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The Situation Room
Condoleezza Rice Makes Surprise Visit To Iraq; President Defends Iraq War; Robertson Claims Dover Residents May Feel God's Wrath; Stores Debate Holidays; Teen Elected Mayor In Michigan; Liberia Elects Woman President; Unions Beat Schwarzenegger
Aired November 11, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.
Happening now. It's 4:00 p.m. in Washington. As the nation honors its veterans, the president seizes the occasion to attack critics of his Iraq war policies, accusing them of rewriting history. Is this a new front in the fight over Iraq? We'll hear directly from the White House and from Democrat war horse, Senator Ted Kennedy.
And in New York, whatever holiday you may want to celebrate, it's Christmas shopping season. Across America, do Christian campaigners have retailers in retreat?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
On a day when Americans pay tribute to those who've served in the nation's Armed Forces, the Bush administration put its big guns on display. Vice President Cheney laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, offering gratitude to veterans and vowing that today's troops will prevail in the war on terror.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq, where she met with both U.S. troops and Iraqi leaders and called for unity among the country's religious factions. The president himself chose an army depot in Pennsylvania as the setting for a tough attack on his Iraq war critics, saying they're sending the wrong signal to American troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right and I respect it.
As president and commander in chief, I accept the responsibilities and the criticisms and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision. While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war. It is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: While the president has his hands full, countering political opponents, he must also face some growing doubts about the conduct of the war and the conduct of his administration from the public.
Dan Bartlett is counselor to the president. He's joining us now live from the White House. Dan, thanks very much for joining us.
DAN BARTLETT, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: My pleasure.
BLITZER: Your critics, especially the Democrats, are already accusing the president of inappropriately playing politics on this Veterans Day. What say you?
BARTLETT: Well, Wolf, it's very regrettable that members of the Democratic party and other critics of the president chose this day or any day during a time of war to level baseless, false charges against the president of the United States.
The fact of the matter is, Wolf, is that we are in the middle of a very important struggle against a determined enemy who wants to do everything they can to change our way of life. To kill innocent men, women and children. Not only in Iraq, but anywhere around the world. Jordan was a good example of that.
But when we're here in Washington, having to have a debate about things that these senators on the Democratic party know are not true, to claim that President Bush misled the American people, is not the type of signal we ought to be sending to our troops on a Veterans Day or to the enemy who are trying to undermine the will of the American people.
BLITZER: But is that appropriate on Veterans Day, to start leveling charges like that? There are plenty of other forums the president can use to go after his Democratic critics.
BARTLETT: And we should do it every day. This is the greatness about our country. That we can have open discussions about the big issues of the day, Wolf.
But it is important on a day like today, where we're supposed to be remembering the sacrifice that our veterans have made and to recognize the sacrifice that is being made as we speak in the war on terror.
It's important that a commander in chief be able to speak bluntly to the American people about the challenges we face, the strategy we have to win. It's also important to make sure our critics' charges don't go unanswered, as well. Today is as appropriate day as any to speak to these issues.
BLITZER: Basically what the president is saying, and I'm paraphrasing, is that these critics of his policies are offering aid and comfort to the enemy, they're encouraging the terrorists. They're endangering U.S. troops. I spoke with Senator Kennedy just a little while ago. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The best way that you honor the bravery and the courage of American servicemen and women is to tell them the truth. Tell them the truth about Iraq.
And have a real policy, a real policy, not one that's being made up every single day. A real policy that is going to ensure the beginning of the return of those brave men and women back to the United States of America. That is the best way to honor those veterans. Not campaign sloganing, and not campaign talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You're smiling a little bit when you hear that, why?
BARTLETT: It's just perplexing to hear the best way to honor troops is to maybe vote for the funding that the troops need in a time of war. Senator Kerry voted against the $87 billion that our men and women who wear the uniform need to fight and win the war. And if we did look, he says policies are made up on a day-to-day basis here at the White House.
If we were to follow the policies of Ted Kennedy, not only would Saddam Hussein still be in control of that country, he would still be in control of their neighboring country in Kuwait. He voted against this war, he voted against the war in 1991.
So there is a difference of opinion when it comes to how to protect the American people. We believe that President Bush's view of fighting this war on offense is one that the American people not only appreciate, they understand is absolutely necessary to win and protect our country.
BLITZER: If you would have followed, the critics will point out, if you would have followed the policies, what Senator Kennedy recommended before the war. And he voted against that resolution authorizing the president to go to war, what, some 2,000 plus U.S. troops would still be alive, 20,000 would not be injured, $200 billion would not be spent.
