER: Remember the problems caused by people in Louisiana, refusing to abandon their pets?
J. BUSH: All the counties in southwest Florida and in southeast Florida now have pet shelters. No longer is it can people use an excuse I'm not leaving because my dog's too important to me.
J. BUSH: Sunday as Wilma bore down on the Florida Keys, Governor Bush made one last plea: get out.
J. BUSH: Perhaps people are saying I'm going to hunker down. They shouldn't do that. They should evacuate. And there's very little time left to do so.
SCHNEIDER: But most residents of the Keys did not get out. In the ends, there's a limit to what government can do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: Governor Bush wants to be able to say we did everything we could, Florida was prepared. The implication: Florida is not Louisiana -- Wolf.
BLITZER: He says he's not interested in running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He makes a pretty strong statement whenever he's asked that question, doesn't he?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, he does. He says he's not going to run. He has no plans to run. He has no intention to run. A lot of people take him at his word. But some say, you know, this is completely wide open. And if in a couple of years President Bush looks very popular, it could be that a lot of Republicans say we need another President Bush.
BLITZER: Well, let's see what happens. Thanks very much. Bill Schneider doing an excellent job for us as he always does.
Coming up, we're tracking Wilma. Where is the hurricane headed and how much damage did it leave behind in Florida? We'll have the latest on the storm.
Plus, there's a storm happening here in Washington -- two political storms, in fact: the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers, the CIA leak investigation. We'll get expert opinion from James Carville and Torie Clarke. They're standing by for today's "Strategy Session" here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: These are live pictures we're getting in from Orlando, Florida. There's been flooding there, as well. It doesn't look like a lot of flooding, but at least some flooding. One police car touching some water in Orlando. I guess parts of the city a little bit more flooded. Orlando, feeling the wrath of Hurricane Wilma, at least to a certain degree.
The acting director of the federal emergency management agency, today voicing the feelings of many Americans by saying, we're tired of hurricanes. Hurricane Wilma has left its mark on southern Florida and now is pushing deeper into the Atlantic. A Category 3 storm once again.
Cuba facing new flooding as well after Wilma's latest pass. Some neighborhoods in Havana are under three feet of water. Rescuers used scuba gear and rafts to pull dozens of people out of water-logged homes.
Now, to some other storms brewing right here in the nation's capital. The CIA leak investigation is coming to a close. We believe there could possibly be indictments.
Meanwhile, the near future of President Bush's Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is far from certain. Joining us now our CNN contributor and Democratic Strategist James Carville and CNN Political analyst Torie Clarke, a former Pentagon spokeswoman. Thanks very much to both of you for joining us.
Let's talk about the CIA leak. First of all, James, I'll start with you. I want you to listen to what Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said on Meet the Press yesterday. Suggesting or at least some people think, seem to think, she's suggesting some sort of strategy for dealing with possibility indictments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: Look at Martha Stewart, for instance. Where they couldn't find a crime and they indict on something that she said about something that wasn't a crime.
I think that it is important, of course, that we have a perjury and an obstruction of justice crime, but I also think we are seeing grand juries and U.S. attorneys and district attorneys that go for technicalities sort of a gotcha mentality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: What do you make of that?
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think that the former Attorney General Thornburg, a big republican, would say he didn't agree with that at all.
I think the law enforcement community and the prosecuting community and everybody has a real strong interest in not having anyone obstruct with investigations.
Or as a perjury charge, I remember when President Clinton, a false statement about a sex failed lawsuit was the greatest crime of the 20th century and apparently a perjury charge in a criminal matter involving national security is the smallest crime of the 21st century. I mean, it's a little bit, a little bit way of shifting grounds.
I think most everybody in the government thinks that perjury and obstruction of justice are very serious charges. I don't know if Mr. Fitzgerald is going to charge Mr. Rove or Mr. Libby or anybody else with this, but I think Senator Hutchison is probably thinking better of her comments today.
BLITZER: What do you think Torie?
VICTORIA CLARKE, FMR. PENTAGON SPOKESWOMAN: I agree. We've waited this long to see what Fitzgerald's got, we can wait another couple of days before we start laying out strategies or commenting on what might possibly come of it. I think people ought to wait and see what he does.
