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The Situation Room
President Bush Says he's Responsible for War Decision on Faulty Intel; Security Tight on Eve of Iraq's Historic Election; Interview With Senator Russ Feingold
Aired December 14, 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: But there's a senator reaching out to help the troops as well, and he's using the Internet. Jacki Schechner has the situation online. Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, it's video messages to troops -- specifically troops who are serving from the state of Nebraska. Take a look at what Senator Nelson is doing. You can submit your video digitally to his website. You can email him a 20-second video clip. Now, don't send a VHS tape; this is strictly via the Internet.
The other thing is, if you live in Nebraska, you can go to his Omaha office and record a message for the troops abroad.
Now, they just launched this yesterday. There's only about a half a dozen videos up on the site right now. But I want to show you what one of these looks like. These are second graders from Centura Elementary School in Cairo, Nebraska.
(CHILDREN SINGING)
SCHECHNER: I'll send it back to you with that, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Jacki. Thank you very much.
It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world are arriving at one place at the same time.
Happening now, taking responsibility. President Bush says he's responsible for the decision to go to war on faulty intelligence. But on the eve of Iraq's elections, the president says he doesn't regret his decision.
It's 1:30 a.m. in Iran, where the Iranian president is breathing more hostile anti-Western rhetoric. He calls the Holocaust a myth and offers a sensational suggestion: move Israel to Alaska.
And letters to God. During the holidays, thousands of people worldwide write to God asking for happiness, forgiveness, even special gifts. But where do those letters go? We'll tell you who is answering those letters and sometimes those prayers.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. An admission today, on the eve of a momentous event, on the subject of who's responsible for going to war with shaky intelligence. President Bush says the buck stops with him. This as Iraq prepares for an election the president says will create a watershed moment for the Middle East.
Aneesh Raman standing by in Baghdad.
But let's go over to the White House. Our Dana Bash standing by with the latest from there. Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well, the tone in all of these speeches -- today was the fourth and final -- was intended to be -- to have the president appear more candid, to talk about how they've had to make adjustments along the way in dealing with things on the ground and Iraq. But as you mentioned, Mr. Bush reached way back to a debate that still isn't settled about going to war in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice over): On the eve of momentous elections in Iraq, the president was still defending his decision to go to war 1,001 days earlier. In unusually stark terms, he accepted responsibility, of (ph) building his case based on weapons that never turned up
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president, I'm responsible for the decision to go into Iraq. And I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities. And we're doing just that.
BASH: WMD or not, Mr. Bush insisted again Saddam Hussein was a threat and war was justified, lashing out at critics who said he intentionally misled Americans. Addressing lingering doubts about why he went to war and his own credibility is critical to the president's campaign to convince weary Americans it's crucial that U.S. troops stay.
BUSH: We are in Iraq today because our goal has always been more than removal of a brutal dictator. It is to leave a free and democratic Iraq in its place.
BASH: This was the fourth and final Bush address in two weeks to try to wrestle back control of the Iraq political debate. Bush aides and allies say these speeches were necessary but admit the President's Iraq legacy now hinges on whether the Iraqi elections begin to change the violent, uncertain landscape and lead to enough stability for American troops to start coming home.
VIN WEBER, REPUBLICAN ADVISER: The stakes couldn't be much higher. This election is critical because it's the last opportunity for some time for the American people to look at Iraq and say, yes, we've succeeded, this is why we came, and it's working.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BASH: Now, the White House has really built up the importance of these elections in Iraq by having these series of speeches leading up to the elections. Yet, the president did warn today that there will be "days of uncertainty" after the elections and said to Americans, please be patient because we might not have the winners until after January.
BLITZER: Dana Bash reporting for us. Dana, thank you very much.
When President Bush first ran for president, he criticized his predecessors for engaging in what he called nation-building. Today, responding to Mr. Bush's comments on the Iraq mission, one former war supporter turned war critic turned those words against the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: If you have an open-ended nation-building -- and that's what we got right now, we've got nation- building by the U.S. military, and they're not -- that's not a mission for the U.S. military. I've said this over and over again, they're not good at nation-building. And you've given them a mission which they cannot carry out.
They do the best they can. But they can't do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: In just a few minutes, I'll get more Democratic reaction to the president's speech. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin joins us right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
In Iraq today, the campaigning has stopped, the streets are quiet and security is extremely tight. Some 15 million eligible voters are set to cast ballots in the nation's landmark exercise in democracy.
Let's get some more. CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us now live from Baghdad. Aneesh?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good afternoon.
