Return to Transcripts main page
The Situation Room
Former FEMA Chief Michael Brown Speaks Out; Rumsfeld Fires Back at United Nations Over Guantanamo Criticism; Harry Whittington Breaks Silence
Aired February 17, 2006 - 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 now in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you the day's top stories.
Happening now, friendly words after the friendly fire.
It's 6:00 p.m. in Texas, where the man shot by Vice President Cheney is out of the hospital and he's speaking out. Is he helping Cheney recover from the hunting accident backlash?
The former FEMA Chief Michael Brown opens up, and even tears up. We will give you an exclusive look at the interview. And I will talk to the documentary producer who got Michael Brown to talk.
Swallowed by a wall of mud, a village, homes, school and people. It's 8:00 a.m. in the Philippines, where daylight may expose more devastation from monster mudslides.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Harry Whittington is out of the hospital, and you can just imagine Vice President Cheney breathing a sigh of relief. In his first public remarks since the hunting accident last weekend, Whittington had nothing but kind words for the man who shot him. And, in Wyoming, Cheney returned the favor.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is standing by in Cheyenne.
But Ed Lavandera begins our coverage. He's on the scene in Corpus Christi -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.
Six days to go -- Harry Whittington was on the wrong end of a blast from a 28-gauge shotgun. Three days ago, he suffered a minor heart attack. Today, he was speaking to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With that, I will introduce it the individual you have been wanting to see all week, Mr. Harry Whittington.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): With that, the curtain was finally raised on the man at the center of a weeklong drama. HARRY WHITTINGTON, ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING VICTIM: How are you all?
Good afternoon.
All of you media have been very patient, and waiting for me to make my appearance here. I hope you understand. I'm sorry I have delayed you, but I know your role is to get the news out to the public. I compliment you on what you have done. I have read and seen many of your reports, and I know your job isn't easy. I regret that I couldn't have been here earlier, so you could see what a lucky person I am.
LAVANDERA: This was Harry Whittington's first public appearance since the hunting accident that left the right side of his face with yellow and purple bruises.
WHITTINGTON: For many years, my family have been friends of the Armstrongs down in Kenedy County. We have visited them for over 25 years, and have had some wonderful trips and visits and pleasant memories that we cherish forever.
However, this past weekend encompassed all of us in a cloud of misfortune and sadness that is not easy to explain, especially to those who are not familiar with the great sport of quail hunting. We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue. And, regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen. And that's what happened last Friday.
I am very grateful and want to thank all of the people who have remembered me in their prayers and the kindness that I have -- that you have extended to my family, who has been here this week.
LAVANDERA: Even though he was the one shot by Dick Cheney, it was Harry Whittington who apologized to the vice president.
WHITTINGTON: My family and I are deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney and his family have had to go through this past week. We send our love and respect to them, as they deal with -- with situations that are much more serious than what we have had this week. And we hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves.
LAVANDERA: And, in his final thoughts, Whittington managed to mix a little humor with emotion.
WHITTINGTON: I also thank all of you for understanding, the best you can, that medical attention is very important to someone my age, and you haven't failed to give my age.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITTINGTON: Finally, I want to say, there's simply not adequate words to express my gratitude and appreciation to the very talented physicians, medical staff, nurses of this great Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital system here in Corpus Christi and in Kingsville. They have given me exceptional treatment, care and compassion, for which I am very grateful. They are truly remarkable servants of God, and I am extremely blessed for all they have done.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Good luck, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: You could hear a little bit of the raspiness in Mr. Whittington's voice. Doctors say he's still not feeling 100 percent, but definitely strong enough, they think, to return home and continue his -- continue his recovery process at home in Austin, Texas -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Lavandera, thanks very much.
From Corpus Christi, let's head over to Cheyenne -- Cheyenne, Wyoming.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is standing by.
Very friendly terms for the vice president there today, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly, Wolf.
You know, Vice President Cheney barely even alluded to the shooting during his speech today, which may be a very clear sign that he is ready to move on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): It was two degrees in Cheyenne when the vice president arrived -- outside the state capitol, bitter cold -- inside, a warm reception.
RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank you for that welcome home.
It's a wonderful experience to be greeted with such warmth by the leaders of our great state. That's especially true when you have had a very long week.