And Saddam Hussein without weapons of mass destruction would still be contained by United Nations overflights and inspections, if you will. He has a point when he says you should listen to him.
BLITZER: Well, Wolf, everybody recognizes that the costs that we have to pay for freedom in our country is an enormous cost. Today is a day where we reflect upon that cost. The fact of the matter is, under his policies, Saddam Hussein was still a threat.
David Kay, Charles Dalfour, other independent investigations clearly pointed out that Saddam Hussein was still a clear threat to our country, to the world. They are one of only seven countries that are a state sponsor of terror.
They are the only place in the world where U.S. and British pilots were being shot at on a daily basis. This man was a threat. In a post-9/11 world, it was important that our country start confronting threats before they fully materialize. It was the right decision then and it was the right decision today.
BLITZER: The chairman of the Democratic party, Howard Dean, was here in THE SITUATION ROOM yesterday. Listen to what he says about that argument.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY: There's only one person who's a danger to the troops and that was the president when he sent them to war without telling the truth to the American people about why they're there. They have some nerve with some 2,056 brave Americans dead to even begin to speak like that and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I take it you're not ashamed of yourself.
BARTLETT: Not only not ashamed, but they need to have the debate within the own Democratic party. Over 100 senators and Congressmen of the Democratic party voted to remove Saddam Hussein from power because they saw the same intelligence that George W. Bush saw.
Saddam Hussein was a threat. Our country is better off with him out of the power. We have liberated more than 50 million people over the last three years during this war on terror. That's something that our country not only ought to be proud of, but be comforted by the fact that it's putting our country on the path to more security.
BLITZER: The other argument I'm hearing today from your Democratic critics is the president raising the stakes, if you will. Getting involved in this political debate on Veterans Day underscores what they say is an act of desperation given the opposition of the American public to his policies when it comes to the war.
The latest A.P. poll, just out today, shows that 62 percent of the American people disapprove of the way he's handling the situation in Iraq. Only 37 percent of the American people approve. That's a very staggering number from your perspective.
BARTLETT: Well, Wolf, what is desperate is when a party has to advance as a strategy, a willful and deliberate campaign of misleading the American people by claiming the president lied to them. That's not much of a positive optimistic agenda.
And I think that's why every poll demonstrates that the American people don't have any confidence in the Democratic party to articulate a vision. Particularly when it comes to winning a war on terror.
That's why President Bush defeated John Kerry in 2004. And that's why they'll continue to embrace this president's goals in achieving peace and security in the world through fighting this war on offense.
BLITZER: The president also has record low numbers when it comes to his job approval numbers. In this latest A.P.-Ipsos poll, do you approve or disapprove of the way the president's handling his job. Only 37 percent approve, 61 percent disapprove.
Why are you having such a tough time convincing the American people the president is doing the right job?
BARTLETT: Well, Wolf, sometimes these snapshots that polls provide are oftentimes a reflect of the days we live in.
We're in the middle of some tough fighting in Iraq, where casualties have been high, both on the Iraqi side as well as the American side.
Higher gas prices, although they're coming down. Sometimes, obviously, reflect in the opinion polls of the president of the United States at the time. But what's important is that the president is focused on these concerns. He's focused on lowering gas prices. He's focused on winning the war on terror. He's focused on critical issues, like keeping this economy growing by keeping more money in the pockets of hard-working American people.
And that's where his priorities have to be. If he were to focus on where the poll is one day or the next, he wouldn't be able to lead this country.
So we're keeping our eye on the ball. We're governing through principles that we believe the American people share. And that's where his focus will remain, Wolf.
BLITZER: We've got to leave it there.
Dan Bartlett, thanks very much for joining us.
BARTLETT: Thanks for having me.
BLITZER: The counselor to the president, Dan Bartlett from the North Lawn of the White House.
As Democrats greet the president's speech with sharp counterattacks, you can see more of my interview with Senator Ted Kennedy. That's coming up an hour from now, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as during our 7:00 p.m. Eastern program. THE SITUATION ROOM airing 7:00 p.m. weeknights, as well.
Let's go to New York.
Jack Cafferty is getting a chance to sound off a little bit as he so often does.
What's going on, Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I'm just sitting here thinking.
This is not a day for the politicians to be posturing and running their mouths and attacking one another. It's not what this day is about. It's Veteran's Day. It's not about the politicians. Are you listening in Washington? It's not about you today. It's about somebody else. In my opinion much more important than any of you are.
It's about the veterans of this country, who died so you people could stand here on the day we're supposed to be honoring them, and throw cheap shots back and forth at each other, like kids in a school yard with balls of mud in your hand.
