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The Situation Room
Senator Clinton Fires of Controversial Remarks; Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Assisted Suicide; GOP Works to Distance Itself from Abramoff; Lawsuits Brought Against Government for Wiretapping; Kerry Weighs in on CIA Bombing; Sharon's Health
Aired January 17, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Ali, thank you very much. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information from around the world are arriving all the time.
Happening now: Hillary Clinton, outspoken or outrageous? The White House is going after the Senator and other Democrats for taking criticism of the president to a whole new level.
It's 4 p.m. here in Washington, where the Democrats' attacks are making news and making Republicans mad. John Kerry warns what he has to say is not for the faint of heart. It's 11 p.m. in Jerusalem, where the Senator is checking the temperature in several global hot spots. He's also speaking out against fellow Democrats' attacks on the president. My exclusive interview with John Kerry, that's coming up.
Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the right to die. The decision on doctor-assisted suicide could affect your life and your family.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Up first this hour, Democrats on the attack against President Bush. The words harsher and three of the parties' biggest names, past and possibly future presidential contenders, now appear united.
Senator Hillary Clinton is proclaiming that the Bush administration will go down in history, and I'm quoting now, as one of the worst, one of the worst that has ever governed the country.
And as we told you yesterday former Vice President Al Gore is accusing the president of repeatedly break the law by authorizing secret domestic spying. And now in our exclusive interview, Senator John Kerry says he agrees with both Gore and Clinton. Listen to what he says about Senator Clinton's comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: To think this administration is one of the most derelict in responsibility in history, sure, I don't disagree with her. I mean, almost every single issue of importance, with a completely apolitical point of view. Look at health care in America. What's their plan? They have no plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And I also asked Senator Kerry about Al Gore's charge that Mr. Bush is guilty of criminal conduct by approving wiretaps without warrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You agree with him?
KERRY: Yes.
BLITZER: So what does that mean, if the president is breaking the law?
KERRY: Definitively, definitively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: My full interview with Senator Kerry, including his tough words about the war on terror, the overall situation in the Middle East. All that is coming up this hour.
Right now, more on Senator Clinton's jaw dropping comments and the response that's coming in today from the Bush White House. Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, is standing by, but let's go to New York first.
CNN's Mary Snow has the latest on the Senator -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's not just Senator Clinton's attack on the Bush administration that's gaining attention; she also said the House of Representatives is being run like a plantation, and that is also sparking criticism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): It was an event in Harlem honoring Martin Luther King. The audience was largely African-American. Senator Hillary Clinton was blasting the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, saying there is no room for dissent.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Because when you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about.
SNOW: Fellow New Yorker, Republican Congressman Peter King says Senator Clinton went too far.
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: That definitely is using the race card. It definitely has racist connotations. She knows it. She knew the audience knew what she was trying to say, and it was wrong. And she really -- she should be ashamed. This was the wrong thing to say.
SNOW: Black activist the Reverend Al Sharpton, who hosted the Harlem event, did not think it was the wrong thing to say.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I absolutely defend her saying it, because I said it all through the '04 elections.
SNOW: Senator Clinton also took aim at the Bush administration, saying it was filled with cronyism and incompetence.
CLINTON: I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.
SNOW: With Senator Clinton perceived as a possible contender for the White House in 2008, analysts have noted her moves to the middle of late, pairing up with Republicans like Newt Gingrich and John McCain. Some say yesterday's comments could cost her.
LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: I think she's counteracted much of what been she's trying to do recently in sponsoring flag burning bills and all the rest of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Wolf, this is not first time Senator Clinton has used the word "plantation" to describe the House of Representatives. In an interview with CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" in November of 2004, she said -- I'm quoting here -- "They're running the House of Representatives like a fiefdom with Tom DeLay in charge of the plantation" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York. Mary, thank you very much.
As you'd expect, Senator Clinton's attack isn't sitting well over at the Bush White House. It's already feeling stunned by Al Gore's assault yesterday on the spying controversy.
Let's go to the White House. Our correspondent, Dana Bash, is standing by -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, White House spokesman Scott McClellan called Senator Clinton's comments, quote, "out of bounds." Comments, as we just heard, about the Bush administration, saying that they are one of the worst in U.S. history and, of course, comparing the Republican-controlled House to a plantation.