LAWRENCE: This was Vice President Cheney's first public speech since last weekend, when he accidentally shot his friend while they were hunting quail in Texas.
CHENEY: Thankfully, Harry Whittington is on the mend and doing very well.
LAWRENCE: And that is all he said about the shooting.
DAVID MILLER (R), WYOMING STATE REPRESENTATIVE: I actually thought he would talk about the hunting a little more, because we were a very receptive audience to that, because the majority of Wyoming people hunt. But it was real brief on that part. And he got it behind him and got through it, and, at the end, got back to the -- the theme of protecting America and those important issues.
LAWRENCE: A small group of protesters showed that not everyone here agrees with Cheney on those issues, but, all in all, this was friendly territory for the vice president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Yes, in fact, Vice President Cheney got his political start in that building right behind me, where he was an intern 40 years ago. He was also reelected to Congress five times as the representative from Wyoming.
This weekend, he is now in Jackson, Wyoming, at his home, which may mean that we may have heard the last on this issue for some time -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, Chris, very much.
Let's go to a CNN exclusive right now. It's the most candid response yet from the former FEMA Director Michael Brown on Hurricane Katrina. Brown spoke out to a New Orleans filmmaker. And portions of the interview drove Brown to tears.
Our Mary Snow is in New York. She has details -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, former FEMA Director Michael Brown did the interview Tuesday night as part of a documentary. He points blame at himself and others, but also says he was the target of character assassination.
And, at times, the interview got a bit heated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Former FEMA Director Michael Brown was emphatic when asked if racism hampered the government's response to Katrina.
STEPHEN RUE, FILMMAKER: People say that the -- the response would have been faster if it were predominantly Caucasian, more affluent people in dire need.
MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY DIRECTOR: That's (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
SNOW: While Brown does blame others, he says he shouldn't escape blame himself.
BROWN: I should have screamed harder. I should have done something harder. I should have pushed harder. And -- and if that caused anybody to die, all I can do is ask for forgiveness from the American public. SNOW: Brown graded his performance responding to Hurricane Katrina as a C. He gave President Bush an A-minus, and, for the rest of the report card:
RUE: General Russel Honore.
BROWN: A-plus.
RUE: Governor Blanco.
BROWN: If she were one of my students, I would give her a C- plus.
RUE: Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans?
BROWN: You know, I'm going to give the -- I'm going to give the mayor a D.
RUE: Secretary Chertoff?
BROWN: You know, C-minus.
SNOW: Brown let loose on Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, saying he was detached from the Katrina response. And Brown discussed the moment Chertoff asked him to return to Washington.
BROWN: I just asked him, "Is this the firing?"
"No, I just don't you to go back."
Well, it was the firing, but he didn't have the guts to tell me that day.
SNOW: CNN contacted Secretary Chertoff's office for a response, and it referred us to his testimony earlier this week.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: First of all, I have to say that the idea that this department and this administration and the president were somehow detached from Katrina is simply not correct.
SNOW: The most poignant part of the interview came when filmmaker Stephen Rue, who is from New Orleans, said he forgave Brown.
BROWN: Thank you. You did that on purpose at the end.
(LAUGHTER)
RUE: No. No. No, I didn't. That -- that -- does that matter to you?
BROWN: It matters a great deal to me. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REP: Filmmaker Stephen Rue says, while he feels the film is important for history, he also says he feels it is very personal for him, since he's a victim of the hurricane.
Now, as for the grades Brown gave Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco, we did call their offices, but were unable to get an immediate response -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, thank you very much.
And we are going to have extended portions of that interview coming up here this hour in THE SITUATION ROOM. You are going to be surprised by some of the things Michael Brown says.
Fredricka Whitfield once again joining us from the CNN Center with a closer look at other stories making news -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you again, Wolf.
Well, two people have been rescued from the waters off the East African nation of Djibouti, after two U.S. Marine helicopters crashed into the Indian Ocean. Twelve people were reportedly on board. The Pentagon says there are no indications that hostile fire was involved.
At least 11 people are reported dead in Libya after violent demonstrations after cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Protesters set fire to the Italian Consulate in the northeastern city of Benghazi. One consular official said police fire under to the crowd. No Italians are reported wounded. Another large protest was reported in the central Libyan city of Sabha.
