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The Situation Room
Gates to Focus Less on Day-to-Day Operations at Microsoft; U.S. Casualty Count in Iraq Reaches 2,500
Aired June 15, 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: 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, why would the world's richest man want to work anyway? It's 4:00 p.m. in Redmond, Washington, where Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announces plans to pursue other passions. Does this mean hard times for the software giant?
It's 3:00 a.m. in Iraq where the toll on American troops reaches a grim new milestone. As the war sparks a war of words on Capitol Hill, I'll speak with the Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
And American Catholics debate a big change in the way they say mass. Have they been saying it the wrong way? I'm Wolf Blitzer you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We begin with a story of one Gate closing while another one opens up wider. Starting in 1975 Bill Gates helped moved Microsoft from obscurity to a company whose products the word seemingly can't do without. Now Gates says it's time to train his immense skills on another very important project. Let's bring in our Ali Velshi following this developing story. Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Wolf, it was a massive market day today and by 4 o'clock eastern most business watchers thought the biggest news of the day was over. What they didn't know is half an hour later we'd get this announcement from Bill Gates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: What do you give a billionaire who seemingly has it all? Bill Gates says a little bit of work relief. In a bombshell announcement, the world's richest man, head of one of the world's most well known companies says it's time to step down from his day to day role.
BILL GATES, MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER: The change we're announcing today is not a retirement. It's a reordering of my priorities.
VELSHI: Gates says he gradually wants to focus less on running Microsoft and by July 2008 focus more on the humanitarian foundation he runs with his wife.
GATES: There's a common thread to my different work at Microsoft and at the foundation. It's a sense of optimism that smart, committed people, with the right support and vision can have a huge impact. It's about using technology, not just for the privileged few, but for everyone.
VELSHI: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's largest philanthropy organization. It has assets of nearly $30 billion. In March I spoke with Bill Gates about his foundation and the importance of education.
GATES: Well virtually all the jobs in the future will require college-type education. So the whole shift in the economy means it's not just the Microsofts and the (INAUDIBLE), it's every job in this economy will require that. Education is a complex topic. It's one of the two focuses my foundation has. It's something I'm very passionate about.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: And the other focus of Bill Gates' foundation is health care. Bill Gates says that he's stepping down. He says Microsoft is in good hands. He's got two people who are going to train to replace him over the next two years. He'll remain chairman and by the Wolf, profit at Microsoft is about $1 billion a month.
BLITZER: Not too shabby. What do the markets show after the closing, any word on the after hours, what's going on?
VELSHI: Yeah, you know there was some worry that of course there would be some market reaction. But the shares of Microsoft are actually trading a little higher, so investors seem to feel secure that Microsoft is in good hands.
BLITZER: Ali thanks very much. With Bill Gates at the helm, Microsoft as all of us know, played a fundamental role in technology, computers and the Internet. Let's bring in our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner, she's watching the story as well. Jackie?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf you won't be surprised that the Microsoft Web site is comprehensive. They archived today's press conference, you can go online and see for yourself. Here you can see Bill Gates discussing the announcement and what you can get on the Web site is not only today's announcement, the press release of what the plans are for the next couple of years, you can also get Bill Gates' past speeches. They've got everything from his 1996 speech on the future of the personal computer to PowerPoint presentations that Gates gave just last month. Again you can go online and get the press conference from earlier today and all of the information about Bill Gates himself. Wolf?
BLITZER: Alright Jacki thanks very much. Other news we're following tonight, the fate of American troops on the line in the battlefields of Iraq and in the United States congress. The pentagon today announced that 2,500 U.S. service men and women have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war more than three years ago. The White House Press Secretary Tony Snow calls it a sad benchmark. And on Capitol Hill a bitter house debate today over the state of the Iraq mission and when to bring the troops home. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is following the war over the war. Candy?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf most of the country currently thinks the war in Iraq was a bad idea. But Americans are divided over how soon and under what conditions the U.S. should pull out. That brings us to the house debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: A house divided debating a controversial war five months before an election produce sound bites and fury.
REP. JOHN MURTHA, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: I know standing here does not solve the problem and it hasn't gotten better. It's gotten worse that's the problem.
CROWLEY: They argued over the rationale for war, the conduct of war, when and how to end the war.