Now Scott McClellan also hit back quite hard on Al Gore, the president's former rival. Of course, his comments yesterday that President Bush broke the law in allowing, ordering wiretapping without a court order, calling him hypocritical.
Now, about the criticism from both Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, two high-profile Democrats on the same day, Scott McClellan did not pull any political punches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think we know one tends to like or enjoy grabbing headlines. The other one, it sounds like the political season may be starting early.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Political season may be starting early, some say, of course, Wolf, that perhaps it never ended at all.
On Al Gore, one last thing. With his tongue firmly in his cheeks, Scott McClellan also said, "If Al Gore is going to be the voice of the Democrats on national security matters, we welcome it" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House, thanks very much.
And we're following a developing story just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM right now. The kidnappers of the abducted American journalist, Jill Carroll, 28-years-old, a freelancer for the "Christian Science Monitor" has now appeared. This is a new videotape that Al-Jazeera is now showing, Al Jazeera, the Arab TV network.
According to this videotape that is now on Al Jazeera, they are demand the release. The terrorists are demanding the release of all Iraqi female prisoners over the next three days, 72 hours, or they will kill Jill Carroll, they say, unless all Iraqi prisoners, female prisoners are released over the next 72 hours.
Jill Carroll, clearly taken hostage, a prisoner by these terrorists, and we have this new video coming into Al-Jazeera.
By the way, a statement from her family just released. Let me read it to our viewers. This is from her parents and her family. "Jill is an innocent journalist, and we respectfully ask that you please show her mercy and allow her to return home to her mother, sister and family. Jill is a kind person whose love for Iraq and the Iraqi people are evident her articles." It goes on to say, "She has been welcomed into the homes of many Iraqis and shown every courtesy. From that experience, she understands the hardships and suffering that the Iraqi people face every day. Jill is a friend and a sister to many Iraqis and has been dedicated to bringing the truth of the Iraq war to the world. We appeal for the speedy and safe return of our beloved daughter and sister." Signed Jim, Mary Beth and Katie Carroll.
What a heart breaking story that is. We'll continue to follow it. But once again, Al-Jazeera now showing video of this young American journalist, having been taken hostage by terrorists in Iraq. We'll watch this story.
Let's go up to Jack Cafferty in New York.
This is a really hard story, Jack, especially for all of us in the news business, but for everyone.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Indeed.
The Supreme Court, Wolf, ruled today, Oregon's physician assisted suicide law is constitutional. The Bush administration wanted the law overturned. It was a 6-3 ruling. And here's a surprise. The new chief justice, John Roberts, backed the Bush administration, along with justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The ruling was in response to a case by the former attorney general, John Ashcroft, who in 2001 said that doctor-assisted suicide is a, quote -- is not, rather, a quote, "legitimate medical purpose," unquote and that Oregon physicians would be punished for helping people to commit suicide. The court said Ashcroft lacked expertise in this area.
Oregon voters passed the Death with Dignity Act in 1994, and it went into effect three years later. So far, Oregon's the only state to have a law of this kind. The question is this: should the rest of the states approve physician assisted suicide? You can e-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or even go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much. We'll check back with you soon.
Coming up, with an influence peddling probe hanging over Capitol Hill. Republicans now scrambling to show they're cleaning up their act. We'll tell you what they're doing and whether it's likely to make a difference.
More static over wiretaps without warrants. A day after Al Gore's attack on the president's secret spying program, we'll update you on the fallout in the courts and online.
And the attempt to take out Al Qaeda's No. 2 man, what does Senator John Kerry know about it after visiting Pakistan? Our exclusive interview with John Kerry, that's coming up.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: On Capitol Hill this hour, Republicans are stepping up their efforts to portray themselves as house cleaners to try to distance themselves from the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Democrats are trying equally hard to accuse the GOP of fostering what they call a culture of corruption.
Let's go to Capitol Hill, our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry, is standing by -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Republicans are under heavy political pressure from Democrats, who are planning to roll out an aggressive reform plan of their own tomorrow and plan to beat this whole lobbying issue like a drum in the next election.