And a federal jury in a Vioxx trial has cleared drugmaker Merck of any responsibility in the case of a Florida man who had a heart attack after taking the controversial painkiller. The family argues that the company knew of a potential heart attack link and should have issued a warning. But Merck's lawyers say there is no proof that Vioxx had anything to do with the man's heart attack -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Fred, thanks very much.
Let's go up to New York. Jack Cafferty is standing by with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Wolf, thanks.
Time to dream big here. Powerball jackpot drawing tomorrow, $365 million. The good news is, tickets are only a buck. The not-so-good news is, your odds of winning are about 146 million to one against. It's not exactly a good bet.
But that won't stop people from snapping up millions of tickets, with the hope of making the impossible happen.
It's been a week of pretty heavy news here, the Dick Cheney shooting, the report on Katrina, the Dick Cheney shooting, the wiretapping controversy, and, of course, the Dick Cheney shooting, plus, Bonnie interviewing Clyde. So, it's time to kick back Friday night and dream a little. Here's the question: What would you do with $365 million? You can e-mail us at caffertyfile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/caffertyfile. And if you are in a generous mood, I will give you my mailing address in the next segment.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jack.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: If you don't buy a ticket, you can't win. That's a fact.
CAFFERTY: That's it.
BLITZER: Coming up, airlines are losing more and more of your luggage, and some of it is eventually being sold off. We will tell you what's going on.
Plus, former FEMA Chief Michael Brown insists his resume was never exaggerated, despite reports to the controversy -- contrary. Excuse me.
We will get an extended and exclusive look at this new interview. And I will talk to the filmmaker behind it.
And horror in the Philippines -- more than 1,000 are believed dead in massive mudslides -- all ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: It's even worse than we thought, an entire town literally buried by mud. More than 1,000 people are missing, feared dead. The rescue effort is bogged down right now -- late details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're just getting word into CNN that the number of people missing in that Philippines mudslide is even higher than feared. The Associated Press quotes a military commander on the scene as saying, 1,800 people are now missing and feared dead.
Let's, once again, go to Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center. She's monitoring these horrific developments -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And, Wolf, that number is so high, in part, because the mudslide wiped out an entire village that was home to 2,500 people.
Only a few dozen survivors and bodies have been recovered at last report, and the situation looms grim.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD (voice-over): This is what remains of the village on the Southern Philippines island of Leyte, acre upon acre of mud, up to 30 feet deep.
Survivors report hearing a loud crack or explosion just before the mountain above the village gave way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When that explosion happened, the side of the mountain appeared like it was being pushed down, and then, all of the sudden, the entire mountain collapsed.
WHITFIELD: The region has been inundated by rain because of La Nina, more than 20 inches this month alone. And officials had warned that conditions were ripe for a slide, but no one anticipated a disaster of this magnitude.
EVA TOMOL, PHILIPPINES DISASTER OFFICIAL: Their official number of residents there is about 3,000 people, so the worst -- we hope that it's not going to reach there, but we feel that about half of that are surely under all that -- that mud and water.
WHITFIELD: Among the many buildings buried, an elementary school that was in session with more than 200 students. Heavy equipment was brought in to help in the search for survivors, but the ground is too unstable. So much of the rescue work done by hand, but because the danger of more slides persists, officials temporarily pulled out rescue crews.
GOVERNOR ROSETTE LERIAS, SOUTHERN LEYTE PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES: We stopped rescue operations at 6:30 tonight because of the rain. And it's getting dark. And we were causing a lot of risk to the lives of the rescuers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And the U.S. is sending two warships to the island to help with the operation. The Philippine government is appealing for emergency supplies, including food, water and blankets -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Fred, thank you very much.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, gets very angry at the United Nations' secretary- general, Kofi Annan, unusually blunt words exchanged -- at the center of the storm, the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
And a CNN exclusive -- Michael Brown sounds off. Watch how he responds to those who are angry him.
And hear about one parent who wants his son to grow up to be just like him.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're about to hear the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, sound off on the United Nations. He is responding to a U.N. report very critical of the U.S. government's terror detention program at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, says the United States should either put the terror detainees on trial or set them free immediately.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has details -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Guantanamo Bay is the controversy that never seems to end.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is "flat wrong" -- those are Rumsfeld's words -- about closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where nearly 500 suspected terrorists are being held.
