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The Situation Room
President Bush Admits Frustration About War; Hillary Rodham Clinton Puts Together Massive Campaign Organization; John Mark Karr in Correctional Facility in Los Angeles
Aired August 21, 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'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, it's midnight in Iraq. President Bush admits he's frustrated by the war is going. Our latest poll shows voters share that view, even as other crises threaten to spin out of control.
It's 4:00 p.m. in New York, where Hillary Rodham Clinton it putting together a massive campaign organization. Is it more than she needs for her Senate race? Why the latest polls may cause her to aim even higher.
And the only pancake breakfast in Las Vegas may be the all-night eateries in the casinos. It's 1:00 p.m. in Nevada, as that state moves up on the Democratic calendar for 2008. Will the odds change for some presidential wannabes?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
He's got his hands full with hot spots, threatening to boil over from Lebanon to Iran, but President Busy today went public with his concerns about Iraq, where gunmen killed at least 10 more people today and a U.S. soldier was killed by another roadside bomb, following the deaths of three other servicemen a day earlier.
Our latest CNN poll out this hour shows 61 percent of the American public now opposes the war in Iraq, while only 35 percent favor the war. That's the lowest figure yet in our polling since the war started.
And in the poll, conducting for CNN by Opinion Research Corporation, 42 percent approve of the way the president is now doing his job, while 57 percent disapprove. The latest job approval rating continues a low, but steady up-tic for the president. He's improved from 47 percent earlier this month and 37 percent back in June.
In a session with reporters today, the president was frank about the problems he is facing throughout the Middle East. Let's go to our White House correspondent, Ed Henry.
Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president started out jovial. He was joking with reporters about our temporary digs across the street from the White House. He even teased one journalist about his seersucker suit, but I can tell you the mood shifted pretty quickly in that room because of the fact that the president was very serious and sober about the situation in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(voice-over): The nearly one-hour press conference featured a dramatic admission from the president about just how unpopular the war in Iraq has become.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times and are difficult times. And they are straining the psyche of our country, I understand that. Nobody likes to see innocent people die.
HENRY: The president acknowledged he's concerned about civil war in Iraq, but in the next breath, declared he has no plans to change direction.
BUSH: We're not leaving so long as I'm the president. That would be a huge mistake. Now, if you say, "Are you going to change your strategic objective," it means you're leaving before the mission is complete. And we're not going to leave before the mission is complete.
I agree with General Abizaid, we leave before the mission is done, the terrorists will follow us here.
HENRY: Pressed on whether his stay-the-course-strategy is actually working, with 3,500 Iraqis killed in July, the president made an interesting distinction.
BUSH: If I didn't think it would work, I would change -- our commanders would recommend changing the strategy. They believe it will work.
HENRY: Trouble in the Mid-East dominated the press conference, with the president calling for quick deployment of an international force to help save the tenuous cease-fire in Lebanon.
BUSH: The need is urgent.
HENRY: On Iran, the president said he hopes the United Nations will move quickly on sanctions if Tehran does not abandon its nuclear ambitions by the end of August.
BUSH: In order for the U.N. to be effective, there must be consequences if people thumb their nose at the United Nations Security Council.
HENRY: The president also suggested there will be consequences in November for Democrats urging that large numbers of U.S. troops come home from Iraq starting this year.
BUSH: There's a fundamental difference between many of the Democrats and my party and that is they want to leave before the job is completed in Iraq. And, again I repeat, these are decent people, you know, they are just as American as I am. I just happen to strongly disagree with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY (on-camera): Democrats scoffing at the president's claim right there that he's not questioning their patriotism. They say the president, as well as the lieutenants, like Karl Rove, repeatedly did that in the 2002 and 2004 campaigns.
Wolf?
BLITZER: At one point in one of the clips you just ran, Ed, the president said the troops aren't leaving as long as he's president. He's president until 2009, January 20, 2009. That's almost two and a half years from now.
Did he provide any additional information on a specific timetable for at least withdrawing or reducing the number of U.S. troops there?
HENRY: No, in fact, he said not just about troops, but the overall mission itself, that he does not know how long it's going to take, but, obviously, leaves the door open to years ahead in Iraq.
Also, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid today teeing off on the idea that the president was talking about America's psyche, saying this is not a question of resolve, it's a question of strategy. And in the estimation of Senator Reid and other Democrats, they think that strategy has failed, Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry, thanks very much. Ed Henry, at the White House.
The president once again today called on France to boost its contribution to the Lebanon peacekeeping force. France has offered only 200 troops so far. But Italy's prime minister now says his country is ready to lead the U.N. force. Italy has offered up to 3,000 troops.