You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Anyway, that's not what I wrote here.
What I wrote here is that the veterans got most of their meaning from the two world wars. Originally, this was Armistice Day. It was created after World War I. It was reemphasized strongly after World War II. Then, of course came Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and now once again this nation at war.
Six hundred and fifty-three thousand people have died in battle defending this country of ours.
And yet, over the years, increasingly the veterans seem to have been forgotten. The parades around the country are sparsely attended. Instead, people use the day for shopping or simply as a day off from work.
How many of us really stop and reflect on what those 653,000 people did? In the rush of our daily lives, do we really remember? Do we really care?
Here's the question then. Has Veteran's Day lost its meaning -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Good question, Jack. Thank you very much.
And we've been showing our viewers some live pictures from the Iwo Jima Memorial here in Washington, as well.
In addition to our 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. hours of THE SITUATION ROOM, once again, we also air 7:00 p.m. eastern weekdays.
Coming up this hour, Pat Robertson tells Dover, Pennsylvania, if gloom and doom come to town, don't call on God. This after a contentious vote over the teaching of evolution in that city.
We'll have Dover's reaction to Robertson's words.
Also, the California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is making up with one of his most vocal critics. We'll tell you who and why.
And what kind of greeting will you get this December? Will it be a Merry Christmas or simply a happy holiday? Well, it may depend on where you shop.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: That's Zain Verjee.
And let's go to the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some stories Zain's following right now. Hi Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.
The group claiming responsibility for attacking three hotels in Amman, Jordan says a husband and wife team were among the suicide bombers. Al Qaeda and Iraq made the claim in an Internet posting about the bombings, which killed 57 people.
Al Qaeda said all of the bombers were Iraqi. Jordanian authorities are questioning 12 people they say have links to the attacks, and they're calling those 12 people suspects.
There are unconfirmed reports that Saddam Hussein's former top deputy is dead. The French news agency, Agence France-Presse, and the Arab satellite channel, al Arabiya, are reporting the death of Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, citing a statement from the party Hussein used to control the Baath party.
Al-Douri was number six on the U.S. list of most wanted when Saddam Hussein was overthrown.
Police in northern Virginia say this woman isn't just chatting as she does business at a local bank. They say that what she's doing is actually robbing the bank, and they say she's done it four times in less than a month.
Police say they don't know if the so-called cell phone bandit really has someone at the other end of the line.
And it was a harrowing escape for a mother and her baby in South Korea. This was caught by a surveillance camera. The mother was wheeling the baby onto a subway.
And you can see this the doors just shut on the baby's stroller. Another passenger came to help. But, the mother grabbed the baby and freed it.
But the two women were knocked to the floor, and, as you can see, the mother was dragged down the platform and until the train finally stopped. Before it went into the tunnel, the baby, Wolf, was unhurt.
BLITZER: That's an amazing piece of video. Thank God that everyone was okay.
Appreciate it, Zain, very much. We'll get back to you soon.
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says residents of Dover, Pennsylvania, might feel God's wrath, and it might be their own fault.
Yesterday Robertson said, and I'm quoting here, "If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected Him from your city."
On Tuesday, voters in Dover, voted out every school board member, who advocated the teaching of intelligent design. That's the theory that evolution can't account for the planet's complexity, and it must have been created by a higher power.
Robertson later added, and let me quote once again, "simply stating that our spiritual actions have consequences." That's what he was saying.
For reaction to Pat Robertson's comments, let's bring in our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner. She's joining us live--Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, local news reports said that Dover pastors were denouncing the Robertson's comments.
So, we decided to go online and find some general Christian reaction. And you know what we found? Very much more of the same. Let's take a look.
Mere Comments, this is from Touchstone, a Christian journal, essentially saying this is bad PR for God.
Moving down to BlogsforGod.com, Dean Peters runs a community of Christian bloggers. We spoke to him on the phone today. He says he's not seeing a lot of people who agree with Robertson either.
Also moving over to Dave Morris, who is a pastor in Iowa, GoMorris.net. He says his God is not one of petty jealousy.
Just how unpopular is Pat Robertson? Well, John Hawkins, over at rightwingnews.com, a Conservative political blog, ran an informal, unofficial survey of right of center bloggers, and came up with a list of who is your least favorite person on the right. And Pat Robertson came in at number four--Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, Jacki.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time we've heard controversial comments from Pat Robertson. And judging by his past, it's certainly not likely to be his last.
Here's CNN's national correspondent, Bruce Morton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He's done it before.