That's why Speaker Dennis Hastert tried to get out ahead today. He took the dramatic step of saying he wants to ban all privately funded travel in the wake of the abuses, those golf trips for Republicans like Tom DeLay and Bob Ney.
He also wants to cut down on the amount of gifts that lawmakers and staffers can accept, from $50 down to $20. That's obviously going to put a damper on those expense account lunches and dinners with lobbyists. It's quite interesting. John McCain, who's been pushing for these changes for years to no avail, is amused by the stampede on all sides, saying today, it proves to him, if you live long enough, almost anything can happen up here, Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill, thanks for that update.
Still ahead, a Republican Senator's long awaited decision about his political future. Is Trent Lott helping his party or hurting it? We're going to have details.
And more fallout after Al Gore's attack on the president's domestic spying program. Senator John Kerry weighs in on our exclusive interview. And we'll get an update on the controversy online. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's go to CNN's Zain Verjee at the CNN Center in Atlanta for a closer look at some other stories making news -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, in a blow to the Bush administration, the Supreme Court has upheld a doctor assisted suicide law out of Oregon. In a 6-3 vote, the court ruled constitutional Oregon's law that allows doctors to prescribe lethal amounts of medicine to help a sick patient commit suicide.
New chief justice, John Roberts, joined the justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas in the dissent. The Bush administration wanted the Oregon law overturned, saying it's led to over 200 assisted suicides.
Ending months of speculation, Republican Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi says he will seek a fourth term. The 64-year-old told a hometown crowd, quote, "I've chosen Mississippi and America once again." Four years ago. Lott was pushed out as majority leader after some controversial comments. And last year Hurricane Katrina destroyed his beachside home.
Hospital officials in Southern California say former President Gerald Ford is doing well in his treatment for pneumonia. The officials say he could go home later this week. The 92-year-old former president was admitted to the hospital on Saturday. He had been briefly hospitalized at the same facility in December for tests.
And the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed separate federal lawsuits today in Detroit and in New York against the National Security Agency for warrantless wiretapping program. The lawsuits charge that the program is unconstitutional and that President Bush went beyond his constitutional powers by authorizing it. President Bush says he does have that authority as he prosecutes the war on terror -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Zain. We'll get back to you soon. Zain Verjee at the CNN Center. So did the NSA spy on Americans simply based on the fact that they plugged words like "suicide bomber" into a web search engine? It's one of the allegations in these new lawsuits. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is standing by with more -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, that one and the ACLU lawsuit filed today. The other one, the Center for Constitutional Rights, they put in a complaint today. Lawyers for that group believe that their conversations with clients overseas have been intercepted, therefore impairing their ability to communicate with their clients.
This is the ACLU complaint filed today. Big group of plaintiffs there. One of them, Christopher Hitchens, a journalist who believes that his conversations have been intercepted. Also, as a result, he feels it's difficult to promise confidentiality to his sources overseas -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Thank you very much, Abbi. Much more on this story coming up.
But up next, Senator John Kerry siding with two other high- profile Democrats in lambasting President Bush. My exclusive interview with the Senator on the president's policies here at home and in the war zones.
And in our next hour, another verbal bombshell. The New Orleans mayor talks of a chocolate city. Is he eating his words today? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Now my exclusive interview with Senator John Kerry. He's in Jerusalem right now, and he's been getting a firsthand look at battlegrounds in the war on terror. But in response to my questioning, he's also been wading into political skirmishes right back here in the United States, siding with fellow Democrats against President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Senator Kerry, thank you for joining us. Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM, this time from Jerusalem. We've got a lot of ground to cover right now.
Let's talk first of all about your trip over the weekend to Pakistan. What did officials there tell you about this U.S. air strike that targeted the No. 2 al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri?
KERRY: Well, obviously, they were very concerned about the loss of life, as are we, of any innocent civilian. But on the other hand, they were also clear that it was their belief there were foreign intruders in that particular target area. So they understood what we were trying to accomplish, and I think they were trying very hard to make the best out of a bad situation.
BLITZER: Do you have any problem with the U.S. government targeting al Qaeda leaders for assassination in third countries?