Israel today released five Lebanese men captured during a raid in eastern Lebanon on August 2nd. At the time, Israeli said it had seized the militants in a hospital that was part of the Hezbollah stronghold.
In southern Lebanon today, an Israeli military spokesman says troops shot two or three Hezbollah militants who were advancing on an Israeli position. Meantime, Israeli troops are voicing their anger over the handling of the recent fighting.
For that, we turn to CNN's Chris Lawrence, in Jerusalem. Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a group of Israeli reservists set off on a protest march today, calling on both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister to resign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(voice-over): An uneasy truce keeps the peace between Israel and Hezbollah. But some Israeli reservists refuse to accept a cease-fire in their own war of words.
YOSSI AVIGOR, ISRAELI RESERVIST: The officers that were in charge of all this operation should go home.
LAWRENCE: Yossi Avigor and other reservists accuse military planners and political leaders of incompetence.
AVIGOR: We don't know where we're going. We didn't know what to do. Orders were changed on a day-to-day basis.
LAWRENCE: Soldiers coming across the border say they were abandoned in broad daylight to snipers and took canteens off the bodies of dead Hezbollah soldiers.
AVIGOR: We got stuck for, I think, two days, maybe three, without food and water. We had to take from the villages only for what we needed.
LAWRENCE: For the first time, a high-ranking Israeli general has admitted he failed to prepare the infantry for this war and some critics are demanding the prime minister call an independent inquiry in which his decisions during the month-long war would be called into question.
ALUF BENN, "HAARETZ" NEWSPAPER: The whole concept of reserves is a very hot political potato.
LAWRENCE: Journalist Aluf Benn says complaints from reservists have brought down previous administrations in Israel after the wars of 1973 and 1982. But Benn says over the past few years, reservists have been pressuring the government to train less and serve less time.
BENN: Due to that outcry, the military and the government were trying to ease the burden and, due to the budgetary constraints, to call only those who were really needed and to save on the training.
LAWRENCE: Now some soldiers say they were under-prepared. Others signed a petition that asked, "Were we called up for nothing?"
UNKNOWN ISRAELI RESERVIST (through translator): I have no idea what our mission was, but I am 100 percent sure we didn't achieve it.
LAWRENCE: It's a verbal war within Israel, with no cease-fire in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(on-camera): The defense minister is blaming some senior military officials for not telling him the full capabilities of Hezbollah's rockets. Prime Minister Olmert is partially blaming his predecessors, saying they knew Iran and Syria were arming Hezbollah and did nothing to stop it.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Chris Lawrence, in Jerusalem, thanks. Let's check in with Zain Verjee. She's following some other important stories making news.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Courtroom defiance from Saddam Hussein again today as his second trial begins. The deposed Iraqi president refused to enter a plea to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The charges stem from a 1988 series of deadly assaults in Iraq's Kurdish region that left some 100,000 Kurds dead. The attacks included the regime's alleged use of poison gas.
Britain has brought formal charges against 11 of 22 people still being held in connection with a suspected terror plot. Investigators believe the group was planning to blow up planes bound for the U.S. from Britain. Charges range from conspiracy to murder to failing to disclose material assistance in preventing an act of terror. The other 11 detainees are still being held without charges.
Security forces in Saudi Arabia say police killed two gunmen during a firefight today in the port city of Jeddah. The fierce exchange began after police tailed a group of suspected terrorists to an apartment building. Saudi security officials say elsewhere in Jeddah, police arrested five Saudis and a Yemeni. They did not say why they were detained.
Now more than ever, you really need to know your enemy. Two days from now, see stories only CNN can tell you about the man who became the world's most wanted terrorist. Join us when "CNN PRESENTS: In the Footsteps of Bin Laden." It starts Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, only on CNN.
Rescuers in Egypt are combing through the wreckage of two passenger trains that crashed this morning. At least 57 people were killed when a train heading to Cairo slammed into a slower moving train that was also headed to the Egyptian capitol. Dozens of people were injured in the crash. It comes just three months after two-train crash in the same region, injured 45 people.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Zain, thank you very much. A new week, Jack Cafferty getting ready for another week of "The Cafferty File." Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Breathless with anticipation, I think, Wolf. The race for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut has become a national story and a bit of a joke. Here's why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Joe Lieberman lost the Democratic nomination to Ned Lamont and announced he would stay in the race as an independent. Now, polls show Lieberman is ahead of the guy who just beat him, Lamont.
The Republicans might as well not have a dog in this fight. Their candidate's a guy named Alan Schlessinger. That's not him. That's still Joe Lieberman. We have seen enough of Joe Lieberman. There we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The Republican candidate is a guy named Alan Schlessinger. He's getting four percent in the polls. So what are the Republicans in Connecticut doing about all this? Well, they're, in effect, saying to hell with party loyalty, they're supporting Lieberman, the Democrat.
