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The Situation Room
Senate Votes Down Two Democratic Proposals For Troop Reductions in Iraq; Operation Eagles Nest Deemed a Success; Are Democratic Plans for Iraq Feasible?; Is L.A. Overdue for a Major Earthquake?; USS New York to Feature Steel from Twin Towers; Prime Minister Blair Shops for "Blair Force One"; Embryo Screening Possible with New Technology
Aired June 22, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Don't mark an Iraq troop withdrawal on your calendar just yet. It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, where the Senate refuses to impose a timetable. Why isn't the Pentagon ready to announce a troop reduction? It's 6:00 a.m. in North Korea, where a long-range missile is on the launch pad. Should the United States launch a pre-emptive strike? Vice President Cheney will tell you what he thinks in my exclusive interview.
And U.S. presidents fly in comfort and security aboard Air Force One. It's 10:00 p.m. in London, where Britain's prime minister is forced to fly commercial. But Blair Force One is on I the way. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm John King. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
President Bush this hour is on his way back from Europe where he kept a cautious eye on events in North Korea and Iran while trying to gain support for his policies in Iraq. Our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has the story from Budapest.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, President Bush is heading back to Washington where he faces growing frustration among Americans who no longer believe in a U.S. mission in Iraq. President Bush is certainly hoping the support he got here overseas I will diminish some of those concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising against Communist rule with a wreath at Budapest's Eternal Flame. His quick stop here to highlight this country's struggle for freedom and democracy as a model for the Iraqis to follow.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The lesson of the Hungarian experience is I clear. Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied. The desire for liberty is universal.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush is hoping his 60-hour visit through Europe will buy him more time, resources, and good will for the U.S. mission in Iraq. But now he faces increased threats from the other members of what he calls the axis of evil, Iran and North Korea.
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley briefed reporters traveling with the president about the growing tensions. On North Korea's threat to test a long-range missile, Hadley reported Pyongyang is ready, saying, "preparations I are very far along. So you could, from a capability standpoint, have a launch. What they intend to do we don't know."
Hadley admitted the U.S. missile defense system has limited capabilities to intercept long-range missiles from hitting American soil, but refused to say whether it's been activated or will be used if Pyongyang carries through on its threat, admitting the way out is for the North Koreans to decide not to test this missile.
On the standoff with Iran, the administration's patience is wearing thin. Hadley says the U.S. and it's European allies are getting mixed messages from Iran as to when it will respond to a package of incentives offered to convince the regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions. While Hadley said it would be helpful to get a response before a series of scheduled meetings among the industrial nations, the first one slated for June 29th, Hadley ruled out trying to do this through an arbitrary set of deadlines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Hadley reiterated that the international community is looking for a response within weeks not months. The hope is that there will be a clear course of action before President Bush returns to Eastern Europe in mid July for G8 Summit in Russia where he'll meet with President Putin and other world leaders -- John.
KING: Suzanne Malveaux in Budapest.
And should the United States launch a pre-emptive strike against North Korea? In "The Washington Post" today, former Defense Secretary William Perry says the United States should immediately declare its intention to destroy the North Korean missile, before it can be launched. I asked Vice President Dick Cheney about that today in my exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think at this stage we are addressing the issue in the proper fashion. I think, obviously, if you're going to launch strikes at another nation you'd better be prepared to not just fire one shot. And the fact of the matter is I think the issue is being addressed appropriately.
KING: Do we know what's on that missile? Is it a satellite? Is it a warhead? Is it a test?
CHENEY: We don't know. That is one of the concerns, that this is regime that's not transparent, that we believe has developed nuclear weapons. And now has put a missile on the launch pad without telling anybody what it's all about. As to put a satellite in orbit, or a simple test flight, they will obviously generate concern on the part of their neighbors, and the United States to the extent that they continue to operate this way.
As the president's I made clear, this is not the kind of behavior we'd like to see given the fact that the North Koreans do have a nuclear program and refuse to come clean about it.
KING: What do we know about their capabilities? Some have said this new longer range missile could reach Guam, perhaps Alaska. Others say no, it may be able to reach Los Angeles. And there are some who think maybe, even I right here, Washington, D.C. What do we know?
CHENEY: Well, we -- this is the first test of this particular Taepodong-2 missile. We believe it does have a third stage added to it now, but again we don't know what the payload is. I think it's also fair to say that the North Korean missile capabilities are fairly rudimentary. They've been building scuds and so forth over the years, but their test flights in the past haven't been notably successful. But we are watching it with interest and following it very closely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: More of my interview with the vice president coming up this hour. And you can see the rest of it at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
The Pentagon says there's been great progress in getting Iraqi troops ready to take over, but it's not ready to say when American troops can start to come home. The toll is mounting for U.S. troops in Iraq, even as the military offers evidence of another success against the insurgents. Let's go live now to Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre for more.
