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The Situation Room
Large U.S.-Led Air Assault Under Way in Iraq; Interview With Madeleine Albright
Aired March 16, 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 HOST: To our viewers, you're 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 tonight's top stories.
Happening now. Iraqi insurgents under attack right now in what the U.S. calls a hotbed of terror. It's 3:00 a.m. Friday outside Baghdad where the largest U.S.-led air assault operation since the start of the war is now underway. The former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright weighs in right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Also, President Bush's political troubles this hour. Can Democrats make the most of it? Can Republicans keep their distance and embrace their fund-raiser in chief? It's 7:00 p.m. here in Washington where Mr. Bush is about to take the stage. It's also 7:00 a.m. in New York where two women that dared to take on Senator Hillary Clinton seem to be having a rough time of it. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
It's the largest air assault operation in Iraq since the start of the war three years ago and it is now underway. U.S. and Iraqi forces are targeting insurgents around the northern city of Samarra. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has the story.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the operation had been underway for about 12 hours before we heard about it and it was several hours after that before we began to receive the first pictures of what was playing out on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Iraqi and U.S. assault troops aboard a helicopter fly toward what the 101st Airborne describe as the biggest air assault since the invasion of Iraq three years ago. Operation Swarmer began at dawn on Thursday. More than 1,500 troops, over 200 tactical vehicles and more than 50 aircraft. Some landing near Samarra about 50 miles north of Baghdad.
MAJOR TOM BRYANT, U.S. ARMY: This is a possible suspected insurgent operating in the area and Iraqi security forces are out front and drove this operation.
ROBERTSON: All of the video and pictures provided by the Department of Defense. Iraqis live nearby say the area as sympathetic to insurgents and say they have seen foreign fighters.
HOSHYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The insurgents and the terrorists have been assembling themselves there trying to create another Falluja.
ROBERTSON: Troops fanned out to cordon a 10 square mile area, hunting for insurgents until the sun went down.
BRYANT: We want to do a thorough search in hours of daylight versus hours of limited visibility. So they will continue the searches in earnest tomorrow morning.
ROBERTSON: In this potentially lethal environment so far no shootouts and no casualties. And no reports of insurgents captured yet, the main goal of the operation. But some roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices found in the operation that is expected to last several days.
We know we have discovered a couple different cashes and secured artillery shells, some explosive material and some IED making material.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: Operation Swarmer is being touted as a successful Iraqi-led operation, so far at least. But with so many U.S. air assets, helicopters and aircraft, that may be stretching the definition of lead a little too far. That more than half of the troops involved are Iraqis, though, is an indication that the Iraqi army is playing a much bigger role now. Wolf?
BLITZER: Nic Robertson, thanks very much.
There is new evidence tonight Americans are growing anxious about the overall situation in Iraq. In our new CNN/"USA Today" Gallup Poll out today, 60 percent of those surveyed say it was not worth going to war in Iraq. That's a clear about face from shortly after the invasion three years ago when 68 percent of Americans said the war was worth it.
And when we asked which is more likely to happen in Iraq, civil war or stable government, 55 percent said civil war, 40 percent said stable government. Right now the White House clearly in the midst of a campaign to try to turn public opinion on Iraq around. Is there any connection between that P.R. offensive and Operation Swarmer.
Our White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is joining us now from the White House with more. Elaine?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Wolf. Well, officials here at the White House deny that there was any kind of coordination on that front. They say the decision to attack today was made by the commanders on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO (voice-over): Nearly three years after the Iraq War began a reminder that the U.S. military's mission there continues.
Thursday's air assault near Samarra comes just as President Bush is engaged in renewed push to turn around public falling opinion on Iraq. The White House dismissed any suggestion that the assault or military's effort to publicize it was timed to go with this latest P.R. campaign, saying the president's authorization wasn't required.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He knows about the operation and he's been briefed on it but this is decision that is made by commanders who are in the best position to make the tactical decisions about the operations that are undertaken.
QUIJANO: The White House also released its updated national security strategy, emphasizing worldwide democracy as the best defense for America. The plan says the U.S. will strive to use diplomacy first but does not back away from doctrine of preemption, saying, quote, "To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will, if necessary, act preemptively in exercising our inherent right of self defense."