See, Lieberman is really more of a Republican than he ever was a Democrat. He thinks the war in Iraq is a great idea. He thinks George Bush is a swell guy. Bush even kissed Lieberman once, lovely.
See, party loyalty only works when your party is not in danger of losing control of Congress. When that's the case, there's no such word as loyalty.
So here's the question. What does it mean when Republicans are supporting the Democrat, Joe Lieberman, in the Connecticut Senate race? Email your thoughts to Caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to CNN.com/caffertyfile.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Jack, thank you, Jack Cafferty. And if you want a sneak preview of Jack's questions, plus an early read on the day's political news and what's ahead right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, sign up for our daily e-mail alert. Just go to CNN.com/situation room.
A couple of other notes about Joe Lieberman. The Senator will join me tomorrow right in THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll talk about his fight to try to keep the Senate seat. That interview will happen live right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, 5:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow.
Lieberman is running as an independent, as you all know. So what happens if he wins re-election? The Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, reported says he would welcome Lieberman into the Republican caucus, but the Senator says he'll stick with the Democrats, if he wins.
And President Bush was asked at his news conference this morning if he'd campaign in Connecticut for either Lieberman or the Republican candidate in the three-way contest, Alan Schlessinger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I'm going to stay out of Connecticut.
REPORTER: Mr. President, you were born there.
BUSH: Shh, I maybe the only person, the only presidential candidate who never carried the state in which he was born. And by the way, I'm staying out of Connecticut because, you know, that's what the party suggested, the Republican Party of Connecticut, and plus there's a better place to spend our money, time and resources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: As for being the only presidential candidate to lose in a state in which he was born, it seems the president forgot about his most recent opponent and about his own father. John Kerry was born in Colorado, a state he lost in 2004, and George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Massachusetts. He lost that state in both 1988 and 1992. A little political trivia.
Coming up, she says she's only thinking about her Senate re- election, but if Hillary Clinton does run for the White House, will she be successful? We'll take a closer look at some new polls that may surprise you.
Plus, much more on the current president and the international problems that seem to plague him. I'll ask two political experts, Bill Bennett and Donna Brazile, in today's "Strategy Session."
And later, what's next for John Mark Karr now that he's back on U.S. soil? Will the man suspected of killing JonBenet Ramsey soon be back in Colorado?
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We turn now to the political future of senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Is Senator Clinton revving up her machine to push not only for a second term this fall, but also for the White House in 2008? And does the country want her there?
CNN's Tom Foreman is here with some interesting results in a new "Time Magazine" poll.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 2008? Listen, I hear the distant thundering political herd headed this way. It's hard to believe.
"Time Magazine" test drove the names of several potential White House contenders for '08, but there is that one name in particular that has many people talking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(voice-over): On the streets of New York, everyone seems to have an opinion.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Love her, love her.
UNKNOWN MALE: I don't like her. She's kind of repelling, in a way.
FOREMAN: And around the country, as well, very few are undecided. A poll conducted in mid July and released in the new issue of "Time Magazine" takes America's pulse on the Senator from New York, who says she's focused on the present, but is at the center of much speculation about 2008.
Asked about Hillary Rodham Clinton, more than half of Americans polled say they have a favorable impression of the former first lady and only three percent of Americans have no opinion of Clinton. Two- thirds describe her as likeable, but an equal number of those polled think she would say or do anything to further her political ambitions.
UNKNOWN MALE: There are obviously ambitions there.
FOREMAN: Forty-six percent Americans say they would support Clinton in a run for president, which puts her above other Democrats, like former presidential candidate Al Gore, former Senator John Edwards, and Senator John Kerry. But that support does not cut across party lines.
RICHARD STENGEL, SENIOR EDITOR, "TIME.COM": She's like a human Rorschach test. I mean, the Republicans and Democrats are seeing two different people. It's kind of amazing.
FOREMAN: Less than one in five Republicans say they have a favorable impression of Senator Clinton and only 11 percent of Republicans would support a Clinton run for president.
But whether among Democrats or Republicans polled, there is competition waiting in the wings. In an imaginary 2008 general election match with Arizona Senator John McCain, Clinton and McCain with virtually tied among registered voters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(on-camera): Fascinating stuff here. The new poll comes as Americans seriously consider putting a woman in the White House. Sixty-nine percent of those polled by "Time" said it does not matter to them if the next president is man or a woman.