Just under six hours until the polls open throughout Iraq. As you mentioned, 15.3 million Iraqis registered to vote. Essentially, what they're voting on is the equivalent to the House of Representatives. Each of Iraq's 18 provinces guaranteed a certain number of seats in that 275-member council of representatives.
The reason that's important is that it's different from January. The Sunnis are guaranteed a certain number of seats -- the Shia and the Kurds as well. So it does almost force equal participation.
Now, security has been incredibly intense as we build up towards Thursday's vote. And for Iraqis, really they'll be going to set the course of this country, a four-year permanent government, Wolf. The two previous governments have been inherently lame duck. And for Iraqis, that's been an excuse for their daily lives to not be changed by their leaders. They don't have that excuse now, they expect change, they expect a guarantee of basic services, they expect a better security situation. And so they go with a lot of hope, with a lot of faith. And there's a lot of responsibility riding on this government that's yet to be elected.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Aneesh, what about the security measures that are in place or about to be in place?
RAMAN: This country is under virtual lockdown. It's essentially martial law. There was a five-day national holiday that began on Tuesday. International borders have been closed. You can't travel within the country from province to province. Curfews have been extended.
And at the polling stations themselves -- and I went to one earlier today, there's some 6,000 of them throughout Iraq -- members of Iraqi security forces have been living there for the past few days, securing the polling stations themselves, and they'll stay there fore a few days after the elections to secure the actual ballot papers and the ballot boxes until they get to the capital.
Wolf.
BLITZER: And what about these reports that there are already some tampered ballots out there? What's going on?
RAMAN: Yes, multiple Iraqi police sources confirmed to CNN that they found a vehicle on the Iranian border in Wasit province. The town is Babra (ph).
They found a vehicle carrying thousands of fraudulent ballots. The driver was Iranian. The license plate was from Iran, as well.
Iraqi police say there could be other vehicles still out there with more fraudulent ballots. Already in the city of Ramadi, the Sunni-dominated city, there were demonstrations calling for better security, saying that the Shia cannot steal this election. Iraq's Interior Ministry has denied the charge, but many Iraqis think that they're directly linked to Iran.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Aneesh. Aneesh Raman reporting for us from Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you very much.
Now to our CNN "Security Watch." A new program from the Transportation Security Administration seems inspired by the movies, but the threats to be addressed are very real indeed. Covert viper teams spanning out by land and by sea in counterterrorism operations to protect the nation's transportation system.
Let's get the latest. Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, has details. Jeanne? JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the so-called viper teams are a new combination of existing Transportation Security Administration assets: federal air marshals, explosive detection, K-9 teams and security officers. They are being deployed at Amtrak transit and bus facilities in five cities for several days this week as part of a pilot program.
The TSA says there's no specific threat to transit. But...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIP HAWLEY, TSA ASSISTANT SECRETARY: We want to be ready in whatever situation, wherever it is in the country, where some local community says, we need some federal surge assistance for a particular threat. We want to be able to respond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The TSA wants to test whether it can plug in quickly and easily with local authorities. So communications will be an important part of this trial.
Transit systems welcome the pilot program but complain most of the TSA's effort and funding is still being put in aviation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM MILLAR, AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSN.: This is certainly a modest step, and we're pleased that they're beginning to turn their attention to public transit. But it is in no way enough to make the millions of Americans feel and be more secure as they travel every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: There are not enough air marshals to have them on every domestic flight. But officials say only a small number are being used in this pilot program and none are being taken away from flight assignments -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Jeanne. Thanks very much. Jeanne Meserve.
And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Let's go up to New York now. Jack Cafferty with the "Cafferty File." Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How are you doing, Wolf? Help me out with something. I may have misheard. Did Don King actually compare himself to Bob Hope?
BLITZER: Yes. I believe he said he was the black Bob Hope.
CAFFERTY: Yes. To paraphrase a line from a presidential debate, I knew Bob Hope. And Mr. King, you ain't no Bob Hope. Among other things, I don't think Bob Hope was a convicted felon. Unbelievable.
The times, they are a changin' -- big time. Music legend Bob Dylan signed on to host a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio. That's the pay-per-listen radio service.
Dylan will pick the music, given commentary, interview guests -- maybe he'll have Don King on -- and answer listener email. Sound familiar? The one-hour show starts in March.
This comes, of course, just as Howard Stern is about to make the leap to Sirius Satellite Radio in a few weeks. XM has already signed deals with Tom Petty, Snoop Dogg and Quincy Jones.
The rival companies, of course, are looking for customers who are willing to pay about $13 a month for the satellite radio service. You get no commercials, no -- you know, it's strictly just entertainment.
