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The Situation Room
Death Row Prisoner About to Be Executed in Virginia; Bush Hours Away From Major Address on Iraq
Aired November 29, 2005 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters from across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, a governor's life and death decision with a grim milestone for capital punishment in America hanging in the balance. It's 7:00 p.m. Eastern in Virginia where that decision is hitting at the heart of a national debate.
President Bush now just hours away from a major political offensive on Iraq. But he's not waiting until then to sound alarms about pulling out the troops too soon.
An extreme makeover. Remember the gray-haired, scruffy Saddam Hussein after he was arrested? Well look at him now. Who's letting him spruce up his image? I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Stern words from President Bush about the politics and the Iraq mission, and the dangers of cutting and running. His big speech, his strategy, we'll have details. That's coming up.
But late today in Virginia, a reprieve from the governor. Democrat Mark Warner has granted clemency to a convicted murderer just hours before he was scheduled to die by injection.
Robin Lovitt would have been the 1,000th person executed in America since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Our national correspondent Bob Franken is standing by with details of the decision -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Virginia, Wolf, is second only to Texas in the number of executions since 1976. And the Democratic governor of the state, Mark Warner, had never stopped an execution during his term in office. He's about to leave; this was a particularly unusual case.
Robin Lovitt had DNA evidence that had been lost by the clerk of the Arlington County court -- Arlington, Virginia, which is not far from Washington. He had been convicted there for a 1998 murder in Arlington in a pool hall.
That being the case, and with the intervention of some very prominent attorneys, including the former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr, the governor decided that because there was this total discrepancy in the amount of evidence, that it was time for him to decide that the inmate, Robin Lovitt, would have a sentence commuted from death, which was scheduled tomorrow night, to life in turn -- life in prison without parole.
The governor explained and I'm quoting from his statement now, "the Commonwealth must ensure that every time this ultimate sanction is carried out, it is done fairly. After a thorough review, it is my decision that Robin Lovitt should spend the rest of his life in prison with no eligibility for parole."
This has political implications, Wolf. Governor Warner is considered to be a potential presidential candidate, and there are polls showing that although the majority of people in the United States still favors capital punishment, that is a declining number. As for that 1,000th execution, it shouldn't be delayed very long. The next one is scheduled in North Carolina on Friday -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Bob Franken reporting for us. Thanks, Bob, very much.
In California, the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has two weeks to make a similar decision. He's under pressure to commute the death sentence of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Williams founded the notorious Crips gang. He's scheduled to die on December 13th. Supporters say his life should be spared because he's reformed himself and preaches against gang violence.
Now the pressure on President Bush to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. He's warning that an early troop pullout would be a terrible mistake that would send a bad message to Iraqis and to terrorists. Mr. Bush spoke in Texas, briefing reporters. It was seen as a warm-up for his major speech on the Iraq mission tomorrow morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So our objective in Iraq is to win. And we will make our decisions based upon primarily, victory; and second, whether or not the commanders think we can achieve that victory, and what the appropriate -- with a certain troop level.
And that's what's important for the American people to understand, that, one, we're not going to cut and run; two, we'll achieve our objective; and three, the president is going to listen to those who are on the ground, who can make the best assessment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But the Bush administration knows all too well that many Americans want U.S. troops to leave Iraq the sooner the better. Let's bring in our White House correspondent, Dana Bash. Dana, what new developments can we expect from the president's speech tomorrow?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you know, we've definitely heard the White House tout speeches that the president is going to give in advance, saying that they're going to be major speeches intended to try to turn around public support on Iraq.
They say this is different because in the past we've heard the president talk about why it is important, talk about the terror threat, talk about the threat of, as he just put it, cutting and running. But tomorrow morning, White House officials insist that Mr. Bush will put a little meat on the bone, perhaps, when it comes to what that strategy for victory will be.
And he's going to focus very much, they say here at the White House, on how the Iraqis are stabilizing their country for themselves. We'll talk pretty specifically, we're told, about the Iraqi security forces, how in various parts of the country they have taken control, how they have made great progress, because he will admit, we're told, that they didn't have the right strategy for actually training the Iraqi security forces at the beginning.
