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The Situation Room

Israel Launching Deadly New Ground and Air Attacks in Lebanon; Diplomats at U.N. Struggling to Find Peace Plan; Pentagon Says Half of Iraq's Army Division Has Responsibility for Security; Gideon Meir Interview; High Turnout in Connecticut Primary; Senator Lieberman's Dicey Political Fate Putting Democratic Colleagues In Serious Bind; Georgians Decide on Cynthia McKinney

Aired August 08, 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: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, urgent debate about the warfare here in the Middle East. Arab delegates raising red flags at the United Nations right now.

Here in the region, it's 11:00 p.m. in southern Lebanon, where civilians trapped in the combat zone are under curfew and living in fear.

Also this hour, a military milestone in Iraq. It's midnight in Baghdad, where Iraqi forces have reached a halfway point in taking over security. Will it affect the level of violence or the future of the U.S. forces?

And right now, a critical test of Iraq politics, and Senator Joe Lieberman standing with Democrats. It's 4:00 p.m. in Connecticut, where primary voters are making a statement about Lieberman's support for the war, and Lieberman's Web site is now under attack.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem. You're in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

At the United Nations right now, Arab League delegates are arguing for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. It's part of a U.N. draft resolution on the Middle East crisis. The Security Council is holding an open debate on the peace plan.

Meanwhile, Israel is launching deadly new ground and air attacks in Lebanon. Beirut came under attack after dark once again. And the port city of Tyre has been pounded and isolated. And the Israeli military is dropping leaflets right now warning residents to stay off the roads or risk being targeted by new airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his security cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss expanding the military offensive in southern Lebanon. And he's using the word "interesting" to describe Lebanon's offer to send peacekeeping troops to southern Lebanon if Israel pulls out. The White House is echoing that sentiment right now. All this unfolding as dozens more Hezbollah rockets landed in northern Israel today. Israel now reports 98 dead in nearly a month of war. Lebanon puts its doll, the death toll right now, at 781 people dead.

Our correspondents are standing by at the United Nations. Here in the Middle East, Richard Roth is at the U.N., Matthew Chance is in northern Israel.

Let's go to Beirut first, though, to our bureau chief Brent Sadler, with all the latest developments from there -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Wolf.

Again, the third straight day of Israeli attacks against the Lebanese capital in the southern suburbs. We heard a couple of loud explosions. Again, the area that has been targeted repeatedly, not quite sure which district was hit this time. The previous day, a district that had been thought relatively safe was hit. Now that's confirmed the Israelis used naval gunfire.

Still no confirmation of what weapons were used in this latest attack. We do know now that casualty figures from yesterday's strike that hit two buildings in the Shia district of the southern suburbs of Beirut -- the casualties from that attack -- 30 dead, say the internal security forces here, and more than 60 wounded.

Now, if we look at what's happened elsewhere today, turn our attention south of Sidon -- that's just north of the Litani River. Below Litani now, it's virtually a no-go area, Wolf. But in south of Sidon, another air strike against a village that Israel said was housing a top Hezbollah commander.

Now, that village was hit the previous day. The village was involved in burials from the previous day's attack when the village was again hit tote. Turn our attention even further south, the Israelis have now been dropping leaflets on the population there, warning anybody that if they try to use the roads in any vehicle, they are subject to immediate targeting by Israel's defense forces.

Also, Tyre this time cut off now, Wolf. A no-go area from the Litani River to the border of Israel, 20 miles, a huge stretch of territory. No-go area, bridges cut off. Humanitarian aid can no longer reach those areas -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Are they bracing for a major escalation in the ground and air war? As you know, Brent, the prime minister of Israel here in Jerusalem said earlier today, the cabinet -- the Israeli cabinet -- will meet tomorrow to debate whether to escalate this war, go to a whole new level, and deploy thousands of Israeli troops all the way up in southern Lebanon to the Litani River. What's been the reaction in Beirut so far to that proposal?

SADLER: Well, certainly, the Lebanese government is hoping that the diplomatic efforts in New York will reshape that draft resolution that should be voted on by the end of the week. But at the same time, analysts here, Wolf, are quite certain that they're watching for the past 72 hours -- with increased airstrikes against the Lebanese capital, with a lot of airstrike activity in the south of Lebanon, combined with ground force escalations and artillery bombardments -- that Israel is shaping the battlefield, particularly on the Mediterranean coastline.