So the question is this. Who would you pay to listen to on the radio? You can email us your thoughts, CaffertyFile@CNN.com. And we'll read some of your responses a bit later.
Mr. Blitzer.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jack. Thanks very much. They can get CNN on the radio, too, on those satellite channels.
CAFFERTY: Can they, on the satellite?
BLITZER: Oh, yes, they can get it on XM, Sirius.
CAFFERTY: So that means they can listen to THE SITUATION ROOM?
BLITZER: They're listening to us right now on satellite radio.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's reason enough to sign up right there.
BLITZER: All right. Up ahead, things heating up in the House, including hearings on Hurricane Katrina. We'll show you what turned up the tension.
Also, worldwide outrage at the latest remarks by Iran's president. Details of what he says about Israel, Alaska and the Holocaust.
Plus, the prayers in the mail. Hundreds of letters addressed to the almighty pour in each year. You might be surprised where they wind up.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. On the eve of parliamentary elections in Iraq, new skirmishes here in Washington in the battle over the U.S. mission there. Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin says, despite recent speeches, including today's, there's no clarity from President Bush about the war.
Senator Feingold joining us here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Senator, thanks for joining us.
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: Good afternoon.
BLITZER: Let's listen to this little clip from what the president said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The terrorists think they can make America run in Iraq. There is only one way that terrorists can prevail: if we lose our nerve and leave before the job is done. And that is not going to happen on my watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You've spoken of a need for a flexible timetable for withdrawal. Are you satisfied with what the president said today?
FEINGOLD: No, I'm not. But the first thing I want to do is say how pleased I am that these elections are going to occur. That's good news.
The question is whether our military mission still makes sense there. And that's a different issue. I think the military mission should be drawn down. My suggestion is a flexible target date by the end of next year, by the end of 2006. So the political process...
BLITZER: When you say drawn down, to what?
FEINGOLD: I think we ought to move our troops down away from a large ground force and try to make sure that we support the political process and help the country in economic ways and other ways such as that. But the problem is, is that as long as we have a large ground force there, we actually fuel the insurgency. We make it harder for the country to come together, and we help terrorists recruit key people to come to Iraq.
So it's the opposite of what the president thinks.
BLITZER: But the president said today if you announce that kind of timetable you're, in effect, going to encourage the terrorists simply to hold out, the insurgents, and wait for the U.S. to leave.
FEINGOLD: It's just the opposite. General Abizaid, our top CENTCOM person, General Casey, our top person in Iraq, have both said that our presence there militarily fuels the insurgency. So by saying we're not going to be there indefinitely, we give the Iraqi people ownership of the situation and we discourage people from thinking that they're coming here to fight jihad against the United States.
BLITZER: But I don't think that either Senator -- excuse me, General Abizaid or General Casey have called for a timetable for withdrawal. Listen to what... FEINGOLD: Well, that's not their rule.
BLITZER: Yes.
FEINGOLD: They're not the president. But note what they're actually saying.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: They've said that the footprint, the footprint there, the U.S. military footprint, could be a problem.
FEINGOLD: That's the problem.
BLITZER: On the other hand, without that footprint, the Iraqi situation could totally collapse.
Listen to Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat, a strong member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JACK REED (D-RI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: At a minimum, we have to have a nation that can maintain its own stability in the region, and certainly a place where it will not be a haven of the terrorists. That's the first big step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEINGOLD: That's my point.
BLITZER: Are you...
FEINGOLD: We're a haven for -- it's a haven for terrorists because we are seen as an occupier. And so the very presence there is a problem.
Look what Jack Murtha has said -- and he's the one that talked to so many military people. He has specifically said that that's the problem, is that we are there as a military presence. It de- legitimizes the Iraqi political government by looking like an American occupation. That's the entire issue.
BLITZER: So you basically want all U.S. troops out by the end of next year?
FEINGOLD: I think we should draw down the ground troops between now and the end of next year. And obviously we should use special operations there and many other countries.
One of the points that's been made recently is that we have a 60- country battle against terrorism, against al Qaeda, but we have only a one or two-country strategy to deal with them. And our Special Ops Forces are all used in Iraq. We can still do that there, but we should be involved in all the places around the world where al Qaeda is operating, not just in Iraq. The problem here, Wolf, is the president has a view of this whole thing that is just about Iraq. And that is not what the war on terror is all about.
The war on terror is about al Qaeda and Afghanistan and all the other countries, and he is all about Iraq as the core of our national security.
BLITZER: While you're here, let me pick your brain on a couple of other subjects.