REP. IKE SKELTON, (D) MISSOURI: We have just reached a sad milestone, 2,500 Americans have lost their lives in the Iraq war.
CROWLEY: But first they went silent over the cost of war. Otherwise it was an agonizing antagonizing acrid debate over a republican resolution.
REP. JANE HARMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: This resolution in my view is a press release for staying the course in Iraq.
REP. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART, (R) FLORIDA: We must take the war to international terrorism and defeat international terrorism before the terrorists attack us. That is the debate of our era.
CROWLEY: The resolution basically backs with policy in Iraq, ties it to the war on terror and includes this. It is not in the national security of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal of redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER, (R) CALIFORNIA: Let's send this message to every soldier, every marine who's watching this thing from the mess halls in Mosul and Tikrit and Baghdad and Fallujah, the message that the United States House of Representatives stands with them.
REP. MAXINE WATERS, (D) CALIFORNIA: It's a trap. It's an attempt to force democrats to sign on to a resolution that will do nothing to bring our troops home. All they want to make us sound is if we're unpatriotic.
CROWLEY: Debate talking points from the pentagon and the republican majority circulated the hill. Democrats called the resolution a cheap election year ploy. Republicans called it a vital election year debate with huge consequence.
REP. CHARLES NORWOOD, (R) GEORGIA: Is it Al Qaeda or is it America. Let the voters take note of this debate.
CROWLEY: The resolution has no force of law. Its political implications could be huge.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: Over in the senate where several democratic members are talking about a time table for withdrawal of troops, republicans sought to force the issue with a proposal of their own to pull out all combat troops by the end of the year. The idea was to expose democratic divisions over the wisdom of a time table. The proposal was shelved, but expect a fuller debate in the senate next week. Wolf?
BLITZER: Alright Candy thanks very much. After the killing of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi last week, the U.S. military found what it's calling a treasure trove of information in the rubble of his safe house. Those captured documents are said to show that the group is now in serious trouble. CNN's John Vause has the story from Baghdad. John?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf the information was recovered from computer hardware and documents found in the rubble of Zarqawi's safe house and in raids carried out before and after the U.S. air strike which killed the terrorist leader. And in the week since Zarqawi's death, U.S. and Iraqi forces have carried out hundreds of raids, killing more than 100 insurgents and arresting more than 700. According to Iraq's national security adviser, Al Qaeda in Iraq is now at breaking point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQ NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have managed to confiscate a very important document. These documents belong to Al Qaeda in Iraq and the insurgents and terrorists working inside Iraq. We believe that this is the beginning of the end of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: One of these documents apparently called death and destruction gave Al Qaeda's assessment in Iraq as being bleak because of the growing number of Iraqi forces, the inability to draw new recruits, a squeeze on funds and also the confiscation of weapons and ammunition. To deal with what was called a crisis, Al Qaeda planned to draw the United States into a wider conflict, possibly sparking a war with Iran. To do that, Al Qaeda was planning to carry out attacks and to plant evidence to make it look like the Iranians were responsible. Also to leak false information that Iran had weapons of mass destruction and was planning a terrorist attack on the United States. CNN could not verify the authenticity of these documents, but the Iraqi national security adviser says this is just the tip of the iceberg and more information will be released in coming days. Wolf?
BLITZER: Alright John thanks very much. John Vause in Baghdad.
It didn't take Al Qaeda in Iraq long to name a new leader and the U.S. military today showed a photo of Abu Ayub Al Masri, an Egyptian whose believed to have replaced Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. The military says Al Masri became a terrorist in 1982, received training in Afghanistan and was a founding member of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Jack Cafferty is off this week, he'll be back on Monday. Coming up, house democrats weigh action against one of their own, a congressman embroiled in a bribery investigation. Is he being frozen out for allegedly stashing cash in his freezer?
Who's afraid of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton? We'll have the answer and consider whether the fear is justified.
