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Saddam Hussein Defiant at Resumption of Trial; Alleged Plot to Kill Judge in Hussein Trial Thwarted; Crooked Congressman; Lay Offs at Merck; Replacing Boots with Air Power on Ground?; Bush Tackles Illegal Immigration

Aired November 28, 2005 - 17:00   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 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive in one place at the same time.
Happening now, it's 1:00 a.m. in Baghdad. As Saddam Hussein returns to court behaving like she's still in charge, word comes of a plot against one of those who are in charges; namely, a chief judge.

In Beijing it's 6:00 a.m. A chilling report on changes in the bird flu virus. Will such mutations bring us closer to a human pandemic?

And crying and retiring. A key Republican congressman announcing his resignation after pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion. Is this tough former fighter pilot headed to prison?

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Saddam Hussein was back in court today acting like he owned the place. As the tribunal began looking into a massacre from almost a century ago, the former dictator jousted with the chief judge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, FMR. IRAQI DICTATOR (through translator): I was brought here to the door, and I was in handcuffs. We don't accept that. At the same time, the elevator was not working, and the Koran in my hand, and handcuffs, I -- I went in the elevator.

JUDGE RAAD JUHI, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE JUDGE: We will bring that to the attention of the police.

HUSSEIN (through translator): Mr. Judge, I don't want you to call them. I want you to order -- I want you to order them. They're in our -- on our land. You have the servant (ph). You're an Iraqi, and they are foreigners, occupiers and invaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Even as the court (AUDIO GAP) one of the judges.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is standing by with that possible plot. But let's head over to Baghdad first. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, spent the day in court with Saddam Hussein today.

Tell our viewers, Nic, how it went, especially at the end when is seemed to be unraveling.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was very interesting. Just before the recess for lunch the judge said that the defendants could meet with the defense lawyers. Until that time, the proceedings had gone pretty much as the judge had wanted, more or less. There had been two sort of -- one witness on tape and then another piece of videotape played.

After lunch, entirely different. When they came back in, the former vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, saying his lawyers that he had originally chosen, one had been shot dead in an assassination, another wounded and fled the country. The other had fled the country.

He was refusing to work with the court-appointed liars -- lawyers. He was backed by Saddam Hussein's half brother, who stood up and said, "I'm in the same position, I'm not going to use the court- appointed lawyers."

Saddam Hussein's former chief judge stood up and said that there were -- there had been threats against his life and that of Saddam Hussein's by somebody who was still in the court. The judge was really sort of hard pressed to deal with all these different issues coming at him. And then Saddam Hussein was complaining that memos he had written to the chief judge weren't being answered.

It was really a completely different dynamic in the afternoon -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, he looked sort of dapper there with a suit on, no tie, a little handkerchief in his suit jacket, in his pocket up there. You were there. You were one of the few Western journalists inside that courtroom when he first walked into that courtroom. What was it like?

ROBERTSON: You know, there was already an air of expectancy, Wolf. All the other defendants had been called. Once their names were called, they arrived within 30 seconds.

Six and a half minutes it took before Saddam Hussein came into the court. He quite literally strolled in, ambling along towards the dock, taking his time, looking very relaxed, looking around and smiling at his co-defendants. The body language was incredible, and it really did set us up for what we saw transpire through the rest of the day, where he essentially grandstanded at times through the trial

BLITZER: Nic Robertson on the scene for us in Baghdad.

Nic, thank you very much.

And there's word of a new security threat involving Saddam Hussein's trial.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is standing by with details -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the latest alleged threat is against one of the judges in the trial. It's raising new questions about how secure the proceedings really are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): Security was extremely tight inside the courtroom as the trial of Saddam Hussein resumed Monday. There was no obvious sign of the latest threat against a key player, the chief investigative judge, Raad Juhi.

A high-ranking Iraqi army officer tells CNN Juhi was the target of an alleged assassination plot. The officer says the Iraqi army has detained Kazul al-Kurdi (ph), who was an intelligence officer in the Hussein regime. He was taken into custody Saturday in Kirkuk after three days of surveillance.

The army official says a number of documents were seized from al- Kurdi (ph), including plans to kill the judge.

Six other people also were detained, and the investigation is said to be ongoing.