Hi, Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, word tonight that the U.S. killed a terrorist leader, who may -- who may have had a hand in the plan to launch that sophisticated assault against -- the two U.S. soldiers that I ended up being abducted last weekend.
The killing came before that assault was carried out but not soon enough apparently to disrupt the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): It was Friday, earlier the same day that that two U.S. soldiers were captured in a fight with insurgents, that the U.S. military took out what they say one of the top five Al Qaeda leaders Iraq.
This video shows the car of Sheikh Mansur (ph) being riddled with gunfire from U.S. attack helicopters, after his car was tracked from the air, after he was spotted meeting with other insurgents in Yusufiyah.
In an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq says there may have been a connection.
MAJ. GEN. BILL CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: He may have been involved in the planning of it. There are indications that perhaps that incident that occurred Friday night had been well planned out. But we killed him Friday morning south of Yusufiyah. And then our two American I soldiers I were captured late Friday night, 7:55 p.m. on Friday night.
MCINTYRE: The military still can't explain how the three soldiers in a single Humvee were left alone to guard a bridge in Yusufiyah, one of the most dangerous parts of Iraq. That would violate standard doctrine that vehicles must travel in convoys of threes.
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, CMDR., MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: General Thurman, division commander, has directed an investigation to answer exactly those questions. I can't shed any more light on it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: And as for those long-promised troop reductions, General Casey said today he's still confident there will be fewer U.S. troops in Iraq by year's end, he just can't say how many fewer. Pentagon sources tell CNN that one option under consideration is to hold back on the rotation of one or two brigades into Iraq. That would cut troop levels by between 6,000 and 10,000 troops by year's end -- John.
KING: Jamie, any one thing they're looking for before they make a public announcement?
MCINTYRE: Well, the one thing they say they're looking for is closer cooperation with Iraqi government. General Casey says he still hasn't had time to sit down with the new Iraqi defense minister and go over the nuts and bolts of how they'd get the Iraqis to take over more of the responsibilities.
KING: Jamie McIntyre for us at the Pentagon. Jamie, thank you.
The Senate today refused to put more pressure on the president for a troop withdrawal, rejecting Democratic efforts to impose a timetable. One measure backed by the Democratic leadership would have required the president to start pulling out some troops by year's end. The other would have required all troops be out of Iraq by next July. Both were handily defeated.
Democrats argued the Bush administration has mismanaged the war. Republicans said a timetable would undermine U.S. credibility. We'll have much more on the political battle over Iraq coming up in today's "Strategy Session" with Donna Brazil and Bill Bennett.
Time now, though, for what we call "The Cafferty File." Jack standing by in New York.
Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How are you doing, John?
Since the first of the year the army has raised its enlistment age twice, first from 35 to 40, and then yesterday from 40 42. Next thing you know they'll be coming for Wolf and me. The reason is not enough people under the age of 35 volunteered to go off to war in Iraq to satisfy the army's enlistment goals. And because the law prohibits dragging people off the street and forcing them to go. The Army was faced with inviting senior citizens to go to war. Well, almost.
Now, I if this doesn't work, what's next? Recruiting posters may be in retirement homes? This country doesn't have enough people to meet its military needs, and maybe Iran and North Korea both know that.
It seems our options at this point are not many. Make enlistments more attractive, reinstitute the draft or get out of Iraq. And just for the record, I went once. I ain't going again.
Here's the question. What does it mean when the Army raises it's enlistment age to 42? E-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. John.
KING: It's June, right? Right now it's the middle of June?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
KING: OK. I'm eligible two months-plus little bit. We won't give an exact date. If you want a sneak preview of Jack's questions plus an early read on the day's political news and what's ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, sign up for our daily e-mail alert. Just go to CNN.com/situationroom.
Up ahead, is California over due for a major earthquake? We'll take you there live for the results of an alarming new study.
Also, two cities touched by tragedy; one ship bringing them together. I we'll take to New Orleans and the construction of the USS New York.
Plus, battling I insurgents for control of Ramadi. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is embedded with the U.S. forces. His report on this dangerous mission, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: An already tragic tally grows more grim. Five more American service members are now dead. Yesterday four Marines were killed in separate attacks in the western Anbar province. Today the military says an American soldier died after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb south of Baghdad.
The deaths of these American service members increases the number of U.S. fatalities 2,510.