KERRY: Well, first all, assassination is a questionable term, when you consider that we have been chasing these people and fundamentally at war with them since they attacked us in New York City on September 11.
And we have a joint agreement with the Pakistanis, thanks to their cooperation in that war, which is at some risk to them and to President Musharraf, for the ability to do what -- you know, hot pursuit, if you want to call it that.
There's a lot of thought that goes into that kind of targeting. There's a lot of intelligence work that is done by both sides as to what's happening, and I think that the record shows that it has not been indiscriminate. Does it have its risk? Of course it has its risks.
But nobody should underestimate the degree to which, in every country that I've been in, in the last week or so, from India to Pakistan to Afghanistan, to here in Israel, and I'm about to go Jordan and into Iraq, that the leaders of the countries are committed to eliminate the threats to not just to their governments but to all innocent people by those who have decided to kill innocent bystanders.
BLITZER: So you support this strategy that we saw dramatically unfold Friday with this attack against this target along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
KERRY: If we have the proper intelligence, and it has gone through the proper channels, and we have followed our rules of engagement in decision-making with respect to that intelligence, and we have good reason on that intelligence to believe that there are members of al Qaeda or terrorists who are targeting the United States in that target, I absolutely support pulling the trigger, absolutely.
You know, this is not -- you know, this is not something for the faint of heart. We are in a situation where there are a group of jihadists who have no real ideology or goal politically, other than to simply kill us and kill other people, too, for that matter.
Now, does that mean that that's all there is to this effort? Let me be crystal clear. No. It is not going to be won or decided at the end of Predator trigger or a barrel of, you know, a soldier's gun, and I've said that many, many times. But where you have those people, where they are gearing up to engage in their dangerous activities, we have to do what we have to do to protect ourselves.
BLITZER: You're in Israel now. I assume you've met with the Israeli leadership, the acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert. What's it like now? I was there about 10 days ago when the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, had his stroke. What does it look like to you on the ground?
KERRY: Well, look, there's obviously, a heavy feeling in the hearts of all the people in Israel, and you can feel the sort of, you know, the dislocation that everybody is feeling in the normality of life in this country.
On the other hand, what I also feel is a great strength and resilience and commitment to go forward and an understanding of the course that they're on.
I was very struck in my meeting with the acting prime minister: very engaged, very clear. I think he's handled this situation with a great deal of grace and a great deal of sensitivity. And I think the people of Israel, likewise, have shown the strength of the democracy and the strength of their -- of their government here.
There will be elections the Palestinian Authority next week. Those will be very, very important in determining what the direction is going to be. And then there will be elections in Israel.
And yesterday, the acting prime minister was named the acting chairman of his new party, of the Kadima. And so I think things are moving along with a clear determination.
This is a country that, as you well know, Wolf, from your time here in just covering it, deals with shock and dislocation and loss of life and the challenges of the region on a daily basis. They're resilient, strong, and I think they're on a very clear course.
And I was heartened by it. I really came away with a sense that -- that despite the terrible situation with respect to Prime Minister Sharon, people are determined to move made and to make the most of whatever opportunities are presented in the days ahead.
BLITZER: Senator Kerry, as you well know, successive U.S. administrations have regarded Hamas as a terrorist organization. They're going to be running in these Palestinian elections on January 25. What happens if they win? What should the U.S. attitude be in dealing with Hamas, if they do well, as all the indications are they will do well in these Palestinian elections?
KERRY: Well, first of all, Hamas is not considered to be. It is. Hamas is a terrorist organization. And I was against, as a number of people were against, the notion that a terrorist organization ought to participate. But this is a Palestinian election. That decision has been made, and Israel has decided to move forward in that context.
So the real question now, frankly, and I met in Jericho this morning with people taking part in that election. The real question is what happens after the election?
If Hamas has a number of people elected, and it appears as if they will, then the question for them is how are they going to behave? What choices are they going to make, and what choices is Abu Abbas going to make?
Is he going to decide at that time to take them, on as he ought to, and change their constitution, and demand that, in order to participate in that government of legitimacy at that point, you recognize the right of Israel to exist and you give up violence? I mean, Wolf, you can't imagine sitting at a table governing with people who are negotiating the right of access through barriers, negotiating the movement of goods, and at the same time as they're negotiating with you about that in a legitimate government, supposedly, they're blowing up people in buses or restaurants in Tel Aviv or in Jerusalem.