The alleged plot follows the assassinations of two lawyers representing co-defendants in the case. Adil Mohammed al-Zubaydi was shot and killed November 8. He was the lawyer for the country's former vice president.

And on October 20, Sadoun Janabi was kidnapped and killed. He was the lawyer for the former chief judge of Saddam's revolutionary court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, Wolf, maintaining security for the trial is really key to demonstrating that Iraq is getting ready to handle its own affairs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Barbara. Thank you very much.

And later this hour we're going to have Nic Robertson's interview, his exclusive interview with Ramsey Clark, the former United States attorney general who's now in Baghdad, part of Saddam Hussein's legal defense team. That exclusive interview, that's coming up later this hour.

Other news we're following.

There's new word on bird flu from the Chinese Health Ministry that's raising concern. We may be getting closer to a possible human pandemic.

Our Betty Nguyen is joining us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta with more on this development -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.

It's been the biggest fear of health officials as they trace the spread of bird flu all across Asia. Well, now there is a report that the virus that causes the disease may be mutating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice over): With three confirmed human cases and two deaths, both in the last month, fears of a bird flu pandemic are increasingly focused on China. So far, the H5N1 virus is not known to spread from human to human. And experts say it would take significant mutations to make that possible. But that transformation may already be happening.

According to the state-run Chinese news agency, the country's Health Ministry says the virus found in the human victims there has mutated from the strain that has stricken people in Vietnam. But the report says the mutated strain could not be passed from human to human. No other details were given.

An official with the World Health Organization office in Beijing cautions against panic, noting that viruses mutate all the time. She says the WHO is pressing the Chinese government for more information and that a team of its experts are investigating the country's human cases.

The two fatalities were both Chinese women who handled infected poultry.

Beyond the threat of a human pandemic, bird flu is threatening China's chicken population, the world's largest. Millions have died or been killed, with at least 22 bird flu outbreaks reported across the country in recent weeks.

The government has announced drastic measures to stem the spread of the disease with plans to vaccinate country's entire poultry stock.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And new measures are in place to identify bird flu victims among travelers. The Chinese news agency says all passengers arriving at the international airport in Shanghai are now required to complete a health declaration, with anyone showing signs of illness pulled aside for further examines -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Betty. We'll see you in a little while.

Betty Nguyen reporting for us.

Let's go back up to New York. Jack Cafferty is there. He's got more on his question for this hour -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: You know, if things don't work out for us on THE SITUATION ROOM, I bet we could get on vaccinating chickens in China. How would you like that for a job?

BLITZER: That's not a fun job.

CAFFERTY: No, that wouldn't be fun. This is much better.

BLITZER: What we do is fun

CAFFERTY: We vaccinate the public against our leadership, in a manner of speaking.

A member of the president's own party thinks that he might take a page out of FDR's playbook. Over the weekend, Senator John Warner, who's one of the leveler heads in that august body of squirrels down there in the nation's capital, suggested President Bush ought to use fireside chats to update the American people on progress in Iraq. You know, the Bush man around the fireplace, nice warm setting there, like "The Yule Log" (ph) on Channel 11 here in New York.

Warner said -- Warner said it would bring the president closer to the people. Well, the fact is Mr. Bush doesn't have much contact with the people that he represents. His critics say that he's aloof, out of touch. Some use the word "arrogant."

His speeches, like the one we just heard at the Tucson Air Force Base, aren't open to the public. This is, again, on a military installation.

Today he spoke to Border Patrol officials, government employees. They work for him.

Other times the audience consists of the military or special invited guests, Republican supporters. And the U.S. troops really don't have much choice. After all, Mr. Bush is commander in chief. So if they -- if they're told to go listen to him talk, they sort of have to do that, right?

The question is this: How can President Bush get closer the American people? E-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com. We'll read some of your answers in the next half-hour or so.

BLITZER: All right. I'm just getting warm and fuzzy thinking about that.

CAFFERTY: I know. Isn't that nice?

BLITZER: It's a lovely thought. All right, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Put on one of them woolly cardigan sweaters.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Jack Cafferty in New York.

Up ahead, a congressman cries. He's a tough former fighter pilot and a veteran Republican lawmaker, but he's stepping down after pleading guilty to corruption charges. Will he be stepping into prison? And if yes, for how long? President Bush tiptoes on a political tightrope. He wants to tighten border security while allowing some illegal immigrants to work in the United States. Has he found something for everyone to dislike?

