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The Situation Room
Urgency To Evacuate Americans Out of Lebanon; Israelis Targeting Command and Control Structure of Hezbollah; Hassan Nasrallah Interviewed on Al-Jazeera; Condoleezza Rice Likely to Press U.S. Defense of Israel in Meeting With Kofi Annan; New Poll Asks Americans About U.S. Involvement in Mideast; Roula Talj Interview; Bush Addresses NAACP
Aired July 20, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Susan.
And to our viewers, you are 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 today's top stories.
Happening now, hundreds more Americans are escaping Lebanon, a nation looking more and more like a traditional war zone every day. It's 11:00 p.m. in southern Lebanon, the scene of another fierce battle between Israeli and Hezbollah forces. We are live on the frontlines and at key evacuation points.
Also this hour, the U.S. defense of Israel against Hezbollah attacks. It's 4:00 p.m. in New York where the Secretary of State heads tonight for urgent talks with U.N. officials. Do the American people want to see the Bush administration get more involved? We have brand new poll numbers.
And a first for the president Bush in his effort to reach out to African-Americans. It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington where Mr. Bush gave a speech he refused to give for five years. Will it help his party on Election Day?
I'm Wolf Blitzer, you are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
On this ninth day of warfare in the Middle East, fighting on the ground is growing more intense and that's only adding to the urgency to get Americans and others out of Lebanon. Right now, the USS Nashville is heading towards Cyprus from Beirut with about 1,000 evacuees on board.
Nine flights have been chartered out of Cyprus to bring Americans back to the United States. The first plane load of Americans to escape the fighting in Lebanon landed earlier today at the Baltimore Airport. Another flight full of evacuees is due to arrive around midnight. Israeli war planes launched new strikes in Lebanon just a short while ago. Israeli commanders believe their airstrikes on Lebanon have destroyed about half of Hezbollah's military strength. Israel says today it will allow humanitarian aid to flow in to Lebanon. On the ground today in southern Lebanon, Israeli special forces battled Hezbollah fighters in an attempt to wipe out the militant group's remaining firepower. Israel is reporting six casualties, but it's not clear if the soldiers were killed or injured. Hezbollah guerrillas fired more rockets into northern Israel today. At least 29 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Hezbollah. Lebanon raised its official death toll today to 258, although the prime minister has put the figure at more than 300.
Israel also is pressing ahead with its operation against militants in central Gaza today. Four Palestinians were killed in airstrikes on a refugee camp and in ground clashes. Meanwhile the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned both Israel and Hezbollah fore the open warfare in the Middle East and he renewed his call for a cease-fire. He is scheduled to meet tonight in New York with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Our correspondents are standing by across the region. Chris Burns is standing by in Larnaca, Cyprus. Alessio Vinci is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. First let's go to northern Israel. Christiane Amanpour is standing by with the latest on that front, Christiane?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we have heard sporadic outgoing artillery fire from this place just in the last few minutes, but on the whole it was somewhat quieter today. Although not far from here, as you've mentioned, in the town of Avivim, for the second day in a row, Israeli forces faced off with Hezbollah guerrillas in that very crucial border area.
And there were more Israeli casualties. We understand more deaths as well as well as more injuries, underscoring how painful it is to get in on the ground, but some here saying that there's only one way to get rid of some of those outposts, some of those bunkers, some of those rocket launchers. And that is with ground operations, the limited type that is going on right now. In the meantime wave after wave of airstrikes are still going on.
We were at an airbase, a northern Israeli airbase called Ramat- David, where we saw several Israeli F-16s taking off. We talked to the pilots there about their mission, and about the challenge in going after some of these mobile rocket launchers.
While they say they are targeting command and control, infrastructure, logistics, communication centers of Hezbollah, mostly in the Beirut area and in parts of southern Lebanon, the real challenge is to get rid of these Katyusha cells and the Katyusha rocket launchers and they admit that frankly it's not possible to do all that from the sky. Wolf?
BLITZER: Talking to the pilots, I know you have a more in-depth report coming up in our next hour. What's their mood? What are they saying to you?
AMANPOUR: Well, the Israeli Air Force is known as one of the best and most effective in the world. They take great pride in what they do. On the other hand they know the sensitivity of what's going on right now. They are fully aware of the huge number of casualties that are being caused in Lebanon and Beirut as well. This huge disparity of casualties between what are the casualties racked up on the Lebanese side compared to this side and they were obviously asked questions about that.