And targeting the Taliban from the air and on the ground, an inside look at allied forces right now on the hunt for insurgents in Afghanistan. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. House democrats are meeting behind closed doors right now. They're deciding whether to take dramatic action against one of their own and to make a statement about corruption in the process. Tonight Congressman William Jefferson says he's being treated unfairly and he's being targeted unfairly as well and he didn't stick around to find out his own fate. Our congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel is on the hill, she's following all of the latest developments. Andrea?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, for the second hour now, house democrats are sequestered in the door behind me or behind the door behind me, trying to debate and eventually vote on whether or not they're going to force William Jefferson to temporarily relinquish his position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. As you know the house democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has been trying to get Jefferson to do so voluntarily, he's refused. A short time ago, the congressman emerged from that closed door meeting where he was trying to ask his fellow colleagues to put themselves in his shoes as he explained to them why he still refused to budge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON, (D) LOUISIANA: We have four rules in the caucus dealing with discipline. And each of them deals with a case where a member is indicted. And in each of those cases, it deals with the member stepping aside if he's a ranking member or a chairman or if that person is in leadership. There are no rules that discipline members in any other way by leaving a committee.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Now reporters also asked Congressman Jefferson if he believed as other congressman have alleged that he is being pushed aside because he is black.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFERSON: It's never happened before and the first time it's happening, it's happening to an African-American and it does raise issues. We will have to see what the caucus does.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Now if the democratic caucus does vote to force Jefferson to step aside Wolf, there would still have to be an up or down vote on the floor of the house. We'll keep you posted. Wolf?
BLITZER: Thanks Andrea. If you get word, let us know and we will bring that to our viewers right away.
It's a tempting question, who's afraid of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's reelection bid in New York State? Her opponent thinks he knows who and you may be surprised to learn whom he's pointing a finger at. Our Mary Snow is New York with the latest. Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf a republican underdog challenging Senator Hillary Clinton in New York is gaining attention for a new radio ad that's taking aim at his own party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Is Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton instilling fear among republicans? New York republican senate hopeful John Spencer thinks so. He's trailing Clinton by roughly 30 points in polls and he's putting part of the blame on the national GOP brass.
JOHN SPENCER, (R) N.Y. SENATE CANDIDATE: I do feel that they're afraid. They're afraid to participate and run out there against Senator Clinton.
SNOW: In a new radio ad, Spencer goes further, contrasting the lack of GOP help to his combat experience of walking point in Vietnam.
SPENCER: You could hit booby traps or ambushes, but you always knew your buddies were behind you. Running for U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton is a lot like walking point. You find out who your buddies are real fast.
SNOW: Spencer, a conservative says he's not fining many republican buddies.
SPENCER: I think that they're buying into this rhetoric that Senator Clinton cannot be beat in the state of New York and they're fast forwarding to presidential runs or projected presidential runs and I think that's a mistake.
SNOW: Contacted by CNN, the National Republican Senatorial Committee declined comment. But some GOP strategists say, Spencer's attack is misdirected.
DAVID WINSTON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Republicans aren't afraid of Hillary Clinton, that's not the question. The question is has he put together a race where he's made it competitive enough that we could put money in that will make a difference.
SNOW: Spencer still faces a primary challenge from fellow Republican KT McFarland. Both had less than $500,000 cash on hand at the last filing, compared to Clinton's $20 million. Both plan on fund-raising outside New York this summer to raise money.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Spencer says the New York race has national implications and says it's necessary to go to other states for money to compete against what he calls the Clinton machine. Wolf?
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York. It's going to be a lively campaign. We'll continue to watch. Mary Snow, Andrea Koppel and as you saw earlier, Candy Crowley, they are all part of the best political team on television, CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
Still to come tonight right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Tough questions for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist about Iraq, partisan divisions, when the troops could come home. All that coming up.
And are allied forces making progress in their hunt for Taliban diehards in Afghanistan? Brent Sadler will have a battlefield report. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We've just received a statement from Ben Roethilsberger, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash the other day in Pittsburgh. Let me read part of that statement to you. "In the past few days, I have gained a new perspective on life. By the grace of God, I am fortunate to be alive, surrounded by loved ones and lifted by the prayers and support of so many. I am sorry for any anxiety and concern my actions have caused others, specifically my family, the Steelers organization, my teammates and our fans."