And a Democratic governor walks his own tightrope. Should he offer clemency to a death row inmate as milestone execution looms?

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A California congressman now admits he disgraced his office and broke the law. So he's resigning from the House of Representatives.

Republican Randy Duke Cunningham pleaded guilty today to accepting more than $2 million in bribes from defense contractors. Cunningham had been under investigation for months stemming from the questionable sale of his California home to a defense contractor.

Here's what Cunningham said back in July about the sale.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RANDY DUKE CUNNINGHAM (R), CALIFORNIA: I want each of you to know that I did not profit improperly from the sale of my home in Del Mar. This truth will be evident in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A very different take on the truth from Cunningham today during an emotional admission and resignation speech.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUNNINGHAM: When I announced several months ago that I would not seek re-election, I publicly declared my innocence because I was not strong enough to state the truth. So I mislead my family, friends, staff, colleagues, the public, and even myself.

For all of this I am deeply sorry. The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my office.

I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions. Most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.

Some time ago, I asked lawyers to inform U.S. Attorney Carol Lam that I would plead guilty and begin serving a prison term. Today is the culmination of that process. I will continue to cooperate with the government's ongoing investigation to the best of my ability.

In my life I have had great joy and great sorrow, and now I know great shame. I learned in Vietnam that the true measure of a man is how he responds to adversity. I can't undo what I've done, but I can atone.

And now, almost -- I'm almost 65 years old, and I enter the twilight of my life. I intend to use the remaining time that god grants me to make amends. And I will.

The first step in that journey is to admit fault and apologize. And I do apologize. The next step is to face the consequences of my action like a man. Today, I have taken the first step, and with god's grace, I will take the second.

God bless you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's bring in our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry. He's been covering this case from the beginning.

Ed, we all knew he was in deep, deep trouble. But the amounts, $2.4 million involved in this confession today, that's staggering.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.

We had already known that basically the congressman had allegedly inflated (INAUDIBLE) by some $700,000 so this defense contractor could take the loss of $700,000. Cunningham could pocket the money and then buy a $2.5 million mansion.

But you're right, when you pick through the details now of what he's admitting to, what he's pleading guilty to, he also got a Rolls Royce, he also had his daughter's graduation party paid for, jewelry, antique furniture, a yacht. When you go through this, the level of corruption is staggering and you're basically left with one thought: what in the world was this guy thinking?

How did he think he could get away with it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Well, what does it say bigger picture? Midterm elections next year he's out of the Congress. He'll presumably be in jail for a long time, given this admission today. But how does this play politically here in Washington, looking ahead to the midterm elections in November of next year?

HENRY: He's facing up to 10 years in prison. And what Republicans say is basically this is one guy acting alone, stupidity, corruption. But Democrats are not buying that, obviously.

They're trying to tie this to the indictment of Scooter Libby, of Tom DeLay, the separate stock investigation of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. And they're charging there's a culture of corruption in the Republican Congress, they've been in power for over 10 years and it's time to knock them out. That's going to be a central issue in the next campaign -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ed Henry reporting for us.

Ed, thank you very much. Coming up, could more U.S. air power mean fewer U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq? A controversial report says Iraqis could be calling in the air strikes. What's going on?

And he once was a United States attorney general. Is he now going to help defend Saddam Hussein? What's Ramsey Clark up to? He's in Baghdad. He spoke with our Nic Robertson. That interview coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's head back to the CNN Center in Atlanta for a quick check of some other stories making news.

Betty Nguyen standing by -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Hi, Wolf.

This is an eye opener for you. Move over hurricanes, make way for the first blizzard of the season. And it is a doozy. Just take a look.

Snow, driven by nearly 70-mile-an-hour winds. They closed roads for hundreds of miles from North Dakota to the Texas panhandle. Drifts as tall as a man and near zero visibility brought post-holiday travel, well, to a standstill. At least five deaths are blamed on that bad weather.

One of the people on the steps of the Supreme Court building this morning describes a big cracking sound before a large chunk of white marble fell to the ground. No one was hurt when the free-falling chunk dropped from the court facade. The dislodged marble fell from above a figure which is called Authority.

Engineers and building technicians are trying to figure out why it broke.