So that is how the White House says they will try to reassure Americans that there is a plan to win. You heard the president say victory, use that word, use the word win. They understand here at the White House that Americans are likely to support troops staying in Iraq, as long as they think it will have a positive outcome. And that's why you heard the president use those words time and time again and expect him to use them tomorrow morning, as well.
BLITZER: We, of course will have coverage of the president's remarks tomorrow. Dana, thank you very much.
As far as the president's concerned, bringing U.S. troops out of Iraq all depends on when and if members of the military, the Iraqi military, that is, can shoulder the burden. Can they? For that, let's turn to our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He's in Baghdad -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the assessment of U.S. commanders here involved in the training of Iraqi troops is that it is a mixed bag, that in some areas troops are well prepared, well trained. They have their equipment. They have weapons, boots, flak jackets, helmets. But in other areas the same troops with the same equipment aren't up to the same standards, aren't able to fight by themselves.
What is happening right now, there's about 100,000 Iraqi army soldiers. They're recruiting statement was recently put out in the media here to call upon former officers in Saddam Hussein's army. Anyone up to the rank of major has been called upon to sign up.
About 2,500 people stepped forward for that. About 2,000 of those are likely to be recruited in to the new army. But the big picture here is it is a mixed bag, some units better prepared, better able to fight alongside U.S. troops, some really not up to that standard yet, Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, thank you very much.
Currently more than 150,000 American troops are in Iraq. That's up by more than 10,000 since the summer. The Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, meanwhile, was peppered with questions about an exit strategy for Iraq at today's Pentagon briefing. He echoed the president's sentiments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Quitting is not an exit strategy. It would be a formula for putting the American people at still greater risk. It would be an invitation for more terrorist violence. Indeed the more the enemies make it sound as though the United States is going to quit, the more encouraged they will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: For more let's check in with our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. Are you getting some changes, some nuanced changes from the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs? They had a long briefing today.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Not really, Wolf. They're sticking to their line that they believe the best strategy for the U.S. to withdraw is to build up the Iraqi forces. In fact, Rumsfeld gave a spirited defense of the Iraqi military, saying that those people who are denigrating their service are dead wrong.
Then he rattled off a list of things which he said showed the increased capability of Iraqi forces, the fact that the size of the force has almost doubled, the fact that they turned over 29 operating bases to Iraqi control, turned over the dangerous airport road to Iraqi police, that Iraqi forces are patrolling about a third of Baghdad.
He basically ticked off a lot of milestones and basically said, again, that the decision about withdrawals or the drawdown of U.S. troop levels in Iraq would be left until after the December elections when they get a good idea of what's on the ground.
And they're continuing to say that this will be condition based. But I think what you saw from Secretary Rumsfeld today, a little bit of a preview of which you're going to hear in more detail from President Bush tomorrow.
BLITZER: All right, Jamie, thank you very much. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, we're learning more about four westerners kidnapped over the weekend and being held hostage in Iraq. Our Brian Todd is following this story. There's a disturbing videotape that's now surfaced -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the Arab language satellite network Al-Jazeera first aired that videotape today. It shows four men now confirmed as aid workers with a group called Christian Peacemaker Teams.
That organization identifies the men as Thomas Fox of Virginia, Norman Frank Kember of Britain, James Loney of Toronto, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, a Canadian who was studying in New Zealand.
Over the course of almost five minutes the tape shows each man stating his name and age. Then, numerous forms of ID are shown, including driver's licenses, passports and credit cards. In a statement on its Web site, Christian Peacemaker Teams says the men were on a mission, quote, "documenting and focusing public attention on detainee abuses and connecting citizens of Iraq to local and international human rights organizations." The group also says, quote, "Christian Peacemaker Teams does not advocate the use of violent force to save lives of its workers, should they be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a conflict situation."
A previously unknown group is claiming responsibility for the abductions. According to Al-Jazeera, it's called "the swords of justice," and it accuses the hostages of being spies. Christian Peacemaker Teams denies that. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Brian, thank you very much. Brian Todd with the latest on that.