Roethlisberger then goes on to say this. "I was confident in my ability to ride a motorcycle and simply believe such an accident would not happen to me. If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet." Ben Roethlisberger issuing that statement moments ago. We wish him a very, very speedy recovery. Zain Verjee is off today. Fredricka Whitfield is joining us now from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta with a closer look at some other important stories making news. Hi Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Wolf. At the pentagon, unveiling the site of a new 9/11 memorial. Today Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others were on had for the groundbreaking. 184 people died when American Airlines flight 77 slammed into the pentagon. The memorial will include 184 steel benches and reflecting pools and is due to be completed in 2008.
Iraq's national security adviser is denying reports that plans for an amnesty program would include prisoners who killed American soldiers. The initial story appeared in today's Washington Post. But the official says it's a misquote and not true. The report is angering some lawmakers but a White House spokesman says there is no Iraq amnesty plan in place yet.
A pop music icon takes center stage on Capitol Hill to campaign for her favorite cause. Cher appeared at a hearing on the use of combat helmets. She didn't testify, but she believes she made a statement just by being there. Cher is a leading supporter of a group called "Operation Helmet". It's dedicated to supplying troops with padding that improves their head gear. Wolf?
BLITZER: Fred thanks very much. Britain's defense ministry says it will send 130 more troops to Afghanistan. They'll join coalition forces in defending the Kandahar airfield, the scene of some very bloody bombing earlier today. This comes as coalition forces launch a major new offensive targeting the Taliban. CNN's Brent Sadler is with Canadian forces in Kandahar Province. Brent?
BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, anti- government insurgents bombed a bus carrying Afghan workers to Kandahar Airfield here, reportedly killing up to 10 Afghans and wounding dozens more. The casualties worked for the multi-national forces and attempt perhaps to undermine confidence in U.S. led efforts to bring security to lawless southern Afghanistan. A military campaign to crush the Taliban has now moved into a dynamic phase, using a combination of air and ground assaults, and systematically weakening Taliban strongholds. Multi-national forces are pushing hard into Taliban territory, drawing fire, sustaining some casualties. The offensive involves not only U.S. troops, but Canadian, British, and Afghan forces as well. In some areas, field commanders claim the Taliban are being overwhelmed, but that they remain strong in other parts. It's difficult to estimate Taliban strength in numbers but here in Kandahar Province, they're reportedly in the hundreds, well trained and motivated mobile forces. Operation "mountain thrust" continues to build momentum and is expected to last for many more weeks. Wolf?
BLITZER: Brent Sadler on the scene for us. Thank you Brent very much.
Just ahead my interview with the senate majority leader. I will ask Bill Frist about the war in Iraq as well as an amendment banning flag burning. That and more.
Plus, we'll have details of a debate happening right now that would change the way millions of Catholics in this country worship. Details, all of that, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome whack to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. On Capitol Hill today there was a bitter war of words over the war in Iraq. In the House of Representatives republicans put forth a resolution supporting the war and rejecting democrats' demands to put a troop withdrawal on the calendar. The sparks were flying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TERRY EVERETT, (R) ALABAMA: If some people continue to preach cut and run from this war, then they will continue to kill Americans, kill Americans and kill Americans. The global war on terrorism must be followed. We can do it in the streets of our hometowns or we can take the war to the terrorists. Either way it has to be done and personally, I prefer doing it over in Iraq rather than in New York or Washington, D.C. or San Francisco.
REP. JOHN MURTHA, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: I know what rhetoric is and I know what fighting in the front lines are. I know the difference between them, I know standing here does not solve the problem. And it hasn't gotten better, it's gotten worse, that's the problem. And you're not talking about Iraq. The gentleman was up there is talking about the war on terrorism. I'm talking about Iraq. That's what I'm talking about.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Democrats denounce the republican resolution is nothing more than an election year ploy. That debate in congress over the war may reflect divisions of the public at large. But the public is not divided in its view of the U.S. congress. There's an overwhelmingly negative perception of the job the lawmakers are doing. So is congress in trouble. I spoke about that and more with the senate majority leader, Tennessee republican, Bill Frist.
I want to show our viewers a chart of job approval for the U.S. congress. This is the Republican-led Congress right after 9/11. In October of 2001 it was at 84 percent. Now in our most recent CNN poll, it's down to 25 percent. That makes the president's job approval numbers, president's numbers look great in the mid-30s or upper 30s, compared to where this Congress is. Why do you believe the American public thinks the Congress, led by Republicans, has done such a poor job?