The national security adviser defended the doctrine.
STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: And the president believes that we must remember the clearest lesson of September 11, that the United States of America must confront threats before they fully materialize.
QUIJANO: But some say that staunch defense of preemption ignores the lessons of Iraq.
SUSAN RICE, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: We thought that we knew that Iraq was the most pressing threat because it possessed weapons of mass destruction. It did not. We preempted. We're now in a long-term entanglement in Iraq. We need to do our best to make sure it doesn't devolve into civil war and that the insurgents and the terrorists are put down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Now administration officials insist they have learned a lesson about needing better intelligence in the future. They argue that Iraq is not a preemptive war, saying that 12 years of diplomacy preceded the U.S. invasion.
BLITZER: All right. Elaine, thank you very much. Why did it take almost three years for the U.S. military to launch an operation of this scale and what's behind this new air assault?
Let's turn for some answers to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. What are they saying over there at the Pentagon about this Operation Swarmer, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, it is a legitimate military operation but I have to tell you here at the Pentagon they are a little cool to the prospect that this is different than any of the many, many offensive operations that have been launched over the last three years and a growing number of operations that they do jointly with Iraqi forces. Certainly it is larger. No question about that.
And certainly, the feeling was that they had intelligence the Iraqis had developed and that they wanted to move quickly into this area and going in by helicopter in a classic air assault mode was the quickest way to get there and preserve that tactical surprise, if you will, moving into this rural spread out area, 10 square miles, without risking the possibility of being seen having that element of surprise.
So whether it is substantively different and whether it makes a difference to all of the sectarian violence that's going on in so many parts of Iraq really remains to be seen, Wolf.
BLITZER: And briefly, Barbara, what are they saying why they didn't bring reporters along to watch this?
STARR: Very good question, Wolf. No good answers tonight to that. Here at the Pentagon to be totally candid with you and all of your viewers, our viewers here at CNN, the Pentagon has no answer to that. We have asked and they said they did not even know here that the operation was about to happen. They claim they did not know.
Embeds, if you will, those journalists going along have usually been arranged either out of the Pentagon or the military in Baghdad and tonight nobody has a very good answer on why U.S. journalists were not along on this mission.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr. Thank you very much. Iraq's new parliament, by the way, convened for the first time today and that's about all it did. The lawmakers who were elected in December took the oath of office amid very tight security and then they adjourned after only about 30 minutes.
Members are sharply divided, as you know, over the selection of a new government and they want to reach a consensus before official votes are held. We're watching this story as well.
Let's go to CNN Center in Atlanta for a quick check of other news making headlines. Zain Verjee joining us. Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.
They are playing basketball in San Diego's Cox Arena right now but just a little bit earlier a bomb scare delayed the arrival of March Madness to San Diego for about an hour.
NCAA tournament officials say that fans were evacuated when a bomb sniffing dog detected a suspicious package. Police later gave the all clear.
In life she inspired millions to join the civil rights movement and to help remake American society. Now even in death, Rosa Parks could still be an inspiring change. Alabama lawmakers considering overturning Parks' conviction for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955. It would be part of a mass pardon of hundreds, possibly thousands of people convicted under the state's segregation laws.
And it won't come as much of a surprise that pop star Jessica Simpson has to snub many of the men who pursue her but you might be surprised at who she turned down having dinner with in Washington tonight. Simpson declined an invitation to attend a Republican fund- raiser with President Bush. Her manager and manager insists that Jessica - these are his words now, "loves the heck out of the president" but he says his daughter didn't want to politicize her visit to the nation's capital on behalf of an organization that provides facial surgery for children with deformities and cleft lip called Operation Smile.
Wolf?
BLITZER: A good organization, indeed. Zain, thank you very much. Let's check in with Jack. "The Cafferty File" standing by. Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, on the same day the military launched its largest air assault operation in Iraq since the invasion of that country three years ago, the White House reiterated its belief in the doctrine of preemptive war. The updated national security strategy says this country will strive to use diplomacy first but will not rule out preemptive action to head off terror threats.
It also warns that the U.S., quote, "May face for greater challenge than Iran," unquote, and it says North Korea is a major concern, as well.
National security adviser Stephen Hadley says the policy of preemption remains "sound," his word, even though weapons of mass destruction never turned up in Iraq. Here's the question then.