Because they would need to strike north, perhaps circling Tyre, where many Katyushas are being fired from, so that they could drive up north to the Litani River line on the Mediterranean coastal side. And that is what many people believe here Israel is preparing for. But whether or not the diplomacy works, it's still too early to say. If there's diplomatic deadlock, though, many here in Lebanon do believe that Israel is poised to make a much deeper strike inside Lebanon.

BLITZER: Brent Sadler in Beirut, thank you very much.

Let's go to northern Israel right now. It's been an intense day of shelling. In fact, the shelling going on right now. Let's bring in our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance.

Matthew, only moments ago, we heard shelling coming from the area from near you. I take it Israeli -- there it goes again -- Israeli shells going toward south Lebanon, is that right?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Wolf. It's been a drum beat of shells, virtually every minute; volleys of artillery and tank rounds being fired into southern Lebanon in support of the 10,000 or more troops that are there, Israeli troops battling against Hezbollah fighters, where they've been encountering some very stubborn resistance trying to dislodge Hezbollah from their entrenched positions across southern Lebanon.

Now, what Israel is saying very firmly is that, at the moment, it's focused on the diplomatic process, but it does have a military option on the table and could well use it. That's what we've been discussing. It's welcome the proposal by the Lebanese government to deploy 15,000 of its own Lebanese army troops near the Israeli border in southern Lebanon. Welcomed it in principle, because they stay that's what they wanted all along, a Lebanese army force on that border instead of Hezbollah.

But there are big reservations in Israel as to what that force would be, whether it would be robust enough to actually carry out the function that Israel wants it to carry out. In other words, to disarm Hezbollah and to make sure that it doesn't use any cease-fire merely as an opportunity to rearm, to regroup and then to strike at Israel at a later date.

Nevertheless, Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, saying that he's giving this issue some consideration. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I am not familiar yet with all the details and what is the assistance needed for the Lebanese army. And what would be the structure of the forces that will join the Lebanese army and what will be the strengths of these forces and the makeup of these forces? And what are the other conditions, if there are any conditions that were represented by the Lebanese government. So I think that it will be fair to say that we started this. It looks interesting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Israel's priority, then, Wolf, to get a force on the ground in south Lebanon that is robust enough and strong enough to disarm Hezbollah. Whether that's the Lebanese army, whether it's a multi-national force, or it could even be the Israeli army -- a decision likely to be made on that tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And on the eve of this major cabinet meeting tomorrow and whether or not to go forward and escalate this ground and air offensive to an all new level to deploy thousands of Israeli troops all the way up to Litani River in south Lebanon, give us a little flavor of what you're seeing and hearing from Israeli troops on the border right now. The downside, from Israel's perspective, is presumably if Israel does launch this major new offensive, a lot more Israeli soldiers are potentially going to die.

CHANCE: Absolutely. And I think that's the sense that you get when you speak to soldiers that are part of the build-up that has been going on here on the Israeli-Lebanese border for several days now. Many, many troops have gathered in this area, are poised to go in if that order comes through. It hasn't come through yet.

But the ones that are coming out -- and they've been going in and out for the past several weeks, remember -- are battling these Hezbollah positions. They're talking about how well-trained, how well-prepared, the Hezbollah guerrillas are. They're very well-armed. Some of them have similar weapons to the Israeli commandos that are being sent in.

They've spent the last six years since Israeli's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, when it ended its occupation in 2000, using that time very well; to train, to rearm, to dig in concrete bunkers and tunnels, to formulate battle strategies, to really deal with this scenario, which Hezbollah has been anticipating, it seems, for the past several years. And as such, they are a very, very tough enemy to dislodge. And it's going to be very difficult, even for a big Israeli force to actually get to grips with this guerrilla army entrenched in southern Lebanon, Wolf.

BLITZER: And Israeli military commanders are telling me they certainly know there are plenty of land mines, booby traps, all sorts of improvised explosive devices that they would have to deal with if they're going to be sending additional forces all the way up to the Litani River. Matthew Chance, we will be watching together with you. Once again, the Israeli cabinet poised to pick up that question and decide it as early as tomorrow.

Meanwhile at the United Nations, right now diplomats are struggling to keep a peace plan from falling apart. An open debate underway in the U.N. Security Council and Arab League delegates are voicing their demands. Let's bring in our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth -- Richard?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there is an intense briefing going on now inside the U.N. Security Council. The special delegation of Arab ministers has come here to the Security Council to air their grievances about the proposed draft resolution.