Let's check in with our Betty Nguyen, she's at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some other stories making news. Hi, Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Wolf. Forecasters say the latest tropical storm to form in the Atlantic Ocean could cause dangerous surf in Bermuda in the coming days. Now Tropical Storm Epsilon is the 26th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ends tomorrow. It's been the busiest hurricane season on record and storm watchers say it is possible we will see more storms in December.
The Dakotas now, and much of the plains region are digging out from the first blizzard of the season. Thousands of people have no electricity. Hundreds of travelers, they are stranded. And crews are gradually opening major highways, which were closed for hundreds of miles by the snowstorm. The stormy weather is blamed for at least six deaths.
And the year's supply of flu vaccine is expected to reach 80 million doses by next month. But, some health care providers say they can't get it or can't get enough of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says problems with one vaccine manufacturer is causing pockets of shortages and delays of distribution.
I've got to tell you, Wolf. I didn't get it when they were offering it, and now I've got this nasty cold. So hopefully you got the shot.
BLITZER: I will be getting it tomorrow.
NGUYEN: Use me as an example. Get the shot.
BLITZER: Thanks, Betty. Betty Nguyen, we'll check back with you momentarily.
Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's got "The Cafferty File" and he's in New York. Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm happy to report I'm perfectly healthy at this hour.
BLITZER: I'm very happy about that.
CAFFERTY: The expression die-hard fan, Wolf, could take on a whole new meaning soon. A man was arrested for running onto the field during a Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday.
Christopher Noteboom told cops he was spreading his late mother's ashes onto the turf. You can see him doing it there. The cameras caught him in the act. When he got to the 30-yard line he fell to his knees, made the sign of the cross, and got down on his stomach.
That's when he was arrested. Noteboom said his mother was a huge Eagles fan. And now she'll always be a part of the team. Well, all this got us to thinking about where we'd like to spend eternity. So here's the question, where would you like your final resting place to be? You can e-mail us at caffertyfile@CNN.com, or you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile.
BLITZER: OK.
CAFFERTY: Why are you laughing? This is not a funny subject, Wolf. This is very serious stuff.
BLITZER: It's a good question, a good question.
CAFFERTY: Let me tell you this, I don't know where I want to spend it, but I don't want it to be in THE SITUATION ROOM.
BLITZER: No, I was about to say that myself. All right, Jack, thanks very much.
Coming up, did Saddam Hussein get a new supply of hair dye? The fallen dictator is looking a lot like he used to look in the old days. We'll take a closer look at the message behind his makeover.
Plus, a story we've been following here in THE SITUATION ROOM, California liquor stores trashed. We'll tell you what we've been learning about the people behind the booze bashing.
And later, President Bush on the Iraq war, then and now. Are his words dramatically different now that public opinion has turned against him? We're looking closely at that story here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Charged with ordering the massacre of more than 100 people in 1982, Saddam Hussein is pursuing a vigorous defense strategy. But how might the clothes he wears or the color of his hair help his cause? CNN's Mary Snow has been looking into that. She's joining us now live from New York. Mary? MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, when Saddam Hussein appeared in court yesterday, observers noted he seemed defiant and appeared well-groomed. Some say it was no accident, that there's a message behind that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Appearing in court almost two years to the date of when he was taken into U.S. custody, it was hard not to notice a change in Saddam Hussein's appearance.
JERROLD POST, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: I was very struck in looking at him. He looks much better than he has for some time.
SNOW: Jerrold Post has been keeping tabs. A former CIA staffer, he's now a political psychologist who studies and writes about the former dictator. He says Saddam Hussein is using his time and appearance in the limelight to send a message.
POST: He is playing to his radical Arab followers. He has made a point throughout his career of having the courage to defy superior force. And that after all, is what he is doing.
SNOW: While facing charges of genocide, it appears Saddam Hussein is paying attention to every detail, even supporting a folded handkerchief in his pocket.
SABAH AL-MUKHTAR, ARAB LAWYERS ASSOCIATION: The handkerchief which he had, this is one example of how one would continue to have the dignity and aura of importance, which he wants to portray, I'm sure.
SNOW: His hair even appears darker. Gone are the visible grays. It's noticed since hair dye, for instance, isn't even allowed in most U.S. prisons.