It's one of Iraq's most violent cities and hundreds of American and Iraqi troops are trying to take it back. They're pushing deeper into insurgent held neighborhoods setting up Iraqi army outposts. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is embedded with U.S. troops in Ramadi. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: John, the first phase of putting new Iraqi and U.S. security outposts into insurgent strongholds in Ramadi is coming to an end, and commanders here already declaring it a success.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Running for cover, and a ride back to base. There is a sense of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My brother.
ROBERTSON: For several days they were the frontline security for the biggest crackdown on insurgents in Ramadi for months. As the operation scales down, they get a break. So too, the Iraqi troops, rotating back to base as fresh replacements come in.
A sense of relief here, too, that the first and possibly the most dangerous phase of the operation is over without major incident.
(on camera): This crater gives you just some idea of how big the roadside bombs were that were waiting for the troops as they moved in here. This one was so massive it blew a hole right through to the sewer underneath the street.
(voice-over): The focus of the operation, Establishing Eagle's Nest, what is to be an Iraqi outpost in a former insurgent stronghold, is considered a success, freeing local residents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They got to go to the mosque last night for one of the first times. Over 100 or 150 people in that mosque formerly completely used by and dominated by insurgents and insurgent activity.
ROBERTSON: So far, however, most residents are staying indoors. The streets are empty.
As dusk fell worshippers did gather at the nearby mosque. Outside, Iraqi troops gave out flyers, detailing new security measures. The mood among prayergoers near to the new base, one of apprehension and concern. An Iraqi soldier translates for the imam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He says the checkpoint better, but a lot of road closed now. The civilians can't move for an emergency (ph).
ROBERTSON: As for the presence of insurgents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They you come and solve nothing. No, that all everyone -- he told you this, this guy is lying.
ROBERTSON: The crowd that's gathered gets agitated. A question gets shouted. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the guys coming here to mosque, who are afraid, are there no soldiers with him?
ROBERTSON: We leave as the sun sets. Iraqi troops say they suspect some here are connected with the insurgency.
(on camera): While insurgent attacks are down and troops can move around here far more freely than they've been able to do in the past year, the big question remains where have the insurgents gone? When will they attack again?
(voice-over): And when they do strike back, which no one here doubts, will the much vaunted Iraqi force win the support of Ramadi's residents with their response?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: And that's going to be the real test of this security strategy. Will the Iraqi security forces do the right thing and win support of the population inside Ramadi? Because if they don't they'll playback into the hands of the insurgents -- John.
KING: Nic Robertson for us Ramadi. Nic, thank you very much.
A report released today credits the war in Iraq as just one factor adding to worldwide mistrust between Muslims and Westerners. Standing by with more on this, our internet reporter Jacki Schechner -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: John, the report is called The Great Divide, and it studied how Westerners and Muslims view each other. And the report found that both sides view the relationship as generally bad right now.
I'm going to have to put that down to be able to click on this for you.
But they see it as generally bad on both sides, Westerners and Muslims both. Now, they say that a turbulent year, rather, has made the tension worse. Things like the war in Iraq, the London bombings, and the controversy over the Mohammed cartoons.
Now they found that on the Western side they blamed mostly Muslim intolerance and Muslims found that Western disrespect was mostly to blame. Now, there was some good news in this report. It did find that most -- that, excuse me that most of Muslims in Europe and Middle East had little or no confidence in bin Laden. That was dropping. And they also found that generally in Great Britain and France and the United States that the percentage of ratings of how they felt about Muslims was definitely in the majority, John.
KING: Fascinating study. Jacki Schechner, thank you very much.
Coming up, surprising results from a new study on global warming. This one commissioned by Congress itself. We'll show you what scientists are finding. Plus, look who's shopping for a new plane. We'll show why the British prime minister's ride will be a far cry from Air Force One.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back. Our Zane Verjee joins us now with a look at other stories making news right now.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, John.
Greenhouse gases are causing Earth's temperature to rise that is the conclusion of a new report by the National Academy of Sciences. It says the last few decades have been the warmest in 400 years, and possibly several thousand years. The study was commissioned by the House Science Committee.
Today could mean the difference between life and preservation or death and destruction. Crews battling that wildfire near Sedona, Arizona say that their efforts today are critical. They hope to beat back the blaze at a northern line that they're now building or stop it just a few miles away. The fire's approaching a state park. So far it's scorched almost 3,300 acres prompting the evacuation of about 400 homes and businesses.
There's a new development on a story we reported on Monday. It involves police in Los Angeles County flying unmanned surveillance drones to watch for criminal activity from the skies. The Federal Aviation Administration is now temporarily grounding the aircraft. Sheriff's officials tested the drones for CNN and others. That angered the FAA, which says the sheriffs first needed authorized permission before flying the drones.