What I do think is interesting is both Republicans and Democrats have painted an incredible picture of Fitzgerald, saying he is such a fine upstanding person, attention to detail like no other. It's going to be very hard for anybody to question what he puts out.
BLITZER: The president praised his investigation a few weeks ago. Though, today when was asked he declined to do so. He just said I'm not going to comment.
CARVILLE: I think, Torie has a very good point, is his findings are going to be pretty hard to dispute by -- obviously, the lawyers, if he indicts somebody, they are going to dispute the heck out of it at trial, but we'll have to see where that goes.
BLITZER: Let's talk about and I'll start with you, Torie, on the Harriet Miers' nomination right now to be an associate justice of the supreme court.
George Will writing yesterday in "The Washington Post" yesterday, the syndicated columnist, "such is the perfect perversity of the nomination of Harriet Miers that it discredits, and even degrades all who toil at justifying it." And he's a conservative.
CLARKE: He is a conservative. I'll tell you, I think we are going to come upon a rare thing in town here pretty soon in which what a nominee says in the hearing actually makes a difference. I think that her confirmation hearing is going to be very, very interesting. And people, a lot of people, may actually make their decisions based on what happens in that hearing rather than what columnists, with all due respect, are saying before.
BLITZER: Another columnist, conservative columnist, Charles Krauthammer wrote a piece in "The Washington Post" last Friday suggesting an exit strategy, a sort of face-saving exit strategy, for Harriet Miers. The president saying he's not going to release any documents from her tenure in the White House to the Senate. And that could set the stage for, well, she's not going to go -- she's going to withdraw her nomination. And the president today made it clear he's not releasing any documents that involve her recommendations to him while she served as White House counsel.
CARVILLE: I only wish that Mr. Krauthammer could have been as perceptive on the war as he is on the Miers' nomination. I think his column is very perceptive.
I think that the way out of this is to create a, if you will, a constitutional crisis and then Miss Miers says, so much do I believe in executive privilege and the White House to do it, I'm going to withdraw my name because this is overreaching by Congress and I think the Republicans would be very, very satisfied with that.
CLARKE: I think it is too soon for strategies like that. I think the president is quite confident in his pick and feels very good. He has thought about this for a long, long time.
And I think people will see when she does gets in front of that committee, they will see strict interpretation of the constitution, great respect for the three branches of government. And the expectations certainly have been managed in such a way, that I think she could put on a very impressive performance.
CARVILLE: I'll bet you a glass of chardonnay or a bottle of beer that she doesn't go to the committee or something like that.
CLARKE: You got it.
BLITZER: Do you think that -- you're saying November 7th, the hearings are scheduled to start.
CARVILLE: All of the bookers and everything and advertisers, we're not going to have hearings.
CLARKE: I'll take that bet.
CARVILLE: There's not going to be a hearing.
CLARKE: Take that bet.
CARVILLE: So, take that bet. You owe me a bottle of beer, I owe you a glass of chardonnay.
BLITZER: It's just a bottle of beer that's all?
(INAUDIBLE)
CLARKE: It's just an associate justice, just an associate justice, you got it.
CARVILLE: We'll get Wolf to come to it too and have lunch with us. BLITZER: Thanks very much, Victoria Clarke, better known as Torie Clarke. Thank you very much James Carville, better known as James, just James.
CARVILLE: Just James.
BLITZER: Up next, back to our top story, hurricane Wilma, the story's being felt all across Florida. Hurricanes making a mess for air travels, indeed, all across the country. We'll tell you why.
Plus, do you think global warming is behind this year's powerful storms? Our new poll numbers may surprise you. Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: We're getting new video of our top story, Hurricane Wilma, the aftermath in Florida. We'll show you the destruction. That's coming up.
First though, let's go to CNN's Andrea Koppel at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some other stories making news.
Hi, Andrea.
KOPPEL: Hi there, Wolf. This one is particularly timely considering all of our coverage of Hurricane Wilma. Most Americans believe that global warming had at least some effect on the increase in the number and the intensity of hurricanes in recent years. More than a third of those surveyed in a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll think that it was a major cause. Another 29 percent think it had a minor impact on the hurricane season but three out of 10 don't buy the global warming explanation at all.