Meanwhile, of course, asked if this poll affects any of the Senator's plans for the future, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman says, "Senator Clinton remains focused on her work in New York and the only race we're working on is re-election this fall." And around Washington, people would say pigs had wings, because when a Senator says that, as you know, Wolf, it means, of course, they're thinking about it.
If you want to know more about this, you want to participate a little bit, go to CNN.com. You can link directly through to "Time Magazine" and voice your own opinion on Senator Clinton and whether or not you think she should be in office as president.
BLITZER: She needs all that money, that huge campaign staff, and I'd venture to say only a small percentage of people in New York said even though who were Republican opponent -- yes, you're absolutely right.
FOREMAN: Well, they always do this, though, don't they? They always say, "No, we're not thinking about that. We wouldn't consider it, it's not on the plate."
Look, these things don't get put together overnight. It's all on the plate for everybody out there who's being considered at all. So we'll see what happens.
BLITZER: Tom Foreman, thank you very much. And as our viewers know, Tom Foreman, as you saw earlier, Ed Henry, they are part of the best political team on television, CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
One of Senator Clinton's biggest boosters hit a significant personal milestone. That would be the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton. He turned 60, 60 years old, over the weekend. His wife and daughter, Chelsea, joined him to celebrate. There they are. Happy birthday, Mr. President.
Up next, much more on Hillary Clinton and her possible presidential run. I'll ask two experts, Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett, what's going on. Plus, the current president and the polls, Mr. Bush's numbers are up in our new poll. We'll find out what's going on in our "Strategy Session."
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer, in Washington. In today's "Strategy Session," the president's poll numbers. A new look at whether Hillary Clinton will run for the White House and Joe Lieberman is fighting for his political life right now.
Joining us, Democratic strategist and CNN political analyst, Donna Brazile, and a host of "Morning in America," Republican strategist, Bill Bennett. Guys, thanks very much for coming in.
Our CNN poll asks the job approval number for the president right now. Back in June, mid June, he was at 37 percent. In August, early August, it went up to 40 percent. It's now, Donna, gone up a little bit more, 42 percent. He's doing a little bit better in his personal job approval number than he's done in the recent past. How do you explain that?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, after a summer of discontent with immigration, rising gas prices, with all type of disharmony on the Republican side, the partisans are finally coming back and I think this slight bump indicates the president is now able to rally his Republican base.
But the jury is still out on whether or not the president will be an asset to the Republican candidates and not just a big fund- raising draw.
BLITZER: How do you explain the president's slight up-tic?
BILL BENNETT, "MORNING IN AMERICA" HOST: It sounded like you thought he was up. Well, he is up and he's up some. And these are very difficult times. It's been a very rough summer. Iraq is a very bad situation and the other situation in the Middle East is very trying.
But I think it's about leadership. I think it's about the fact that people are nervous. I think the London thing scared people, reminded people about terror and we had been safe and I think that helps the president.
BLITZER: Five years since there's been a major terrorist attack here in the United States, which is something Republicans clearly will point to. All of us relieved about that, obviously, as well.
Here's a bad number for the president. Do you support, do you favor or oppose the war in Iraq? It's reached an all-time low for the president's policy. Only 35 percent of the American people favor the war in Iraq, 61 percent oppose the war.
So his personal number has gone up a little bit, but the support for the war has gone down.
BRAZILE: No question. Look, the American people know what's going on in Iraq. And although we don't talk about it as much as we talked about it, say, a month ago, but July was really a bad month for the Iraqi people.
They are still experiencing only four hours a day with electricity and I've noticed lately the temperatures are a 120 degrees. So things are going really bad.
The president today said that we have a strategy for victory. Well, what is that? Until the president changes course, the American people will continue to oppose this war.
BLITZER: You want to take a look ahead to November, the mid-term elections. Iraq specifically, how is it going to affect voter, A, turnout and then what they vote for?
BENNETT: Well, I think it will affect voter turnout and what they vote for and whom they vote for. The degree to which the president can relate the war in Iraq to the wider war on terror is to his advantage and I think he needs to continue talking about it, continue to do these town hall type meetings.
It has been a brutal summer, it's been a terrible summer and there's not much good news. I think the critical point, well covered by CNN about two weeks ago, the hearings, when you had two generals saying this thing could devolve into civil war.
But it doesn't has to. What the president does in the next month or two and if there's some progress, we can see some progress by November, this can help him a lot. But he needs a strategy, maybe a new strategy.
BLITZER: General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and General John Abizaid, the commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, that was a very important hearing that all of us remember.
And you know what's coming up in the next few days? A potential showdown with Iran over its nuclear program. They supposedly are going to announce tomorrow that they are rejecting this United Nations call for them to open up, to stop enriching uranium. And that sets the stage for a lot of tension with a critically important issue.