That was just the beginning of Rumsfeld's criticism of Kofi Annan.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: He's never been to Guantanamo Bay. There have been hundreds of members of the United States Congress and their staffs who have been there. There have been hundreds of journalists who have been there. There have been hundreds of foreigners who have been there.
STARR: A United Nations' report concluded, the U.S. is conducting what amounts to torture and human rights violations.
It was this comment Thursday from the secretary-general that prompted Rumsfeld's outburst.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: And I think, sooner or later, there will be a need to close the -- the Guantanamo, and I think it will be up to the government to decide, and hopefully to do it as soon as is possible.
STARR: Rumsfeld says, the detainees are terrorists who are trained to lie.
RUMSFELD: Tell them you're tortured. Tell them it's terrible. Tell them this. Tell them that. That's what they do. And, then, these people from the U.N., who wrote this report, who have never been down there -- they were invited down there. They could have looked around.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: U.N. officials declined the invitation to go to Guantanamo Bay because the Bush administration would not allow them to interview the detainees -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara, thank you very much. Just ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, Michael Brown, candid, critical and speaking his mind in an exclusive interview -- what the former FEMA boss thinks now about that infamous pat on the back when President Bush said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Plus, it's happening to more and more people who fly, mishandled bags. You might be surprised how many are lost each day.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
We want to show you now an exclusive interview with the former FEMA Director Michael Brown. In somber and searing words, he spoke with a filmmaker about the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. That filmmaker is sharing the interview exclusively with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHEN RUE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "NEW ORLEANS STORY": You testified before Congress that there was media hysteria. What did you mean by that?
MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY DIRECTOR: There were so many reports of things going on that simply weren't true.
There may have been a shot fired, and then that gets reported into shots have been fired. And the next thing you know, maybe someone broke into a 7/Eleven to get something, and now there's widespread looting.
And, then, I think the emotional -- the emotional way they reported the stories was -- I mean, every disaster is ugly. And I have been in disasters in some very wealthy areas and some very poor areas. And the same thing happens.
And I think the media became hysterical in the way they were reporting the fact that people were -- quote -- "starving" in the Superdome. I have seen starving people. And the people were not starving in the Superdome.
Now, I want to make it abundantly clear, it was hot. It was miserable. Maybe there was not as much water as we would like for them to have had, and there wasn't as much food as we would have liked for people to have had, but people were not starving in the Superdome.
RUE: Why did it take so long for FEMA and for the government to go and rescue these people, to help these people?
BROWN: Let say the media reports that we're all getting had been true, and that there were rapes and murders and shootings, and there were gangs in there. But you send active-duty military in there, and they're fired upon, they're going to kill. And I think the last thing we wanted to see was United States Army troopers killing American citizens on American soil.
RUE: But isn't there adequate reconnaissance to just simply watch CNN and see that there are folks...
BROWN: Why should I -- why should I watch CNN and rely on them, when, so far, they're the ones inaccurately reporting about all of the widespread shooting and rapes and everything else going on?
And I don't mean to pick out CNN. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, all of them are all guilty of having done that. And, so, why? Can you imagine if we relied upon television to give us our reconnaissance for Iraq or anything else that we do? We should all be hung for doing that.
RUE: There started to be some criticism about your credentials. And, in fact, "TIME" magazine addressed your resume that was on the FEMA Web site.
BROWN: Right. Right.
I think "TIME" magazine was absolutely irresponsible, in what they did. There is nothing in my resume that is either exaggerated, false or incorrect. I had a top-secret, special, compartmentalized, top-secret clearance, which means I have access to all sorts of data. Do you know how you get that?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation does a full-field investigation. They go through everything in your background. There was nothing incorrect in that resume.
I'm in the middle of this disaster, trying to do everything I can. And "TIME" magazine calls my press person and says: We're getting ready to run a story about these falsehoods in Brown's background. And we have talked to people he worked with 20, 25 years ago. And they said some bad things about him. We are going to post it on the Web site in 45 minutes. Do you have a response?
And they expect me to go back and get personnel reviews from 25 years ago that are back here -- or actually aren't even here -- they're in storage somewhere in Colorado -- and respond to that?