They have said that, you know, they do their best to avoid civilian casualties, that they say, and it is known, that the guerrilla fighters, the Hezbollah fighters, do exist in a civilian infrastructure and they also said that on occasion, they have more than once returned to base without dropping their payload because they saw too many civilians, for instance on bridges below. But it is an issue of concern, mounting concern.
BLITZER: Christiane, thank you very much. Christiane Amanpour in northern Israel for us.
This just coming in. There's new videotape, apparently an interview that was taped earlier today with the leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan, Nasrallah. That interview airing only moments ago on Al-Jazeera. There you see it.
Only yesterday the Israelis announced they dropped some 23 tons of weaponry, of bombs on a location in southern Beirut, supposedly a headquarters, if you will, of Sheikh Nasrallah. There was some indication the Israelis are trying to go after him directly, but there he is on Al-Jazeera, apparently an interview conducted earlier today in Beirut. We are going to watch this story and get some more for you on it.
Let's go to Beirut right now. Alessio Vinci on the scene. You went to that scene earlier today in southern Beirut, Alessio, the Israelis targeting what they said was a command and control structure of Hezbollah. What did you see?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what I saw was a building under construction that certainly looked like a Mosque under construction. That's what the Hezbollah is claiming. No indication there whatsoever that it was being used by the Hezbollah military command as a Hezbollah military command post.
The building was in such a primitive stage of it's construction that there was no power, no cables, no lighting, nothing that suggests that people were actually living in there, and certainly not working and coordinating a war effort.
At the same time of course, underneath this building there was a large bunker, a large, sort of, underground area that could have been used, perhaps, as a way to protect people who wanted to escape bombing. It's important to understand that this area has been completely evacuated by civilians.
The people who are there are indeed people who are sympathizing with Hezbollah and even by their own admission they are telling me that, should it be necessary, they would fight against Israel. So it is certainly an area that used to be inhabited by civilians. Right now it is inhabited by people who certainly are ready for a fight.
BLITZER: Getting to that area, Alessio, is no easy matter by any means, especially for a western journalist?
VINCI: That's correct. Although in the last few days, it was quite easy to get there. Basically, the way it happened, you reach the southern outskirts of Beirut and then you have these sentinels, who are scattered throughout the territory there. They would come to you, obviously they recognized us as westerners, as non-locals, and then they questioned us, they asked us what we want to do. And basically they used to take us inside to see what they wanted us to see. Today was a bit more complicated.
We managed to get in there sort of OK. We had to make a few phone calls to the Hezbollah headquarters in order to get permission, but the problem was to get out. It took us about an hour to get out of there. We were stopped just about every 100 yards or so. We were checked several times.
At one point we were held up for about an hour and then in the confusion of checking our documents, even the keys of our car were stolen at some point, suggesting that they wanted us to be there and we had to get another car to get us out.
So definitely you get the feeling that in that part of Beirut, which has come under relentless attack by the Israeli military and by the way, has it has been a relatively quiet day here in Beirut. And again we have been hearing explosions in that part town only within the last hour and we are hearing Israeli jets flying overhead, suggesting there is another wave of attacks again in that part of town.
Certainly there is a suggestion that people are getting more and more edgy and every foreigner that gets to that area is at risk. Indeed, we are getting first reports that even western journalists are being not really kidnapped but at least held for quite sometime.
BLITZER: Alessio Vinci, stand by. We're going to be coming back to you throughout these next two hours in THE SITUATION ROOM. Alessio Vinci reporting from Beirut.
We're getting some more specific information now on what Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said in this interview on Al- Jazeera, the Arabic language television station, that just aired. "They are unable up to this moment to do anything to harm us." That's what Hassan Nasrallah is just saying. In fact, we have an excerpt of this interview, let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (through translator): They're accomplishment that they destroyed Hezbollah's -- that was not true. Another thing that every Israeli talked that they've hit -- destroyed 50 percent of Hezbollah's ammunition and power is untrue. And they are not able, up until this moment, to do anything to harm us, and I assure you that. And I assure you today that Hezbollah today has stood fast and has absorbed the strike, third, and now is going to initiative. And fourth, it will deliver surprises that it promises, and we keep other things for ourselves that we will do later on.
On the ground, Hezbollah operates the battle with correctness and calm, without any threats, without exaggeration. We are quiet and we are accurate and we calculate with time and a place, and the battle at each point and the battleground, with all details.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah speaking to Al-Jazeera earlier today. Clearly, very much alive. The Israelis have made no secret whatsoever that as part of their bombing campaign over the past nine days, they have gone after what they call command and control centers, including the leadership of Hezbollah. That would include Sheikh Nasrallah as well. We're going to watch this story, but clearly he was not killed yesterday in that huge airstrike the Israelis say they launched in southern Beirut.