That's an unacceptable contradiction. And so I think you're reaching a moment of very real choice for whatever the form of Palestinian government that is going to emerge from these elections.
BLITZER: You're in a country right now, Israel, that a neighbor, Iran, under its new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would like to see wiped off the face of the earth. "Wiped off the map," in his words.
And they're now, according to U.S. and European authorities, moving towards developing a nuclear bomb, even though they denied that.
Senator John McCain, your colleague, said on television over the weekend here, he said this: "There's only one thing worse than the United States exercising a military option against Iran. That is a nuclear-armed Iran. Now, military option is the last option but cannot be taken off the table."
What is your thought on a potential military option against Iran?
KERRY: Well, first of all, you never take a military option off the table anywhere, under any circumstances. So it's on the table.
But I think anybody who studied the situation understands, as I think John McCain said in the comment that he's making, it is an option that requires an extraordinary level of commitment with long- term repercussions. And it is truly an option of last resort, and I think people understand that.
Look, the more important thing is that, you know, Ahmadinejad's the Iranian president's comments are absolutely stunning in the 21st Century, and almost equally as stunning, in my mind, was the lack of universal condemnation across the globe. There were people who commented, but -- but it is really shocking to have a leader of any country under any circumstances in the 21st Century after all that we've been through and learned, to have them talking about wiping an entire people off the face of the earth.
So through those statements and through their own actions, Iran has taken its own steps to make itself a significant renegade, outlaw nation at this particular moment of time.
The question for all of us is how to diffuse and deal with the situation that you don't want to have to get to the last resort about. I think there are number of options available us to.
In each country that I visited, the leaders, from Prime Minister Singh in India to President Musharraf in Pakistan, President Karzai in Afghanistan, the acting prime minister here, all of them have said how unacceptable it is for Iran to behave the way it is and to move in the direction it is.
But I do think that Russia, at this point, could play a critical roll. And my hope is that before we get to the United Nations, before we reach the point of sanctions, which they must understand, that we are going to be united on and they are going to be serious, sanctions of real consequence, to have the kind of effect that we had on South Africa, if that is what it comes to.
But before that, I think there are still possibilities that Russia might be able to play a very important role here. And my hope is that President Putin and Russia will step up and do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Coming up, more of my interview with John Kerry. He weighs in on Al Gore's charge that President Bush broke the law and is putting the U.S. Constitution at risk. And he's got choice words to say about Hillary Clinton's attack on Mr. Bush, as well. More of this exclusive interview, that's coming up next.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Three powerful politicians pitting themselves against President Bush: senators John Kerry and Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore.
In my exclusive interview with Senator Kerry, I pressed him on his fellow Democrats' new and fierce attacks on the Bush administration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Listen to what the former vice president, Al Gore, said yesterday on the president's authorization of these secret wiretaps by the National Security Agency without warrants, court warrants.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORE: What we do know about this pervasive wiretapping virtually compels the conclusion that the president of the United States has been breaking the law, repeatedly, and insistently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You agree with him?
KERRY: Yes.
BLITZER: So what does that mean, if the president is breaking the law? KERRY: Definitively, definitively.
BLITZER: What's the -- what's the remedy?
KERRY: Well, the president, first of all, with respect to breaking the law, the law that we passed clearly envisioned -- I mean, the reason we created it, congressional intent could not be more clear here.
We created a court. We gave that court the power on moment's notice, set up only for the purpose of approving these warrants, to able to review them in order to protect the constitutional rights of Americans, particularly with the view to what happens when you don't do that. That's No. 1.
No. 2, out of 16,700, I think, warrants that have been issued, only four have been refused in that entire period of time.
And finally, nothing in the law that the administration has pointed to, which the Congress passed to respond to 9/11, where we authorize the use of force, nothing contemplated this kind of constitutional violation.
So it is a clear violation of the law.
Now, you know, there are any number of different recourses that could be taken. With a Republican Congress, we've had a particularly hard time getting any legitimate recourse taken under almost any circumstances, because we don't have the power to issue subpoenas, we don't have the power to call hearings.