Saved at sea. Take a look at this. A cruise ship on the way from Cozumel, Mexico, to its home port of Miami came across this rickety boat carrying a group of 10 migrants. It's believed the people were escaping from Cuba when their motor conked out. All 10 people were rescued.

And for the first time in three months, children are finally going back to school in The Big Easy. The first New Orleans public school reopened today. Welcome signs hung both inside and out for students returning to Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Orleans Parish.

The school had a capacity of 550 kids. Just 210 were pre- registered. And only 120 of them showed up today.

But Wolf, that's a start.

BLITZER: It's a good start. Thanks very much, Betty. Betty will be back with us shortly.

Major cutbacks announced by a troubled pharmaceutical giant. Our Ali Velshi is joining us from New York with a closer look at "The Bottom Line."

What's going on, Ali?

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, Wolf.

This is Merck. It's one of the big names that we know of in the pharmaceutical industry. And news today that Merck is laying off 7,000 people. That's about 11 percent of its workforce. It's going to close some of its factories.

Now, these are the companies that brought us all of these drugs we all know so well. In Merck's case, unfortunately, one of those drugs is Vioxx, which hit Merck's bottom line pretty badly when they had to pull that off the shelves.

But this is the maker of Zocor, one of those drugs that lowers cholesterol. These have been massive blockbuster hits for a lot of the drug companies, but that drug, Zocor, is coming off its patent protection next year.

So while Merck is saddled with the whole Vioxx litigation, the third trial starts tomorrow in Houston, the big issue for Merck and other drug companies is they just don't have as much coming in the pipeline as they have going out. So Merck's problems today, downsizing and closing some factories, is just a microcosm of what this once giant and still big pharmaceutical industry is facing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ali Velshi. Thanks also for filling in for me last week. You did an excellent job as usual.

VELSHI: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Ali Velshi reporting for us from New York.

Coming up, he served as the United States attorney general. Now he's defending Saddam Hussein. Ramsey Clark talks about his latest controversial trial.

And later, a liquor store torched just days after vandals smashed its inventory. Is it part of an escalating war against alcohol? We'll tell you what's going on.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now to a CNN exclusive. The former United States attorney general Ramsey Clark is in Baghdad right now. He's helping Saddam Hussein's defense team. Clark is no stranger to controversial cases. And earlier he talked about his latest challenge with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: From what you saw in the court today, was it fair? Is it fair?

RAMSEY CLARK, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, it's an extremely difficult case to assure fairness in, because the passions in the country are at, you know, fever pitch. And it will take effort at every turn by the court and everyone participating to be fair and to show that you're being fair to have any chance for a fair trial.

I don't think of a more difficult situation. And I've been in many unpopular cases where there's been high community prejudice against the defendants. But here it's just everybody has been hurt, and everybody is angry.

ROBERTSON: Some Iraqis close to the government at the moment, close to the prime minister's office, have expressed anger that you're actually in the court and you're interjecting yourself into this process.

What do you say to them?

CLARK: Well, I say that's sad. I would think if they wanted a manifestation of fairness, they would want someone coming in that would make it appear that they're not afraid of someone who is working to see that there's a fair trial.

ROBERTSON: What are your plans now? There's a seven-day recess. Will you stay here during this period and wait for this trial to restart? Will you stay through the whole trial now?

CLARK: Well, I can't stay here for a week waiting for this -- this next hearing, so I'll spend three days traveling to go home and get some work done there, and to get back. Whether I'll remain throughout the trial, it's not likely. If it proceeds as it did today, it would be a waste of my time, and perhaps even give an appearance of fairness that didn't exist.

ROBERTSON: Why do you say you -- from what you saw today, you don't think you can make a difference?

CLARK: Because the way they run the court is, the lawyers on the defense side have had very little participation.

The -- you know, it's one day, so what can you tell? Because they showed a videotape, and nothing that was presented by the defense lawyers was really acted on. Nothing happened.

ROBERTSON: Mr. Clark, thank you very much indeed.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Ramsey Clark speaking with our Nic Robertson earlier today in Baghdad.

Ramsey Clark has taken many controversial stances online.

Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is joining us now with more on that -- Abbi.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the former attorney general associated with a few activist Web sites out there. This is votetoimpeach.org, founded by Clark in 2003. His reasons there are listed for wanting to impeach President George W. Bush. You can read him there in his own words, also founded the International Action Center. That group wants a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Abbi Tatton, thank you very much. And we are going to have much more on this whole Saddam Hussein trial coming up at 7:00 p.m. Eastern here in THE SITUATION ROOM -- 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Is the Pentagon planning to use more airpower in Iraq as a way to help more U.S. troops get out of Iraq? And who would call the shots?

Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He's standing by.

Hi, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.

Well, the Pentagon is responding to an article by Sy Hersh in "The New Yorker," in which he says that commanders he's talked to have deep-seated objections to the idea of using more air power in Iraq to back up the Iraqis. But the Pentagon says it's not the plan to have air power replace boots on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): The Pentagon insists that the U.S. military's increased use of airstrikes in Iraq is, in no way, considered a substitute for ground troops. And it strongly denies, the hope for a reduction of U.S. troop levels next year hinges on the greater use of air power to compensate for weaker Iraqi forces.

Pentagon officials also reject the notion that Iraqi commanders will eventually be calling in U.S. airstrike with no oversight from the U.S. military. The disputed allegations were all contained in an article in the current "New Yorker" magazine written by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh.

SEYMOUR HERSH, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "THE NEW YORKER": The Pentagon will officially say, there's going to be joint units, Iraqi and -- and Americans together. But, eventually, we know it will evolve into Iraqis calling in targets. MCINTYRE: In recent months, the U.S. military has been stepping up the number of airstrikes to back up Iraqi and U.S. forces on the ground, as they engage insurgents in tough urban combat.

While the Pentagon says that kind of air support will continue as Iraqi troops become more independent of U.S. forces, officials dismiss any suggestion that Iraqi commanders would be free to order U.S. airstrikes for personal vendettas or to prosecute a civil war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Even the most optimistic scenario, the draw downs next year would still leave more than 100,000 troops in Iraq. And the Pentagon says, it would be even years more before the Iraqi military would operate without U.S. support, and, in the case of airstrikes, Wolf, without U.S. oversight.

BLITZER: All right, Jamie, thanks very much.

Let's get some more now on air power, possibly a replacement for U.S. boots on the ground, as they call it.

Let's turn to a member of our CNN Security Council, the former Defense Secretary William Cohen. He's chairman and CEO of The Cohen Group here in Washington.

You -- I assume you have had a chance to read the Seymour Hersh article. When you were in charge of the Pentagon, you used airpower very effectively in Bosnia and Kosovo, without deploying huge numbers of American troops. Is that a realistic option in Iraq against an insurgency of this nature?

WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: No. Airpower is not an effective use of power against an insurgency. You do need boots on the ground.

And the notion that, somehow, it would be a substitution, I think, is simply a -- a wrong choice and one that I don't think the military will make. I think everybody ought to go back and read H.R. McMaster's book about dereliction of duty. In my judgment, were the military to agree to substitute air power for boots on the ground in fighting an insurgency, that would be tantamount to a dereliction of duty.

I think that they proceeding a path that they have anticipated they are going to reduce the size of the force by next spring and into the summer. There will still be a significant force left over, but I don't think that the military has ever planned to simply substitute air power and turn that over, the oversight of the intelligence, to the -- to the Iraqis. I think that would be a -- a fatal mistake for us.

You cannot win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people by driving precision-guided steel into those hearts and minds.

BLITZER: The president is delivering another what -- what the White House calls major speech on Wednesday, in which he's going to be making the case that things are moving in the right direction. How far does he need to go to convince the American public right now that things are moving ahead in a positive way?

COHEN: Well, I think he has to show that the elections are going to take place, that we are going to see a spike in the -- the number are of troops that are there to help provide security for that period of time.

And then I think he has to go about, systematically, staying a course on which there is going to be a reduction and a turning over of responsibility in a large -- in a large factor to the Iraqi people.

We're seeing more officers come into the -- the armed forces now. The process of cleaning out all the Baathists has now been reversed. So, they're bringing in young captains and -- and others into the force. So, more manpower is coming in. More responsibility will be turned over, over a period of time. And I think the president has to do that, also holding on to a coalition of Capitol Hill. He can't do this by fireside chats, as Jack was suggesting before, commenting on -- on Senator Warner.

He's got to have support of key members of Capitol Hill. He can still do that if he makes an outreach to them.