Here's Pat Robertson on feminism in a 1992 fund raising letter, "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians, unquote. Pat Robertson on gays on his TV program "The 700 Club" in 1993: "When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that happened in Nazi, Germany. Many of those people involved in Adolph Hitler were Satanists. Many of them were homosexuals. The two things seemed to go together."
Robertson on the religion of Islam...
PAT ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN COALITION FOUNDER: I think Osama bin Laden is probably a very dedicated follower of Mohammed. He's done exactly what Mohammed said to do. And we disagree with him, obviously, and I'm sure many moderate Muslims do as well. But you can't say the religion is a religion of peace. It's not.
MORTON: In 2003, he suggested a small nuclear blast to shake up the State Department, whose building is in a Washington neighborhood called Foggy Bottom. Quote, maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up like New Gingrich wants to do, unquote.
Two days later, he said he didn't really mean it.
Does it matter when he says these things? He ran for president in 1988 and finished second in Iowa behind Bob Dole, pushing the eventual winner, George Herbert Walker Bush, into third place.
His organization, the Christian Coalition, probably peaked in the late 1990s, when a number of his best organizers left. But today, the 75-year-old televangelist Christian Broadcasting Network is still widely seen on TV.
Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And we'd like to remind you, we're here in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eastern and now at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, as well.
Coming up, just after the break, our strategy session. Now that President Bush has again fired off his verbal shots at war critics, how should those critic respond?
We'll discuss this war of words going on today, Veterans Day.
And he's the new 18-year-old mayor of the city in Michigan who almost lost the election. You might not believe how thin his margin of victory was. Here's a hint. You can count them on one hand.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Will you have a merry Christmas or a happy holiday? It depends on where you shop. In today's look at our culture wars, the debate over how retailers should wish you holiday cheer is unfolding. CNN's Ali Velshi is joining us from a Wal-Mart in Secaucus, New Jersey. It's an interesting story, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Wolf, we've all come to understand that we live in a multicultural society. When somebody wishes you some sort of greeting during what we call the holiday season, you understand that some people will say merry Christmas, some say happy holidays.
Of all the reasons you could choose to explain to someone why you might use happy holidays, somebody in the customer service department of Wal-Mart might have chosen about the worst one to use. And it got the company into some hot water. Narrowly averting a boycott by religious organizations.
Let me tell you what happened. A woman wrote to Wal-Mart, e- mailed their customer service department asking why there don't seem to be as many references to Christmas. There are a lot of holiday references.
Somebody from Wal-Mart's customer service department, somebody identified as Kirby, wrote this e-mail in response. I'm going to read this to you, because it's complicated.
Wal-Mart is a worldwide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices, other than Christmas, which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism.
The colors associated with Christmas red and white are actually a representation of the amanita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It's a wide, wide world.
Well, that got the Catholic League up in arms. They wrote to Wal-Mart and said what are you talking about? Wal-Mart wrote back and said they see 130 million customers a week and these are customers that come from all walks of life.
As a result, they want to be as open-minded as possible. The Catholic League was entirely unconvinced about this.
This all unfolded in the last couple of days. On Wednesday night, they called for a boycott. They talked to 126 other religious organizations and said that unless Wal-Mart meets three of its demands, it will call for a boycott of Wal-Mart during the holiday season.
The three demands were an apology, some sort of reversal of this strange e-mail and some clarification on its Web site. I think Abbi Tatton is going to talk to us about that shortly.
Wal-Mart moved pretty fast on that. They fired the author of the e-mail, this Kirby. They did apologize and clarified their position on the matter. The Web site is a little more clear on the matter. And as a result, Wal-Mart was able to avert this boycott. The Catholic League called the boycott off.
I just want to tell you, this has happened before. Wal-Mart, a few years ago, about 2003, pulled these magazines off the shelves. These are three somewhat raunchy magazines, Maxim, Stuff and FHM. These are fairly mainstream magazines.
I can't show you the entire covers because this is still a family channel. Before that, Wal-Mart was involved in putting those advisory warnings on CDs that had explicit lyrics.
The merry Christmas, happy holidays thing. Some organizations targeted Target, which is the country's second largest retailer last year saying they -- criticizing them for banning the Salvation Army bell ringers.
And Federated, which owns Macy's and Bloomingdale's, was criticized last year for not using Christmas.
Well, Wolf, I just got an e-mail from Federated a little earlier outlining six different ways in which Christmas will be included in this year's holiday shopping season. Including the fact that you can buy little Christmas gift cards at every register. Wolf, this is heating up, and you'll see more of it this holiday season.