And the bottom line on the markets, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P were all down, losing yesterday's gains as inflation fears returned to Wall Street -- John?
KING: Another tough day for the markets. Zain Verjee, thank you very much.
Coming up, it's a very special ship, said by its builders to be sanctified by the people who died on 9/11.
And in our 7:00 p.m. hour, more from my exclusive interview with Vice President Dick Cheney. Do he and his daughter agree or disagree same-sex marriage? And what does the vice president think of comparisons between him and Darth Vader? Dick Cheney answers, in his own words, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Wolf Blitzer's off today, I'm John King.
In our "Strategy Session", the Senate rejects a pair of Democratic proposals to start bringing the troops home, and Vice President Dick Cheney, in our exclusive interview blasting the Democrats and making no apologies for the war or himself.
Joining us now, CNN political analyst and democratic strategist Donna Brazile, and CNN contributor and host of "Morning in America" William Bennett.
I want to start, Donna and Bill, with the contrasting views of this debate today in the Senate. The Democrats obviously put these proposals forward. Some say bring the troops home within a year. The leading proposal was bring some home and then let's have the president put a plan on the table. I spoke to the vice president this morning, he called those proposals, he said it would be recipe for disaster, a catastrophic mistake in his view, not only in Iraq, but in the broader war on terrorism.
Listen to Russ Feingold, liberal Democratic senator, possibly presidential candidate. He says the administration can that line all it wants it is simply not true. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: It would affect what happens in Afghanistan. It would make it difficult for to us persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations for nuclear weapons. It would threaten the stability of regimes like Musharraf in Pakistan and Saudis in Saudi Arabia. It is absolutely the worst possible thing we could do at this point.
SEN. RUSSELL FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: What has happened, after the mistake was made is that mistake after mistake has been compounded. Every day on this myth somehow Iraq is the central focus on the war on terrorism is being used as an excuse to send more and more Americans into harm's way, which is not necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bill Bennett, let me start with you. That's a pretty sharp divide to lay out for the American people, four-plus months before the November election. The Republicans have succeeded in this fight in 2002 and 2004. The Democrats think maybe there's an opening this time. People are so tired with the war in Iraq there's an opening.
BILL BENNETT, HOST, "MORNING IN AMERICA": Well, they didn't get an opening today at least they didn't broaden their opening. Both resolutions failed. Kerry's resolution failed. Levin's resolution failed. Russ Feingold can comfort himself -- I guess John Kerry was congratulating himself for having 12 people with him. That's not a majority, in case he needs to do the math.
I wish they had taken another couple of days. I think it was a bit - the timing was off. We lost two soldiers two days ago, who were kidnapped, who were tortured in unspeakable ways, who were slaughtered. It is not the time to talk about retreat.
It's not the time to talk about redeployment. But they made the resolutions. The resolutions don't make sense for all the reasons Dick Cheney put forward. This auditioning for 2008, at this moment, I don't think it helped the Democratic Party.
KING: You're a Democratic strategist. You have a good chance in the mid-term elections. Why put these proposals on the table? Why not just say it's their war, if you don't like it, vote for us. Why take the risk of putting a specific plan on the table that the Republicans can say, it's a disaster?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Because the current plan is simply is not a plan at all, and because the administration is unwilling to review the mission, to change course, or to make any changes that would guarantee success. That's the reason why Democrats put forward these particular proposals.
Look, I'm glad that the Senate Democrats opened this debate. It may have been ill-timing based on the deaths of our two troops, but the simple matter is that Democrats want to see America make some significant progress. Last year, on the Defense authorization bill we said this is going to be a year of significant progress in Iraq. And Democrats are being responsible and offering a road map to victory.
KING: There's been a discussion in town for months and months and months about where do the Democrats stand. And maybe we know a little bit more clearly today. Let's look at the competing proposals. You mentioned Senator Kerry's amendment. It called for complete withdrawal within a year. He said withdraw all troops from Iraq by July 1, 2007. He was voted down 13-86. Democrats split 13-30 on that. So you know he got very few -- even in his own party on that.
Senator Carl Levin's proposal got most of the Democrats' votes. Some Democrats no, mostly Democrats up this year -- we'll talk about that maybe in a minute.
But Senator Carl Levin came forward and said his plan, he believes now, essentially is the consensus view of the Democratic Party, and his plan is start a partial withdrawal, then force the president to come to Congress with a plan to get the rest of the job done, the rest of the troops out. No timetable but make the president have a plan.