The European Commission has imposed a precautionary ban on the import of live poultry, pet birds and feathers -- can't figure that one out -- from Croatia. The move comes after the country reported a positive test for avian flu. The commission is also expected Tuesday to temporarily ban commercial imports of exotic birds. This after an infected parrot died in quarantine in Britain.
And at least one U.S. citizen is among the 117 people killed Saturday when a passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Lagos, Nigeria. The U.S. embassy identified him as Joseph Hayden (ph) but offered no other information. Officials say the Bellview Airlines flight from Lagos to Abuja issued a distress call about three minutes after takeoff. Agents with the FBI have arrived in Nigeria to help with the investigation.
And a motorist is dead and 11 people are hurt in the wake of a head-on collision today between a car and a school bus in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The car then spun around and burst into flames. The driver of the car was killed and a critically injured passenger in the car was airlifted to a local hospital. The bus driver and nine high schoolers were also hurt.
And still to come on THE SITUATION ROOM, the situation online. Our Jacki Schechner's monitoring the hurricane on the Web.
And later, a very deadly day in the heart of Baghdad. We'll have the latest on those bombings that rocked the Iraqi capital. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: Florida officials now are blaming three deaths on Hurricane Wilma's rampage across the southern part of the state. Wilma is expected to race up the Atlantic seaboard and reach the coast of Canada by early Wednesday. But forecasters believe the storm will stay far enough offshore that most of the eastern United States will be relatively unaffected.
Wilma has put a big crimp in people's travel plans up and down the East Coast of the United States and beyond. Let's check in with CNN's Ali Velshi for an update -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's only one major airport that's working right now in those areas that are affected. Orlando is open right now, Wolf, but Miami and Fort Lauderdale, those both international airports, they're both shut down. There's some talk about the fact that they might start reopening a little later on.
Now what happens is the winds have to die down enough, they've got to go out, inspect them and take a look. But at the moment, American Airlines uses Miami as a hub. And you can see all the canceled flights. This is coming out of New York.
Mary Snow is over at Kennedy Airport. And she's been following this story of people who are trying to get home. This is not the Florida -- this is not your father's Florida. This is not the Florida that's just big when people are vacationing. Miami is the third largest airport in the country, the third busiest airport in the country. And it is shut down right now. Miami's got power problems. Their power generators have given out so they're trying to get those airports back up to speed. We should start seeing them come on-line again starting about 8 p.m. Eastern. And by tomorrow morning, we may have the airports in south Florida working -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Let's hope.
Ali, thank you very much. Let's get some more now on Hurricane Wilma.
Our Internet report Jackie Schechner is checking the situation online.
What are you picking up, Jacki?
SCHECHNER: Wolf, we've got some more photographs coming in online. Just want to show you where it is we're talking about. Ali was talking about Miami right here, the airport. I'm going to show you from Fort Lauderdale and the all the way up to West Palm Beach along the coast. Take a look at the pictures coming in from Flicker.com. This is in Fort Lauderdale, right here. You can see the damage, the roofs. A lot of the houses in south Florida have these screened-in porches. You can see those are pretty much gone; downed trees.
Something you might not think about. When the trees fall down over the roadway, people get trapped in some of these cul-de-sacs and side roads, something that happened to us actually during Hurricane Andrew in '92.
Take a look at that, the bent power line poles -- the light poles, rather. No idea if anything hit it or it just bent over. Pretty odd. Another one from Fort Lauderdale. This up in West Palm, that area I showed you just north of Fort Lauderdale. You can see the damage there. Not as extensive in comparison. We're not seeing that heavy flooding but we are seeing a little bit of water and the downed tree.
As you can see, the ceiling falling down there on the car part. You can tell that even if you put your car inside your garage in south Florida in one of these hurricanes, Wolf, it's not necessarily safe. And you can see people now coming out of their home to check out the damage.
We're going to keep an eye on all of this as we go on -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Very sad pictures, indeed.
Thank you very much, Jacki.
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