POST: It seems to me that the authorities are probably bending over backwards to not give him something to claim that he is being treated badly.
SNOW: Saddam Hussein, though, did voice complaints, as his seven co-defendants looked on. But note, the former Iraqi president was the only one wearing Western clothes. That, too, say observers, is part of his belief that he's still a leader.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): And what most will agree on is that Saddam Hussein is someone who never accepted he is no longer in charge. Wolf?
BLITZER: He still believes he's the president of Iraq. Thanks very much, Mary Snow reporting for us.
Let's go back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Betty Nguyen standing by with a closer look at some other stories making news around the world. Betty? NGUYEN: Hi again, Wolf. We go first now to China, where two more outbreaks in the deadly H5N1 avian flu are confirmed in poultry flocks. The latest cases were detected in the northwest in the central Hunan province. China has already culled 20 million birds this year, and it has reported 24 outbreaks of the virus since mid- October.
Well, it appears a long-time political rival, Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will be joining forces in their quest for Middle East peace. Israeli news media report Peres, a former prime minister, will quit the labor party to support Mr. Sharon. Sharon announced last week that he's leaving Israel's Likud party to form a new party, which will seek a peace deal with the Palestinians.
And the Catholic church's first major ruling of Pope Benedict's reign takes aim squarely at homosexuals entering the priesthood. The Vatican document places restrictions on men with what it calls, deep- seated gay tendencies. It also says there will be no crackdown on homosexuals who are already ordained. Now critics say the rules will create morale problems among clergy and lead to shortage of priests in the U.S. Wolf?
BLITZER: Betty, thank you very much. Betty Nguyen reporting. Still to come, here in THE SITUATION ROOM, first vandals struck, then a suspicious fire, now new developments in the increasingly bizarre case centering around a Northern California liquor store.
Plus, the president's reasons for going to war in Iraq. How does what he's saying now compare with the past? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The relationship between the liquor industry and some religious organizations has always been a sensitive one. During the Prohibition era of the 1920s, the sale of alcohol was against the law of this country. But if you think those days are long gone, think again.
In some areas of the country, religious zealots are using force, yes, force, violent force, in fact, to fight booze.
Let's go out to California. Rusty Dornin standing by in Oakland -- Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're in Oakland, California, where there are 200 stores that are owned by Muslims from Yemen, that do sell alcohol in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. Now, of course, under Islam, alcohol consumption is forbidden. And last week, a group became very angry about all this, and this is one of two stores that were the subject of their anger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HAMDEN, LIQUOR STORE OWNER: By the law I could sell, you know, beer, alcohol, whatever I want to sell. DORNIN (voice-over): It made no sense to Tony Hamden. He says he was accused by these men of being a bad Muslim as they wrecked his liquor store and one across town.
The two stores, both owned by Muslims from Yemen, were trashed last week. In this surveillance tape, you can see 11 suit-clad, bow- tied, African-American men sweeping merchandise off the shelves and smashing liquor bottles on the floor. The men allegedly told the clerks Muslims should not sell alcohol.
Hamden told CNN then he would not be intimidated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this going to change the way you do business?
HAMDEN: Never. You know what? It makes me stronger. Right now, the only thing they did to me, they make me stronger.
DORNIN: But then in a bizarre twist, this past Monday, Hamden says he was kidnapped and his store set ablaze. Hamden was found alive by police 12 hours later in a car trunk in this parking lot, about 10 miles from his store. Hamden hasn't spoken publicly since.
Is there a connection between the vandalism, the kidnapping and arson?
DEP. CHIEF HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA POLICE: It's too early right now to identify or to say if these, both of these incidents are related to the vandalism.
DORNIN: Police say they have identified at least six of the men shown on this tape, but would not release their names.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DORNIN: We understand they are serving some arrest warrants on those six men. Initially, there were questions about whether the men you see on the tape were members of the Nation of Islam. Now, they're known to dress in the fashion of wearing suits and bow ties. Now, the Nation of Islam completely denied that, and police say no, none of those men are members of that sect, but however, they do believe, now we're hearing reports, that it is some kind of splinter sect from the Nation of Islam, that some of those men may have been members of that.