Let's listen to Senator Levin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: When you get 80 percent of the Democrats agreeing on the specifics of a policy, folks, you've got a strong consensus of Democrats. And when that includes everybody that we know of who's thinking of running for president in the U.S. Senate, that is a very strong statement of consensus among Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bill Bennett, strong statement of consensus, strong message for Democrats to run on? BENNETT: Maybe strong statement of consensus among Democrats, but that still can be an echo chamber. This is not leadership for the country.
Look, Donna would not have -- if she were in charge, she would not have let this debate go on today, I believe. I know she didn't say anything about that.
Look what the policy is. The policy is let's start withdrawing and make the president announce when he's going to withdraw the troops. This is exactly what al Qaeda wants. This is exactly what they've been saying in their e-mails.
By the way, if you read their e-mails, the al Qaeda e-mails, they are in despair. They say they're losing, they're running out of money, they're running out of people, the Americans are winning, they've got to raise a media war.
The basic policy differences are this. The president's policy is we will step down when the Iraqi troops can step up. The Democrats' policy is we will step down when the terrorists step up. And that's a terrible policy. It would fulfill everything that Osama bin Laden said. When the going gets tough, the Americans would cut -- cut and run. We cannot, cannot, cannot do that.
KING: Donna, address Bill's point. The Republicans are the incumbent party. This is, oppose it or favor it, the president's war. Why not, as the Democrats say, they're the incumbents, if you don't like them vote them out?
BRAZILE: Because that's not leadership. I think it's -- the Senate, the Congress of the United States, the president of the United States sent our troops into Iraq. It's important that we have a strategy to bring our troops home.
Look, the Iraqi national security adviser just recently in a "Washington Post" piece said we need a goal; we need a timetable for the troops to -- to leave Iraq so that our troops can continue to do their job.
The Democrats are not saying let's redeploy so that the insurgents or the jihadists or the terrorists can come back. They're saying, no, we will keep enough troops there to protect the government, protect American interests, and also to ensure that we continue to chase down and hunt down the terrorists.
That's -- you know, this notion that Democrats somehow or another are not willing to fight, that's not -- that's not our plan. Our plan simply is that we need a responsible solution so that we can begin to draw down our troops, bring them home, redeploy.
KING: You wanted to comment on that.
BENNETT: No disagreement with that, but I think the really interesting thing is politically the fight in the Democratic Party. Who speaks for the Democrat base? I think it's probably more Kerry and the 13 than Levin. And that's what I saw at the Democratic convention. If that's the case, there's real trouble for the Democrats.
KING: The fact that we're talking about the Democrats is, in and of itself, a victory of sorts for the Republicans. That's what they want. Because this war is unpopular with the American people. And as you know, Bill, many Republicans have concerns about it, whether the questions are from Senator McCain and others -- "why didn't you send in more troops at the beginning?" -- to other Republicans saying, "Mr. President, at least start to communicate better with the American people about what the goals are or get tougher with the Iraqi government about speeding up the training of security."
I want you to listen to something Senator Harry Reid said today on the floor of the Senate, essentially saying Republicans were following the president blindly and they would pay a price for it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: But it is morally treasonable to the American people. Let me repeat that, Madam President. That we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but it's morally treasonable to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bill Bennett, a risk for Republicans between now and November, if things don't improve on the ground, to be seen as blindly following this president?
BENNETT: Leadership is always a risk. Leadership in a time of war is risky. Toward the end of Roosevelt's term, he was losing support. But great readers don't read the polls, as the president said and said very eloquently in Austria. And I think he will continue to lead.
Yes, some advantage for the Democrats because we're talking about the Democrats. So the light is shining. But when the light is shining and the microphones are on what are you saying? And I think what the American people heard is, while we've taken down Zarqawi there's still terrorism, let's start to withdraw. I just don't think that makes sense.
BRAZILE: What the enemy should know, and I saw in the interview the vice president alluded to the enemy and giving them something. What they should know is that in this country we have a proud tradition of debating. We have a proud tradition of disagreeing without, you know, exchanging bloodshed.
So I think what the Democrats did over the last couple of days will help further along the discussion and the dialogue, and what we heard today from even Secretary Rumsfeld and General Casey is that we may, in fact, draw down. We may have to draw back up, depending on the circumstances. What the American people want to hear is that we have a plan, we have a strategy, and we know exactly how we're going to bring our troops home. And that's what Democrats are trying to do with their proposals.
BENNETT: Did Joe Lieberman have a place in this honorable debate? That's what I want to know.
KING: Well, it's impolite -- it's impolite...
(CROSSTALK)
BRAZILE: ... will always have a seat at the table.
KING: Let's leave it there. We're out of time. But thank you very much, Donna Brazile, Bill Bennett. Thank you very much.