Americans now are back in the United States from Lebanon and they're describing what they say were terrifying nights of window rattling explosions. About 150 evacuees landed earlier in Baltimore on this, the first flight back to the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM SHARARA, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: I was in south Beirut. I lived through four nights of bombing, intense bombing, me and my two little kids. That's my son Ali and my daughter Sherizad (ph). We were there to take the kids to see the grandparents. They were very sick, and we lived through horror.
TAREK DIKA, STUDENT, JOHN HOPKINS UNIV.: I was living in Baalbeck, which is a northern city of Lebanon for the past four days before coming here. They were bombing all around us. My family was terrified. I had to leave early in the morning, 6:30, and hoped to God that I would not get killed on the way to Beirut. That was my experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: About 1,000 other Americans still are making the journey to safer ground. They're aboard the USS Nashville, which is expected to arrive in Cyprus in the coming hours. Let's go to Larnaca. CNN's Chris Burns is watching all of this unfold in Cyprus.
What's the latest there today, Chris?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, we are seeing some movement here. Over my shoulder this ship that is all lit up is the French ferryboat that is going to go back over sometime early tomorrow morning to pick up another 1,000 people. They have already moved 1,000 people this way. And I am going to step out of the way so we can push in on this Italian destroyer that is here for the second time, bringing 400 more people from Lebanon. This is the second or third of a seven-ship international flotilla that is coming here just tonight, bringing a few thousand more people. Altogether, more than 7,400 people have arrived here in this port in the last few days, since the ship evacuation began earlier this week.
Of course, the USS Nashville, the troop carrier, is on its way with some 1,000 or 1,200 Americans that were loaded up today from the beaches of Beirut. It was quite a spectacular image, actually, seeing 40 U.S. Marines arriving on the beaches of Beirut for the first time in 22 years, in the 22 years after there was that suicide bombing by Hezbollah against the U.S. military barracks there in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel.
They went back there to pick up these people on the beach with these amphibious landing craft, and they are bringing them back. They should be back early this morning. They are taken over here and processed.
Now, because there are so many Americans that are arriving now, they are setting up some lodging in a -- some makeshift lodging in a fairground near Nicosia. They will be put up there until they can find some flights, so we understand about nine flights -- charter flights are scheduled so far, and that they expect to move something like, altogether, 6,000 Americans out of Beirut, out of Lebanon, by the end of the week -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Chris, thank you very much. We're going to come back to you as well. We're also going to hear from our Barbara Starr. She's aboard the USS Nashville right now. They are bringing evacuees from Lebanon to Cyprus. All that still coming up.
Let's go to Jack Cafferty, though, in New York first -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, while the world is focused on the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, there is something else for all of us to think about. This will cheer you up. Remember those July 4th missile tests, the ones conducted by North Korea? It turns out that one or more officials from Iran may have been in North Korea to watch those test firings.
At a Senate hearing today, the U.S. assistant secretary of state says he thinks that's the case. They haven't confirmed it, but he thinks they were there. He also said it's absolutely correct that the relationship between North Korea and Iran is worrisome. They miss nothing there at the State Department.
U.S. officials have said before Iran and North Korea are collaborating. They've been worried North Korea wants to sell missiles and maybe even nuclear material to Iran.
So here's the question: How concerned are you if Iranian officials showed up to watch North Korea test fire its missiles a few weeks back? E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com, or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Two charter members of President Bush's so-called axis of evil, North Korea and Iran.
CAFFERTY: Yes, a couple of troublesome fellows, and we attacked the one that doesn't have any of this stuff, Iraq.
BLITZER: That's another story, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it is.
BLITZER Thanks very much.
Coming up, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for a cease- fire, an immediate cease-fire to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but will the U.S. go along with that strategy? We're going to go live to the White House to try to find out.
Also, do you want U.S. troops to play an active role to end the conflict? We have new poll numbers and some of those numbers might surprise you.
And are conservatives up in arms at the president for his diplomatic moves on the Middle East, North Korea, Iran and Iraq? I will ask Bill Bennett. He's been taking the pulse of the right. Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back, checking some of the latest developments in the Middle East conflict right now. The State Department says 3,000 Americans have been evacuated from war-torn Lebanon, including 2,400 over the past 24 hours. Lebanon's finance minister says Israel's bombing of his nation has crippled its economy.