RUE: Racism and poverty are two issues that has sprung back to the forefront of American and worldwide consciousness because of Hurricane Katrina.
BROWN: There was no racism involved in the response. That's not -- that's not in FEMA's nature, to let that get in our way.
RUE: People say that the -- the response would have been faster if there were predominantly Caucasian, more affluent people, in dire need.
BROWN: That's bull (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
How many people -- how many people know what's in my heart, you know?
RUE: Yes.
BROWN: How many people know perhaps some of the economic background in my family? How many people know the minorities that I've hired on my staff or the minorities that I'm close friends with? I -- I just find that -- I just find it unacceptable.
RUE: Do you think that people are using Katrina as a platform to promote their own political agenda?
BROWN: Duh. Yes, they are.
I think the closer we get to the '06 and '08 elections, people will continue to politicize it, and that's -- it's shameful.
RUE: Do you know who was the first military, if you will, first formal rescuers to go to Saint Bernard?
BROWN: No, I don't.
RUE: It was the Canadian Mounted Police.
BROWN: Bless their hearts.
(LAUGHTER)
RUE: It wasn't America.
BROWN: Bless their hearts.
(LAUGHTER)
RUE: If you think about it, it's really not funny.
But you understand people, Saint Bernard residents' frustration that the Canadian Mounted Police had to be the people that first came...
BROWN: First showed up, right.
RUE: ... are not -- not American soldiers.
BROWN: Right. Right. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
RUE: What are your thoughts on that?
BROWN: I would feel the same way. I'm a taxpayer. I'm an American citizen, and these Mounties show up. Yes, I would wonder.
RUE: There seems to also be a problem with evacuations, with people not wanting to leave their pets.
BROWN: Yes. I'm an animal lover. I'm not an animal rights activist, by any means, because I love to shoot and hunt, and nothing better than fried quail.
But I -- I understood their concerns. And I was doing everything I could.
RUE: Now, President Bush came down. And he has come down several times since. And he said what has turned out to be a -- a famous phrase: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
BROWN: I didn't think anything about it at the time. I mean, it's -- it's -- it's a typical Bushism.
And he and I talked about how bad things were, and the infrastructure problems, and all problems we were having. So, he was trying to give me a morale boost. And -- and I don't fault him for that.
But I think what it did, it suddenly catapulted me, because, oh, this is a guy that has a nickname from the president, so he must be close to the president. And, so, I pinpoint that as my tipping point. When he did that, that is when the media decided that they wanted to go find some scandal in my background.
RUE: What is your response to the allegation of many of the critics of the president, there's chronic cronyism involved with his appointments?
BROWN: Well, I would say that I'm certainly not a crony of the president's. I don't come from Texas.
Yes, I'm a friend of a crony of the president's, I guess you might say. But I go back to when the president made the decision whether or not to elevate me. He did that on merit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We have a response from "TIME" magazine to Michael Brown's charge that its reporting about his resume was irresponsible.
"TIME" magazine stands by its reporting, saying -- and I'm quoting now -- "Michael Brown's official FEMA bio and White House press release described his work experience in Edmond, Oklahoma, in terms of emergency services, oversight and a role overseeing the emergency services division. In fact, 'TIME''s reporting found that Brown had been an administrative assistant, not a manager, with no authority over other employees."
Up next, more of this exclusive -- Michael Brown unplugged. Brown talks about the lead-up to his resignation. And you will see the moment that brought him to tears.
And we will meet one of the filmmakers behind this documentary, himself a Katrina victim. He will join us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now on Michael Brown's candid comments about the Hurricane Katrina response.
The former FEMA director talks to a filmmaker about the loss of life, assesses his performance, and offers new details on what happened.
It's a CNN exclusive preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUE: There was massive delays in the response of the federal government and other governments.
BROWN: Right. That's right.
RUE: How many lives do you think were lost from that?
BROWN: I can't estimate that.
RUE: I mean, is it something that you think about?
BROWN: People don't understand how tough this has been on me personally, not -- not the political stuff. That's just the nature.
But there -- there have been a lot of people that I have hugged. People have come up to me and said, we know you did everything that you could -- you could do.