And Donna and Bill, of course, are part of the best political team on television, CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
And still to come right here, today, tomorrow, when might a devastating earthquake hit Los Angeles? One expert makes a startling prediction.
And the steel on one ship is not just any steel. It comes from a special place, created on a day that Americans will remember forever.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: A look now at some of the "Hot Shots" coming in from the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your newspaper tomorrow.
In Pakistan, police set fire to about $8 million worth of narcotics. Smugglers frequently use Pakistan as a transit point to bring in drugs from neighboring Afghanistan, the world's biggest producer of opium.
In Athens, Greece, a Molotov cocktail explodes outside a university after students protest against planned education reforms.
In Germany, Ghana's center does a bicycle kick in the match against team USA. Ghana won the match 2-1, knocking the United States out of the tournament.
And in Iran women play rugby during a training session at a sports complex.
And that's today's "Hot Shots", pictures often worth a thousand words.
Happening now, new concern that southern California may be overdue for a potentially catastrophic earthquake. CNN's Chris Lawrence is live for us in Los Angeles with the details of the disturbing new study -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, they still can't tell whether it's coming tomorrow or in 10 years, but this highly regarded new study confirms L.A. is overdue for the big one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The San Francisco Bay area, 1989. Northridge, California in '94. Los Angeles? Now?
DEBI KALB, SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY: We're due.
LAWRENCE: New earthquake research published in "Nature" magazine confirms the big one could hit today, tomorrow, next year. Even at the far end, it's projected no more than 75 years away.
KALB: It might be a about a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, as damaging as this 1906 rupture.
LAWRENCE: That earthquake killed 3,000 people in San Francisco. Large parts of the Bay Area burned. Today the San Andreas Fault is like an 800-mile scar on California.
Debi Kalb is science director at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, where a geophysicist found the fault's southern section has barely moved in more than 300 years.
KALB: If you have slip fault, the faults are pretty much locked in place. The strain is building up. It wants to rupture in an earthquake, build up, build up, build up until it positively can't take it anymore, and you have an earthquake.
LAWRENCE: Los Angeles has been retrofitting thousands of buildings to withstand larger earthquakes.
ELLIS STANLEY, L.A. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DEPARTMENT: We don't have 100 percent compliance, but we also have an opportunity now to go back and look at where we need to shore up those particular things.
LAWRENCE: Ellis Stanley manages L.A.'s emergency preparedness plan. He says they lost hospitals during the Northridge quake but are working to double current capacity during a disaster.
STANLEY: We've got to get some laws changed where one doctor from hospital A can go to hospital B and work. Nurses can do that same thing.
LAWRENCE: A large earthquake on the southern San Andreas could kill thousands and cause billions of dollars in damage.
KALB: If it ruptured from the south to the north all the energy's going to go to the north, and our friends in L.A. will definitely get whacked pretty hard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Hard means it could snap electrical lines, shatter buildings, and, if it caused major damage to some of the major freeways and roads here, traffic could just grind to a halt -- John. KING: Well, Chris, the study says the big one for L.A. is overdue. Are they getting any better, any closer to being able to predict when?
LAWRENCE: Well, right now they've got it down to about a one- second delay from what the sensors in the ground detect and what they can see on their monitors. What they're hoping over the next few years is to get that up to maybe a minute. Even that's enough time to call emergency management officials, to get them to shut down the electrical lines, to maybe stop mass transit. That could save some lives.
KING: Fascinating study. Chris Lawrence for us in Los Angeles. Chris, thank you very much.
It has everything a stealth ship needs. Anti-detection tools to help keep it out of sight. And heavy weaponry, should a threatening force spot it. All fortified with steel. Not just any steel.
Our Sean Callebs is in New Orleans with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, John.
You're looking at the USS New York. It is one of the Navy's newest ships. It's scheduled to hit the water in a couple of years. It's going to be an amphibious attack vessel. But this one is very special.
If you look at the white area right up there, that's called the bow stem, and reason it's so important, that white area is actually part of the remains of the World Trade Center, 7 1/2 tons.
Now, we use the term awesome all the time. Clearly overused. But I want to show you a wide shot of this vessel, and it truly is awesome, some 680 feet. It's going to be lined with attack helicopters, the new Osprey aircraft, as well.
It's very special for the Northrop Grumman workers here at the shipyard outside the city of New Orleans. In fact, this area, the bow stem was actually on a pedestal for a couple of months so as the workers came through here day after day leading up to the construction of the ship, they knew exactly what they were working on, and for them that's special -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Sean Callebs for us in New Orleans. That is special.
Lou Dobbs is getting ready for his show right at the top of the hour.