The Israel prime minister has agreed to open a naval corridor from Cyprus to Beirut to allow humanitarian supplies into Lebanon.
Two British journalists and their translators were briefly abducted by Hezbollah fighters, but then released early today.
Lebanon has upped its official death toll to 258, but the prime minister says more than 300 people in Lebanon have been killed. At least 29 Israelis have been killed as well. Hundreds have been wounded on both sides.
On Capitol Hill today, a symbolic vote of support for Israel in its fight against Hezbollah guerrillas. The non-binding resolution overwhelming passed by the House also condemns enemies of the Jewish state. The measure is similar to one passed by the Senate on Tuesday.
On the diplomatic front today, the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is likely to press the U.S. defense of Israel tonight. That's when she's scheduled to meet with the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York. Let's get some more on what's going on. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with that -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, clearly we will get more information out of that meeting, but all of this, of course, come amid those urgent evacuations of American citizens in Lebanon and even Israel saying that look, these attacks are not going to happen any time soon. They're certainly not going to end any time soon.
We heard from Secretary Condoleezza Rice's spokesman saying that she will travel to the region as early as next week. Of course that ups the diplomatic stakes. What are they talking about here? Well they are talking about two things, essentially, upping the reconstruction in Lebanon, trying to pull together some projects, perhaps even offer a donors conference to do that.
They are also focusing on southern Lebanon, beefing up the Lebanese army, as well as perhaps establishing a 12-mile buffer zone in that particular area. But all of this comes at a very politically sensitive time for the administration, as members of the international community continue to press President Bush to call for an immediate cease-fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: What is most urgently needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities for three vital reasons. First, to prevent further loss of innocent life and the infliction of further suffering. Second to allow full humanitarian access to those in need. And third, to give diplomacy a chance to work out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also stressed that there's a humanitarian crisis that is worsening in the region and it's very important for at least Israeli strikes to stop to a point where they can allow some of those workers in.
We heard from the White House today, continuing to reject the suggestion by Kofi Annan and others, that somehow the United States is essentially allowing Israel to buy time, attack Hezbollah and neutralize Hezbollah, meanwhile those civilian attacks and casualties amount.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Secretary Annan wants the same thing we want, which is a cessation of violence. What we've done is we've said the people principally responsible are Hezbollah, who started this. I don't think there's any disagreement about the fact. So no, I don't think there is a disagreement on that, we agree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And of course, a lot of questions regarding Rice's trip. We are told by senior administration officials, she hasn't really decided yet exactly where she is going in the region or who she is meeting with.
But very interesting Wolf, I mean this is an administration that has no diplomatic ties with Iran, does not recognize Hezbollah because it's considered a terrorist organization and has rejected any suggestion of talks with Syria, so you can bet that you'll see a real diplomatic looking to Arab allies, European allies to push for and to call for that end of violence, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. In the next hour we will speak with one of Condoleezza Rice's top deputies, the Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. He will join us live, here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Many Americans have a personal and emotional investment in what's happening in the Middle East right now. And they're keeping a very close watch on the unfolding conflict and what the Bush administration is doing and is not doing about it. Let's bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He's got some new poll numbers, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, what do Americans want the United States to do in the Middle East? Well, our new poll has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Play an active role in trying to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah? The answer is clear, no. The public wants us to stay out of it. What about sending U.S. troops as part of an international peacekeeping force? That sounds better, but the public is still divided and worried.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The world must deal with Hezbollah, with Syria and continue to work to isolate Iran.
SCHNEIDER: Only 38 percent of the public approves of the way President Bush is handling the Israeli-Hezbollah crisis. Do Americans believe Israel has gone too far in its response? No, fewer than an third of Americans feel that way. Nearly half say Israel's response has been about right or hasn't gone far enough.
Does the public think Israel should continue military action until Hezbollah can no longer launch attacks or seek a cease-fire as soon as possible? They are split, by party, in fact. Most Republicans say Israel should continue to attack until the threat is eliminated. Most Democrats want a cease-fire.
What about the evacuation of Americans in Lebanon? Fifty three percent think the government is handling it well. Some critics have made a comparison to another evacuation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems to manifest some of the same things we saw when this administration handled Katrina.
SCHNEIDER: But the public sees a big difference. Last September 63 percent thought the Katrina evacuation was handled poorly. Only 29 percent feel that way about the Lebanon evacuation.