Is a preemptive strategy an effective way to fight terrorism? Email us at caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to cnn.com/cafferty file.
BLITZER: Thanks, Jack. Jack will be back later this hour with your email.
Coming up, President Bush at an all-time low in the polls so why can't the Democrats seemingly get much traction. John Roberts standing by with the story.
Plus, the largest air assault since the start of the war. Is this the right strategy to break the insurgency? The former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
And are New York Republicans still suffering from trying to challenge Senator Hillary Clinton? We're going to take a closer look at the difficulties the GOP is having in taking on the junior senator from New York. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: It's happening at this moment here in Washington. You're looking at a live picture of a huge Republican fund-raiser where President Bush is clearly the star attraction. The event underway even as that huge U.S.-led air assault operation on insurgents in Iraq continuing.
Tonight Mr. Bush expected to help raise at least $7.5 million, maybe more, for GOP congressional candidates. Many of those candidates are certainly eager to accept the president's fund-raising help but at the same time they are also concerned that his political problems will hurt them on Election Day.
Our chief national correspondent John King has been watching all of this. The Republicans' relationship with the president. He's standing by with more. John?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Wolf, it is a tough time for the president and his party. You had that open warfare. Republicans disagreeing when the president wanted to allow an Arab company to take over U.S. ports. Disagreements over spending. A huge brewing internal Republican war coming over the president's immigration proposal.
But as you noted, they are gathering for dinner tonight. The president and House Republicans breaking bread and there are more than eight million reasons why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): Even in the middle of a family feud, the president remains the Republican Party's top fund-raising attraction.
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thanks for joining this great festival that celebrates the Republican Party of the great state of Georgia and God bless.
KING: Six presidential events so far this year have raised $12.6 million for the Republican Party. Adding 20 more events last year and the president has raked in $88.1 million for the GOP in the 2005-2006 cycle with nearly eight months still to go.
BILL MCINTURFF, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: George Bush is still the most popular figure in the Republican Party. He is by far our best fund raiser.
KING: Popular, yes, but even among Republicans the president's numbers are down some leading to GOP worries he won't be as big an asset he was in the 2002 and 2004 election cycles.
His approval rating among Republicans for Republicans, for example, is still 75 percent. But that's down 16 points from a year ago.
And Iraq as it is with the over all electorate is the biggest drag on Mr. Bush's standing. Seventy percent of Republicans now say it was worth going to war in Iraq, still strong, but down 20 points from when the war started three years ago.
MCINTURFF: Yeah. There's a little bit of squishiness. KING: It's a long way from March to November but if Mr. Bush's struggles continue, he could find he's not as welcome late in this campaign as in years past.
CHARLIE BLACK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Some Republicans that might be running in swing districts in a close race might say, well, gosh, maybe I shouldn't have the president come in and campaign this October. But you know what, most want him to come in and do fund raising this part of the year.
So the president is a big help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: And as the president speaks live at that dinner for House Republicans, the party has put out an updated total. They say they will raise more than $8 million of that dinner tonight. That puts the president at about $96 million for the cycle. He will certainly surpass $100 million but as that number goes up and Republicans welcome all of that money what they say they would like most of all, Wolf, is for the president's poll numbers to head up, too.
BLITZER: John, thanks very much. And while President Bush is trying to help his party raise cash, lots of it right now, he's also helping to raise Democrats 'spirits. Many members of the minority party are hoping that his troubles will be their ticket to victory this fall. But will it really turn out that way? Here's our senior national correspondent, John Roberts. John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With his poll numbers in the mid 30s doldrums, people are asking how can President Bush pull himself out of the hole he's in and improve Republican fortunes for November? As one Republican told me, there may not be an answer to that question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): It is a sharp second term downturn not unlike what Ronald Reagan suffered in his sixth year. Ken Duberstein was part of the team brought in to resurrect that White House.
KEN DUBERSTEIN, FORMER REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: I think he's in a pickle on Iraq right now. He and his team keep saying that we're making progress and yet the TV screens show all of these bombs going off and all of these bodies being buried, etc.
ROBERTS: President Reagan recovered from the Iran-Contra scandal by shaking up his staff and focusing on a series of small victories. President Bush is being urged to do the same but it may be far more difficult to dig out from an increasingly unpopular war.