BLITZER: He doesn't have the support of retired U.S. Lieutenant General William Odom, who was on "AMERICAN MORNING" earlier today with some very harsh words.

Listen to this.

COHEN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL WILLIAM ODOM, HUDSON INSTITUTE: We're causing the civil war. We are slowly turning the country over to the Shiites, which will become -- they will turn the country into an Islamic republic, very much as Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Now, that -- that's a pretty dire prediction, which a lot of people believe is possible. But the president certainly doesn't.

COHEN: There's always that possibility.

It's one of the great fears, that we are simply -- the United States is waging a war on behalf of the Shia, who are going to take over and continue that civil war, and then be in -- work in conjunction with an Iran that would be supporting them. That's a great fear.

We have got to try to continue to prevent that from taking place as best we can. No one can predict the future with any certainty. But, hopefully, that will not occur. But the president, at this point, has very limited options. He's got to, again, persuade the American people that we have to see this through, working with key members of Congress. You have Jack Murtha, who has set down a -- a -- certainly, a marker, saying out in six months, or at least we move to Kuwait in six months.

You have got John McCain saying, stay the course, put more troops in. The truth and the reality is going to lie somewhere in between, where you will see a reduction of the troops and a gradual reduction of American forces over a period of time.

BLITZER: William Cohen, as usual, thanks very much.

Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, President Bush walking a narrow line when it comes to the border line. He's calling for more security and legal work for illegal immigrants.

Plus, a Virginia death row inmate due to become the 1,000th person executed since the reinstatement of capital punishment. But will another prisoner provide that grim milestone?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush is tackling a delicate issue today, illegal immigration. Within the past hour, he gave an address on the topic, seen here live on -- in THE SITUATION ROOM. The president is trying to beef up border security, and he promises his supporters he won't allow a blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But people in this debate must recognize that we will not be able to effectively enforce our immigration laws until we create a temporary worker program.

The program that I propose would not create an automatic path to citizenship. It wouldn't provide for amnesty. I oppose amnesty. Rewarding those who have broken the law would encourage others to break the law and keep pressure on our border.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, is joining us now with more on the strategy behind the president's words today -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, back when the White House was still very much reeling from the criticism that the president didn't do enough about Hurricane Katrina and other things that were bombarding this White House, a senior officials said that they were going to try it -- what they called a back-to-basics- of-governing strategy.

And one of the things that they pointed to was, actually, immigration. And I -- and I'm sure other reporters -- asked the White House to -- about the sort of idea of putting up immigration, which divides Republicans more than any other issue, and whether or not they thought that was going to sort of get the White House back on its feet.

Well, if you watched the president's speech today, you saw the way the White House and the president is talking about immigration now, very much about border security. The White House says that that's actually an issue that Americans across the board, Republicans and Democrats alike, very -- are very concerned about. That's why, in the president's speech, he talked very much about securing the border, about the -- the proposals from the White House to do that.

And the sound bite we just heard about amnesty, the president defending the guest worker program, that wasn't until the very end of the president's speech -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Dana, thank you very much. Dana Bash is over at the White House.

President Bush's plan to secure the U.S. border is detailed online.

Let's some get more on that. Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, is standing by -- Jacki.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: It is, Wolf, available online through Customs and Border Protections, CBP.gov.

You can read all about what is called the Secure Border Initiative, all the details available for you online. Part of that is this, the Predator B. We spoke to them today, the CBP. And they gave us this video.

Let's try and pull this up for you. And you can see this thing in flight. It's got a maximum speed of about 253 miles per hour. It averages about 230, goes as high as 50,000 feet. And it's an unmanned vehicle, an unmanned aircraft. And what's so good about it is, it can get to remote areas that other aircraft can't travel.

Again, you can read all about the plan itself that President Bush talked about at CBP.gov -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jacki, thanks very much.

Let's head up to New York -- Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour.

Lou, let me guess, working on illegal immigration.

LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Well, among other critically important issues, we're also going to be focusing, of course, Wolf, on the critical issue of border security, something the president tried to talk about today, tried to talk tough. Did he manage to succeed? We will find out -- the president calling for an illegal alien security crackdown. But border security advocate say, it's just talk. We will be examining the facts.