So I think we have to continue to present this issue to the American people, and I hope the administration will, of its own -- of its own admission and its own steps reverse course, admit the mistake, and try to guarantee that the protections put in place are adhered to.
BLITZER: Senator Specter says he will hold hearings on this next month as chairman of the judiciary committee.
KERRY: I've heard that, and I hope the hearings are going to be fully bipartisan, that the appropriate people will be called on a bipartisan basis, the Democrats will have the right to have equal numbers of witnesses and that subpoenas, if necessary, will be issued as appropriate without the chairman having the right to veto them.
BLITZER: I want to also get your comment on what Senator Hillary Clinton said yesterday in going after the Bush administration. Listen to her pointed remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Do you agree with her on that?
KERRY: Boy, you're throwing at me -- you're throwing every domestic comment of attack on the administration while I'm over here trying to figure out what's going on, I guess.
I think this administration is one of the most derelict in responsibility in history, sure. I don't disagree with her. I mean, almost every single issue of importance, with a completely apolitical point of view.
Look at health care in America. What's their plan? They have no plan. Look at General Motors and Ford that are facing the potential of bankruptcy and the loss of jobs overseas. What is the plan? They're not even engaged in major discussions to figure out how we move forward.
Look at what's happened to investment and research and development and technology and science and all of the things that create the jobs of the future. We're going backwards.
The promise of No Child Left Behind has been left behind. The environment. We are literally going backwards.
I mean, I'm not going to run the gamut and the list here.
BLITZER: Right.
KERRY: But the bottom line is that we are not as safe in the world as we ought to be, and we are not facing up to our responsibilities at home as we ought to be, and I think history will be a harsh judge of those realities.
BLITZER: We have 10 seconds left. Do you want to tell our viewers how you're going to vote on the Samuel Alito nomination?
KERRY: No, not from here, and not without having a chance to review the -- the hearings fully. But I will be back in a couple of days, and intend to do that as soon as I get back.
BLITZER: Thanks so much, Senator Kerry, for joining us. Have a safe trip. We hope to catch up with you from Iraq later in the week. We'll see you back in Washington. Be safe over there. Appreciate it very much.
KERRY: Thank you. Thanks a lot, Wolf. Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And in our next hour, we'll get a different perspective from Paul Bremer, the Bush administration's former point man in Iraq. He'll join us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Plus, we'll have more on the top Democrats standing together against President Bush, from Hillary Clinton to John Kerry to Al Gore. Are they crossing any dangerous lines? Paul Begala and Torie Clarke, they're standing by in our "Strategy Session." And we're continuing to follow a developing story, a sad story, the abduction of an American journalist in Iraq. The latest on her captors' demands and her fate.
All that coming up, more in our 7 p.m. Eastern hour of THE SITUATION ROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Today in our "Strategy Session," the Democrats are charging hard against the Bush administration. Is this a coordinated strategy? Will it hit the mark? Will the White House be able to fire back effectively? Is the race for 2008 already heating up?
Joining us now, our CNN political analysts, Democratic strategist Paul Begala and former Pentagon spokeswoman, Victoria Clarke.
Torie, let me start with you. It looks like Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore are all speaking basically with the same message. They're really slamming the president and his administration.
TORIE CLARKE, FORMER PENTAGON SPOKESWOMAN: Well, to respond to your lead-in the 2000 (sic) race is on. And I have to tell you, with all the challenges Republicans may have, if they think -- if the Republicans think Vice President Gore and John Kerry are going to be running in the front of the pack there, then we feel better about things in 2008.
And the interesting thing about their message is it was just attacks. It was just attacks, attacks, attacks, the rhetoric way overheated. People don't want just attacks. They want somebody they think can lay out a clear, logical tangible plan going forward. You didn't hear one ounce of that.
BLITZER: Here's one of the sound bites from Hillary Clinton. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Is that smart strategy for the first lady -- the former first lady to be going after this administration?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely.
BLITZER: Because as you know, she was trying to position herself sort of in the middle, having all of these photo-ops with very conservative Republicans.