DUBERSTEIN: It's not just saying we have a plan for victory but need to spell it out so that the American people have a buy in. It's getting awfully late for that.
ROBERTS: The president is politically wounded yet Democrats are still having problems gaining traction with voters. The chief reason? For years, says party chairman Howard Dean, they haven't had a forcefully articulated, clear message.
HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: I think over the years we have not understood that when the American people want change, we have to provide them with a vehicle for change. What we are now doing is positioning the Democratic Party as that agent of change.
ROBERTS: But can that strategy ignite a 1994 style upheaval when Republicans reversed decades of Democratic control in Congress. Republican strategist Rich Galen believes there is one critical element missing.
RICH GALEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The Democrats are looking at 1994 as their model and they are missing one essential piece and that essential piece is Newt Gingrich. In 1994, we only had one guy leading the parade.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: The poll numbers for Democrats are improving but many Democrats are worried about a leadership deficit. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are seen as a competent managers but not compelling. Not the type of people to lead a wholesale voter revolution. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks very much, John Roberts.
And to our viewers, remember you are in THE SITUATION ROOM, where political news is arriving all of the time. CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
Still to come, the assault now underway against Iraqi insurgents. Will it make a difference on the ground in Iraq or on the political battlefield here at home? The former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, our guest, here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
And it seems that challenging Hillary Clinton is, in fact, challenging. We'll look at the trials and tribulations of current and former rivals from the senator of New York. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's head back to Zain at the CNN Center for some other news making headlines around the world. Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf, students in France are turning up the heat on the Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over a controversial jobs law. Stone throwing protesters clashed with police in Paris today. Protests right across France have really gained momentum in the past week. Critics say the new law reduces employment protection for young people.
Tonight the Bush administration may be moving toward a direct dialogue with Iran's Islamic government. Now, just hours ago, Iran offered to hold talks with the United States on issues related to Iraq. It's the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution that Tehran has proposed talks in Washington. The White House says the U.S. ambassador to Iraq is authorized to hold such discussions with Iranian officials. The administration, though, emphasizing that the mandate does not include discussions of Iran's nuclear program but it could signal an important foreign relation.
Ecuador is in the midst of a severe political crisis at this hour. An indigenous leader is rejecting calls from the country's president to end protests against free trade talks with Washington. Hundreds of indigenous people are blockading roads with trees. They have been burning tires and basically disrupting traffic all around the country. They are saying that they are going to overthrow the government if a free trade deal is signed with the United States.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Zain Verjee reporting.
Just ahead, massive air assault operation happening right now in Iraq is our top story. The former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will join us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Plus, facing off against Senator Clinton. Why Republican challengers are finding it so challenging.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: More now on our developing story we're following in Iraq right now. Operation Swarmer, the largest air assault operation in Iraq since the start of the war three years ago is underway right now. Some 1,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops targeting insurgents in and around Samarra. It started at dawn and so far U.S. military officials say they have detained 30 people and found five stockpiles of weapons.
Soldiers are trying to cordon off an area outside of the city and explosions could be heard throughout the night. We're watching this story around the clock. Let's bring in our CNN reporter Tom Foreman. He is watching it, as well. Even as we speak it is unfolding. What are you seeing, Tom?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is an area of intense interest to military forces. This is that mosque that blew up a couple weeks ago. It doesn't look like this anymore. Big crater there.
But what's important is where this is located. Samarra is about 65 miles north of Baghdad. They are focusing both within Samarra and just north of that a little bit.
But if we widen out, we can put some historic perspective on this. About three years ago when the war began, basically the entire country was controlled by Saddam. The Kurdish area up north was a no- fly zone, and they had pretty good sway up there, so they didn't have quite as much strength.
But then U.S. forces came sweeping in from Kuwait and over the next two years, they pretty thoroughly established that this part of the country was under control -- not always coalition forces, often we were talking about the simple fact that they were supported by Iraqis and by the local population liking them.
The problem has remained over here in the Sunni area. That's been the biggest problem and specifically in what's called the Sunni Triangle, which we light up right here, and you see that Samarra is right in the middle of it. This has been one of the heaviest areas of activity.