But I will tell you, there have been a lot of sleepless nights that I worry about whether or not -- I mean, could I have done something different? I have found a lot of fault with myself, because I tend to -- at least I have in this disaster -- tended to second- guess myself.
I should have screamed harder. I should have done something harder. I should have pushed harder. And -- and if that caused anybody to die, all I can do is ask for forgiveness from the American public, and all I can do is ask for forgiveness from my God for having allowed that to have happened.
RUE: On Friday, September 9, 2005, you were recalled to Washington, D.C.
BROWN: Chertoff came in to my office and said: "You're tired. I want you to go back to D.C. and take as much time as you need, you know, and then go back to work in the middle of the week, and get ready for the next hurricane that's out there."
I'm no dummy. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I thought that was a huge mistake. And I told him so.
I said, "If you send me back, then that destroys any ability I have to do my job."
And I just asked him, "Is this the firing?"
"No, I just don't you to go back."
Well, it was the firing, but he didn't have the guts to tell me that day.
RUE: Did the president ever tell you that, you are fired?
BROWN: No. No. No. I came back and quit.
RUE: A to F...
BROWN: Sure.
RUE: ... how do you rate President Bush?
BROWN: Sure. I -- I will give the president an A-minus. I think -- I think the president let his political intuition down just a little bit at the very beginning. He understands the importance of the politics of disasters, and I think this one just caught him off guard initially.
RUE: Secretary Chertoff.
BROWN: You know, C-minus.
The secretary is -- is a judge by training. And you can't do things like tell your disaster guy to go back to Baton Rouge and stay in Baton Rouge and never leave. That's not how you do operations. He -- he just didn't get it.
RUE: Government Blanco.
BROWN: If she were one of my students, I would -- I would give her a a -- C-plus, because she did try. Her heart's in the right place. She was faced with a catastrophic disaster, unlike any other governor has seen in this state. They just weren't ready for it.
RUE: Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans.
BROWN: You know, I'm going to give the -- I'm going to give the mayor a D.
I -- I like the mayor. I think he's a good guy. I'm still irritated about not doing a mandatory evacuation.
RUE: General Russel Honore.
BROWN: A-plus.
I like the guy. You know, he's -- he's the American Rambo. But he gets it. He -- he understood the difference between civilian authority and military authority and how those had to work together.
RUE: How do you think you should be rated?
BROWN: For Katrina, I will give myself a C. It was just average. I could have done more.
RUE: We all have special moments during this event that -- that touch us. Could you share with us, please...
BROWN: There's the woman who wrote a letter to me that my wife and I sat in the kitchen and reading one night. And she identified herself. She identified herself as a single black mother from New Orleans, and that she had watched me on television, and that she hoped that her son could grow up to be like me. We cried for I don't know how long after that.
RUE: Do you believe that you owe those affected an apology?
BROWN: For -- it doesn't make any difference whether I owe them an apology or not. The fact that whatever I have done has caused them to be angry and mad at me, I apologize for that.
RUE: I think there needs to be healing.
And, so, I'm a Christian. And I want to tell you that I personally accept your apology. And I personally also accept that you're a human being. And I believe that you're a good person. And we all need to heal from this and move on.
And, as one New Orleans victim, I -- I finally sense that you are starting to get it in, and that you have the rest of your life ahead of you. And you want to be happy, just like we all do.
And, so, I want to tell you that, you know, I -- I do forgive you for anything. And you need to know that, so you can go on with your life and be happy. OK?
BROWN: Thank you.
RUE: All right.
BROWN: You did that on purpose at the end.
(LAUGHTER)
RUE: No. No. No, I didn't. That -- that -- does that matter to you?
BROWN: It matters a great deal to me. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: CNN has asked for responses from the offices of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. We have yet to receive a response.
The Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's office did not reply specifically to claims made my Michael Brown in the documentary. Instead, spokesmen referred us to Chertoff's extensive testimony on Capitol Hill this week.
Chertoff testified, among other things, that -- quote -- "The idea that this department and this administration and the president were somehow detached from Katrina is simply not correct" -- end quote.
I will speak with the secretary. Secretary Chertoff will be among my guests this Sunday on "LATE EDITION." That airs 11:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m. Pacific -- "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk.