So still a lot of questions. Also a lot of questions about this store, the arson, and whether or not the man was kidnapped by anyone involved in any of these vandalisms -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Rusty. What a story. Thanks very much. Rusty Dornin reporting for us. We'll continue to stay on top of this story here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Just ahead, then and now. President Bush offers his description and explanation for the war in Iraq today. But how do they stack up with what he said in the past? We'll take a closer look.
Also, Miami's show of force. New tactics to scare off terrorists. But do they go too far? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Air Force One now arriving in Andrews Air Force base, just outside of Washington. You're looking at some live pictures, taxiing to a stop, the president returning from Crawford. He stopped in Denver today to deliver yet another speech on borders and immigration, earlier in Texas as well. We'll watch the president return to the White House in the coming minutes.
Tomorrow, by the way, he's heading out to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, for what the White House says will be a major address on Iraq. The president says politics should not influence the future of the Iraqi mission.
But Mr. Bush's statements about the war have evolved over time as political opposition to his policy has escalated. We take a look now at some of the remarks he made back then, comparing him to remarks he's making right now, what he's saying about Iraq now and then. Let's begin with now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some of our elected leaders have opposed this war all along. I disagreed with them, but I respect their willingness to take a consistent stand. Some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force are now rewriting the past. They're playing politics with this issue and they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy, and that's irresponsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: On its present course, the Iraqi regime is a threat of unique urgency. We know the treacherous history of the regime. It has waged a war against its neighbors. It has sponsored and sheltered terrorists. It has developed weapons of mass death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun, that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The truth is that investigations of intelligence on Iraq have concluded that only one person manipulated evidence and misled the world. And that person was Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraq nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "Nuclear Mujahadin," his nuclear holy warriors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognized 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We face a threat in the form of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Saddam Hussein is a man who has told the world he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction. And yet he deceived the world. He's got them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We see this sacrifice in Iraq where our troops are hunting down the terrorists, and we're helping the Iraqi people build a working democracy. In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great., and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we completed our mission. Those who are in the fight know better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We know he's got ties with al Qaeda. A nightmare scenario, of course, is that he becomes the arsenal for a terrorist network where they could attack America and he'd leave no fingerprints behind. He is a problem. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: And as democracy takes hold in the broader Middle East, we can say we have done our duty, and laid the foundation of peace for generations to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Selling the war now and then. With the Iraq war pressures bearing down on the Bush White House, how are the president and his top aides reacting? Are they hunkering down for a fierce and unrelenting battle against critics? What's going on behind the scenes?
Tom DeFrank is Washington bureau chief of the "New York Daily News." He's been writing about the White House for a long time. And as we speak, we see Marine One, the president's helicopter, getting ready to bring the president back to the White House from Andrews Air Force Base.
What are you hearing? What are you seeing? You've covered this town for a long time, Tom, and I know that you've got some good sources inside.
TOM DEFRANK, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": You know, Wolf, this reminds me a little bit of the Nixon era. Very different political circumstances, of course, but there's a bunker mentality in this White House. And I don't want to overstate it. This is not like the last days of Pompeii over there.
They're not lying around on sofas moaning softly. But there is a lot of tension, there's a lot of trepidation, and there's a lot of sense on the part of some senior aides and close friends and confidantes of the president that things are not going well and that the president is in more trouble than some of his closest White House aides are willing to acknowledge at the moment.
BLITZER: When I interviewed Seymour Hersh, the Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist who writes for the "New Yorker" magazine over the weekend, he said that the president really doesn't want to hear the bad news. He doesn't want to get that information. He's ignoring it. I don't know what you're hearing.
DEFRANK: Well, this reminds me of his father. They're different in so many ways, but his father really bridled at handlers telling him what he needed to do. No, you can't go to Kennebunkport for vacation because that looks too elitist. And his father sometimes would just boil over and he would have this phrase and the phrase was, "if you're so smart, why aren't you president?"