So when they launched this assault in this area, they are trying to take this triangle, and as a cornerstone of all of this area over here, out of play if they can or at least dampen some of the enthusiasm for the insurgency there.
That's why Samarra is a target because it is the cornerstone of what is left of the area that Saddam Hussein in his trial yesterday was appealing to when he said Iraqis rise up and defend your nation.
BLITZER: It's easier said than done. This is a huge operation, but it's by no means a done deal. Tom, thank you very much.
And as we have been reporting, U.S. troops on the hunt right now for those insurgents in Iraq, but are Americans tired of the war? As we noted in our newest poll, more than two-thirds now say the situation in Iraq was not worth going to war over.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Joining us from New York is the former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.
Madam Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to be with you, Wolf.
BLITZER: What do you say? Was it worth it, going to war in Iraq?
ALBRIGHT: Well, it is certainly is good that Saddam Hussein is gone, but I honestly think that the incompetence in which the post invasion plans were put together, and the chaos that is now existing in Iraq makes one really question it, and the over 2,000 American lives that have been lost.
I think it would have been worth it if it had been planned properly. I actually thought that this was a war of choice but the truth is, the planning of it, and the carrying out of it has been incompetent. And it's our troops that are the brilliant part of this, but the Washington planning of it has not worked.
BLITZER: The air assault operation underway right now, Operation Swarmer, it's a joint U.S.-Iraqi military campaign to try to deal with insurgents north of Baghdad. I assume you think this is good that Iraqi forces now maybe up to speed, are getting ready to cooperate with U.S. forces in these kinds of operations? ALBRIGHT: Well, it is. That's the idea. We have to see how much they are really doing and how up to speed they are. I hope it is well coordinated. As I say, I have a great deal of confidence in our troops.
I was listening to your report. They so far haven't found insurgents, so I hope very much that the coincidence of this being the third anniversary of the beginning of the war and the finding of intelligence to launch this Swarmer Operation really produces the insurgents.
BLITZER: Well, are you suggesting or implying that there may be some political motive in launching this operation?
ALBRIGHT: No, I just think it is a very interesting day. The operation, the putting out of the national security strategy, the president going out. I admire the coordination.
BLITZER: So it is sort of like changing the subject, is that what you are saying?
ALBRIGHT: I hope that this all works, because I have great faith in our military.
BLITZER: But it would be pretty devastating if the U.S. military and American lives were put on the line, put in danger, to try to help the president politically, because that's the implication of what I hear you saying.
ALBRIGHT: No, I am not saying that. I think that they have managed to have an important day in terms of putting out the national security strategy, and putting this Operation Swarmer into place. I hope that the intelligence matches what they are trying to do. I admire the military.
BLITZER: Let me read to you from this new national security strategy, this segment, on Iraq. "This administration inherited an Iraq threat that was unresolved. We have no doubt that the world is a better place for the removal of this dangerous and unpredictable tyrant, and we have no doubt that the world is better off if tyrants know that they pursue WMD, weapons of mass destruction, at their own peril."
Basically, they're suggesting they inherited this problem from you, from the Clinton administration.
ALBRIGHT: They inherited a sanctions regime that had Saddam Hussein in a box. We now know that he did not have any weapons of mass destruction, and so, they inherited quite a different situation. And as I've said, this was a war of choice, not of necessity.
There was not an imminent threat, and the administration should have kept its eye on the ball on Afghanistan, which is far from finished, as you know, Wolf. There have been greater and greater problems in Afghanistan, despite the efforts of President Karzai. BLITZER: Listen to what General John Abizaid, the military central commander, said as he testified yesterday, before Congress. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL JOHN ABIZAID, MILITARY CENTRAL COMMANDER: I believe that we are not on the verge of a civil war. I believe that the sectarian issues are controllable, and I believe that the government of national unity will emerge, and I believe that the Iraqi security forces will continue to improve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Do you agree with him on all those points, because they're pretty upbeat?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I hope he's right. It certainly doesn't look as though the problems among the various groups in Iraq are being resolved. I hope very much that the political situation can evolve in that way, because despite the Operation Swarmer, there is not a military solution to all of this. And the political process has to go forward.
I was very interested to see that our ambassador there is going to be able to talk to the Iranians about some of this, because they clearly have a growing influence in the area, and I hope very much that that happens.