The Patriot Act, the House of Representatives approved an extension today. It's now before the Senate. You're among those threatening to filibuster, meaning that they would need 60 votes, the Republicans, the president, in order to break that filibuster.
What -- how close are you to having that 60 vote that would, in effect, kill this extension, at least for the time being?
FEINGOLD: Well, of course, it's the other side that needs the 60 votes. We just need to demonstrate that they don't have the 60 votes. And there is enormous opposition to this in both parties. This was demonstrated on the floor of the House today, where they had over a hundred more votes against the Patriot Act than they did originally. And in the Senate, they tried to push this through before Thanksgiving in the form it's in now, basically. And they couldn't do it because they couldn't get the votes.
We should fix it. We should make the changes on library records and sneak-and-peek searches, and we should get it done before the end of the year. But we should not make the same mistakes we made four years ago. That would be a failure, and that's what we have to prevent.
BLITZER: Do you think they have the 60 votes to break your filibuster?
FEINGOLD: I don't think they have it now, and I hope they don't get it by Friday.
BLITZER: Will you definitely filibuster?
FEINGOLD: We will definitely make sure we have the strongest vote possible to prevent cloture. If you want to call that a filibuster, I guess that's what it is. It's appropriate
BLITZER: Finally, on Samuel Alito, are you still leaving open the option of a filibuster on his confirmation?
FEINGOLD: I leave that open on every nomination. I don't believe that senators should give up their right.
I have no plans at this point, nor does any other senator have a plan to filibuster somebody we haven't even heard from. I look forward to hearing what he has to say. And all of that is for future consideration. I think one filibuster at a time is probably enough.
BLITZER: Russ Feingold, Democratic senator from Wisconsin, thanks very much for joining us.
FEINGOLD: Thank you.
BLITZER: Coming up, is Washington doing enough to rebuild New Orleans? A heated debate going on right now on Capitol Hill. We're gong to take you there live.
And in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, ending a publicity stunt. Attorneys general of three states persuade a major tobacco company to end a controversial campaign. It's called "Drink on Us." Some say it's a dangerous promotion. We'll have the details, 7:00 p.m., right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Frustrations and future needs. Today on Capitol Hill, the Louisiana governor, Kathleen Blanco, talked candidly about the fallout from Hurricane Katrina and how Congress has an obligation to help rebuild New Orleans.
Let's get details. CNN's Andrea Koppel standing by. Andrea?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it wasn't just Blanco that was here. It was also Mayor Ray Nagin, who, in fact, is still being questioned now by the House Select Committee on Katarina. But even before Kathleen Blanco arrived here in Washington, her aides had already prepared her for some tough questioning.
Remember, she ruffled feathers here in Washington, to say the very least, when shortly after Katrina hit, the White House -- in fact, President Bush directly asked Blanco to turn over control and oversight of the New Orleans National Guard to the U.S. military. Blanco, a Democrat, refused.
Now, let's listen to some questioning by the Select Committee. It is entirely Republicans on this committee, Wolf. And you're going to hear a couple of exchanges here.
One in particular that has to do with why, the congressmen want to know, Blanco and Nagin did not issue a mandatory evacuation until Sunday, the 28th. Remember, the hurricane hit on the 29th.
And then they also want to know why the New Orleans government, why the state didn't do a better job of propositioning buses before Katrina hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEFF MILLER (R), FLORIDA: Why is one of the most lasting memories that people have of this storm not of the suffering of the citizens of New Orleans, but of the hundreds of buses that were sitting flooded? They weren't even -- there was no forethought at all. Forget the fact that the buses weren't used for evacuation. They were put in a place they could be flooded and ruined so that they could not be used for evacuation after the fact.
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: Sir, I have not criticized the president, not ever, not one time. In my experience, the president of the United States wanted to give us every bit of help possible that he had in his arsenal of tools to give us. He thought those things were being delivered to us.
The only thing that I have ever criticized, one thing, was that I didn't get buses on time to evacuate those folks out of the Superdome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Blanco stood her ground for over three hours of tough questioning by congressmen, and she expressed shock and dismay, Wolf, that Louisiana is being billed by FEMA for $3.6 billion to reimburse the state for -- reimburse the federal government.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Andrea Koppel reporting. Andrea, thank you very much.
Americans have pretty strong feelings about Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll of just more than 1,000 people shows 54 percent of those asked say they think the federal efforts to rebuild areas hit by Katrina are not enough. Thirty-five percent say they're just right, while 7 percent say it's too much.