Now as our time fits the way we have just come up right now live, the Israeli ambassador is responding. Dan Gillerman just telling the Lebanese ambassador and a Lebanese visiting minister that it's important for the two countries to work together because the enemy is really Hezbollah. Let's take a brief listen.

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Whether to cast your lot with those who will work to promote peace and prosperity or with those committed to undermining any chance of such progress. The choice quite simply is between those who build and those who destroy. For the sake...

ROTH: That's Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman. Now earlier the Qatar deputy prime minister addressed the Security Council and asked the ambassador to take into consideration the government of Lebanon's announcement that they're willing to send 15,000 soldiers to the south. That should be in the resolution, he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMAD BIN JABR AL-THANI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Mr. President, we continue to have faith in the ability of this August council to show its responsibilities as provided by the charter to realize security, peace and stability in the region. The stakes are high, so are the hopes that this August council will adopt a decisive, substantive and clear resolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The ministers from the Arab delegation will have this live hearing but more important for them, closed-door work with ambassadors who are going over the resolution to see if any changes or tweaking can be made. Wolf, in the end, they may just note in support, the Lebanese government announcement to deploy soldiers. But they will still maybe stick with their original timetable that Israel gets to stay until an international peacekeeping force is there and established.

BLITZER: I take it, Richard, that the Arab League, the representatives representing the Arab world, they are speaking I guess right now with one voice and that voice very similar to the position enunciated by the government of the Lebanese prime minister?

ROTH: Oh, yes. They are all together on it. Differing views weeks ago have disappeared under what they say is the Israeli onslaught and barbaric aggression. They were together in Beirut. They're still united here. BLITZER: Richard, thank you very much. We will stay on top of this debate at the United Nations. Jack Cafferty is off today but "The Cafferty File" returns to THE SITUATION ROOM Monday. Coming up this hour, will Israel step up its land war in Lebanon? I will talk to a senior Israeli foreign ministry official about that and about the urgent diplomacy at the United Nations.

Plus, the other deadly conflict in the Middle East. U.S. forces pass the baton to their Iraqi counterparts but there is absolutely no let-up in the insurgent attacks or the sectarian violence. A report from Baghdad, moments away. And later, it's D-Day for a controversial congresswoman fighting for her political life. Live from Jerusalem, you are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're reporting live from Jerusalem, where people are keeping a very close eye on discussions now going on at the United Nations. Arab League nations are pushing for changes in a U.N. draft resolution on the Middle East crisis. They wanted to include an immediate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Another point of conflict here in the Middle East, though, Iraq. The Pentagon now says half of Iraq's army division now have primary responsibility for security after a handover ceremony today.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Baghdad -- Harris.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today's handover means yet another Iraqi army division is taking the lead in its battle space. But the handover comes on the heels of expressions of disapproval of the way the U.S. military is handling security in Baghdad by the Iraqi prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK (voice-over): Iraqi commanders unfurled their division's flag on a military place in Tikrit. The ceremony in the presence of top U.S. military commanders and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq served to formalize the transfer of power in the province from U.S. to Iraqi military forces, bringing the number of army divisions in control to Iraqi territory to five, with five more due to take over by the end of the year.

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: They just keep taking small steps and they get better and better every day.

WHITBECK: But whoever's in control of security in Iraq continues to face a huge challenge. Just before the ceremony in Tikrit, two roadside bombs exploded in nearby Samarra, killing nine people. And in Baghdad, two explosions, one in the main market, killed another 10. Sectarian violence in the capital has risen sharply in recent months.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Security Baghdad is vital. It's the national capital of course and seven million Iraqis live there. It is the scene of a great deal of violence in Iraq. Should this government be dismissed as having failed to deal with it, Iraq will be in a more difficult situation.

WHITBECK: More U.S. troops have been sent into Baghdad. On Monday they and Iraqi forces supported by air power, fought Shia militia in the sprawling slum of Sadr City. And that has caused a riff between the U.S. military and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki. Al-Maliki criticized what he called the heavy-handedness of the U.S. force.

NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): When they bombed Sadr City with planes, I was so angered and pained for this operation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITBECK: Al-Maliki now faces the challenge of trying to overcome the sectarian violence in the capital, at the same time as running a country whose army is a long way from being fully in control -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Harris, thank you. And coming up, back to our top story. Will Israel step up its land war in Lebanon? I will ask a top Israeli foreign ministry official. And a major Alaska oil pipeline could be shut down now for months. Will that lead to even higher gas prices? Plus, are those prices at the pump causing you hardship? We've got some new poll numbers. Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We're live from Jerusalem here in the Middle East.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery are pounding villages across southern Lebanon once again today, killing at least 14 people. At the United Nations, diplomats are listening to Arab concerns about a proposed U.N. peace plan. We are bringing you all the new developments as they happen.