FRIST: Well, I don't think we've done a very good job messaging what we have accomplished, even over the last year and a half. When you look that we passed bankruptcy reform, class action reform, that we addressed the issue of decreasing regulations, some of the largest tax cuts in the history of this country, which take the burden off of small business. People don't know that a year and a half ago we passed the first comprehensive energy plan, energy plan proposal, now law of the land, in 15 years, that looks at supply, that looks at alternative sources of energy, that looks at demand. They don't realize that we're securing America's prosperity by securing our boarders with $12 billion.
Still a lot more to do. Securing America's values by having two Supreme Court justices go through that approval process just over the last year. Secure America's health by, right now people are beginning to realize it. Now, just two and a half years ago, make sure that 39 million seniors today have affordable access to prescription drugs. I mention all that because that's what we're doing, governor with meaningful solutions. You're exactly right though that people are not listening and our messaging may not be quite what it should be.
BLITZER: And even some of your supporters are saying that by focuses on issues like a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning or same-sex marriage, you're really not focuses in on the key issues facing the country. In our most recent poll, which issues are extremely or very important to you, as far as your vote to Congress is concerned, terrorism, Iraq, the economy, gas prices, corruption, immigration, surveillance. There's no high regard for an amendment that would ban flag burning which you're putting forward and in the recent weeks you did a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was defeated. That's what's generating some concern. Why are you focussing in on these issues when you should be focuses on the major issues?
FRIST: I just went through the list of what we've done in the last 18 months. Two supreme court justices, a year and a half ago the largest energy bill in 15 years, $12 billion on our border. You mention one day on the flag, right now, I think even after this show every veteran may write you to say it's not an important issue? Because it is the number one issue of the people who have defended the United States of America. And we are going to spend a day on that, but we just spent a month on boarder security, tightening our borders and having a strong temporary worker program.
We can do more than one thing at once. We can secure America values with a child sex predator bill. We can actually keep confirming our judges, I mentioned two supreme court justices in the last year. It doesn't mean that we're going say that marriage is the union between a man and a woman and just ignore that or that we're going to say it's okay to desecrate the flag of the United States of America, which is what a Supreme Court decision said 20 years ago. We need to continue to governor with meaningful solutions and that's what we will do.
BLITZER: I'm not saying these issues are not important, senator. But let me read to you from a letter that 60 conservative groups wrote to U.S. senators, Republican senators, the other day. "While most of us would support such an amendment banning flag burning, we feel this is a misguided use of time... If Americans continue to see obstruction and hear excuses rather than debate and votes on nominees, senators should not be surprised that come November 8, the votes they want may not be there." That's a letter to Republican senators.
FIRST: Yes and let me just comment real quickly, because you're exactly right. I received that letter. They don't want to spend a day preventing desecration of the flag, something that we did for 200 years. They don't want to do that because of judicial nominees. Yet I just told you, in one year, we have done two supreme court nominees.
We have done 28 circuit court nominees, we've done over 100 district court nominees, we'll do another circuit court nominee on Monday. That's all in the last year. So, you can't tell me that we're not addressing the judicial nominees in a way that is aggressive, that is consistent with our responsibility. The thing is, we can do more than one thing at a time and that's what we're going to do. We are going to secure America's prosperity, secure America's safety, secure America's health and secure America's values. That does include things like marriage, flag burning and our judicial nominees.
BLITZER: One thing you did do is send the president this emergency supplemental funding for the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and hurricane relief, $94.5 billion. Is it time, though, as many of the critics are saying, don't do these supplemental, these separate appropriations, do it within a formal budget structure so you can deal with the issue of this growing deficit down the road. What do you make of that criticism that you're simply using these extra off-budget vehicles simply too much?
FRIST: Two things, on the supplemental, we did pass it today. I think the president will sign it tomorrow. It does put over $60 billion in supporting our troops overseas and most of the remainder going to the Katrina hurricane victims. And you're exactly right, there's absolutely no reason and the Senate expressed its will in an amendment on that, to have supplemental, these huge emergency spending bills come through.