Now this president doesn't use that phrase but I have a feeling that he's feeling some of the same sentiments of his father in the sense that people who are not president are telling him what he needs to do and not do. And I think he's got his back up and he's got a little bit of a stubborn streak, as well. And I think he is resisting pressure to do things that some of his aides, one, think he should do; and two, haven't told him they think he should do.
BLITZER: What about -- who are these people that he's relying on right now for some of the advice? Because I know there's some Republicans who are saying you need some fresh blood in there.
DEFRANK: Well, and you've got some White House staff who think there should be some fresh blood. But the president doesn't buy that. I think somebody who told me and my colleague, Ken Bazinet, who -- we collaborated on this story.
They said to us that the president doesn't want to hear this because he believes that to do that, to clean house, to bring some other aides in, to bring Karen Hughes back from the State Department, to get rid of Don Rumsfeld as some of his friends have told him privately he ought to do, would suggest panic, would suggest that he has messed up, and that he just doesn't want to do that.
He doesn't want to make that emotional admission, and even though some would argue that doing that would suggest one, he's in control and that he's on top of the situation and he understands the need to adapt. So there's a lot of turmoil internally at the White House.
BLITZER: But does he have any doubt about the wisdom of this policy that he's pursuing based on what you're hearing?
DEFRANK: He is a true believer. He is an absolute true believer as you and I have discussed before. He has felt in the past that some of the advice he got from Vice President Cheney and others about how the post-war pace was going to go hasn't turned out the way he thought it would be. But he believes passionately in this policy. And he's not going to let people deter him, at least at the moment.
BLITZER: One final question. You've reported in the past there could be some strain between the president and the vice president. What are you hearing lately?
DEFRANK: Well, I'm hearing they're trying to put the best face on it because of these stories that several news organizations, including mine, have written about. They're making a point of having their weekly lunch, and to all outward appearances everything is fine. But I think there's still some distance there.
BLITZER: Tom DeFrank is the Washington bureau chief of the "Daily News" in New York. Thanks very much, Tom, for joining us.
DEFRANK: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Up next, Miami police out in force in a new tactic against terror. We'll show you what's going on.
Plus, video game violence, critics issuing a report card. Is the industry making the grade? Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Video games are supposed to be fun. But what's troubling to a lot of parents is that what's fun to children is often violent and downright indecent.
Let's check in with our Ali Velshi. He's got "The Bottom Line." Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Wolf. Depending on who you ask, the average video game player, the people who play on the Xboxes or PlayStations, is somewhere between 27-and-37-years-old, which leads the industry to say, what are you all worried about kids for? But as you can see, some people are worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI (voice-over): Forty-six percent of frequent video game players are under 18, according to the Entertainment Software Association. So how do you keep these games out of kids' hands? There is a rating system. T stands for teen, M for mature. But does it work?
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Seven out of 10 children report playing M-rated games.
VELSHI: The video game industry says comments like that are out of context and out of touch.
DOUG LOWENSTEIN, PRESIDENT, ESA: This is a classic example of a generation attacking the media that's preferred by another generation.
VELSHI: Sony's PlayStation 3 coming out next year will have parental controls. So will Nintendo's new console. Xbox 360 already has them.
MICHAEL GARTENBERG, GUEST: The industry responding not only with a rating system to inform parents but also technology that lets parents control explicitly what content their children have access to.
VELSHI: But parental controls require, well, parental control.
DAVID WALSH, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIA AND FAMILY: The average 12-year-old, the last time I checked, doesn't drive and doesn't have $50 or $60 every week sitting in their pockets. The truth of the matter is that if a child has a video game that's not appropriate for them, chances are they got it from mom and dad.
VELSHI: But this industry watchdog says video games breed destructive behavior, obesity and addiction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One out of seven kids who plays video games, particularly teenage boys, develop patterns that are so addictive, that if you almost erase the word cocaine and put in the word video game, it would all fit.
VELSHI: That, says the industry, is simply unfair.
WALSH: About the only thing these groups haven't blamed on video games is the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: You know what was interesting, Wolf? Is, in the end, the industry people were saying to me, we don't want any of this governance. We think that the people who should be making decisions about what children play are their parents. And no one else, including the government, should be involved. It's an interesting debate and it's not going anywhere soon, Wolf.