The Israeli cabinet poised to meet to debate and to discuss a proposal to dramatically escalate Israel's ground war and air war in Lebanon. We're watching that as well. All that coming up.

In the meantime, Zain Verjee is joining us from Washington with a closer look at other important stories making news.

Hi, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.

Gas prices are holding steady at just above $3 a gallon but it's a different matter for oil prices, following the indefinite shutdown of the largest oil field in the U.S. The nation's energy secretary says it could take six months for normal shipments to resume, but he says the U.S. has enough supplies in stock. The government today raised this month's crude oil price forecast from $73.50 a barrel to $76.50. According to a new CNN poll by Opinion Research Corporation, 23 percent of people surveyed say this summer's increase in gas prices has caused them severe financial hardship. Nearly half, 42 percent, say it resulted in moderate hardship for them and their family. Thirty-four percent say that they have just not felt an impact.

The Federal Reserve did something today that it hasn't actually done in two years. It decided not to raise interest rates. Analysts cite a cooling economy for the Fed's decision. July job increases were weaker than expected for the fourth straight month. There's also concern about higher oil prices and slowdowns in the housing market. The federal funds rate is now at 5.25 percent.

The number two best-selling prescription drug in the world could cost you a lot less. A generic version of the blood thinner Plavix is expected to hit the market soon. That's sinking shares of drug manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb. It made nearly $6 billion off Plavix sales last year alone. State attorney generals recently rejected a deal to delay the generic until 2011 -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you, Zain.

Up next, as diplomacy efforts grind forward, could the Israeli's ground campaign in Lebanon become even bigger? Israel's security cabinet poised to take a vote. We'll have more on that. I will speak with a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official about this crisis.

And Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut is battling for a fourth term on Capitol Hill, but will voters' disenchantment with the Iraq war cost him his job? The primary -- today is primary day in Connecticut. We are standing by for results. Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem, where we are reporting on all the new developments in the Middle East conflict, and there are lots of new developments.

At the United Nations right now, it's a make or break moment for a Middle East peace plan. Arab nations are venting their concerns about a U.N. draft resolution that fails to demand Israel withdraw immediately from southern Lebanon. The U.S. and France are scrambling to try to find a compromise.

In southern Lebanon today, mourners were in a funeral procession for victims of Israeli airstrikes when warplanes unleashed new attacks. At least eight people were killed, others scattered in panic.

And the Israeli military reports at least 145 Hezbollah rockets were once again fired into northern Israel today. Israel's Security Cabinet is due to meet tomorrow to decide if it will expand its war against Hezbollah.

Israeli officials have told the troops to keep fighting on without being distracted by all the diplomatic efforts going on right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And joining us now in Jerusalem is a senior Foreign Ministry official, Ambassador Gideon Meir. Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in.

GIDEON MEIR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY: Thank you for having me.

BLITZER: Your government is on the verge of making a major decision tomorrow, a decision that potentially could dramatically escalate this war. Give us a sense of the enormity of the debate unfolding in the cabinet.

MEIR: The cabinet will decide tomorrow -- and, as you just now mentioned, there's going to be a debate -- whether to go further, until the Litani River in Lebanon, in order to stop this shelling of rockets and missiles on to Israeli cities, to stop the -- to stop this kind of killing of innocent Israelis, because what the Hezbollah is doing is shelling cities in Israel, and only civilians, no military targets.

So, there are voices who call for this advancement of the Israeli Defense Forces, and those who are against it. The debate will take place tomorrow. There is one goal for the Israeli government: to stop the Hezbollah firing of rockets, and to make sure that there's going to be a new order in this part of the world, because it was not Israel who started this war.

BLITZER: But if that decision is made to escalate the ground offensive, the air campaign, how concerned are you that it's also going to result in the deaths of a lot more Lebanese civilians?

MEIR: The prime minister instructed the Israeli Defense Forces to make sure that innocents will not be killed.

I can tell you even more. I saw the prime minister two days ago. And he spoke to me and to my colleagues in the Foreign Ministry. And he said that every decision which is being made by the Israeli government is accompanied by the attorney general. His assessment, his advice is being given to every state. So, Israel action is being done according to the international law.