It is time now that we're three years into a war, right now, and we know it will be continued spending, to put that into the normal budgetary authorization and appropriation process. We voted that on the floor of the United States senate and I predict that we will be able to do that. One other quick thing on that supplemental. Remember, we were taking a lot of criticism on that bill leaving the United States senate at $107 or $108 billion.
The good news, I believe, for us and for the American people is that we cut that bill down. We got rid of the waste and the abuse in that bill and we got it down to exactly the number that the president asked for. No more or no less.
BLITZER: And the president had warned, as you remember, that he would veto it if you didn't get down to that number. He hasn't cast a veto yet, that would have been his first, but you did what he wanted and he's going to sign it, as you say, into law. Senator Frist, thanks very much for coming in.
FRIST: Good to be with you, Wolf. Thank you.
BLITZER: And this new development since that interview, we have learned that the president has now just signed the $94.5 billion spending bill earmarked for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well for hurricane Katrina victims. More than two-thirds of the money will go to the Pentagon. It brings the total spent on the war in Iraq to almost $320 billion.
I want to go to Suzanne Malveaux, our White House correspondent. We are getting some information now on the president and his stance on bringing the troops out of Iraq. What's the information, Suzanne, that you're getting?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, as required by law, and consistent with the War Powers Resolution, President Bush just submitted a letter to the speaker of the house and the president pro tem of Senate and essentially updating, if you will, the combat, the troops and operations around the world in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovinia and of course the war on terror.
What really strikes me here in this letter is the one line when it talks about the war on terror. He outlines Afghanistan and other regions. But, he says specifically here, he says it is not possible to know at this time, either the precise scope or duration of the deployment of U.S. armed forces necessary to counter the terrorist threat for the United States.
Essentially saying there's no deadline here. Essentially saying there's not going to be any kind of timetable or any sense of how many troops are actually involved in this effort in combating this war on terror and executing this war on terror. And Wolf what this simply means here is that in keeping informed members of Congress and the American people, the president is walking a fine line, a very delicate balancing act.
He is saying be confident in the new Iraqi government, be optimistic, but at the same time, know that we don't have a clear sense of the kind of investment involved in executing this war in Iraq or when U.S. troops are ultimately going to come home.
BLITZER: Alright Suzanne. Suzanne is at the White House, thanks very much.
Up ahead tonight, among them, officials are saying, were gang members and violent criminals and they say all of them were illegal immigrants, so where are they now?
And some seals, some turtles and other marine life owe President Bush a bit of thanks. We're going to explain what's going on, stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. There are new developments in the immigration wars. The first Arizona National Guard troops are heading to the Mexico border. They're part of President Bush's plan to bolster security. Immigration continues to be a huge issue in this midterm election year, but will it be a deciding factor in November? Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, 2006 is likely to be the first election in which illegal immigration is a national issue. Which party will benefit? That's not clear.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): One thing is clear, Americans want to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the United States. But how? By securing the nation's borders? Yes. By deporting illegal immigrants? Yes. By giving illegal immigrants who have been here for many years a path to citizenship? Yes. Polls show strong popular support for all those policies.
Here's how the public divides on the issue. About a third would like to see all illegal immigrants removed from the U.S. They are the hard-liners.
SEN. CONRAD BURNS (R), MONTANA: It is not too much to ask for our law enforcement agencies to find, detain, and deport those who have broken the law.
SCHNEIDER: A third take a moderate position. They want to see the number of illegal immigrants decreased but do not feel it's possible or humane to remove them all.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic pass to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation.
SCHNEIDER: Just over a quarter of Americans feel the number of illegal immigrants should remain the same. They are sympathetic and want policies that reflect...
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Confidence that we can ensure that everybody who lives within those borders has the right to a life that is full of opportunity.
SCHNEIDER: Moderates and sympathizers joined forces to support the Senate immigration bill.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We welcome the opportunity to work with the president, to bring us all together.
SCHNEIDER: That coalition excludes hard-liners who are outraged and energized. They were the key to Republican Brian Bilbray's victory this month in a special election for a California House seat.
REP. BRIAN BILBRAY (R), CALIFORNIA: The people in the 50th district wanted something done. They wanted a job and a message sent to Washington that now and here is the time to address illegal immigration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: The message to Republican candidates was loud and clear. Defy President Bush on immigration, and you might survive -- Wolf.