And when asked who should pay for rebuilding affected areas, 43 percent say the federal government, 29 percent say the state government, 14 percent say local government, 10 percent say individuals should pick up the tab. Coming up, ever been afraid to set foot in your neighborhood library? Now some people think you should be, and they're librarians. We'll explain what's going on.
And Wal-Mart is making some big news today. Our Ali Velshi will have the "Bottom Line."
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We're learning of a problem over at the Pentagon, where the names of some antiwar groups and individuals wound up in an obscure database.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, standing by with details. Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of course since the Vietnam War, the military has been banned from collecting intelligence on its war critics here at home. But now new tough questions about whether something has gone wrong here at the Pentagon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The Pentagon has discovered problems in a classified database on domestic intelligence threats.
Officials confirm the entire database is under review, that they have learned it inadvertently, but improperly, included information on people or groups in the U.S. that are not a threat to the U.S. military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, four.
STARR: For more than two years, the military has maintained a little-noticed database that, at times, can include information about anti-war groups or others opposed to U.S. military policy.
Is it illegal domestic spying? The Pentagon says, absolutely not. In a statement, a spokesman says: "The Department of Defense uses counterintelligence and law enforcement information properly collected by law enforcement agencies. The use of this information is subject to strict limitations."
The information must show a threat to either national security, protection of U.S. military personnel, or military bases. Apparently, some of the reports in the database proved to show no threat. They should have been deleted, military officials say. But not all of those entries may have been deleted.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, so, Wolf, where do these suspicious reports come from, the reports of suspicious activity?
Well, they can come from local police departments or even from people who are monitoring blogs and see things and call in what they believe to be tips. But now the Pentagon is informing the Senate and House Intelligence Committees about the problem and the steps they're taking to make sure this database has no inappropriate information in it.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Barbara, thank you very much. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Today, the House of Representatives voted to renew 16 provisions of the Patriot Act. The provisions passed by a vote of 251 to 174. They had been set to expire by the end of this year. President Bush is praising the House vote, saying -- and let me quote now -- "The Patriot Act is essential to fighting the war on terror and preventing our enemies from striking America again."
Meanwhile, the bill will now go to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to debate -- to debate the measure this week. It faces an uncertain future because of one controversial tool.
Let's bring in our Justice correspondent, Kelli Arena. She's got the latest on that. Kelli?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it does look like that bill will face a tougher time in the Senate, where critics are worried that it doesn't offer enough civil liberty protections.
One power in particular has many in Congress concerned. It's the FBI's ability to issue so-called national security letters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): If you log on to a computer at this Connecticut library, a warning pops up, telling you your privacy cannot be guaranteed, that computer regards may have to be turned over to the government.
ALICE KNAPP, CONNECTICUT LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: I have grave concerns, both on a practical level, what this does, in terms of making people fearful about using the library, but also the danger sign that is for our whole democracy.
ARENA: Librarian Alice Knapp is very concerned about national security letters, or NSLs. The FBI can use them during terrorism investigations to get records and information quickly, without going to a judge. Instead, they are approved by FBI supervisors.
RACHEL BRAND, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: At stake is our ability to quickly track down information that could enable us to prevent terrorist attacks before they occur.
ARENA: Everything about them is secret, how many have been issued and who has received them. The case we know most about involves a Connecticut company, Library Connection. It provides Internet services for some state libraries. When it received an NSL, it refused to comply and went to court. But the company isn't talking.
CAROLINE FREDRICKSON, ACLU WASHINGTON DIRECTOR: The secrecy is a big problem. What happens when -- when, say, a business gets a national security letter is that the business also receives a gag order.
ARENA: Critics also argue, NSLs give the FBI too much power. Agents can get financial information from a bank, for example, toll records from a phone company, or Internet information, like who you e- mailed or which Web sites you visited.
But Assistant Attorney General Rachel Brand says, a lot of information is off limits.
BRAND: They cannot get the contents of an e-mail. They cannot listen in on anyone's telephone conversations. They cannot get, for example, library circulation records, the -- the books that someone checks out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: The bill to review the Patriot Act calls for a review of the FBI's use of NSLs and some public reporting. But it does now change how the letters are used -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli Arena reporting for us. Kelli, thank you very much.
What if one of those FBI national security letters targeted you? As we have just heard, there's a lot of secrecy surrounding the content of those letters.
But our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is about to show us where you can go to get your hands on one. Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, you can actually read one of these letters for yourself online.
These are letters that can be used to obtain records and information from, for example, your Internet service provider. You can read one of them at the Web site of the American Civil Liberties Union.
That's because two organizations who have received these letters have challenged them in court. The ACLU is representing them in both counts.