(on camera): Fifty seven percent of Americans say they sympathize with Israel in this conflict. Only 4 percent sympathize with Hezbollah, although a lot of Americans, 39 percent, say they don't sympathize with one side over the other, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Bill Schneider with those numbers. Thank you very much Bill for that.
Coming up, no letup for the Lebanese after nine days of fighting. What's the mood in Beirut? We will go live to the Lebanese capitol to talk to a top Lebanese political analyst.
And is the Israeli offensive succeeding? I will speak with a U.S. military expert in the next hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Amid new Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon the leader of Hezbollah says Israel is unable to harm the militia's military power. Hassan Nasrallah made that claim in an interview that just aired on Al-Jazeera.
Israel today estimated that its airstrikes have destroyed about half of Hezbollah's military firepower. Israeli and Hezbollah forces fought on the ground once again today in southern Lebanon. The "Associated Press" reports that Lebanon's defense minister says the Lebanese army will join the battle if Israel launched a full-scale ground invasion.
Some 1,000 Americans meanwhile escaping the fighting in Lebanon are due to arrive in Cyprus soon aboard the USS Nashville. The first plane load of U.S. evacuees landed earlier today in Baltimore. Another flight is due to arrive there later tonight.
And there's word from the State Department that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may travel to the Middle East as early as next week. Meanwhile there is this quote, these words coming in, Lebanon is being destroyed. Those words coming in from Lebanon's finance minister after more than a week of Israeli airstrikes. Even if the conflict ends soon can Lebanon and its new democracy recover?
Joining us now from Beirut, is Roula Talj. She's a political analyst in Lebanon.
Roula, thanks very much for joining us. I know you have been committed, because I've known you now for several years, to the peace process in your part of the world. What's been the reaction among Lebanese to what's going on? Are they taking out their anger on Hezbollah, for starting this, or on the Israelis?
ROULA TALJ, LEBANESE POLITICAL ANALYST: First, good evening, Wolf.
Yes, actually, the public opinion in Lebanon is, unfortunately, split. There are many supporters of Hezbollah's actions. And, of course, some -- some of the Lebanese are unhappy with it, because they thought it was not the good timing, or it wasn't on their agenda, or whatever.
But, since the escalation of the attacks on civilians, mainly women and children, you know, the toll, the death toll, came up to 350. And the injured are around 1,000, mainly are women and children. I think the support -- or people who are -- who were against this attack are being neutralized by these images.
BLITZER: What is the mood? What is the mood, Roula, as to how to resolve this? The Israelis say that the Hezbollah has to return their two soldiers, and stop launching rockets from the south.
You have been on a keen observer of this situation for a long time. How do you resolve this immediate crisis?
TALJ: First of all, Wolf, let me tell you one thing. I found it outrageous and unacceptable for a superpower, like the United States, who has got the power to stop the fighting immediately, actually to be opposed to the cease-fire. This is one, because it would have been in Washington's interest, and -- and, you know, interest to show that -- that Washington stay -- stands -- I'm sorry -- still stands for American values.
And we were shocked by the decision, or the talks of Mr. Bolton today, stating that the victims of terrorist attacks cannot be compared to the victims of self-defense.
And I think this is very racist. And I think Mr. Bolton should be held accountable for such statements, because it's hurting Americans' image in the Middle East.
And I'm still -- I think the Security Council can stop the fighting immediately, can bring the two parties, the Lebanese government -- actually, it will strengthen the Lebanese government, and would bring it together with the Israelis, maybe not on direct talks, but somehow, indirectly, force these two parties to sit down, like grownups, and discuss the best interests of their people, through a peaceful solution.
Once and for all, peace should be make -- made in the Middle East, Wolf. I think the Palestinian issue should be solved.
BLITZER: All right.
TALJ: A two-state solution has to be -- has to be immediately installed, or else Israel, the moderates in Israel, the moderates in Lebanon, the moderates in the whole world are in jeopardy.
I think the extremists are gaining ground. Violence is leading to more violence. And it's really becoming unbearable. And it's going to lead the world, unfortunately -- and I am sorry to say that, but you could feel it up in the air.
BLITZER: Roula...
TALJ: It's going to lead the world to a world confrontation.
BLITZER: Roula, I -- we're almost out of time, but take us a little bit into your life over these past nine days. What has it been like in Beirut?
TALJ: Beirut turned into a phantom city.
We don't see, but, fortunately, we have reporters from all over the world. I live in downtown Beirut. So, I live in a phantom city. And I am very pleased to see reporters, to see officials, U.N. officials. We are next to their building here.