BRAZILE: No question this is going to once again test the president's diplomacy and get perhaps Condi Rice back up in New York to the U.N. to see if we can pressure the Russians and others who've been helping us negotiate with Iran.
But this is a very volatile issue. North Korea is still on the table, Lebanon, the Middle East crisis is still before us. But the president, once again, must go back up to the U.N. and see if they can pressure the Iranian officials to relinquish their interests right now.
BLITZER: I think the Iranian strategy is to keep saying no, no, no and hope the U.S., the Europeans, the Russians, the Chinese, improve the quid pro quo, if you will.
BENNETT: Yes, well, we hope so. We hope we get through tomorrow with just rejection. I mean, that rejection would be bad enough, but there's all sorts of predictions of this being some special day on the calendar, that Ahmadinejad may have other mischief in mind, but let's get through that.
But sooner or later, the Iran the Iran issue has to be addressed, Iran and Syria have to be addressed by us and probably by Israel.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about Hillary Clinton, the junior Senator from New York state. A major profile on the cover of "Time Magazine," our sister publication this week. Karen Tumulty, excellent reporter, writes this.
Let me read it to you. "Against virtually nonexistent opposition for her Senate seat, she is raising money as though she were in the fight of her life, bringing in more than $33 million. What's left over, which might easily be $10 million or more, could be the seed money for a presidential campaign."
Is there any doubt whatsoever among Democrat, and, Donna, you're as plugged in to Democrats as anyone here in Washington, that she's running for the Democratic nomination in 2008?
BRAZILE: Well, what Hillary supporters will tell you is that her first priority is to win the Senate race and then they will look at 2008 somewhere down the road.
This is good news for Hillary Clinton and for those who will support her presidential bid, because not only is she very popular among Democrats. It's also showed, in a head-to-head matchup with Rudy -- with -- with John McCain, that she's within two percentage points of beating John McCain.
BLITZER: It's 47-47 in that poll in a head-to-head McCain- Clinton race.
BRAZILE: And, so, that's good news, and, also, that Mrs. Clinton can not only raise money, but she's doing very well among women voters. So, I think this is great news for Hillary Clinton, and -- great news for those who are supporting her candidacy in 2008.
BLITZER: She didn't want to say it, but do you have any doubt...
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: ... that she's running for president?
BENNETT: No, I have no doubt at all.
I just -- I just think both parties -- my advice is to go against type, not -- not to go with another Northeastern liberal for the Democrats, which would be Hillary Clinton.
And I think the Republicans should look away from the South for their -- for their candidate. It's interesting. The three guys now who seem to be getting the most attention are Giuliani, John McCain -- and Mitt Romney apparently knocked them -- knocked them dead in -- in California.
BRAZILE: Yes.
BENNETT: That's an interesting thing, a Massachusetts Republican.
Hillary matching up with McCain, I mean, we are way out. I mean, it's two years out. But the Republican base probably didn't show up for that poll, because they're still -- a lot of them are still angry with McCain...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... he's putting together a formidable team.
BENNETT: He -- an incredible team from all over the map. Well, I don't whether he -- he has got to be the glue, because there are people on that team -- I don't know if Brent Scowcroft and Bill Kristol talk to each other...
(LAUGHTER)
BENNETT: ... but they are part of the McCain team. But he is putting together a powerhouse team, absolutely.
BLITZER: Can -- can Rudy Giuliani, a man who supports abortion rights for women, affirmative action, who opposes -- who supports gun control... (CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... gay rights, can he win a Republican presidential nomination?
BENNETT: Very interesting.
I think what people will ask him about, Wolf, is judges. Where will he be on judges? If his own views are different from that of the base, I think people are going to accept it, if he will concede some to the base when it comes to things like Supreme Court justice.
But look where Rudy Giuliani campaigned this year. He was in Texas. He was all over the South. If terrorism is a big issue -- and I believe it will be number one, two, and maybe number three -- Giuliani has got a shot.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about Lieberman's campaign in the state of Connecticut.
Here's what he said yesterday on "Face the Nation," involving the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld -- quote -- "I think it's still time for new leadership at the Pentagon. With all respect to Don Rumsfeld, who has done a grueling job for six years, we would benefit from new leadership to work with our military in Iraq."
I believe this is the first time he has actually called on Rumsfeld, in effect, to step down.
BRAZILE: Well, you know, once again, if Senator Lieberman had said this almost a month ago, he would be the Democratic nominee.
But, that being said, I think he's absolutely right about Secretary Rumsfeld. He has -- it -- it has been a grueling job. But it's time for new leadership at the Pentagon.