Look at the letter here, and you can see why there is a lot of surrounding how many have been sent out and who has received them. If you read along to the end, it says that the recipient is prohibited from disclosing to any person that the FBI has sought this information.
Now, the House bill that passed today does make -- make some changes to the way NSLs are sent out. As Kelli Arena said, if the bill became law, then the Department of Justice would have to provide some public accounting of how many are sent out.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, thank you very much, Abbi, for that.
Coming up, when your petition calls for more than a prayer, try a letter. Addressing the almighty -- we will show you where that -- all those letters go.
And, in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, a star student accused of bank robbery -- now his lawyer offers an unusual explanation for what allegedly drove him to do it.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He's an accomplished college student. Police say he's also a bank robber. And his lawyer says he has an online gambling problem.
Let's bring in CNN's Brian Todd to tell us a story, a surprising story, about a -- one Pennsylvania college student. What's going on, Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you talk about a kid with a seemingly bright future.
Greg Hogan is sophomore class president at Lehigh University, a cellist in the school's orchestra, son of a Baptist minister. But we're told by police in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that, last Friday, the 19-year-old walked into a Wachovia bank and handed the teller a note demanding money. He got away with almost $3,000 in cash, according to police. And now he faces three felony counts.
Now, Hogan's attorney tells CNN he was driven to this by his gambling addiction. The attorney says he was heavily in debt from playing Internet poker.
Now, we have been speaking with experts, who tell us this is a huge and growing problem among kids Hogan's age.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH WHITE, GAMBLING EXPERT: It seems to us that there's -- there's almost a perfect storm. Kids are going on the Internet in vast numbers. It's almost -- it's almost ubiquitous. So, they have almost unlimited access. We also know that poker is extraordinarily popular in the media right now. With a halfway decent cable program, you can watch poker 24 hours a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Keith White (ph) says poker has replaced sports betting as the most popular form of gambling among college-age Americans. Wolf, we are going to have a little bit more on this story and on this particular problem in kids college age later in the 7:00 hour.
BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, Brian Todd, reporting.
Let's check in with our Ali Velshi now. He's standing by in New York with the "Bottom Line" on some Wal-Mart news. What's going on, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Very interesting story.
Reggie Pitts is the human resources manager at a Florida company. He's black. The company Reggie works for routinely gives its employees Wal-Mart gift cards as incentives and gifts. But Reggie is not normally the guy who goes to pick them up.
Now, the order was for 520 gift cards. So, Reggie called ahead to alert Wal-Mart that he was coming to buy $13,000 worth of gift cards. Reggie gets to the store, hands over the check from his company. Somehow, the manager gets involved, takes the check, goes into a back room. Now, Wal-Mart says the manager called Citibank, and was told that the account was blocked.
He also called Reggie's company. The accounting supervisor there told them that the check was good. But, apparently, the manager made one more call, Wolf -- to the law. While Reggie was waiting to pick up his cards, two Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies show up and start questioning him about writing fraudulent checks.
Reggie says it's because he's black. Wal-Mart says the manager said that he assumed there was suspicious activity, and that's why the police were called. Wal-Mart does have in-house surveillance video. And that's why we believe that this was an issue of poor judgment and not race.
Now, Reggie said to us, on the phone, that two Wal-Mart customer service deck -- desk reps told him: This happened because you are black.
He also said: "I felt like the manager was taunting me. Even as I was leaving the store, he said in a strange voice, 'Have a good day, Mr. Pitt.'"
Either way, Wal-Mart fired the manager for what it calls poor judgment, but says it had nothing to do with race. They said that, when the manager called the police on Pitts, he hadn't seen Pitts yet, and, therefore, didn't know he was black. Reggie wants to see Wal- Mart's surveillance videotapes, so he can prove his version of the story. And there will be more of this to come.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. What a story, that is. Thanks very much, Ali, for that. Up next, Howard Stern, Bob Dylan? Who would you pay to listen to on the radio? Jack Cafferty has been asking that question. He's been going through your e-mail. He's got it when we get back.
And more red-hot rhetoric from the president of Iran. He calls the Holocaust a myth and suggests moving Israel to Alaska. We will tell you what else he is saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program that begins right at the top of the hour. Lou is standing by to tell us what he's working on. Lou?
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you very much. Iraqis just hours away from their historic election, as President Bush declares the United States will complete the mission. We are live in Baghdad with the latest and at the White House as well.
And, then, how one state's policy is rewarding illegal alien students, while robbing middle-class American citizens of their education.
And charges tonight that Wal-Mart wants to use international trade rules to bypass opponents of its rapid expansion in the United States.