Lou, what are you working on?
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": John, how are you? Good to see you.
Coming up at 6 p.m. Eastern here on CNN, insurgents kill five more of our troops in Iraq as combat escalates in Al Anbar province. When will the U.S. military announce more troop withdrawals from Iraq? We'll have complete coverage for you tonight.
Also tonight, top Republican lawmakers say the military has found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. One of the lawmakers who secured the declassification of the documents that revealed the presence of nerve gas is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Peter Hoekstra. He joins us here.
And the White House, supported by corporate America and special interests, building a super highway between Mexico and Canada that cuts right through the heart of the United States, threatening U.S. sovereignty. We'll have that special report and a great deal more.
We hope you'll join us at the top of the hour. John, back to you.
KING: Looking forward to it, Lou, thank you very much.
And up ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a leader in the free world with all the perks and privilege. What else would you fly but a secure high-tech plane? Well, you may be surprised how British Prime Minister Tony Blair flies.
And in our 7 p.m. hour more of my exclusive interview with Vice President Cheney. If called to testify in the CIA leak case, would he? And how should the United States proceed in the situation with North Korea?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We've managed to pull Zain Verjee away from watching the World Cup. She's now in our CNN global headquarters in Atlanta with other stories making news.
Hi, Zain.
VERJEE: The Ghana-U.S. game. Did you catch any of it?
KING: Just a bit at the end.
VERJEE: All right. Thanks, John.
Authorities in Chicago have captured the man who fled a federal court today, prompting a lockdown of the entire building. Officials say Larnell Rogers ran off after learning an arrest warrant had been issued for him. U.S. marshals say he was picked up without incident just a short time ago. Rogers is accused of lying to a federal agent.
Today Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling for Ayman al- Zawahiri's arrest and says he may actually be in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai was reacting to the three minutes and 44 seconds of a new video message from Osama bin Laden's No. 2 lieutenant. In it, al-Zawahiri accuses the U.S. of crimes against Afghanistan, and he urges young people in Kabul to rise up and attack foreign troops.
British Airways says it's cooperating with a price fixing probe by British and U.S. government investigators. The allegations cover passenger fares and fuel surcharges, and B.A. says that two senior managers have been put on leave. American Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic say that they are also cooperating with investigators -- John.
KING: Zain, thank you very much.
Aboard Air Force One, shown here, U.S. presidents fly in comfort and high security. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been flying commercial. But he's making sure his successor will have it better.
CNN's Aneesh Raman has that story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, they're dubbing it Blair Force One, a new plane for the country's prime minister that here outside parliament has some Londoners up in arms.
(voice-over) It's a double-decker decked-out perk for U.S. President Bush, a plane as well known as the men it's carried.
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: You know who I am. I'm the president of the United States.
RAMAN: A plane that has its own movie, "Air Force One".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands behind your head and move.
RAMAN: It's a much more glamorous way to travel than what the British prime minister gets. Because the Air Force plane assigned to him has gotten so old Blair is forced to charter commercial flights.
This is Tony Blair stepping off a chartered aircraft on a recent official visit to the U.S. Among the indignities, the plane wasn't even British; it was French. And there's more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was an event recently when the British prime minister was aboard his plane, and he couldn't take a satellite telephone call because the three satellite lines were being used by journalists on board phoning back to their newspapers.
RAMAN: So Blair is out shopping, kicking the tires on custom aircraft, and getting some blowback in the British press, which say Blair Force One will cost too much.
(on camera) Blair Force One will be considerably smaller than its American counterpart. This is the inside of a 737, the size of plane the prime minister has ordered. It will have a conference room, a bedroom, even missile defense systems, all a necessary upgrade but one only an outgoing prime minister, it seems, could make.
(voice-over) It is the price tag of Blair's new plane that's leaving some to question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we have to travel commercially, why shouldn't he?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. Use JetBlue.
RAMAN (on camera): He should travel on the budget airline?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No reason why not. The money could be better spent elsewhere, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty quid to Rome.
RAMAN (voice-over): Blair did recently fly a budget airline, Ryanair, a way to show he is of the people. But he is prime minister and he does need security, although here security is all low-key.
When President Bush travels on the road, you know he's coming, but the British prime minister travels in just a two-car convoy, a Jag for him, a minivan for the bodyguards.
And while the new plane, which won't be ready until the end of next year, will have anti-missile defenses, it also comes with a hitch for the prime minister. If the queen needs a plane at the same time, well, she gets first dibs.
(on camera) Now, Blair is facing the criticism but won't enjoy the benefits. By the time the plane is ready it is expected Blair will have stepped down -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: The queen gets dibs. Can't beat that. Aneesh Raman, thanks very much.