Up next, the documentary filmmaker who conducted this exclusive interview with Michael Brown, he's here. He will join us live in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Plus, shocking numbers on lost luggage -- thousands of bags lost each day. Our Internet reporter will show you how you can track your bags online.
And what would you do with $365 million? That is the Powerball lottery jackpot. It's also our question of the hour. Jack Cafferty standing by with your e-mail.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We have been showing you parts of an extremely candid interview with the Former FEMA Director Michael Brown.
Now one of the filmmakers behind the documentary joins us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Stephen Rue is the executive producer of "New Orleans Story."
How did you -- how did you get him to sit down for this exclusive?
RUE: I think it was persistence.
And I also think, because I'm from the -- the New Orleans area, we had that extra edge, but persistence more than anything. I found out that he had relations, business relations, with Joseph Allbaugh, the former FEMA director. So, I contacted their office, and kept on calling, and sending e-mails, sending faxes, indicated who I was.
And he -- actually, I was here in Washington, D.C. He actually called me the day before the interview. And we -- we agreed to do it that next day, which was Valentine's Day.
BLITZER: We -- we showed about 10 minutes, but you -- you went much longer.
(CROSSTALK)
RUE: Two-and-a-half-hours.
BLITZER: Two-and-a-half-hours?
RUE: Yes.
BLITZER: And, so, there's a lot of stuff in there we haven't yet seen. What are you going to do with all this?
RUE: Well, we are -- it is a theatrical feature film, "New Orleans Story." And it is going to be in theaters around the nation, hopefully around the world.
BLITZER: When -- when -- when do you think it will be ready?
RUE: In a couple months. We are going to bring it to the Cannes Film Festival.
BLITZER: Really?
RUE: Yes.
BLITZER: And, so, you're -- and you're just going to tell his story or the whole story of New Orleans?
RUE: No. It is called "New Orleans Story."
All of the major players are involved in this, from the governor, the mayor, the -- the rescuers, the animal rescuers, people -- families of the victims, the evacuees. We go in. I have filmed in attics where people have died.
I have been with families as they go into their home in the Ninth Ward for the very first time. We have all shed a lot of tears in the process of making this film. And we're part of the family that -- essentially, the global family of those people who have been affected.
BLITZER: So, what do you think of this Michael Brown, having spent that time with him? What -- what do you emerge from him, with what thoughts?
RUE: I think...
BLITZER: Because you said -- we heard you say, you forgive him.
RUE: Well, I also told him that I was very angry with him, and that there were many, many people around the world who are angry with him.
But, for me, personally, I needed to say, "I forgive you," as much for myself as it was for him, so that I can move forward, because this has been very much of a process for myself.
What we don't need is politicians. We need leaders. And it's important for the world to know that the tragedy continues, Wolf, in New Orleans and throughout the entire Gulf Coast. It continues.
BLITZER: Talk a little bit about that. What is continuing right now?
RUE: Well, we need the government to step up to the plate, the federal government, the state government.
We need the city and the state to have a -- a reconstruction plan in the federal government to get trailers to those who need it. We need to decide how we're going to rebuild the area.
And it's not a matter of if we're going to rebuild. We are going to rebuild. But I'm very tired of the bureaucracy involved in all of this.
BLITZER: You live there.
RUE: Yes. Yes. I live there.
I'm -- I'm -- I'm there day and night. I have been in all of the areas, even late at night with no electricity. People have no idea the extent of the devastation.
Do you realize, my movie is going to be around 130 minutes long? And, if you drive on the interstate at 70 miles an hour and you start watching the film, you will not be out of the devastation by the time the film is over with. It's that bad.
BLITZER: But you're hopeful?
RUE: Yes. I'm from New Orleans. Yes. We will rebuild.
BLITZER: Stephen Rue is the executive producer of "New Orleans Story." We will look forward to seeing this documentary.
Thanks very much...
RUE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: ... for coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.
RUE: Thank you.
BLITZER: Good luck.
RUE: Thanks.
BLITZER: Let's find out what is coming up at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Paula is standing by.
Hi, Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Wolf. Thanks so much.
Just about eight minutes from now, a new development in an investigation we have been watching very closely from here in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina, some of what Wolf was just talking about now -- why did so many patients at one New Orleans' hospital suddenly die? Were some intentionally killed?