And, you know -- and Lebanese fled Beirut. Whoever can -- can leave Beirut left it already, to the mountains and outside the country. It's very sad. I never witnessed downtown Beirut this way since the -- the civil war stops, Wolf. It's very tense. It's very sad.
BLITZER: Roula Talj...
TALJ: It's unfortunate.
BLITZER: Well, good luck to you. Be careful over there. Good luck to your family and your friends and to all the Lebanese people. Our heart goes out to you. We will be talking to you in the next several days -- Roula Talj joining us live from Beirut.
And up next: From the Middle East crisis to North Korea, Iran and Iraq, is the president losing his hard line? I will talk about that with our Bill Bennett, the anger on the right over the Bush administration's diplomatic moves around the world.
Plus: Americans desperate to escape the fighting in Lebanon crowd aboard a U.S. warship. We will have a report from the deck of the USS Nashville. Barbara Starr is there.
That's coming in the next hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Is the White House doing enough to diffuse the crisis in the Middle East? Should it stay out of the conflict altogether?
Joining us now to discuss this, our CNN contributor Bill Bennett. He's the host of "Morning in America." and the chairman and founder of Americans For Victory Over Terrorism at the Claremont Institute.
Bill...
BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, sir. BLITZER: ... thanks very much...
BENNETT: Yes, sir.
BLITZER: ... for coming in.
How do you assess the president's performance so far over these first nine days of this war between Israel and Hezbollah?
BENNETT: I think it's been pretty good, pretty strong.
We have not seen this kind of two-scorpions-in-the-bottle kind of statement, moral equivalence. The president has condemned Hezbollah. He's talked about how this started with the kidnap of Israeli soldiers and the attacks on Israel. He's made it plain his support for Israel.
There was some concern on the part of many of us that we would follow Kofi Annan's advice and send Secretary Rice over immediately to call for a cease-fire. Many of us do not want to see that cease-fire. We would like to see the Israelis given the opportunity to try to put an end to this constant threat of terrorism that they are facing.
You know, it's not on this border, but at the Gaza border. Since the withdrawal from Gaza, there has not been a single day, not a single day, when rockets have not been fired into Israel.
BLITZER: Did you support the statement, the unanimous statement, that the G8 put out that blamed Hezbollah for the start of this warfare, but, at the same time, called on Israel to exercise restraint in responding?
BENNETT: Yes, exercise restraint, absolutely, but I think continue the military actions. Otherwise, the minute they stop, it will start again from the other side.
It's an amazing situation. And your last guest said, you know, here, people go for Israel's throat again. They take, kidnap two of its soldiers, two of its citizens. When Israel responds, we have to have an immediate cease-fire. Not to be flip, but give war a chance. Let the Israelis try to defense themselves, push back Hezbollah, so they won't be facing this constant threat.
BLITZER: But you know the criticism of Israel, coming from the French, and a lot of the Europeans, and a lot of other people around the world, that the reaction of the Israelis has been over -- they have overreacted, and it's been too punitive, in terms of civilians and destruction, damage that has unfolded in Lebanon.
BENNETT: Alan Dershowitz, our mutual friend, had a very good column on this in "The Wall Street Journal."
It is difficult, when your enemy is hiding in the houses of civilians, using homes as a place from which to launch rockets. The Israelis leafleted the entire community. We just announced -- you announced on the show a couple hours ago -- or CNN announced -- that the Israelis are going to allow all sorts of relief efforts to take place.
There's a real inequality. There's a real asymmetry. And it's between the Israelis, who, I think, are trying to do it in the most restrained way, and Hezbollah, which doesn't really care, will kill anybody at any time, as long as they are Jewish.
But I -- I will say this. You're right, and we have been here before. It is starting to turn. You can see the turn against Israel. And, soon, I believe, in European capitals, and some places other -- in addition to Europe, it will be Israel that will be the focus of people's animus...
BLITZER: Here's...
BENNETT: ... unfairly.
BLITZER: Forget about this immediate issue...
BENNETT: Sure..
BLITZER: ... the...
BENNETT: Sure.
BLITZER: ... the crisis in the Middle East. There was mounting criticism of the Bush administration's diplomatic efforts over a whole sort -- a whole bunch of other issues.
Ken Adelman, a good conservative, served in the Reagan administration with you, he said this in "The Washington Post": "This administration prided itself on molding history, not just reacting to events. It's a normal foreign policy right now. It's the triumph of Kerryism," referring to the diplomacy in North Korea and Iran."