BLITZER: I know Rumsfeld is going to be on your radio program...
BENNETT: Right.
BLITZER: ... tomorrow morning.
BENNETT: You ask Lieberman.
BLITZER: I -- I -- I...
BENNETT: I will ask Rumsfeld.
BLITZER: I assume...
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: I assume you are going to ask him about Lieberman's request...
BENNETT: Sure. BLITZER: ... maybe for new leadership over at the Pentagon.
BENNETT: Sure, I will. And he will -- I know what he will say.
He will say what he has said before, which is: I have offered to the president. The president has turned me down.
Look, this thing has to be done out of the White House. I think a strategy has to be put together. You have got to secure Baghdad. They cannot quit. They cannot run. We cannot run on this one. And the -- the president continues to want Rumsfeld. He will -- he will -- he will stay there.
BLITZER: He keeps saying he's a Democrat, even though he's running, technically, as an independent right now. This Quinnipiac University poll that came out last week shows him with a significant lead over Ned Lamont.
And, presumably, that might. It might not hold. There's still a long time to go between...
BRAZILE: Well...
BLITZER: ... now and November.
But, as I have pointed out to you in the past, for Democrats, assuming he stays in the Democratic Caucus, even as an independent, it's a win-win, no matter who wins, Lamont or -- or...
BENNETT: No.
BLITZER: ... or Lieberman.
BRAZILE: Well...
(CROSSTALK)
BENNETT: No, it's not.
BRAZILE: It's -- it's a huge issue in our party right now, with many of the Democratic officials standing with Ned Lamont, believing that Ned Lamont not only won the primary, but he expressed the true values and interests of the Democratic Party in Connecticut.
So, right now, everyone is backing Lamont. But Lieberman, of course, is a strong candidate. He can appeal to both independents and Republicans. And, hopefully, Ned Lamont...
BLITZER: Why...
BRAZILE: ... will also appeal, as well.
BLITZER: Why is it not a win-win for Democrats, since both of these guys are Democrats?
BENNETT: Because Joe Lieberman -- it isn't just that Joe Lieberman voted for -- you know, with the president and supported the war.
It's that Joe Lieberman told his party it was wrong, did so on the pages of "The Wall Street Journal," did so in speech after speech. And they're angry at him. They're really angry at him. When Democrats call my show and talk, I can't believe how angry they are.
They want him Lieberman out. They want him punished for this. That's -- I think he's trying to burnish those Democrat credentials in -- in attacking Rumsfeld and so on. But he is -- it's kind of a funny thing. I can enjoy it.
(LAUGHTER)
BENNETT: He is reminding people that he is a Democrat, because the Lamont thing has been so effective in casting him as a Republican. He's not a Republican.
(CROSSTALK)
BENNETT: His votes aren't Republican.
BLITZER: We will listen to Don Rumsfeld's -- your interview with...
BENNETT: Thank you.
BLITZER: ... with Don Rumsfeld tomorrow morning on the radio.
And you will have to watch Joe Lieberman. He will be here right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, tomorrow.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Joe Lieberman coming into THE SITUATION ROOM tomorrow, 5:00 p.m.
Donna Brazile and Bill Bennett are part of the best political team on television -- CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
Coming up: much more on the fighting in Iraq. Will U.S. troops be there in force through the end of the Bush presidency? I will speak with a top U.S. general in Iraq. That's coming up in the next hour.
But, up next: What's next for John Mark Karr, now that he's actually back in the United States? Will the man suspected of killing JonBenet Ramsey soon be back in Colorado?
Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
His home right now is a windowless cell at a high-security jail in Los Angeles, but it likely won't be for long. CNN has confirmed, an extradition hearing for John Mark Karr, the man suspected of killing JonBenet Ramsey, will be held tomorrow morning. He arrived in L.A. overnight, after a 15-hour flight in business class from Thailand.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has more from Boulder, Colorado -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Wolf.
Authorities here in Boulder, Colorado, are anticipating the return of John Karr to Boulder, Colorado. Of course, one of the main questions they have to answer is, will this arrival with John Karr in the next few days be the first time he has ever set foot in Boulder? Or is it at least the second?
More specifically, was he here in December of 1996, when JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her home, and discovered dead the day after Christmas in 1996?
Authorities here, investigators, have been working around the weekend, all weekend long, trying to follow up on the leads about John Karr that have emerged in the last several days. However, authorities here remain very tight-lipped about what is going on.
So, all that we know so far is that, tomorrow morning, 8:30 Pacific time, John Karr will be in an L.A. courtroom for an extradition -- an extradition hearing. If he does waive extradition, he could back here in Colorado by the end of the day.