Not only this -- also, in the -- in the headquarters of the army...

BLITZER: Let me read to you from a report that just came out, a statement that the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

He said, "It is an obligation under the fourth Geneva Convention. You have to make sure that you can cover the needs of the civilian population. And that certainly is a point I will underline. By letting down leaflets, you cannot rid of your responsibilities under international humanitarian law." In other words, he's saying, the dropping of these leaflets, telling Lebanese civilians to get out of an area, that is simply not enough.

MEIR: Yes, but we don't target them.

It -- one has to understand, it is not a goal of the Israeli -- of the Israeli army to target civilians. We have nothing against Lebanon. We have nothing against the Lebanese people.

We are fighting the terror organization called Hezbollah. Unfortunately, the Hezbollah is using the population, A, as a human shield. B, they prevent from them humanitarian aid, and, C, then forcing them to stay in their homes and houses.

Now, the question is how one defend its people. Which country would have allowed the -- for the firing and shelling of 3,500 rockets on their citizens? We have to make sure that our people are protected.

BLITZER: But in...

MEIR: I think we deserve this peace and tranquility. At the same time, I think the Lebanese people deserve it. But, first, we have to get rid of what the Hezbollah is doing.

BLITZER: The criticism that is being leveled is that Israel's response has been disproportionate.

The Human Rights Watch, this organization, came out with their report the other day. They said this. They said: "The pattern of attacks during the Israeli offensive in Lebanon suggests that the failures cannot be explained or dismissed as mere accident. The extent of the pattern and the seriousness of the consequences indicate the commission of war crimes."

MEIR: I would like to address this issue of disproportionality.

What is a proportion, the firing of 3,500 missiles? The threat on Israel, this is the proportion. We are defending the people of Israel from the threat. You cannot count one body vis-a-vis other bodies. What you count is the threat. And we have to remove this threat once and for all.

Now, I have another question to all those humanitarian organizations. What about the crimes which are being imposed upon Israel, the war crimes, the criminal crimes of the Hezbollah targeting civilians?

We don't target civilians. We regret and have a deep sorrow on every civilian who is being killed. It's against our moral. For us, it's a tragedy. Every civilian who is being killed in Lebanon is not only a tragedy. It's also a failure. For them, every civilian who is being killed in Israel is something to celebrate...

(CROSSTALK) BLITZER: The Lebanese government now says they are going to send 15,000 Lebanese army troops to the south to work with an international force to protect that area, to secure it, to make sure no more rockets rain down on Israel.

Are you ready to take yes from the Lebanese government as an answer?

MEIR: This is a very interesting idea which came from the Lebanese government. It will be reviewed. And Israel will look into this idea, hopefully tomorrow and the next coming days.

Generally, what I am speaking is, we are -- we -- what we would like to see is a package. We would like to see the implementation of United Nations Resolution 1559, which is a package. It's an international community decision to see this implementation of this resolution, which called for the deployment of the south Lebanese army, for the disarming and dismantling of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. It's a whole...

BLITZER: So, you're encouraged by what the Lebanese government has said?

MEIR: I am saying we will look into it. It's a very interesting idea.

BLITZER: Gideon Meir, the ambassador from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, thanks very much for joining us.

MEIR: Thank you for having me, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And coming up: Is the Lebanese army up to the task of keeping the peace, if there is one? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr will have a live report. That is coming up in our next hour.

But up next: Senator Lieberman's moment of truth -- will his party turn against him at the polls today?

We have live reports from Connecticut and Capitol Hill on Lieberman's challenge and the fallout if he loses today.

Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We're live in Jerusalem.

The Israeli security cabinet set to meet tomorrow to review, to discuss, whether or not to escalate this war, to make a major decision, whether to deploy thousands more Israeli forces in south Lebanon, to move them all the way up to the Litani River -- this debate, we are watching very, very carefully unfold.

We are also watching the diplomacy unfold right now at the United Nations -- much more on the crisis in the Middle East coming up.

But there's other important news we're watching, including some important political news. Voters in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, and Missouri are going to the polls today.

But one primary contest in Connecticut is getting the most national attention right now. It's a referendum on Senator Joe Lieberman, who once hit the pinnacle of his party as the Democrats' vice presidential nominee. But now his support for the war in Iraq may actually bring him down.

Let's bring in Mary Snow. She's watching the story on the scene in Connecticut -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, early indication from the state of Connecticut is that turnout is high -- no big surprises there.