And an eight-term Republican congressman, one of the nation's most powerful members of the Appropriations Committee, a decorated veteran and Vietnam ace, is out of Congress and on his way to prison. We will have that story.

And new developments in the Able Danger scandal -- why one former 9/11 Commission member says there is no basis for investigation. We will find out why he says that. And we will find out what should be happening with the Department of Defense and those who know more than they're allowed to say -- all of that, and a great deal more, including a special report on China's dangerous disregard for the truth.

We will see you at 6:00. Please join us -- now back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And our viewers will also see you during the 7:00 hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Lou, we are going to picking your brain on this very subject, the president's remarks today on immigration. So, get ready for that.

DOBBS: Looking forward to it, Wolf.

BLITZER: Your day does not end at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

DOBBS: Never.

BLITZER: Lou Dobbs will be in THE SITUATION ROOM, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, later tonight.

Up next, first, sharply dressed vandals smashed the liquor bottles. Now the liquor store itself has been put to the torch. What's going on in California?

And a Virginia inmate faces a lethal injection, unless the outgoing governor makes a difficult political and moral decision. We are standing by for details.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Police in Oakland, California, are investigating a fire that gutted a liquor store which was attacked just last week by well- dressed vandals who smashed liquor and beer bottles.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is joining us now from our San Francisco bureau with more on this story.

What's happening out there, Ted?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I talked to the owners of two of these convenience stores that sell liquor. They're in the Oakland, California, area. Both are owned by Yemeni business owners.

There is a large Yemen population in the San Francisco Bay area. And they do own a lot of convenience stores. And there is some real concern win that community about some escalating tension. Basically, what happened, last week, there were two stores hit on the same night by 12 African-American men dressed in suits and bow ties. They came into these stores -- it was caught on surveillance tape -- and they just started to destroy the stores.

They broke liquor bottles and they threatened the owners. And they said, why are you selling liquor to this community if you're Muslim?

They said they would be back and that these people should stop selling liquor to the African-American community. These were both Yemeni-owned stores in an area which is heavily populated by African- Americans. And there is concern that they are being targeted because of their nationality.

And there is also some speculation that it's the Nation of Islam that's responsible. But they deny any involvement at all -- obviously, something we're still following, and a lot of tension still bubbling in the Oakland area -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we will continue to watch this story with you, Ted. Thanks very much.

The United States is expected to mark a controversial milestone this week, the 1,000th execution since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Our Brian Todd is joining us now with the story -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this appeal has already made it to the Supreme Court, and may again. But, like so many cases of its kind, Robin Lovitt's story began in an obscure, dark place many years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A pool hall in Arlington, Virginia, an unlikely starting point to rekindle one of America's hottest political debates.

It was here seven years ago the night manager Clayton Dicks was stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. His convicted killer, 14- year-old Robin Lovitt, is scheduled to be the 1,000th person executed in the United States since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. He will die by lethal injection at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, if Virginia Governor Mark Warner refuses clemency.

RICHARD DIETER, DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER: It's not necessarily this execution that's important. But it is a time to reflect on whether the death penalty has been working.

TODD: The case is a metaphor for that debate. The condemned man proclaims innocence. Eyewitness testimony and evidence are in dispute. After Lovitt's 1999 conviction, two key pieces are evidence were destroyed by a court clerk, including the scissors which bore inconclusive DNA. Lovitt's attorneys are trying to get his sentence reduced to life.

ASHLEY PARRISH, ATTORNEY FOR ROBIN LOVITT: We think the same thing should happen here. Governor Warner should commute the sentence, allow Mr. Lovitt to spend the rest of his life in a maximum- security prison, and, obviously, give him that additional time to -- to build the case to prove his innocence.

TODD: But, like so many other capital cases, death penalty supporters complain, the victim's fate is not part of the argument.

MICHAEL PARANZINO, PRESIDENT, THROW AWAY THE KEY: Mr. Lovitt is -- we see his name on the -- on TV. We read about him. But very little is known about Clayton Dicks. He was just an average Joe. And he deserved to be able to live his life, like the rest of us, and not be brutally stabbed to death over a cash box at his place of employment.

ROWLANDS: This case seems to cross ideological lines. Former federal prosecutor Ken Starr, long an icon of the conservative movement, is on Lovitt's legal team.