Also, did you know a simple pleasure for millions of women all across the country could leave your legs so deformed, you will never even want to wear a dress again? It's a story that will have people asking a lot of questions on their next visit to the nail salon. And we have some foolproof advice for them tonight, Wolf, that will prevent them from experiencing what a lot of women will be talking about tonight. It's really, really bad stuff.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks, Paula. We will be watching.
ZAHN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Paula Zahn coming up in a few minutes.
And still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, there's new information on airlines losing our luggage.
Also, a record jackpot has triggered a Powerball ticket buying spree. So, what would you do with $365 million? Your answers coming up in "The Cafferty File."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Tonight, in the "Bottom Line," it's bound to happen sooner or later to people who fly. That would be lost luggage.
The Transportation Department says the airlines mishandled 3.5 million bags last year, meaning lost, delayed, damaged or stolen. That's about 10,000 bags each day. Among the major U.S. airlines, U.S. Airways had the worst record, followed by Delta. Both airlines say they're working to try to improve their records. Analysts say the problem is an overloaded system, a combination of more passengers, backed-up flight schedules and tighter baggage screening.
Let's bring in our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton. She has more on what happens to all the lost luggage that goes unclaimed every year -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Your lost luggage might be in this Alabama warehouse.
This is the Unclaimed Baggage Center. For 35 years, they have been buying unclaimed luggage that has gone unclaimed for over 90 days from the major airlines. What they then do is sell it online or in the store in Alabama.
Now, most of it is clothes. It's books. It's cameras, and, of course, baggage. But, over the years, they have had some more interesting discoveries, a 40-karat emerald, a full suit of armor, and a live rattlesnake.
Now, the Unclaimed Baggage Center stresses that they cannot help you find your bags. They're just a store. However, over the years, they have had some success stories, including one man from Atlanta who bought a pair of ski boots for his wife, got them home to discover that it was the same pair of ski boots that she had lost in a bag years before -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I did not know that. Thank you very much, Abbi, for that.
Jack Cafferty, did you know there was this -- this store with lost luggage?
CAFFERTY: I did know about that. I -- I -- only because we did that story in "The Cafferty File," I think, in one of the earlier hours. But they have this big place in -- I think it's in Alabama, where all this stuff goes.
Enough of that. You buy new luggage if they lose it, if you hit this thing. Three hundred sixty-five million is the Powerball drawing tomorrow.
So, the question is, what would you do if you won all that money?
David in Canoga Park, California: "If I had $365 million, I would buy a farm, turn it organic, give the homeless room and board for a minimal amount of labor. If it went well, I would do it again, and so on."
Tom in Phyllis, Kentucky: "I would help the folks who have been through Katrina, as our government should be doing with our tax dollars."
Warren in Yucca Valley, California: "I would buy a controlling interest in three congressmen and a senator."
Rudy in Anchorage, Alaska: "I would use the $365 million to support the war on terror by promoting many grassroots efforts to promote cultural enlightenment and acceptance of diversity around the globe. Only then can terror cease to exist. It's all about the love, Jack."
David in Prescott, Arkansas; "I would give it to CNN, with the hopes Jack, they would give you, Jack, your own prime-time program."
Ian in Providence, Rhode Island: "I would buy a new Ferrari for every one of my ex-wife's neighbors."
Jeff in Stillwater, Oklahoma: "If I won $365 million, I would send my mother-in-law on an all-expense-paid hunting trip with Dick Cheney."
And Sarah in Watertown, South Dakota: "I bought two tickets for the big Powerball drawing. Should I hit it big, I will do the norm. I will pay off my bills, buy a new home -- oh, and pay someone to change the theme song in THE SITUATION ROOM just for you, Jack."
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Let's listen to that theme song for a second.
CAFFERTY: Let's don't.
(LAUGHTER) (MUSIC)
BLITZER: You like that theme song, Jack?
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: It sounds -- I told you, it sounds like somebody banging on a garbage can lid in an alley in Baltimore.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Jack will be back. "IN THE MONEY" airs tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
CAFFERTY: There go.
BLITZER: I will be back Sunday.
Among my guests on "LATE EDITION," Michael Chertoff -- he's the secretary of homeland security. "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk, that airs Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific.
Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Let's head over to Paula Zahn. She's ready to pick up our coverage -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Wolf.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