And why some American airlines could soon be owned by foreign interests, after they have betrayed their employees, in some cases, bankrupted their shareholders, and taken a lot of federal money.
We will have that story for you and a great deal more at 6:00 Eastern right here on CNN. Please join us.
Now back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Lou. Thanks very much.
Iran's president is stepping up his anti-Israeli rhetoric. And his latest comments are getting attention around the world.
Let's go back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Zain Verjee is standing by with the story. Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, ATLANTA: Wolf, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has a history of bashing Israel. In October, he called for the Jewish state to be -- quote -- "wiped off the map." In the past, he's also questioned whether the Holocaust actually happened. But, today, for the first time, he publicly denied it ever happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If you are telling the truth that, during World War II, you killed six million Jews, if you are telling the truth that you burned six million Jews in the gas chambers, then, apparently, you are telling the truth, and you insist on this claim.
VERJEE (voice-over): Those remarks are bringing international condemnation on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Speaking in southwest Iran, he called the Holocaust a myth and said if it was true, then the Jews should be given land to establish their own country in Europe, Canada or Alaska. And he added -- quote -- "Why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?"
Reaction was almost instant, and indignant.
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Those statements are completely unacceptable. And it's really shocking that a head of state that has a seat in the United Nations can say such a thing.
MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: He's showing his government for what it really is. And that is, it's a rogue element.
VERJEE: And Germany's foreign minister said Ahmadinejad's remarks will impact European-led talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programs.
FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I cannot the hide the fact that this weighs on bilateral relations and on the chances for a negotiations process, the so-called nuclear dossier.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VERJEE: The White House is also condemning the comments, saying that they underscore why it's so important to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee reporting for us. Zain, thank you very much.
Jack Cafferty, he's joining us from New York now with the "Cafferty File." Jack, modest, I guess moderate comments from the Iranian president. I wonder what he is going to say next.
CAFFERTY: He's a -- they should -- he is a nut. That guy is a complete Looney Tune. And they should put him in -- in one of those rubber rooms and let him bounce off the walls for the rest of his days. The man is -- the man is gone. He's like that little weird guy in North Korea. These guys are -- I don't know what's wrong with them.
Anything else you want to know about my thoughts on that guy?
BLITZER: No. I think you have said it.
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: All right. Here -- listen up here. Here's -- there could be a career opportunity for a couple old guys like you and me, if this SITUATION ROOM thing doesn't work out.
Bob Dylan has signed on to host a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio. This comes, of course, as Howard Stern is going to make the leap to Sirius Satellite Radio. You got two of these services. They cost a nominal amount of money per month. But, you know, you kind of get strictly entertainment, no commercials, no personalities you don't care for.
So, the question we ask is, whom would you pay to listen to on the radio, pay radio?
Donna in Buffalo, New York, writes: "That's a no-brainer, Jack. Of course, I would listen to our Zain Verjee."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: "I would strive to say to-mah-toe properly. I would rearrange my shed-yule..."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: "... and, of course, listen for any con-troversy between you and her."
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Touche, and thank you.
(LAUGHTER) CAFFERTY: Yes.
Bob in Louisville writes: "I would pay to listen to George Bush take a lie-detector test. It would be interesting to see how long it would take before the machine blew up."
Kay in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan: "Phil Donahue and Dick Cavett, interviewers who teach, not spin."
Brandon in El Dorado, Kansas: "I'm a subscriber to a satellite radio service. I find myself listening almost exclusively to CNN and Headline News. It's great when I can't be in front of the TV. And I never miss THE SITUATION ROOM."
Josh in Washington, D.C.: "I don't think it's a matter of whom I would pay to listen to. It's a matter whom I would pay not to listen to. That's what you get with paying for satellite radio. You don't have to listen to mind-numbing disc jockeys or commercial ads."
And Nikki in Branford, Connecticut: "I would pay to hear you and Wolf sing a Christmas duet, Jack..."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: "...'I'll..."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: "'I'll Be Home for Christmas.' Otherwise, no, I wouldn't pay to listen."
Now, the key is, Nikki didn't mention how much she would pay.
BLITZER: Right.
CAFFERTY: I mean, if there was enough bucks in it, maybe we could get in a studio and make us a little record.
BLITZER: Just a matter of haggling over a few bucks. Then that -- that could happen.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Nikki in Branford, thank you very much.
I listen to satellite radio every single day in my car, Jack. And I find it very, very good.
CAFFERTY: You know, I bought a new car. It came with satellite radio. But then, after a few months, it went away. And -- and I was too cheap to sign to...