BLITZER: So will the clerks there say merry Christmas or happy holidays?
VELSHI: At this point, as long as you're not banning Christmas, as long as you're kicking it out, these groups are going to be a little happier about the whole thing. Whatever strikes your fancy, I suppose.
BLITZER: All right, Ali, thank you very much.
Let's bring in Abbi Tatton, she's following this situation online. What are you picking up?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, one complaint that the Catholic League was actually with Wal-Mart's Web site. It's now been addressed, but let's look at what it was.
When you searched on Wal-Mart for the word Christmas, you actually got redirected to a holiday page. That's what the Catholic League was upset about.
In contrast, if you searched on Kwanzaa, you would get 77 Kwanzaa-specific products. That's now been addressed. Today if you search on the word Christmas, you get almost 8,000 hits on the Wal- Mart Web site.
Looking around some of these online retailers today, you can see just how sensitive and aware they are about using holiday versus Christmas. Look at Amazon.com, for example. At Amazon's Web site, they have gift central.
This is the British version of that Web site where they say, "We have Christmas shopping needs all wrapped up. Simply give this Christmas." However, if you look at it here in the U.S., that same gift central, it says Amazon has your holiday needs all wrapped up. Simply give. Difference there, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. What a story. We'll continue to monitor it over the next several weeks.
Coming up, they're supposed to be weak and divided but labor unions challenge Arnold Schwarzenegger to a test of strength. Guess who wins? It's all part of Bill Schneider's play of the week.
And President Bush defends his Iraq policies by going on the attack. Is it the right strategy? We'll tackle that question in our strategy session. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In today's strategy session, the Bush administration's strategy of defending the war in Iraq. Joining us now, radio talk show host Bill Press, he's the author of the book "How the Republicans Stole Christmas," and Terry Jeffrey the editor of the conservative weekly, "Human Events." Guys, thanks very much for joining us. I guess you should retitle your name "How the Republicans Stole the Holiday" if you want to be politically correct.
BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Red and green mushroom.
BLITZER: If you listen to Kirby at Wal-Mart.
PRESS: Wal-Mart was a great story.
BLITZER: We'll move on to talk about the president's address today on Veterans Day. Is this appropriate on Veteran's Day, in this kind of somber season, at least for 24 hours, to really launch this kind of tough political attack on your critics?
TERRY JEFFREY, EDITOR, "HUMAN EVENTS": Well, I think the president had to do it, Wolf. I recognize everything the president of the United States does is going to have a political aspect to it, but the fact is, he's commander in chief. What is being questioned here is the credibility of the United States government during a war about the rationale for going to war and about the credibility for going to war.
BLITZER: But he launches a new strategy on Veterans Day. I'm just trying to focus in on the appropriateness of today. It could have waited until Monday or done it yesterday. But Veteran's Day.
JEFFREY: Well, quite frankly, I think he should have done it two weeks ago. But I think it's high time he did, and I think it's an important debate. I think that the argument the Democrats are making is completely disingenuous. I think it won't stand up to scrutiny. You know, last week I saw Teddy Kennedy on "Meet the Press," hate to mention another network. Tim Russert read to him a segment of John Kerry's speech on the Senate floor laying out the threat that John Kerry thought Saddam Hussein posed, but he didn't tell Ted Kennedy that that was John Kerry that was speaking.
And then he asked him, "Are those the words-- is that the argument you object to?" Kennedy affirmed that. The fact is, when we went to this war, Democrats voted for it in the United States Congress. They made the same arguments the president made based on the same intelligence.
BLITZER: Why do you shake your head?
PRESS: Well, first of all I'm shaking my head -- look, I don't know what got into this gang at the White House. They used to be so smooth. This speech today I think was a big mistake. Bad timing. You know, we all know what happens on Veteran's Day. The president, not the vice president -- the president goes to Arlington.
The president brings a whole country together supporting our troops, he lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. Today, instead, the president goes up to Pennsylvania, makes a political speech dividing the country, attacking his political enemies. I think this is a big mistake, Wolf. The other thing is...
BLITZER: He sent the vice president to Arlington to lay the wreath.
PRESS: Yes, but that's, you know -- the attention is on him. We're talking about him, we're not talking about Cheney today. He should have been in Arlington.
BLITZER: He's the commander in chief. What about that argument that he should have gone to Arlington, lay a wreath, which president's normally do.
JEFFREY: Look, I did read the president's speech. In three quarters of it, he's paying tribute to veterans. Not just veterans of this war, but veterans of all this nation's wars. I think that's the correct thing for the president to do.