But what has surprised so many here in this state is just how close this race is. Senator Joe Lieberman has been a senator here for 18 years. And, for the first time ever, he's being challenged by a fellow Democrat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): He says he's the candidate of change.

He says he wants to be Connecticut's comeback kid.

(CHEERING)

SNOW: Their divisions are so intense, even on decision day, the Lieberman camp accused their opponents of hacking into a Lieberman campaign Web site and disabling it, a charge the Lamont camp strongly denied -- a smaller fight against the backdrop of the much larger one that voters told us brought them to the polls, the war in Iraq.

Frances Sloan sees her vote as a protest vote.

FRANCES SLOAN, SUPPORTER OF CONNECTICUT SENATORIAL CANDIDATE NED LAMONT: I am very annoyed. I guess annoyed is putting it lightly, but really disturbed by Joe Lieberman's persistence in keeping us at war. And the sole reason why I voted is to protest that decision.

SNOW: Jennifer Dibella voted for Lieberman.

JENNIFER DIBELLA, SUPPORTER OF CONNECTICUT SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN: Well, I don't agree with his position on the war, but, you know, that's just one issue. And I don't think that his position, representing us, is only about that.

SNOW: But many agree, when millionaire businessman Ned Lamont challenged Lieberman's support of the war in Iraq and the Bush administration's decision to keep troops there, voters stood up and took notice. Many thought Lamont wouldn't stand a chance against a three-term senator and one-time vice presidential candidate.

SCOTT MCLEAN, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY: This combination of a millionaire candidate with a left- leaning grassroots organization, and the war became much, much more unpopular, and here we are today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And political observers say that a high turnout could favor Senator Lieberman. They figure that Lamont supporters were already motivated to get to the polls, but so close -- these polls close at 8:00 Eastern tonight -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Walk us through the process, Mary. If Lieberman loses tomorrow, it's not necessarily completely over for him, is it?

SNOW: That's right, Wolf, because he has until 4:00 p.m. tomorrow to file a petition, with 700 -- 7,500 signatures, to run as an independent. This is something that he said he would do in July. He has come under a lot of pressure since then.

And when asked repeatedly, over the last couple of days, whether he would continue to run as an independent, he evaded the question, saying that he was just concentrating on this race. He says he's confident he will win, but would not directly answer whether he will still go ahead with those plans, something that he, indeed, will...

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Mary. We are going to be watching this race very, very closely, a significant race, clearly, for all concerned.

Meanwhile, Senator Lieberman's reelection campaign Web site is still down, and has been down since Monday afternoon. Is Lieberman the victim of a campaign hack attack? And how might this affect the primary?

Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner.

Jacki, what's going on?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, this is what Joe Lieberman's campaign site looked like when it was up at one point during the campaign.

But, if you go to it today, on primary day, you get a screen that looks like this. It's not very pretty, just a blank, white screen.

Now, Lieberman's campaign says, this is a problem, because their e-mail is not working either. And if people want a ride to the polls or they want to learn about Lieberman on primary day, basically, they want to communicate at all with the campaign, they can't do that.

They are also saying they think this is a coordinated attack by their political opponents. And they're calling on Ned Lamont's campaign to denounce the attack and urge whoever is behind it to stop.

Well, Lamont's campaign has done that, through a spokeswoman, and also on their Web site, denouncing the action, and calling for whoever is doing it to stop immediately, saying, again, that they don't know who is behind it.

Now, Lieberman's campaign has also filed complaints with the U.S. attorney's office, with the chief state attorney's office, and also with the attorney general's office. And the attorney general's office issued a statement, saying they would investigate and seek any penalties where they were appropriate.

Now, bloggers online who support Lamont strongly are reiterating, there is no evidence that Lamont or his supporters are behind this. And they are curious why it is taking the Lieberman so long to get the Web site back up and running.

But what is not in question, Wolf, is how important the Internet has become, for better or worse, in politics, and, specifically, in this primary.

BLITZER: It has changed a lot of the way people in politics think.

Thanks very much, Jacki, for that.

On Capitol Hill, back in Washington, Senator Lieberman's dicey political fate is putting many of his Democratic colleagues in a serious bind. If Lieberman loses today, should they throw their support behind Ned Lamont, even if Lieberman still runs, without his party's nomination, as an independent?

Let's bring in our congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

Dana, you have been speaking to a lot of Democrats. What are they saying?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you know, most of Senator Lieberman's Democratic colleagues in the Senate have refused to even talk about "What if?" in public.