BLITZER: How partisan of an issue, Bill, has illegal immigration become?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it isn't very partisan. We asked people which party do you think would do a better job securing the nation's borders. About one-third said the Democrats, a third said Republicans, and a third said they didn't know. And what about those immigration hard-liners? They split the same way -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Bill. Thanks very much. Bill Schneider reporting.
In our CNN "Security Watch," Operation Return To Sender. It's a massive effort by immigration and customs officials that's nabbed illegal immigrants, including some violent criminals.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is joining us live from Los Angeles with the story -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wolf, federal agents arrested more than 700 illegal immigrants here in California alone. But the big question is, how many will stay off the street?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The operation was called Return to Sender. And by Thursday, more than a third of the illegal immigrants arrested had already been deported.
JULIE MYERS, DIRECTOR, IMMIGRATIONS AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: Well, we've already sent back 829.
LAWRENCE: Immigrations and Customs Enforcement director Julie Myers has heard the criticism of previous catch and release programs. Agents make arrests, then illegal immigrants are given a court date they never show up for. In this case, only 135 people were released out of more than 2,000 arrested.
MYERS: Well, they're the worst of the worst.
LAWRENCE: Agents arrested people in 34 states. Their targets included gang members and child molesters. This man was convicted of stabbing and paralyzing a teenage boy, but agents caught him working at an airport rental car counter.
LUIS CARRILLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is just the tip of the iceberg.
LAWRENCE: Luis Carrillo represents a lot of illegal immigrants. He supports raids that remove criminals from Latino communities but worries about what happens when the next operation targets more than just criminals.
CARRILLO: Too often the Department of Homeland Security officials seek to justify every arrest of undocumented worker in the name of national security.
LAWRENCE: But immigration enforcement officials say they're focusing on those that commit crimes.
MYERS: I think most immigrants who come to this country, even illegally, want to come to work, want to come to live the American dream. And we want to focus on those who do not want to live the American dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: And in a separate operation, federal agents also arrested 55 illegals immigrants working at Dulles Airport. Officials say they were part of a construction project, but didn't have access to the most sensitive areas of the airport -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What a story. Thanks very much. Chris Lawrence reporting.
And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Up ahead, it would be a mass change in the Catholic Church. What is the best way to respond to "may the Lord be with you"? We'll tell you how bishops are debating that right now and why they are.
And a place to be safe -- that's what endangered marine life now have in Hawaii, and President Bush had a lot to do with it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: the "Bottom Line" on the markets today, big gains for all of the major indexes. In fact, the best day of the year for the Dow. Investor confidence surged on some relatively soothing comments from the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on inflation.
And happening right now, U.S. Catholic bishops are debating a major change in the way millions of American Catholics say mass, potentially the biggest change for the church in more than 40 years.
CNN's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher is joining us now live from New York with this story. Delia, what's going on?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Well, the bishops are in Los Angeles and they will be voting on these changes, which will change the wording of the mass, to bring it back towards something closer to the original Latin and this will also, of course, cause some Catholic stuff to go back to the drawing board and learn the new responses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Catholics have been saying the words every Sunday for years. But now the Vatican says they have been saying it wrong. A new English translation of the words of the mass has been debated for years in Catholic circles. The new translation would substitute traditional responses like "and also with you" to "and with your spirit."
BISHOP DONALD WUERL, DIOCESE OF PITTSBURGH: It's time for us now to update our translation to make sure that what we are using in all of our churches in English is in conformity with and follows the Latin which is the basis, the foundational document.
GALLAGHER: The Vatican says the original translations from Latin, done after Vatican II in the 1960s were never good in the first place. Back then, the bishops were following a directive from Pope Paul VI, but one of dynamic equivalence. Now the Vatican wants to bring the true Latin meaning into the English language mass.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER: Now Wolf, if this does pass, it will still be some time before Catholics hear these changes in the church. It will go to Pope Benedict for final approve and of course then they're going to have to reprint all of those mass booklets. BLITZER: And we're told it could go either way, Delia. We'll stay with you for all the latest information on this. Thanks very much.
With the stroke of a pen, President Bush has created the world's largest ocean sanctuary. The new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is home to more than 7,000 species, many of which can't be found anywhere else on the planet. Let's get a closer look online. Jacki Schechner is standing by with more, Jacki?