BLITZER: Well, I...
CAFFERTY: But, for a while, I got it for free.
BLITZER: I pay 12 bucks, whatever it costs.
CAFFERTY: That's not too bad, right?
BLITZER: It's very good. It's very good.
CAFFERTY: All right.
BLITZER: All right, Jack, thanks very much.
Up next, prayers, pleas and other petitions pouring in by the hundreds to one Jerusalem post office. We will show you what becomes of those letters to God.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: He exploded on to the track and field scene when he was a junior in high school. His unsurpassed talent in long-jumping and sprinting became a surprise, even to himself.
CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Oh, my goodness. I couldn't have imagined in -- in a million years. I didn't imagine in 11th grade that I would even be an Olympian.
ANNOUNCER: But Carl Lewis did become an Olympian. With an athletic career span of 18 years, Lewis dominated his sport for nearly a decade, but not without disparagement. Lewis was said to be conceited and unapproachable.
LEWIS: I was arrogant towards the other athletes -- not my teammates. Aloof? Absolutely. I would sit by myself. And they would say, he is so aloof. Well, you know what? Figure it out, because I won all those competitions.
ANNOUNCER: In 1996, at the age of 35, despite major criticism, he decided to go for the gold one last time. It was an unexpected victory that year at the Atlanta Games, as Lewis won his ninth gold medal.
Since then, Lewis has retired and is now concentrating on his second passion, acting. He recently finished shooting a film in Atlanta, Georgia, called "The Last Adam."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action.
ANNOUNCER: The movie is about a group of kids who meet up again as adults to attend their childhood coach's funeral.
Lewis appreciates where he is in life and is thankful for being a working actor.
LEWIS: It don't really matter how far it goes, because I already have nine Oscars. They're called gold medals. I'm just doing what I enjoy. And it's a tremendous challenge to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: There's a story coming into CNN just now. Let's go to the CNN Center in Atlanta. Zain Verjee has details. Zain.
VERJEE: Wolf, we're learning that an Amtrak train has collided with a semi trailer in the southeastern part of Utah. The truck driver, 26-year-old, was hauling trash in his truck. He has been killed. Several Amtrak passengers have been injured. The front wheel on the train is apparently utterly derailed. And crews are trying to dislodge it and it -- part of the truck that's stuck under the train, to try and get it back on the rails.
One hundred and nineteen passengers were on this Amtrak train, and they were traveling from Emeryville in California to Chicago when it hit the truck at a train crossing just south of Interstate 70.
That is apparently 46 miles east of Green River, according to local authorities. The Utah Department of Public Safety is -- is -- has been asked to help with the investigation -- but the truck driver killed and several people injured.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain, thank you very much. We will follow this story.
The advent of email has taken a toll on old-fashioned letter writing. But one letter box is more full than ever.
CNN's John Vause explains from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Avi Yaniv thinks of himself as God's postman.
AVI YANIV, ISRAEL POSTAL AUTHORITY: And it is a great honor for me.
VAUSE: He's in charge of lost letters at Israel's Postal Authority, and that includes letters to the almighty sent from around the world.
YANIV: This is wailing God and Wailing Wall. This is from USA.
VAUSE: As best as anyone here can remember, letters to God have been arriving at this Jerusalem post office for more than 30 years, just a few dozen at first, but, this year, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands. Many arrive just before the holidays.
YANIV: This person has sent us about, I think, more than 100 letter -- letters -- a year.
VAUSE: In the past, the letters were sometimes opened and read, out of curiosity more than anything else. Some ask for forgiveness; others material wealth; or, simply, for happiness. But with so many letters these days, none are read, we are told. Instead, they're bundled up and delivered as close to God as these postman say they can get, the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, the most sacred site in all Judaism.
RABBI SHMUEL RABINOVICH, CHIEF RABBI OF WESTERN WALL (through translator): I have no doubt at all that everybody who asks of God in his place, God hears.
VAUSE: But whether God answers is another question.
(on camera): Of all the letters addressed to the almighty, postal workers say their favorite arrived a few years ago from an Israeli man who was living in poverty and asked God for the modest sum of 5,000 shekels, a little more than $1,000 U.S.
So, postal workers chipped in and collected 4,300 shekels and mailed it back. A month went by. Another letter from the same man. "Thank you, God," he wrote. "But, next time, don't use those postal workers. They're all thieves," he went on to write. "When the money arrived, 700 shekels was missing."
John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Good story. We will be back in one hour.
Lou Dobbs getting ready to pick up our coverage right now. Lou?
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