But we know, obviously, that those discussions are going on. There are a handful of moderate Democrats who have said they will stick with Lieberman, even if he runs as an independent. But we are told, most top Democrats, from the official party apparatus, to rank- and-file senators, even those close to Lieberman, will say that they have to respect the will of Connecticut Democrats, and support Ned Lamont, if he, in fact, wins tonight.

But the question still is, if Lieberman loses tonight, will he go through with an independent run? Now, from sources close to Lieberman, we know this: He has the necessary signatures to get on the ballot.

And all indications are that he does plan to keep his campaign going, even if he loses this primary today. One senior Democrat tells us, though, he's encouraging Lieberman not to make an announcement tonight, that he should not let the passions of the moment dictate his decision, because, this source says, he has to think about the kind of resentment that could engender from within the party, if he does go ahead, if he loses this primary today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: If he loses.

I know that, even before the outcome is known, a lot of Republicans and Democrats are already preparing what they call their spin, what does it mean if Joe Lieberman goes down.

What are you hearing?

BASH: They are preparing. You're right.

You know, for Republicans, a Lieberman loss fits right into their election-year playbook, that -- the Democratic Party is weak on defense and defeatist -- and that GOP sources tell us that they are already preparing talking points, saying that Democrats are abandoning the party of JFK and Harry Truman, in favor of Michael Moore and anti- war activists. That's what Republicans are planning.

On the flip side, Democrats are working feverishly to cast Connecticut as proof of powerful anti-Bush sentiment in the electorate, because it is Lieberman's support for the president, of course, as we have been reporting, and Iraq that have caused him so much trouble.

But one interesting point here that a top Democrat suggested to me earlier today, another lesson that top Democrats can take from this, and that is the risk of keeping -- not keeping close touch at -- at home. This Democrat says, Senator Lieberman was seen as not necessarily paying enough attention to the concerns of his constituents.

And, Wolf, that is another key factor that is hurting him today.

BLITZER: Dana, briefly, while I have you, on -- on Tom DeLay, he lost his effort to go to the Supreme Court, get his name off the ballot, so another Republican's name would be on the ballot. You're -- you are getting some new information. What are you picking up?

BASH: Yes. That is that Tom DeLay said today that, despite losing his bid to take his name off the ballot, he is sticking with this decision not to run for reelection, because, he said, anything else would be hypocrisy.

That means that Republicans are now going to have to look for a candidate to rally around and launch a campaign to write that candidate's name on to the ballot. That's going to be costly and complicated, but crucial, Wolf, if they want to keep that seat in Republican hands.

BLITZER: Dana, thank you very much. Dana Bash, Mary Snow, Jacki Schechner, they're all part of the best political team on television -- CNN, America's campaign headquarters.

And still ahead in THE SITUATION ROOM, our "Strategy Session" looks at primary campaigns of Joe Lieberman and Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. She calls herself the president's worst nightmare. But will today's hotly contested runoff election in Georgia leave her without a seat?

We are live from Jerusalem, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: Much more coming up on the crisis here in the Middle East, but let's continue analyzing what's going on back in the United States in politics.

In Georgia this hour, Democrats are deciding whether controversial Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney should keep her job in Washington. Today, heading into the primary, McKinney's prospects were not looking very good.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is outside a polling station in Decatur, Georgia -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has been a sweltering day here in Decatur, Georgia.

Voters, it has been a slow, but steady stream coming by to file their ballots. This morning, it was like a warrior going into battle. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was rallying her troops, trying to keep her job, a job she has held 12 out of the last 14 years.

She was elected in '92, but she lost her seat in '02, when she made some remarks that criticized the Bush administration for claiming to know something about the 9/11 attacks. Once again, her seat is being challenged, people say, largely due to what happened this March, her clash on Capitol Hill with a policeman, where she punched him.

Many people here who have turned against her say that enough is enough. They are tired of seeing this divisive politics.

Meantime, this morning, her opponent, Hank Johnson, he cast his ballot here at the Ray of Hope Church in Decatur. He told us, he thinks it's going to be a very tight race, even though he is leading by about 13 percentage points on a conservative Web site known as Insider Advantage.

So, it's anyone's guess who will be winning this primary here in the 4th District -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We will have results tonight, Rusty. Thank you.

Senator Joe Lieberman is what -- is in what could be the political fight of his life on this, the primary day in Connecticut. Joining us now from Washington in today's "Strategy Session," our political analyst and Democratic strategist Paul Begala.