We used to have a foreign policy in this country that ended at the water's edge, especially when you had a United States Congress that cast a bipartisan vote to authorize the war. The real question for this country now successfully getting through the Iraq war, finding political accommodation on the ground in Iraq that allows troops to come home. All people in office in this city ought to be working towards that end right now.
PRESS: Let me get in, here. First of all, this idea that foreign policy stops at the water's edge -- when Bill Clinton was in Kosovo, when Bill Clinton was in Bosnia, Republicans in the House and in the Senate were attacking him. They didn't follow that policy when Clinton was in the White House. Number two, I've got to say the reason I think -- the reason the president's speech was a mistake is the argument doesn't wash. There were Democrats that voted to give him the authority to go to war. He never -- by the way, I think they should not have done it. I think they were wrong. They should have waited to see more of the evidence.
But then he made the decision to go to war. He didn't go back to Congress and say, "Now, here's what we've got. Can I go to war?" He made the decision. It is his war. He's got to take responsibility for it.
BLITZER: When you say, Terry, that the Democrats were looking at the same intelligence that the president was looking at, but the intelligence community is part of the executive branch of the U.S. government. The legislative branch, Congress doesn't have an intelligence gathering community. They rely on what the executive branch is doing. And the president is in charge of the executive branch.
JEFFREY: That's a good point. Actually, the person who is particularly responsible is George Tenet, who was the DCI at the time. He was a person that was appointed by Bill Clinton. Formerly, he was a staffer to Patrick Leahy, one of the senior Democrats in the United States Senate.
The national intelligence estimate, Wolf, that was produced in October of 2002 for the United States Congress was a request by Senator Durbin, Senator Feinstein, Senator Graham, and Senator Levin, all Democrats on the Intelligence Committee. It provided to them under the authority of George Tenet, Bill Clinton's CIA director, the same information that the president had.
BLITZER: The argument he's making, and it's a fair argument presumably, that the president is as much a victim of bad intelligence as these Democratic lawmakers.
PRESS: Well, two things. Number one, you can ask him -- I asked Senator Jay Rockefeller, the leading Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, if they got all the same intelligence the White House got. He said no. They got the intelligence that was cherry picked, massaged by the White House, and sent off -- let me finish please. And sent up to the Senate. Secondly, Wolf, again...
JEFFREY: It was George Tenet lying?
PRESS: Let me please. Not "Crossfire." We just learned that the CIA had told the White House, "This guy you're relying on, Chalabi, this curveball (ph), and this other guy, they're not giving you good information." So I ask, you know, there were no weapons of mass destruction, no nukes...
BLITZER: But the bottom line is, and Terry makes this point, the national intelligence estimate, the NIE, that George Tenet signed off on, which was provided to the White House and to the Congress, did conclude there were stockpiles, no doubt about it, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. PRESS: But they were wrong. We know they were wrong. The Democrats, I say, were wrong for voting for it. But whose war is it? It is George Bush's war, Wolf. He has to take responsibility for it.
JEFFREY: President Bush and the members of Congress of both parties who voted to authorize the war are responsible for it as policy. This intelligence did come from the CIA. Senator Rockefeller's committee put out a unanimous report that Senator Rockefeller signed.
Now, if they think that George Tenet was lying to them, and if they think he was lying to the president, then they ought to put him under oath in a public hearing and ask him tough questions. Bob Woodward, in his "Plan of Attack," described a scene, December 2002. George Tenet went to the Oval Office and twice, he told President Bush it's a slam-dunk that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction.
BLITZER: Before I let you guys -- I just want to -- this AP- Ipsos Poll, right direction, wrong direction, which direction is the Bush administration taking the country? Thirty-two percent believe the president is taking the country in the right direction, 64 percent, Terry, think the president's taking the country in the wrong direction. Those are horrible numbers for this White House.
JEFFREY: There's no doubt. The president is in serious political trouble. I think a lot of it is his listlessness on domestic policy. He's gotten away from the conservative issues that got him elected. But also a key part of it is the unpopularity of the Iraq war, no question. But despite the unpopularity of the war, Wolf, it is in the national interests of the United States to complete this war where there is a stable government in Iraq that doesn't threaten us.
PRESS: All right, I've just got to say, 62 percent also say we should not have gone to the war in the first place. This war is a mistake. The president ought to admit it. I think he ought to apologize. I think he ought to bring the troops home. And I also think that's what Democrats ought to be saying. Get out of this war. It is not working.