Officially, Boulder authorities have up until 10 days to bring him back. But we are told that they expect him back within 48 hours. And, of course, he will be brought back here under heavy security. And we don't know many details about when and how he will be brought back -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Lavandera, reporting for us from Boulder.
And CNN's Larry King is going to have an exclusive interview tonight with Professor Michael Tracey, the man who led police to John Mark Karr. He will also be joined by Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood. That airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
And coming up: back to the next race for the White House. Democrats roll the primary dice and come up with the nation's gambling capital. We are going to tell you why Democratic presidential candidates are now setting their sights on Las Vegas.
And what are the odds they will win back control of Congress in November? We will have the latest CNN poll numbers on per -- prospective voters when we come back.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The 2008 primary campaign may be a lot different for Democrats. They will still begin with the Iowa caucuses, but Nevada now bumps New Hampshire out of the number-two spot. Will that change the odds for some presidential hopefuls?
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has the story from Las Vegas -- Bill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, they say politics is a crapshoot. With the Nevada caucuses moving up on the Democratic calendar for 2008, that could be more true than ever.
(voice-over): The stereotype of Nevada voters is high-rolling, not high-minded, very different from Iowa, especially when it comes to presidential politics.
ERIN NEFF, "THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL": I really think that whoever comes out of Iowa won't win Nevada. Nevada will be proud to do something different.
SCHNEIDER: Democrats are allowing Nevada to vote early, because it has a lot of union members and Hispanics, who want more influence over the party's presidential nominations.
NEFF: The unions here are -- are going to rule the day, when it comes to that -- that process.
SCHNEIDER: One union in particular is especially powerful in the world of Nevada casinos.
JON RALSTON, "THE LAS VEGAS SUN": The king-maker in this -- in this caucus is -- is the culinary union. They are, by far, the dominant get-out-the-vote organization in the Democratic Party.
SCHNEIDER: King-maker?
RALSTON: I think they decide who wins the caucus.
SCHNEIDER: That puts a lot of power over the Democratic nomination in the hands of D. Taylor, political director of the Culinary Workers Union.
D. TAYLOR, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, CULINARY WORKERS UNION: We are probably the fastest growing private sector union in the country. We were at 18,000 about 12 years ago. We are about 60,000 now.
SCHNEIDER: The union of restaurant, hotel and casino workers is nearly half-Hispanic. It has a project to help workers become citizens, and one for voter education.
TAYLOR: We are going to invite all the candidates to speak in front of our members.
SCHNEIDER: Taylor describes the union's politics in one word.
TAYLOR: Practical, very practical. They want their bread-and- butter issues that they care about. They care about, obviously, health care. They care about what schools their kids go to. They care about their wages. They care about crime.
SCHNEIDER: The Nevada caucuses may not be dominated by anti-war activists.
TAYLOR: The people who are fighting in Iraq, those are working- class folks. Those aren't the politician's' kids. So, it hits very, very close to home here. I think there's a diversity on that issue.
SCHNEIDER: So much so, the culinary union has not taken a position on Iraq.
(on camera): The race for the 2008 Democratic nomination will begin in the old heartland, Iowa, and, then, very quickly, move to the new heartland, the fastest growing city in America, Vegas, baby. Vegas -- Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Bill Schneider, in Vegas, thanks very much.
And, today, on our "Political Radar": more numbers from our brand-new CNN poll. Americans were asked, if -- if the congressional elections were held today, which party's candidate would you choose in your district? Among the country's registered voters, 52 percent said Democrat. Forty-three percent said Republican.
And, in our numbers -- other numbers from our brand new poll of registered voters, a look at attitudes about President Bush -- after -- asked if Mr. Bush inspires confidence, 52 percent said no, to 48 percent who said he does. We also asked if America's registered voters believe the president shares their values. And most don't think so. Only 44 percent said he does. More than half said no.
Up next: Two days of fear comes to an end in Virginia. We will tell you where a double murder suspect who escaped from custody yesterday is right now.
And the West offers a carrot to Iran, but will it bite? We will have the latest on the standoff over Iran's nuclear program when we come back.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Zain Verjee. She's standing by with a quick look at some other important stories making news -- Zain.
VERJEE: Wolf, former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell prepares to spend his first night in a federal prison. The controversial attorney reported to jail officials today, shortly before a noon deadline. Campbell was convicted of tax evasion back in March, and ordered to spend two-and-a-half years in prison. He served as Atlanta's mayor from 1994 to 2002.
Federal officials unveil a new campaign against sexual predators. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says that the campaign will feature ads warning teenage girls against posting revealing information on the Internet. The ads are scheduled to begin running early next year.