I don't think we can overemphasize, can we, Paul, how significant this race is, this election in Connecticut is tonight?

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's fascinating, and it's enormously important for the Democratic Party.

It's also very important for the White House. You know, President Bush is on the ballot in Connecticut probably as much as Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont. And I think that is what has made this different.

You know, I looked around. These Democrats are up for reelection this year, all of whom voted for the war: Hillary Clinton, Dianne Feinstein of California, Tom Carper of Delaware, Maria Cantwell of Washington state, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Bill Nelson of Florida.

None of them have primary challenges, even though all of them voted for the war in Iraq. I think -- and I have talked to a lot of people in Connecticut -- I have been up there, watching some of the campaign unfold -- I think what has happened here is that it's not simply Iraq. It's the president's desperate unpopularity.

And think of how far we have come, Wolf. Two years ago, Tom Daschle, the Senate Democratic leader, was running ads, trying to save his political hide, showing ads where President Bush hugged him. He was trying to survive by saying: I was -- I am actually kind of a pro-Bush Democrat.

Two years later, it looks like the famous kiss on the floor of the Senate, where President Bush went up and embraced Joe Lieberman, could be the kiss of death for Joe Lieberman. A lot has changed in just two years.

BLITZER: Well, there will be enormous pressure on him, if he loses this Democratic primary today, not to run as an independent. What are the pros and cons if he runs as an independent?

BEGALA: Well, if runs as an independent, first, he still has a very good chance of winning, should he lose the Democratic primary.

There are enormous numbers of unaffiliated voters, independents, Republicans, who like and admire Joe Lieberman, for many of the reasons that my fellow Democrats don't.

The problem is, it does complicate lives for the Democrats. And I think Lieberman is now out campaigning, saying he is a loyal Democrat. If he were to run as a third-party, independent candidate, it makes it difficult, for example, for the House challengers. There are two or three districts in -- for the House of Representatives in Connecticut that Democrats have targeted, one, for example, Chris Shays, the incumbent Republican congressman from Connecticut, very vulnerable. A woman named Diane Farrell is the Democrat running against him. Shays has already indicated that he will endorse Lieberman. Now, that really complicates the life of Diane Farrell, the Democratic candidate for the House up there, because she, like all Democrats, has pledged to support the nominee, whoever that is. She is supporting Lieberman in the primary, but she is -- like every Democrat, has said: I will support the nominee.

So, you could actually have a situation where Republican incumbent congressmen are trying to save their jobs by affiliating themselves with Lieberman, who is losing his primary for affiliating himself with Bush. It just -- it's an incredible political story.

BLITZER: It certainly is. And we will be watching it every step of the way.

Paul Begala, thanks very much -- Paul part of the best political team on television -- CNN, America's campaign headquarters.

And stay with us. We are going to have the results from the Cynthia McKinney runoff as they come in. That will happen during our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Still to come: We are keeping close watch on the United Nations and efforts there to keep a Mideast peace plan alive. We will have a live report from the U.N. That's coming up, and fresh reports from right here in the Middle East.

And up next: Katrina raised fears about this year's hurricane season -- could be equally devastating. Will it be better or worse this time around? We are going to bring you the new forecast.

Stay with us. We're live in Jerusalem, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: Going to get right to the border, the northern Israeli border with Lebanon, in a moment. We're also going to go to Beirut -- lots happening here in the crisis in the Middle East.

But let's check in again with Zain Verjee for a closer look at some other important stories happening right now -- Zain.

VERJEE: Wolf, this year's hurricane season will likely be busier than average, but it may not be as bad as feared earlier.

The National Hurricane Center's updated forecast now calls for 12 to 15 named storms. Seven to nine of those storms are expected to become hurricanes. And three of them could be major. Forecasters warn, the most potentially -- potentially dangerous time of the hurricane season is yet to come.

The FBI wants to know if you have seen 11 Egyptian exchange students. The men arrived in the U.S. last month. And they were supposed to attend an exchange program at the Montana State University, but they never showed up. The FBI says that they are not considered terror suspects, but, an immigration says, they will likely be sent home, once they're located, for violating their visas.

Doctors in Salt Lake City say 26 hours of surgery to separate conjoined twins could not have gone better. For the first time since they were born, four years ago, the girls are sleeping in different beds. They were born joined at the pelvis, and shared a kidney, liver, and one pair of legs. One twin will get a kidney transplant. And each will be fitted with a prosthetic leg -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thank you very much.

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