BLITZER: Ali, thank you very much. Let's get some more on this subject. What's the rating on your child's video game? Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is joining us now to show parents how to crack the code. Is it that complicated, Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well actually the ESRB, the organization that rates video games has a very parent-friendly Web site. Go online, it will show you, when you buy a game, you get the letter on the front, you get the content descriptor on the back.
Online on their Web site, it'll tell you exactly what those letters mean. It also has the definitions of the content on the back of the box. For example, it says something like animated blood, it means the blood doesn't look real.
But lets go a little farther. Lets say you find a game in your kids room, but can't find the box. Plug the name in to their search engine and it will pull up all the information you need to know about that video game. Just how gory is it?
One more thing I wanted to point out, Wolf, is you may see a note like this: game experience may change during online play. What does that mean? If you've got something like an Xbox or a PlayStation, then they're just playing the game as it's given. If they're playing online on a computer, there's additional content coming in and frankly, you can't control what other people are going to say, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right Jacki, thanks very much. She always has good, useful information.
Still ahead, is there a terrorist threat against Miami? you might think so, because of the show of force on the streets. Officials say no. What's going on?
Also, look at this solemn burial service. Okay, it's not so solemn. But it did get our Jack Cafferty thinking about final resting places. He's got your e-mail. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Shoppers in Miami are seeing something very different this holiday season. In addition to the usual seasonal displays, they're also seeing lots of police. CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has details of a new anti-terror tactic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Miami police will be showing up in force at key locations in the city, part of an operation called "Miami Shield."
DEPUTY CHIEF FRANK FERNANDEZ, MIAMI POLICE: This is an in-your- face type of strategy, to let any terrorist know that we're out there.
MESERVE: The tactic of displaying force at random times and locations has been used by New York and other cities. The intent is to disrupt terrorist surveillance and planning.
CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE: Ideally, you'd have police officers at every strategic location, 24/7. It's impossibly, you couldn't sustain that in the long term, and so what this is meant to do is kind of keep the pressure up by surprise visits to vulnerable locations throughout the city.
MESERVE: No one we've talked to thinks these unpredictable shows of force are a bad idea. Miami is doing it with existing manpower at no additional cost. But some experts believe the principal effect is to persuade the public that its police department is proactive, while the deterrent effect is basically unknowable.
RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: No, you never know about the dog that doesn't bark. But it is something different they can do, and on the margin, it might make just a little bit of difference.
MESERVE (on camera): Miami's police chief says...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Unfortunately, we lost Jeanne at that last second. Jeanne Meserve reporting for us from Washington.
Florida has been associated, by the way, with terror before. Miami's Police Chief John Timoney notes that 14 of the 19 9/11 hijackers lived at some point in South Florida, where some of them even took flying lessons.
Here now, with two online alerts that you need to know about before logging off tonight, let's bring back Jacki Schechner, our Internet reporter -- Jacki.
SCHECHNER: Wolf, the Centers for Disease Control wants airlines to collect more information about you the next time you fly. The idea is to use that information in case of something like an avian flu pandemic. You can read all about what type of information and just how much information at the CDC Web site. You can also offer your comments on those federal regulation proposals.
Another note we want to tell you about is that the FBI saying if you get an e-mail from it you didn't ask for, don't open it. That e- mail has a virus attached to it. Here's what the e-mail looks like. They're not sending it out. The virus they're talking about is w32/sober. You can read about that at this Web site, ussearch.gov -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Jacki, thank you very much.
Let's go up to New York and check in with our Paula Zahn to tell us what she's got on tap at the top of the hour. Hi, Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. You've been reporting on the president's effort to sell the Iraq war, but all day long he was trying to emphasize a message that for millions of Americans hits much closer to home. It is the battle to stop illegal immigration. And according to one new study, one out of every 10 babies born in the U.S. is a child of illegal immigrants. Could each new baby's family stay in the U.S. legally? We're going to take a closer look at that and debate this issue at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, good work. Thanks very much, Paula. We'll check back with you right at the top of the hour.