Tomorrow AT&T will ask a federal court in San Francisco to dismiss a class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege AT&T illegally provided the National Security Agency with the content of some customer telephone and Internet communications.
Meantime, AT&T is also about to issue its customers a new privacy policy. Coincidence?
Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is standing by with more -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: John, the new privacy policy applies to video and Internet subscribers to AT&T. It goes into effect tomorrow. And those subscribers must agree to its terms.
AT&T tells us today this has been in the works for months, and it's not related to news reports or any of those lawsuits.
Take a look at some of the new language in it. "While your personal Internet account information might be personal to you, it is owned by AT&T. AT&T can use that information to safeguard others."
This is all new information. It wasn't put explicitly into old policies. An AT&T spokeswoman says today it was implicit in those previous policies. John, that goes into effect tomorrow.
KING: It was implicit. Uh-huh. Thank you, Abbi.
Time now to check in with our Jack Cafferty, check back with our Jack Cafferty.
Jack, what do you think of that?
CAFFERTY: Actually, I was looking through these e-mails and not playing that close of attention. I must apologize.
Meanwhile, the Army has raised its enlistment age twice this year, first from 35 to 40 and yesterday from 40 to 42. It's because not enough people under the age of 35 volunteered to go over there to Iraq and fight in that war in order to satisfy the Army's enlistment goals.
So the question is what does it mean when the Army raises the enlistment age to 42?
Jane of Georgetown, Texas, "Of course, it means the Army is having trouble meeting its goals. Bring back the draft. It's the draft that keeps the Army honest, and just see how long this war would last if the children of the rich and powerful had to fight it."
Lynn in Manchester, Connecticut: "Now the Army can recruit fathers, mothers, and their children all at the same time. Maybe they'll offer a family two for one enlistment bonus next."
Colin in Fort Lauderdale: "I'm 55 years old. I have more spunk still in me than someone half my age. As a mega-yacht capital and a helicopter pilot I have the skills and experience to do exactly what is required and necessary. When the job needs to be done, one does it."
He's humble, too.
Mike in Blandinsville, Illinois: "It means desperation. They won't admit the need for a draft, and they know that by following the current befuddled policy they're going to need many troops."
Vivian in Largo, Maryland: "It means that without a draft militarily this country is up a polluted tributary without proper propulsion."
You can translate that at home.
And James in Washington writes, "We will dazzle them with our wheelchairs when it's our turn" -- John.
KING: I'll give you James's wheelchair if Colin will give me his yacht when he signs up. CAFFERTY: Colin's ready to go.
KING: Thank you, Jack.
Up next, millions of couples face infertility, but medical advances can help up to 90 percent of them conceive. We'll show you the future of fertility, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Having a baby isn't what it used to be. Medical advances are giving doctors unprecedented insight into fertility and fetal development. But where will this knowledge take us?
CNN's Miles O'Brien has our "Welcome to the Future" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Infertility haunts more than six million U.S. couples. But doctors are hoping to reduce that number by learning more about how an embryo develops. But with knowledge comes dilemmas. Where do we draw the line?
(voice-over) Dr. Mark Perloe is with a fertility clinic called Georgia Reproductive Specialists. Here they use prenatal genetic diagnosis, or PGD, to help couples conceive healthy babies. The procedure tests embryos fertilized in the lab for certain kinds of abnormalities. Only the healthy embryos are transferred back to the mother.
DR. MARK PERLOE, GEORGIA REPRODUCTIVE SPECIALISTS: PGD can screen for just about any disease where we know the sequence of the genetic abnormality: cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, other hemoglobin disorders.
O'BRIEN: Perloe says PGD could one day screen embryos for things like heart disease, breast cancer, or diabetes, and that raises a lot of questions.
PERLOE: Which conditions are worthy of testing? How should we decide which embryos would be transferred?
O'BRIEN: And it could be even more complex in the future, as many believe PGD could also give doctors the ability to correct abnormalities by actually changing the embryo's DNA.
PERLOE: Society has to play an important role in overseeing this and setting boundaries and limits.
O'BRIEN (on camera): The technology isn't cheap. On top of the estimated $10,000 needed to cover the in vitro process, PGD costs another $3,000 to $4,000 and is not typically covered by insurance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: We're here every weekday afternoon from 4 to 6 Eastern, and we're back on the air at 7 p.m. Eastern, just one hour from now, when I'll have the rest of my exclusive interview with Vice President Dick Cheney.
Until then, I'm John King in THE SITUATION ROOM. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now -- Lou.
DOBBS: Thank you, John.
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