BEGALA: yes, I don't know so much if it's positioning. She is who she is. On some issues -- like most people, OK -- she's moderate. Other issues she's pretty liberal. On this one, she's pretty angry.
She had a front-row seat for her husband's administration, thought he did a pretty good job. This president is reversing almost everything Bill Clinton stood for.
And more importantly, Hillary is speaking -- she's in the middle where the country is. The majority of the Americans now say the president is leading us in the wrong direction. Hillary is giving voice to those views, and I think it's terrific.
Torie is right. In the fullness of time, Democrats need to propose in addition to oppose. But it's been a long time since they even opposed. I'm happy to see my party grow a little backbone here and stand up. And God bless Hillary and Senator Kerry and Vice President Gore for doing that.
BLITZER: And listen to this sound bite from Hillary Clinton, yesterday at a black church, predominantly black church in New York City. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: When you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run, it has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: That's on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as well. Those are strong words.
CLARKE: Bad timing, bad words.
BLITZER: But smart strategy?
CLARKE: No.
BLITZER: If she wants to be president of the United States.
CLARKE: Absolutely not. And Paul can jump all over me on this, but middle-aged white women should not be talking about what a plantation may be like, because they don't know. I thought it was completely inappropriate.
BEGALA: I spent the weekend on a plantation. I was quail hunting on a friend of mine's plantation in southwest Georgia. And it's unfair to plantations.
CLARKE: That's not connotation she was using.
BEGALA: The House Republicans are corrupted.
BLITZER: And she said, "And you know what I'm talking about.
BEGALA: Yes, and you know what she said...
BLITZER: She wasn't talking about quail hunting.
BEGALA: The very next sentence, though. Wait a minute. This is where the media has been unfair to Hillary. The very next sentence -- I got her staff to send me the speech -- it was this: "It has been run in a way so that nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to make an argument, to be heard."
Now also, Hillary said the same thing in November of '04 on this network, and nobody said boo. Now, why is it when the senator is speaking to a white anchorman, they don't get their panties in a wad.
BLITZER: We said that in Mary Snow's report. Mary had that.
BEGALA: She did. But when she said that in '04, my Republican friends did not have a hissy fit. So they want her to speak differently in a black church than she does on CNN. She didn't do that. I think that's just terrific.
And frankly, Newt Gingrich compared the House Democrats to running a plantation in 1994.
CLARKE: I also think it was inappropriate for him to use it. But it's changing the topic, say, to take it back to 1994.
BEGALA: But why is there no reaction? A year ago she says the same thing to a white anchorman or maybe anchorwoman, and nobody says boo. But in a black church she's supposed to muzzle herself?
BLITZER: It's a politically charged word on Martin Luther King Day, the word "plantation," given the history of our country.
BEGALA: Sure, and it speaks for the powerlessness and the very next sentence -- it is interesting that no one in the media, not just us, no one in the media runs the next sentence of the speech, where she talks very specifically about how Democrats have not been given the opportunity to present legislation in the House. That's true.
BLITZER: All right. Let's talk about Al Gore's strategy. Because yesterday he came out swinging here in Washington. I'm anxious to hear what you think his long-term political goals might be right now. Let's have a little excerpt of what he said yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORE: At present, we still have much to learn about the NSA's domestic surveillance. What we do know about this pervasive wiretapping virtually compels the conclusion that the president of the United States has been breaking the law, repeatedly and insistently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, Torie, what do you think?
CLARKE: The issue is too serious for this kind of overblown rhetoric. What's going to happen is we are going to have hearings. We'll have this investigation. It will be done in a very, very bipartisan fashion, all of which is good.
And we're going to come to a few conclusions: one, the war on terror has no geographical boundaries. So we should be conducting surveillance on people in this country who are conducting some business and conversations with known terrorists. Two, there should be close, close consultation with the senior members of Congress so they can keep their colleagues informed.
I think people will realize the important of the former and on the latter, you'll see more of it going forward, which is a good thing. But it certainly is not a position to get you elected president in 2008.
BLITZER: Al Gore has just issued a statement, a written statement. In fact, we just got here in THE SITUATION ROOM. And among other things, he says this in responding to the criticism that he's taking now from the administration.