This week, some 2,700 law enforcement officials from around the world are meeting in Dallas for the 18th annual Crimes Against Children Conference.
And a federal judge drops one of the charges against terror suspect Jose Padilla, but leaves two other counts. The Miami judge threw out the charge of conspiring to commit murder and kidnapping, but left charges of providing support to terrorists. He has been in custody since he was arrested in May of 2002. Officials say he has ties to al Qaeda terrorists.
A double murder suspect back in jail -- 24-year-old William Morva was captured by Virginia police this afternoon, nearly two days after he overpowered a guard and escaped from a Blacksburg hospital. Police say he killed a hospital guard and a sheriff's deputy while on the loose. His escape caused officials to cancel today's first day of classes at Virginia Tech University -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain, thank you.
Let's get a little bit more on this story from our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, news of that capture at the Virginia Tech Web site.
This is a site that, all day, has been updating students and employees with the latest news. There have been photos of the suspect and also podcasts online from the vice president of the university about the latest, telling people to stay indoors.
The people that have been locked down have been sending in photos to CNN through I-Report. This is from graduate student Rick Biss (ph), who took these photos around 12:30 today, of the strong police presence on campus. We just talked to Rick (ph). And he said that the campus is still vacant, but news of the capture is spreading -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Abbi, thank you very much.
We're getting some new information on the medical condition involving the former President Gerald Ford.
Keith Oppenheim is joining us from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Keith, what are you picking up?
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just got an e-mail from the -- from President Gerald Ford's office, also coordinated through the Mayo Clinic.
And they are telling us that former President Gerald Ford has received a pacemaker. A very short statement, let me read it here: "Former President Gerald R. Ford has completed an evaluation and series of tests, resulting in the implantation of a cardiac pacemaker to enhance his heart's performance. The procedure this afternoon went smoothly and without incident. President Ford is resting comfortably with his wife and children, and is expected to continue his recuperation at Mayo Clinic for the next several days."
That's the end of the statement, Wolf. Just to remind our viewers that his wife is, of course, Betty Ford, the former first lady -- he has four children. And while the statement doesn't specifically state the names of his children and whether they are here, his children are Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan.
So, our belief is that -- that most of them, if not all of them, are here, while he recuperates from a pacemaker that was implanted in him this afternoon.
Just another reminder, he came here to Mayo Clinic last Tuesday. And while, up until today, there really was no statement from Mayo Clinic staff and spokespeople as to why he was here, they did give this announcement just this afternoon -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We wish him only the best and a speedy recovery to the former President Gerald Ford.
Keith, thanks very much
Still to come: Why would Republicans support a Democratic candidate for the Senate? Jack Cafferty standing by with your e-mail.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's got "The Cafferty File" in New York -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Wolf.
The question is: What does it mean when the Republicans are supporting the Democrat, Joe Lieberman, in the Connecticut Senate race? What does it mean besides the fact that they're desperate?
Al writes from Lawrence, Kansas. We get quite a bit of mail from Al, and he's a pretty good writer. But I have it on pretty good authority that Al writes this stuff to us while he's supposed to be working out there in Lawrence.
I don't know what he does for a living, but we hope that you don't wind up on the unemployment rolls for writing letters to me, instead of doing whatever it is your job is.
Al writes this: "They're playing, "Let's Make a Deal.' Door number one: a Republican with no chance of winning."
Schlesinger is getting 4 percent in the polls. "Door number two: a Democrat who doesn't support the president. Door number three: an all-expense-paid trip to Baghdad for thousands of U.S. troops, a stunning view of the Green Zone, friendly natives, palm trees and IEDs."
Sophia in Kentucky: "It has been apparent for some time that Bush has Lieberman in his hip pocket. He even went along with Bush and his right-wing supporters when he voted with them on the grandstand Schiavo bill. He has morphed into a neocon with a whiny voice."
Jaire in Maine: "Jack, you don't need to be a rocket scientist. Since the administration doesn't have a viable Republican candidate, get wimpy Joe as an independent to vote for the Republican issues. Joe wins, the Republicans win, and the state of Connecticut loses."
Roger writes: "I think things will backfire for Joe, with the Republicans backing him, as they are. It is a matter of time until the polls flip-flop."
Dan in Jacksonville, Arkansas: "Of course they will support him, in the hopes he will pull votes from the Democratic candidate and give them a win. Sad thing is, it more than likely will work. I pray the trend to remove all those presently in office continues in November this year and in '08."
And Dale in Waltham, Massachusetts: "Lieberman is just a Republican in drag. His claims of being a middle-of-the-road consensus-builder were thrown out when Bush gave him the kiss of death" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much.
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