And still ahead, Jack Cafferty turns philosophical. Is that possible? He'll read your e-mail about final resting places. (INAUDIBLE) the situation. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the hot shots coming in from our friends over at the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your hometown newspapers tomorrow.
Destruction in Arkansas. A man adjusting an American flag outside his tornado-damaged home this morning. High winds and twisters hit the state hard Sunday night.
A Secret Service agent keeps a close watch on the Mexican side of the U.S./Mexican border. President Bush's motorcade toured the area near El Paso, Texas earlier today.
On to the Middle East, where Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon looks at some camels on his tour of the Israeli-Egyptian border.
And here in Washington, a panda-monium. A four-and-a-half-month- old panda cub Tai Shan, whose name means Peaceful Mountain chews on bamboo during his public debut over at the National Zoo.
Those are some of today's hot shots, pictures often worth a thousand words.
There's a new development in the case of that Northern California liquor store we just told you about a few minutes ago that's been targeted by vandals and an arsonist. Let's go back to CNN's Rusty Dornin in Oakland. She's got details of arrests. What's going on, Rusty?
DORNIN: Wolf, police had identified six of the men that were in that surveillance tape shown vandalizing the liquor store. They now say they have arrested two of them. One of them is 23 years old, Yusuf Bey, and he is the grandson of a man who once belonged to the Nation of Islam, but split off from that group many years ago. Also arrested was a Donald Cunningham, who is 73 years old. Both of these men, and also four other men who are expected to be arrested, will be charged with robbery, felony vandalism, and also terrorist threats. But so far there have been two arrests in this case -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, Rusty.
Let's go back to New York right now. Jack Cafferty's been going through your e-mail on a very different subject -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Indeed I have. A man, Wolf, arrested for running onto the field during the Philadelphia Eagles football game Sunday. Christopher Noteboom told police he was spreading his late mother's ashes onto the turf. You can see him there. Said his mother was a huge Eagles fan, and now she'll always be a part of the team. They took him away shortly after these pictures were taken.
Our question is where would you like your final resting place to be? Matthew in Green Oaks Illinois, "I'd like to be buried in Chicago, so I can continue to vote."
Chris in Portland, Oregon: "Mr. Noteboom should consider himself lucky his mother wasn't a NASCAR fan."
Mike in Holmes Beach, Florida: "It's a good thing the fellow's mom wasn't a Giants fan. Jimmy Hoffa already has the space in the Meadowlands."
Lynn in Palatka, Florida: "My ashes are to be scattered in the Marshalls close to the clearance rack. Then I know my girls will be in once a week to check things out and say hi."
John in North Carolina: "I don't know where yet, but I'd like that guy to spread them for me when I go."
James in Canada: "You're burying us alive with these stupid questions, Jack."
And Kelly in Greensboro, North Carolina: "I'd like my final resting place to be in THE SITUATION ROOM. It's a wonderful show, and I watch it so much I'll probably croak during one of its broadcasts. Oh, and play that music Jack hates so much at my funeral."
BLITZER: There it is. There it is. There's THE SITUATION ROOM, the theme song. Listen to that for a second.
CAFFERTY: It's just awful.
BLITZER: It's got a good beat, I keep telling you that.
CAFFERTY: But it's just awful.
BLITZER: Do you want music, us to play that music while you're reading these e-mails?
CAFFERTY: No, I don't. And I'll get on the Amtrak, whatever they call it, and come down there.
BLITZER: The Acela. That's the fast one there.
CAFFERTY: That's it. I'll be down there on the Acela.
BLITZER: The so-called bullet train.
CAFFERTY: That's it. No, I hate that music. It's awful. I mean, I, you know...
BLITZER: It's our theme. You know, it's the music. It's what can we do.
CAFFERTY: Well, you can not play it during my segments, and I'll be very appreciative. Thank you.
BLITZER: Jack, we'll see you tomorrow here in THE SITUATION ROOM, with or without music. Jack Cafferty. He's in THE SITUATION ROOM every day that we are here. Thank you, Jack.
And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. Don't forget, we're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Until tomorrow, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Let's go up to New York. Paula Zahn standing by with her show -- her show. Hi, Paula.
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