BLITZER: All right, we'll leave it right there. Bill Press, Terry Jeffrey, thanks very much. Good discussion. Still ahead, Senator Ted Kennedy, he's joining us next hour to respond to President Bush's speech, lashing out at critics of the Iraq war.
And coming up, our own Jack Cafferty with your e-mail on our question of the hour. Has Veteran's Day lost its meaning? You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: On our political radar today, "The Washington Post" reports lawyers for Republican Congressman Tom DeLay tried to head off felony indictments against the former majority leader by signaling that he might plead guilty to a misdemeanor. The paper says the lawyers hoped to save DeLay's leadership position. DeLay was forced to give up his post after he was indicted on charges of violating Texas campaign law.
He may not be shaving much yet, but the teen elected mayor in Hillsdale, Michigan, this week only won by a whisker. County officials have declared the final tally, and Michael Sessions, an 18- year-old high school student won by a mere two votes, not the 64-vote margin initially reported.
And there's history in the making in Liberia, which has apparently chosen Africa's first democratically elected woman president. But her opponent and his supporters may be sending this match into overtime. Our Zain Verjee is joining us now from the CNN Center with the story -- Zain.
VERJEE: Hi, Wolf. Americans watch a female president in action only on a television show on Tuesday nights. But Liberians appear to have voted in a woman has commander-in-chief. It's been a tough battle for her, facing off against one of the most popular stars of Liberia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): King George and the iron lady. An international soccer star, millionaire, and political novice versus a Harvard-educated female economist and political veteran.
It's Liberia's first election after 14 years of a bloody civil war which claimed a quarter of a million lives. With almost all of the ballots counted, the National Elections Commission says Ellen Johnson-Searlif appears poised to beat George Weah. While Johnson- Searlif is claiming victory in the runoff, her rival, who came out ahead in an earlier round, is crying foul, alleging fraud.
Chanting "We like you, Weah," and "No George, no peace," Weah's angry supporters have taken to the streets, clashing with police and U.N. peacekeepers. Weah himself is calling for calm. International observers say they have found no widespread irregularities in the voting. Johnson-Sirleaf says she'll offer her legendary opponent a job, perhaps the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
ELLEN JOHNSON-SEARLIF, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF LIBERIA: I hope he will agree to work with me.
VERJEE: While Weah rose from the slums of Monrovia, Johnson- Sirleaf is from a more privileged class. Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in 1847. Almost 160 years later, it seems that Liberia, in fact all of Africa, has its first female elected head of state. And she is claiming victory for all of Africa's women.
JOHNSON-SEARLIF: I think it's a great door opener, you know, for women all over the continent. And I'm very pleased that I'm the one who's going to open the doors, as I hope many, many others will follow.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VERJEE: Final official results have yet to be released, but it seems her victory's inevitable, and she's on the brink of making history and taking the mantle of President Johnson-Sirleaf.
Coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM in the next hour, they're sisters, they're soldiers, and they just met recently for the first time. You'll be surprised at how they found each other.
And do you think Veteran's Day lost its meaning? That's our question of the hour. And our Jack Cafferty will show you what you're saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go right our Jack Cafferty standing by with your e-mail. Hi, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf. The question this hour, has Veteran's Day lost its meaning? Richard writes from Syracuse, "Thank you very much for your comments about veterans. As a disabled vet, I'm saddened by the actions of our president repeatedly wrapping himself in the flag to raise his poll numbers. He would have better served this country and its veterans if he had showed up at a veteran's hospital and visited those of us who have been wounded in one form or another."
Sheryl in Oberlyn Park, Kansas: "No patriotism lost in my family. It's all about remembering my grandfather, who fought in World War I, wearing red, white, and blue clothing to work, lapel pins, and flags on the front porch. I believe in displaying and showing pride in our country."
John in Philadelphia: "You certainly made me pause and think about my uncle, who died in the Battle of the Bulge, and my father who almost died in the pacific front in World War II. Both were naturalized Italian citizens, naturalized soon after they arrived in their new country to fight a war for a nation they hardly knew. I don't think I'm going to the mall today."
And finally, this one: "Dear Jack, Veteran's Day has not lost its meaning for me, not at all. I have a hero, Jim. I have his picture in front of me, receiving the bronze star in 1945. I have a dozen pink roses alongside the picture and a lighted candle. I honored Jim every year of our 56-year marriage on Veteran's Day.
"He was in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on Utah beach in 1944, fought through every major battle in Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge. He was lucky, he survived. Jim lost his last battle on November 2nd, 2004. But I will go on honoring him until the day I join him in heaven. I always called him my hero, and he surely was. He was a hero to all of us" -- Wolf?