Then there's Virginia outgoing Democratic governor, who has allowed 11 other men to be executed and who may have to answer for this decision during a predicted presidential run in 2008.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Governor Warner's aides tell us he's giving very careful consideration to this clemency request, as we get to the 48-hour mark before Lovitt's execution.

Clayton Dicks' mother, quoted in "The Washington Post" about Lovitt, says -- quote -- "What he gave Clayton, that's what he deserves" -- end quote.

But a couple of key factors have to play out if Lovitt is to become the 1,000th execution. Obviously, his clemency must be denied. But two other executions, Wolf, in Arkansas and Ohio also have to take place tonight and tomorrow as scheduled. At this moment, they're going ahead as scheduled.

BLITZER: Brian Todd reporting for us -- Brian, thank you very much.

Up next, it's been suggested by a distinguished senior senator in President Bush's own party that it's time for the president to have some fireside chats about the war in Iraq. Our Jack Cafferty wants to know what you think. Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He'll always be the man astride a tank, facing down a hard-line coup in 1991.

Boris Yeltsin remains a creature of contradiction, a communist who helped destroy communism, a democrat who opened fire on his own parliament, a man who seemed on the verge of dying so many times, who, nowadays, looks healthier than ever. In 1980, Yeltsin was a Communist Party boss in the Urals Mountains city of Sverdlovsk. Ten years later, he was the president of the Russian Republic.

The Soviet Union was about to collapse. And, when it did, Yeltsin moved into the Kremlin. At the height of his powers he told CNN:

BORIS YELTSIN, FORMER RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I am not thinking about history at all. And I'm not planning on thinking about it. I am thinking about deeds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, in 1999, in the New Year's address, Boris Yeltsin shocked the world, announcing he was stepping down as Russian president, handing the reins of power to Vladimir Putin. Years of heavy drinking and heart attacks took their toll.

But, in retirement, Yeltsin is following a healthier lifestyle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check in with Jack Cafferty once again for a quick update on what -- what -- what are you up to, Jack?

CAFFERTY: Well...

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Republican Senator John Warner, Wolf, suggested over the weekend that President Bush should use fireside chats to update the American public on progress in Iraq, you know, get that warm, fuzzy thing going on.

Warner said it would bring the president closer to the people. My guess is, Senator Warner will be making other plans for the night of the White House Christmas party, because he probably ain't going to get invited to that after this idea about the fireside chats.

The question is this: How can President Bush get closer to the American people?

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Alan in San Angelo, writes: "To get closer to the American people, he can cut the exclusive God talk and quit acting like we're all stupid. He can tone down the Christian lingo that he utters on America's behalf. This Christian does not worship the prince of peace via war."

Bill in Quarryville, Pennsylvania: "I think he missed his chance. He was in too much of a hurry to invade Iraq. And, because of that, everything went wrong. Until he comes to terms with that decision and says he made a mistake, I don't see how he can get closer to the American people."

Matthew in Park Falls, Wisconsin: "I would suggest President Bush simply appear human. No one has ever expected presidents to be human, but at least Clinton, the previous Bush and Reagan all had specks of humility."

Pat in Covina, California: "Oh, for pity's sake. If W. gets any closer to me, I'm arming myself, as is my constitutional right. Has there been a less sincere president ever? Not in my lifetime."

Howard in Phoenix writes: "My wife thought I was stubborn. Well, our president beats me by a mile. He makes mistakes, misleads the country and still insists he's right. It may take a while, but he should be honest with us and with himself."

And, finally, Bill in New York writes: "President Bush holding fireside chats is a great idea, provided there is someone there to hold his feet to the fire."

BLITZER: Bill in New York, thanks very much.

We will see you at 7:00 p.m...

CAFFERTY: You got it.

BLITZER: ... Eastern, Jack, an hour from now.

We are back in THE SITUATION ROOM in one hour. We will have a special look at the Saddam Hussein trial today. Is the case against Saddam falling apart? Plus, Karl Rove, is he back in the spotlight of the CIA leak case? -- all that, a lot more, coming around.

Lou Dobbs will also stick around during our 7:00 p.m. hour to debate the president's immigration policy. You won't want to miss that.

Until then, I'm Wolf Blitzer.

Lou Dobbs is in New York. He's ready to pick up our coverage -- Lou.

DOBBS: Wolf, thank you.

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