BLITZER: Well I know that Ambassador Khalilzad is authorized to speak to Iranians. He told me last Sunday that hasn't started yet. I want to read to you a quote from Peter Galbraith, a former U.S. ambassador to Croatia, someone who worked with you, you know him.
ALBRIGHT: I do.
BLITZER: He know as lot about countries that disintegrate into various ethnic, sectarian violence, based on his experience in the Balkans. "Rather than the folly of continuing a course of action of holding a country together where the residents clearly don't want it, we would do much better to have a managed breakup." He's referring now to a managed breakup potentially of Iraq, Shiite/Sunni/Kurd. Is that a smart strategy?
ALBRIGHT: Well I know that Ambassador Galbraith has talked about that. I think that there might be huge, unintended consequences to that, because the Kurds -- obviously there are Kurds in other countries, in Turkey, and Iran, Azerbaijan, various places -- and that would create a knock-on effect on that.
The south would just enlarge its power with Iran, and I'm very worried that a breakup of the country would create that kind of momentum. I hope, and wish that there's some way to have a unified, centralized government with a certain amount of autonomous power for the various regions, but I personally would be worried about the unintended consequences. BLITZER: Let's talk about the strategy of preemptive strikes, reaffirmed by the administration today in its national security strategy in this document. It says this, "there are a few greater threats than a terrorist attack with WMD. To forestall or prevent such hostile acts by our adversaries, the United States will if necessary, act preemptively in exercising our inherent right of self- defense."
Do you support this policy of preemptive strikes?
ALBRIGHT: Well, first of all, every country does have a right to self defense. I think the problem has been in creating a doctrine out of it and making it possible for other countries to think about it.
What they are talking about is prevention of war. I think the part that is the real Achilles Heel of the whole aspect of this is inaccurate intelligence, and that is what worries me, is that putting this kind of inherent right to self defense out as a doctrine, without having proper intelligence, I think is very worrisome.
I don't think the doctrine as stated has gone over particularly well. I don't think it has made us any safer, and I'm surprised that they have reiterated it in this way, in this document.
By the way, Wolf, I teach a course on national security, and my students have been wondering, where is the national security strategy document? We've still been working off 2002. They were supposed to issue it once a year. So I'm really glad that I now have something new to give my students.
BLITZER: It's almost 40 pages, they'll have something to read. I read it earlier today. Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, thanks for joining us.
ALBRIGHT: Thank you, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And up ahead, her rivals face a series of setbacks. Why Hillary Clinton's challengers are finding this Senate race so challenging.
Plus, when is a terrorist a hero? We're going to look at a new movie that explores the fine line.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Most observers agree beating Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York Senate race will be a very tough battle for the state's Republican Party. But it also turns out so is finding a strong candidate. CNN's Mary Snow is joining us from New York with more on this story. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, for a state that hosted the National Republican Convention less than two years ago and is home to GOP stars like Rudy Giuliani, political observers say New York's Republican Party has recently taken a dramatic turn.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Call it the Hillary Clinton quandary. Two women, one who failed to unseat her in the Senate, the other challenging Clinton, are both suffering new setbacks.
The current contender, KT McFarland. Just two weeks into her campaign, she admits she hasn't voted in several recent elections. Under pressure from state conservatives, Republican leaders say the party is moving towards supporting her conservative opponent, John Spencer, to take on Senator Clinton.
BETH FOUGHY, POLITICAL WRITER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: A lot of conservatives really hate her, thought they'd have a race here which would really, really weaken her for a presidential campaign. We haven't seen that yet, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen.
SNOW: Touted as the party's golden girl, Republicans had first placed bets on Jeanine Pirro. But hopes faded in August when she announced her challenge to Senator Clinton, during a speech where she lost her place. Pirro eventually dropped out of that race, opting to run instead for state attorney general.
Now another gap, on geography. Listen to Pirro comment during a radio interview about upstate New York, a traditionally Republican area.
JEANINE PIRRO, FORMER SENATE CANDIDATE (voice-over): You know, New York is a beautiful, beautiful place, and I've been to Chautauqua County, which is all the way on the West Coast. I should say on the west end of New York, bordering Ohio.