BLITZER: That's a nice letter. I'm sure you got a lot of e-mail like that. I suspect a lot of our viewers are upset about the political bickering that's going on today. CAFFERTY: Of course they are. What is wrong with these people? I mean, that's not what this is about. It's Veteran's Day. They've got 364 other days to go around, acting like the morons most of them are. Can't they at least participate in the spirit of honoring the people who wear this nation's uniform? I mean, it's disgusting.
BLITZER: Well, we're going to get some more of it, Jack. Thanks very much. Jack Cafferty in New York.
And this reminder, we're here in THE SITUATION ROOM for another hour until 6:00 p.m. Eastern, and then we're back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern for another hour of THE SITUATION ROOM.
Coming up, after President Bush blasts critics of the Iraq war, one of the most prominent critics is fighting right back. We'll hear from Senator Ted Kennedy. That's coming up in the next hour.
And just ahead, our Bill Schneider has our political play of the week. We should say, his political play of the week. What is it? When we come back, you'll have the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: America's labor unions have been on the ropes for years, but they've managed to outmuscle Arnold Schwarzenegger and make the governor cry uncle. Let's turn to our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider -- Bill?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, you take on the mighty terminator, and what happens? You could bring him down, and you might even win the political play of the week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Good afternoon, everybody.
SCHNEIDER: Arnold Schwarzenegger humbled. How often do you see that?
SCHWARZENEGGER: The buck stops with me.
SCHNEIDER: He picked on the wrong people.
ROSE ANN DEMORO, CALIFORNIA NURSES ASSOCIATION: The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he kicks the nurses' butts, called them a special interest. And we set out to teach him that you don't pick on nurses.
SCHNEIDER: The governor took on the unions. Aren't unions supposed to be struggling and divided? Not in this case.
DEMORO: Teachers join, firefighters join, the police join when Arnold attacked them.
SCHNEIDER: The unions ran tough ads. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prop 75 is an attack on firefighters. He's trying to weaken the voice of the men and women that protect the peoples of California.
SCHNEIDER: They dogged him.
DEMORO: We followed this governor to over 100 fundraisers in California and throughout this nation and exposed what he was doing.
SCHNEIDER: Governor Schwarzenegger asked Californians to say yes to four measures on Tuesday's ballot. So what did they say? Same thing as the guy in this Capital One ad.
DAVID SPADE, ACTOR: Nein, nyet, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm calling Capital One.
SPADE: Nonka.
SCHNEIDER: Governor Schwarzenegger got the message. He got it at home --
SCHWARZENEGGER: I should have also listened to my wife who said to me, "Don't do this."
SCHNEIDER: And he got it at work.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Also, we'll get together and can contact all the union leaders and let them know that I want to work with them and that I'm not anti-union.
SCHNEIDER: The unions have slain the mighty and won the political play of the week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: The union's message for governor Schwarzenegger who will be running for reelection next year? We'll be back -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Well, you were just out there in California, Bill. What does he do now? What's his next move? He's got a year before he wants to run for reelection.
SCHNEIDER: Well, at the moment, right now, he's going to China for two weeks, which may be a good idea. But what he's going to do clearly is reach out to his opponents. He said he'll meet with union leaders. He's going to try to reach out to Democrats. He's going to try to govern the way he governed his first year in office, which is by consensus rather than confrontation.
BLITZER: Did you get a sense who was emerging as possible likely contender on the Democratic side while you were out there?
SCHNEIDER: Well certainly, the man of the moment was Warren Beatty, who was one of the chief critics of Schwarzenegger and was very much the face of the anti-proposition movement. He was there, he spoke at rallies. A lot of interest in seeing him run.
Others are talking about Rob Reiner, another celebrity. But you know what? The polls show that non-celebrities actually do better against Governor Schwarzenegger, like the state treasurer and the state controller, who are already expressing interest in running. Could there be celebrity fatigue in California?
BLITZER: Maybe. We'll soon find out. Thanks very much. Bill Schneider with his play of the week.
It's nearly 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at once place at the same time.
Happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. in Pennsylvania, where President Bush used his Veteran's Day speech today to lash out at critics of the Iraq war. Now, many of them are lashing back. Senator Ted Kennedy among them, he'll be our guest this hour.
It's midnight in Amman, Jordan, where a well-known film maker was among the victims of the hotel bombings. Now there's word that the man behind the Halloween series of horror movies has died.
And it's 7:00 a.m. Saturday in Seoul, South Korea, where a mother and child nearly lost their lives in subway station. The entire incident caught on tape.
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