"It is clearly wrong and disrespectful to the American people to allow a close political associate of the president to be in charge of reviewing serious charges against him. The country needs a full and independent investigation into the facts and legality of the present administration's program." Elaborating on why he thinks there should be a special counsel to investigate whether he broke the law.
BEGALA: Right, and in fact, I did an unusual thing. I actually read all of the vice president's speech. It's 14 pages single spaced. You can get on that Interweb Net thing. Jacki and Abbi can tell everybody how to find it.
But it's a long, thoughtful, serious historic, reasoned, impassioned address, and I commend it to everybody. And I think he makes an ironclad case on the history and on the legalities that the president is break the law.
BLITZER: You think he's running?
BEGALA: I haven't the slightest idea. He sounds like a guy who's running. Look, I hope he does. I want everybody to run. He keeps talking like that, he ought to run, because this is not a particularly popular position with the public, but I think it's right for history to make that case.
CLARKE: Republicans hope he runs, too.
BLITZER: We've got to leave it there on that note.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Paul, Victoria, thank you very much.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the Supreme Court's ruling on doctor assisted suicide. Should physicians and the states hold life and death in their own hands?
And in our next hour, politicians say the darndest things. What's with the loose lips, from the Hill to the heartland? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go to Zain for a quick check of other stories making news -- Zain.
VERJEE: Hi, Wolf.
A hostage standoff in the southeast Georgia town of Statesboro ended peacefully today about 24 hours after it began. Robert and Connie Brower surrendered to authorities after holding a lawyer hostage, claiming that they had an explosive device. Both were charged with kidnapping. Authorities say Brower was upset after being convicted in a criminal case in which the hostage, Hostilo, was his court-appointed attorney.
The manhunt for two murder suspects ends a few miles from where the pair escaped from jail. Police found Johnny Earl Jones and Lamar Benton today at a motel in Columbus, Georgia. Authorities say the two changed clothes at a homeless camp shortly after escaping on Saturday from a jail in Alabama. A third inmate was captured within hours of the jail break.
And a trip to Pluto covering some three billion miles has been postponed. NASA's pushed -- NASA's pushed back the launch of the new Horizon spacecraft. NASA says strong winds and other factors used up the time in the two-hour launch window. The agency says they'll try the launch again tomorrow. It will take 10 years for the spacecraft to get to Pluto.
Back to you in THE SITUATION ROOM, Wolf. And I learned something interesting today. One scientist told me that Pluto is actually so small, it would actually fit between the area of Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado.
BLITZER: I did not know that, but that's always interesting.
VERJEE: Yes.
BLITZER: Jack Cafferty is in New York -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Where to put it (ph)?
The Supreme Court ruled today Oregon's physician assisted suicide law is, in fact, constitutional. The Bush administration wanted the law overturned. So far, Oregon is the only state that has one of these. The question, should the rest of the states approve some form of physician assisted suicide?
Karen in Eugene, Oregon, writes: "All states ought to have an assisted suicide program like Oregon does. This country treats their pets with more humanitarian feelings than the elderly and terminally ill. Euthanasia is human treatment of those whose illness condemns them to a painful death."
Richard in East Syracuse, New York: "I agree with Oregon's law. This administration is just trying to put more money into the pockets of the drug companies by forcing people to pay excessive amounts for the drugs that would only lengthen their suffering."
Ed in Hondo, Texas: "I'm a 78-year-old agnostic WW2 vet with emphysema. When the effects of the disease become unbearable, I hope my doctor can help me out, instead of my having to do something messy like blowing my brains out."
Carlos in Wilton Manors, Florida: "I'm a registered nurse. I've seen the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients. Physician- assisted suicide is not immoral but rather, it gives the patient the chance to die with dignity. Also, from a financial point of view, health care and insurance costs could be reduced."
And Eric in Waterbury, Connecticut: "Absolutely. Other states should approve physician-assisted suicide and regular suicide, as well. To quote one of my favorite comedians: 'Life is like a movie. If you sat through half of and it stunk so far, chances are it's not going to get really good at the end. No one should blame you for walking out early" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much.
And to our viewers, it's 5 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place at the same time.
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