SNOW: New York actually borders Pennsylvania. An innocent mistake, yes, but some say it underscores the fact that the state party lacks a mapping strategy to oppose Senator Clinton.
FREDERIC DICKER, STATE EDITOR, NEW YORK POST: The White House wanted one thing from the New York Republican Party, they wanted a strong challenger to Hillary Clinton. They didn't get it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: New York's Democrats, as you might expect, are crowing, sending Jeanine Pirro a map of New York state. Now Pirro's camp calls it a childish games and is touting her credentials on the issue. And as for the Senate race, Republican KT McFarland plans to press ahead in her challenge of Senator Clinton. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Mary, thank you very much. Federal computers critical to national security could be vulnerable to hackers, terrorists and identity thieves. That's according to a congressional report that has just been released. Our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton has the report card. Abbi? ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, overall the government got a D+ on their computer security, but some critical agencies actually did a lot worse. The departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Energy all receiving a failing grade for their computer security.
A government report warns of the dangers of faulty computer security. What they point out is that operations critical to national security could be disrupted or Social Security numbers or taxpayer information could be disclosed.
Some of the agencies cited were there today to defend themselves and an official from Homeland Security who received an F grade cited new security initiatives that that department is doing and promised real and measurable improvements in the near future. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Abbi, for that. Let's go off to New York. Paula Zahn is standing by with a preview of what's coming up in a few moments at the top of the hour. Paula?
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks Wolf, about 14 minutes from now we're going to take a look at an eye-opening test that's advertised as foolproof in predicting whether you're going to have a boy or a girl. Why we are finding some very surprised and some very outraged moms. We launched an investigation because of all of that. You'll see it tonight. And what makes gambling so appealing to some women? You're going to be surprised at what science has discovered. Women don't do it for the same reasons that men gamble. Please join me at the top of the hour for one of the mysteries of the mind. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Paula, we certainly will. Up ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, "V is for Vendetta," it's a new movie where the hero, get this, is actually a terrorist. The hero is a terrorist. Are Americans ready for this political twist?
Plus, America in debt to the tune of trillions of dollars, with much more expected. Ali Velshi has the "Bottom Line." Stay with us.
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BLITZER: The new movie "V is for Vendetta," actually called "V for Vendetta" opens tomorrow. It's raising new questions about heroes and terrorists, what some would say a fine line that separates them, at least on occasion. CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Los Angeles for us, he's got the story. Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, when a real terrorists blew up a London subway last summer, the film's crew had just finished shooting a similar scene. And this movie raises interesting questions about how we define a terrorist.
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LAWRENCE (voice-over): If America was under attack by a man who tries to blow up subways and bring down the government, would he empathize with a president who said this? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen, I want this terrorist found and I want him to understand what terror really means.
LAWRENCE: That's the British leader in "V for Vendetta," set in a totalitarian London of the future. But he's the film's bad guy. The hero is the terrorist trying to free the people from oppression.
MICHAEL MANN, UCLA: One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
LAWRENCE: Historians say the labels can change with time. The Irish Republican army has been considered a terrorist organization. So was South Africa's ANC, run by Nelson Mandela.
DAVID KUNZLE, UCLA: And at the time, while he was still in jail, he was called by the U.S. government, a terrorist. What is he called now? Hero.
LAWRENCE: Just recently Palestinians elected Hamas to lead their government.
MANN: No doubt if the Palestinians ever develop a real state, some of the terrorists will be seen as heroes.
LAWRENCE: Can a movie change perceptions? Some say September 11th started a cultural shift in this country. Americans who instinctively rooted for the weak over the strong, underdog over oppressor, could have a hard time identifying with a terrorist.
MANN: If it is a normal movie and we're supposed to sympathize with him and the audience doesn't, well that will be I think a first. I can't think of another movie where there's an anti-hero in quite that way.
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LAWRENCE: Now this film was postponed from November. The studio says it needed more time to finish, but some say it was out of sensitivity to last year's bombings in London. Wolf?
BLITZER: Chris Lawrence in L.A. for us, thank you, Chris. Let's go to New York. Ali Velshi's standing by with the "Bottom Line." Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, what do you do when you get close to maxing out your credit card? You call up the issuing bank and ask for an increase in your credit limit and that's exactly what the U.S. government has done. The Senate said yes, increasing the amount that the U.S. can borrow to $9 trillion. That gives the government some breathing room because today the national debt, and I get to bring out my scroll, this is the national debt, eight trillion, 270 billion dollars.