And Danielle Pletka, from the American Enterprise Institute, another solid conservative, said this: "I don't have a friend in the administration, on Capitol Hill, or any part of the conservative foreign policy establishment -- who is not besides themselves with fury at the administration."
What do you make of that extraordinary criticism coming in from the right?
BENNETT: Well, I understand. These are people who are critics for a living. I have done some criticizing myself over time.
(LAUGHTER)
BENNETT: But it's an extraordinary time, and, you know, try to keep up with history, much less mold history.
Look at the world. Look at the situation. You have got Iran. You have got North Korea. You have got this situation in the Middle East. I think it's incumbent upon anybody who says that the president isn't doing a good job to say what the alternative is. Yes, I think we should be tougher on Iran. And I can offer some criticisms, too. But this is a very difficult and challenging time. And, for the most part, I think the president has stepped up admirably. And the Democrats, I think, have shown themselves to be very weak, very ineffectual.
To call the president yesterday a moral ayatollah was, I think, most inapt.
BLITZER: We have got to leave it there.
Bill Bennett, as usual...
BENNETT: Hey, thanks.
BLITZER: ... thanks for coming on.
BENNETT: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: New explosions rocking Lebanon -- there's much more ahead, as we follow the fighting in the Middle East. We will go live to Beirut, to northern Israel -- all that coming up at the top of the hour.
Also: another very deadly conflict in the region -- we are going to have the latest from Iraq, where there's been absolutely no letup in the violence.
Plus, George W. Bush does something he has never done before as president. Find out what that is when we come back.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
We are following all the new developments in the Middle East crisis. We are going to have fresh reports coming up from the region in a few moments. Stand by for that.
But there's other important news unfolding right now as well.
Let's check in for that with CNN's Fredricka Whitfield. She's at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
Hi, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Wolf.
Iraqi and U.S. soldiers are joining forces in a new effort to root out al Qaeda. They have surrounded some towns west of Kirkuk, Iraq, to capture terrorists blamed for killing Iraqi soldiers and police. Hours after the operation launched, a car bomb exploded in Kirkuk, killing five people. Three car wombs detonated in Baghdad and north of Iraq's capital, killing six. A U.S. Marine also died in fighting in Anbar Province. A spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq admits, it has been a tough week. But Major General William Caldwell adds, it will take time to turn things around.
Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said today he now believes that Iraq has now fallen into a civil war. CNN's Capitol Hill team has learned that Reid plans to try and bring the Iraq war issue back up for debate on the Senate floor by the end of the month.
And parts of the Northeastern U.S. may be in for some rough weather. That's the word from forecasters. As Tropical storm Beryl heads up the Northeast Coast toward Massachusetts, its top winds are near 60 miles an hour. A tropical storm watch is up for parts of Long Island and Connecticut. And a tropical storm warning is posted for the Massachusetts coast.
They are all bracing -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks, Fred, for that -- Fred, Fredricka Whitfield, reporting.
Here in the United States, a new first for the president -- he addressed the nation's oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP. It's an appearance he managed to avoid making for more than five years. And he got heat from African-American for doing that, for avoiding that appearance.
Let's get some more now from CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Mr. Bush was in line to become the first chief executive since Herbert Hoover never to appear before the NAACP in person as president.
He moved quickly to defuse the tension today, but Republicans will still have an uphill battle trying to increase their share of the African-American vote in November.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): It was a one-liner six years in the making.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: Thank you very much.
Bruce, thanks for your introduction.
Bruce is a polite guy. I thought what he was going to say, "It's about time you showed up."
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE) HENRY: NAACP President Bruce Gordon helped broker the detente with Mr. Bush, who, for six years, had refused to appear in person at the annual convention of the nation's most prominent civil rights organization.
BUSH: And I understand that many African-Americans distrust my political party.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: I consider it a tragedy that the party of Abraham Lincoln let go of its historic ties with the African-American community. For too long, my party wrote off the African-American vote, and many African-Americans wrote off the Republican Party.
HENRY: Eager to reverse that trend in a midterm-election year, the president brought along Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: See, she tells me of her father's long struggle to register to vote...
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: ... and the pride that came when he finally claimed his full rights as an American citizen to cast his first ballot.
HENRY: He won loud applause by declaring he supports renewal of the Voting Rights Act, despite division within his party.
BUSH: I look forward to the Senate passing this bill promptly, without amendment...
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: ... so I can sign it into law.
(APPLAUSE)
HENRY: But civil rights leaders have lingering resentment about allegations that African-Americans were denied the right to vote in the contested election of 2000, along with the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.
REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: There's something about this president that African-Americans just cannot trust. There's a feeling that, yes, he did appoint Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and others. But -- but he's not on our side, that he speaks the language, that he can talk the talk, but he's not able to walk the walk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: The president only received 11 percent of the African- American vote in 2004. Republicans hope to reverse that in November with the help of three African-American candidates running for statewide office, in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry, thank you for that.
On our "Political Radar" this Thursday: California Governor Schwarzenegger is again at odds with President Bush. Schwarzenegger today authorized a $150 million loan to fund California's Stem Cell Institute. That comes a day after Mr. Bush vetoed legislation that would have eased restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
In the Connecticut Senate race, a new poll shows Democrat Joe Lieberman's primary challenger, Ned Lamont, now leading the former vice presidential nominee. The Quinnipiac poll shows Lamont with 51 percent support among likely voters, compared to 47 percent for Lieberman. Lieberman had a 15-point lead in a similar poll back in June. The primary is August 8.
Lieberman is some getting high-powered help in his primary campaign. Former President Bill Clinton will stump for him in Connecticut on Monday. Many top Democrats are backing Lieberman in the primary, including Senator Hillary Clinton, but some are refusing to support his effort to get on the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate if he loses to Lamont next month.
We're going to get back to our top story when we return -- airstrikes and rocket attacks turning parts of Lebanon and Israel into rubble, sending thousands of people fleeing from their homes. We are going to tell you where you can go online to find out what you can do to try to help them.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has a dinner meeting tonight in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan -- topic A, the Middle East crisis. We're going to have a live report. That's coming up at the top of the hour.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: With hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced from their homes and a concern for civilian safety in Israel, organizations around the world are mobilizing to send humanitarian aid to the Middle East.
Standing by with more on what's being done and where you can find these organizations online, our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the United Nations Refugee Agency is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign to send human -- humanitarian aid into the Middle East.
Now, they are focused on Lebanon right now, because that's the country that asked for U.N. aid. Mobilizing today the first of their emergency teams, they're going to be monitoring the border. They're also going to be going into the mountain areas and into the shelters where displaced people are staying.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is beefing up its teams in Lebanon. It's also working with the local Lebanon Red Cross, which is at full capacity at this point, with 2,400 volunteers and 200 ambulances.
In Israel, the Magen David Adom, which is the Israeli version of the Red Cross, is now on code red high alert. They have moved their blood supply underground for safety. They have moved their ambulance fleet to the north. And they are sending out volunteers to shelters.
And UNICEF, which focuses on displaced children, is now concerned about getting critical supplies into Lebanon.
Go to CNN.com/SITUATIONREPORT. We have put links to all of these organizations online for you there -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And that's really important work.
SCHECHNER: Yes.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jacki, for that.
Still to come: much more on the unrest that has gripped the Middle East -- today has seen more rocket attacks in northern Israel and intense ground battles on Lebanon's side of the border. We're going to have live reports from Israel and Lebanon. That's coming up in a few minutes.
And while the world watches the Middle East, there's another potential crisis unfolding in North Korea. We are going to tell you -- we're going to ask you what you think about Iran possibly being on hand, watching Pyongyang's missile tests -- Jack Cafferty standing by for that.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Just resting here between innings.
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: The question is: How concerned are you, if you found out that Iranian officials were on hand to watch North Korea's missile tests? The State Department thinks there might have been some Iranians there for this thing.
Here's some of what you have written us.
Patricia in the Mojave Desert, where it's more than warm: "Very concerned, Jack. Iran is going nuclear. Anything that helps them, like learning how to make their rockets go farther, is a very frightening thought."
Michael in Los Angeles: "Based on the results of the test launches, maybe what the Iranians learned from being there in North Korea was how not to build long-range missiles."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: Norah in West Chester, Pennsylvania: "I hope we're not counting on our 'intelligence,' if you can call it that, for this information. How did that work out with the WMDs in Iraq?"
Gypsy in Mexico.
Why do I think that's not your real name, Gypsy?
"It concerns me tremendously. Those two countries thumbing their noses at the world shows how ineffective the leadership of the planet's superpower is."
Keith in Bridgeport, Connecticut: "Am I concerned an Iranian official may have been in North Korea during the missile test? Why should I be? If it was that important, wouldn't Congress be spending time on this, instead of issues like the gay marriage and flag burning?"
And Robert in New York writes: "Yawn. I couldn't care less. Macy's did a better job on the Fourth of July" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much.
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