SCHECHNER: Wolf, what we're watching now is a group of Orange Ban Surgeon Fish swimming around in the waters off the northwest Hawaiian islands. One of 7,000 species of sea turtles, fish, birds, marine mammals that are now going to be protected in an area that is the size of California.
This is a reserve now, making it a national monument makes it the highest level of protection that it could possibly be. It also makes it the largest marine conservation area on the planet. Now, NOAA, which is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a full web site dedicated to this. You can see some of the species that live only in this area like the Green Turtle or the Hawaiian Monk Seal.
BLITZER: Thank you Jacki for that.
Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Paula Zahn is standing by. Hi Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, hi, thanks. We're going to keep following the bitter house debate that continues at this hour over U.S. troops in Iraq and whether it makes sense to have a timetable for withdrawal. Also, why wouldn't an admitted sex offender have to do any time in prison? Well, believe it or not, it is because a judge says he's too short to be locked up. You can imagine the outrage in the town where the judge made that decision.
We'll show you all of that and as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger begins explaining tonight why he wasn't wearing a helmet on his motorcycle. We're going to get some sobering thoughts from a rider you just might recognize. Now, that's a wide shot but you know the guy that's riding that Harley. His initials are JR and he's part of the best political team on TV. Guess who?
BLITZER: That would be our John Roberts. We're looking forward to your report, Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much.
Still ahead, fallen troops and a rising casualty count. Will there be a long-term toll on the battle over the war in Iraq. Jeff Greenfield with that report. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: The new tally of U.S. troops killed in Iraq is a staggering and sobering number. But will it have a lasting impact on the national debate over the war. Here's our senior analyst Jeff Greenfield, Jeff.
JEFF GREENFIELD, SENIOR ANALYST: Wolf, it will inevitably be tagged a grim milestone. The death toll for U.S. forces in Iraq is at 2,500. After a week of upbeat news, the death of Zarqawi, the capture of insurgents and of intelligence, a snap presidential visit, does this number carry weight?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREENFIELD (on-camera): By historical standards, Iraq has been much less costly in lives than others. Though it has lasted longer than the war in Korea, that war took more than 33,000 American lives. Vietnam, where the fighting lasted well over a decade took more than 55,000 and at its peak Vietnam cost 543 American lives in a single week. Nor did earlier grim milestones, 1,000 death and 2,000 death, produce sharp change in public opinion.
Instead, what we have seen is a slow, steady erosion of support. Just after the invasion three-quarters of Americans said it was not a mistake to send troops. When the 1,000th death was reported in September 2004, a majority still thought the decision was right. By the time the death toll reached 2,000 in October, 2005, opinion was evenly split, 49-49. In fact, except for a small bump at the end of last year, the decision to invade has won approval of fewer and fewer Americans.
Today, 55 percent think it was a mistake. Why this pattern? In part because there has not been a single massive loss of American life as happened in Beirut in 1983 when 241 marines were killed in their barracks. Nor has there been a dramatic, shocking example of casualties as in Somalia in 1983, the Black Hawk Down incident, when 18 soldiers were killed and their bodies were triumphantly displayed by their killers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Those events did have the power to rapidly affect public opinion. Presidents Reagan and Clinton removed U.S. forces from those regions. What's happened in Iraq is something different. The gradual erosion of optimism based on persistence of murderous violence and chaos. The future of public opinion, it seems, depends more on whether those conditions change, thus strengthening the case that sacrifice of lives and treasure has been worth it, Wolf.
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield, Thanks very much. Let's take a closer look at some of the hotshots, pictures coming in from the "Associated Press." Pictures likely to be in your hometown newspapers tomorrow. Iraq, an Iraqi soldier man's a checkpoint in central Baghdad. Beijing, a woman on a bike navigates her way through a traffic jam.
Southern Afghanistan, a security wall is filled with sand and a new U.S. military base. And back to Beijing, check this out, a 45- year-old man operates his homemade robot to help him get around. Some of today's hotshots, pictures often worth 1,000 words. We're hearing in THE SITUATION ROOM Monday through Friday 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Easter, back at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Until tomorrow, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
PAULA ZAHN NOW starts right now, Paula?
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