Now, you've got to give them a little bit of credit. It's not cheap to run this country. It's not cheap to campaign for office either. You see, when President Bush or Vice President Cheney show up in your neck of the woods to stump for a local candidate, you actually get to pick up a big part of their travel bill.
That news comes out from a report issued by Congressman Henry Waxman's office, he's a Democrat from California. The report says that it costs over $56,000 per hour to operate Air Force One. Reimbursement is required for the president and the vice president and their staffs any time they make a campaign-related trip.
But here's the catch. Local campaigns only have to reimburse the government the amount that it would have cost to fly on a commercial flight. We spoke with Congressman Waxman's staff, who say that the president and vice president are not doing anything illegal, but Waxman wants Americans to know that the rules actually allow this sort of thing.
This year the Waxman Study estimates that $7.2 million in campaign travel costs will be spent by the White House. Taxpayers will likely pay all of it, with the exception of about $200,000. Well whenever you lose paying for campaigns in your taxes, you can make up in the markets. The Dow closed today at another high for the year, closing about 43 points higher at 11,253. The Nasdaq was lower by 12 points to 2,229. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Ali, for that. Still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, President Bush reasserting his doctrine of preemptive strikes. But is that the best way to fight terrorism? Jack Cafferty is going through your e-mail. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Liberals are ready to award George Clooney an Oscar for his comments on Arianna Huffington's popular political blog, but did he actually write it? Jacki Schechner is tracking the story online. Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the short answer is no. Here is what happened according to Arianna. She met George Clooney at a party, he asked how the whole blogging thing works, she sent him a sample. A publicist on his team said go ahead and run it, and she did. Clooney is not happy. Here's his official statement.
"With my permission, Miss Huffington compiled the sample from interview with Larry King and "The Guardian." What she most certainly did not get my permission to do is to combine only my answers in a blog that misleads the reader into thinking that I wrote this piece. These are not my writings, they are answers to questions and there is a huge difference."
Wolf, Arianna says this whole thing is a big misunderstanding.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jacki. Jack Cafferty never has a misunderstanding. He's got "The Cafferty File."
CAFFERTY: Only when I'm away from the house am I free of misunderstandings. The White House repeated its belief in the doctrine of preemptive war today in its new national security strategy. It wars the U.S. may quote, "face no greater challenge than Iran." The question is, is a preemptive strategy an effective way to fight terrorism? Here's some of what you've written this evening.
Mike in Pittsburgh: The effect so far has been to a put a bull's eye on every American traveling overseas, not to mention the positive effect it has shown in Iraq. I feel much safer now.
Matt in New York writes: I've had it with these guys. They shouldn't do anything preemptively. Now that Dick Cheney et al have started beating the drum on Iran, we'll almost certainly have to have a draft. These guys have the reverse Midas Touch and I think they just put us in ever more danger.
Richard in Pennsylvania: Yes, thank God we have a president that doesn't need to hold up his finger to the sky to make decisions like his predecessor.
Isabelle in Florida: Preemptive threat to the rest of the world is terrorism in itself and making a whole country pay for a few is wrong. We should get the individuals with good spy techniques like we used to.
Steve writes from Birmingham, Alabama: Yes, but only if our troops are not spread too thinly as in Afghanistan and Iraq.
And Dennis in Peachtree City, Georgia: The policy is like a rich man with a leaky roof, hiring hundreds of people with buckets to run around on his roof trying to catch all the rain drops and never fixing the leak.
Wolf?
BLITZER: You've got to admit though, Jack, it's never dull watching this story unfold.
CAFFERTY: Well, and I suppose making the statement that preemptive strikes are a part of our strategy and are very much on the table when they're fighting the war on terror, maybe would make somebody like that weird little guy in North Korea think twice. You'd hope so, huh?
BLITZER: Let's hope. Thanks, Jack, see you tomorrow.
CAFFERTY: You bet.
BLITZER: Remember, we're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekdays 4:00-to- 6:00 p.m. Eastern, back 7:00 p.m. Eastern. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Let's go to New York. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" starts.
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