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Marine Corps Authorized to Recall Troops to Active Duty; Israel Shows Off Network of Bunkers in Lebanese Village; Wrong Hassan Nasrallah Arrested By Israeli Troops; E-mails and Phone Calls Apparently Between John Mark Karr and Wendy Hutchens Now Attracting Attention

Aired August 22, 2006 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Kitty, thank you. 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 tonight's top stories.
Happening now, it's 3:00 a.m. in Iraq. They've been on the front lines, in many cases more than once. But now thousands of United States Marines may be brought back to active duty.

And his backing for the battle in Iraq has him battling for his political life. I'll speak with Senator Joe Lieberman.

Yes, no or maybe. Iran gives its answer to demands that it give up its nuclear activities, 2:30 a.m. in Tehran where our Aneesh Raman is the only U.S. television reporter. We're going to take you inside Iran today.

And it's 5:00 p.m. in Boulder, Colorado, where investigators are looking at a high school yearbook and a ransom note in the JonBenet Ramsey killing. Could there be a connection? One handwriting expert gives us an answer and says he's 99.9 percent sure he's right.

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

They've done their part on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan, often serving multiple tours. But now thousands of U.S. Marines may be recalled to active duty, in some cases involuntarily, A new development out of the Pentagon tonight and for that, let's turn to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, most U.S. troops know when they hang up their uniform, their service isn't necessarily over. Since the -- September 11, thousands of Army and Marines have been called back to active duty who are in the individual ready reserve. And now, Marine Corps is set to do it again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Up to 2,500 Marines will be called up in the coming months for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'll get five months' notice and then have to report for a tour of 12 to 18 months, including time for a refresher training. The troops would be part of a deployment scheduled for next spring and summer. But the Marine Corps says volunteers from the reserves will be taken before anyone is called back involuntarily.

(SOUNDS)

MCINTYRE: The individual ready reserve is made up of Marines who are fulfilling their contractual obligation to the military after leaving active duty, usually an additional four years. Marines who have been out for less than a year are exempt from the recall and Marines with recent or multiple combat tours will be the last called. The Marine Corps needs to fill high demand jobs, especially combat arms, military police, communications and intelligence specialists and engineers.

This is not the first time troops from the ready reserve have been called back. Back in 2003, some 2,000 Marines were activated at the start of the Iraq war. And since September 11, the Army has called come 5,000 troops back, of which some 2,200 are serving now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: The Marine corps says the recall should not be a surprise to troops, who should be well aware of their obligation past the time they're in active duty. Meanwhile, as you can imagine, Wolf, critics on Capitol Hill and in some veterans groups are citing this as evidence that the U.S. military is overstretched by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie, thank you. And some surprising new criticism today of the president's handling of the Iraq situation from a staunch defender of the war, that would be Republican Senator John McCain. In Ohio today, the possible 2008 presidential contender accused the White House of not telling the American people how difficult the Iraq mission would be. And he cited some high profile catch phrases that have been used by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld as evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, few dead-enders. I'm more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we have not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Turning now to Iran, which is facing a carrot or stick approach from the world community over its nuclear program. Today Iran responded to the carrot, a package of incentives to give up suspect nuclear activities. But there's no indication it will bite and that could lead to the stick, possible United Nation sanctions. Our Aneesh Raman is the only U.S. television reporter in Iran right now and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world wanted a simple answer from Iran. Instead it got this, a lengthy written reply. In it, Iran called for a new formula to end the crisis, called for serious negotiations to begin as soon as tomorrow. But most importantly, gave no sign it would stop its nuclear program by the end of the month.

This was Iran showing itself eager to restart dialogue and, it seems, eager to change the world's focus. It's no accident that the most direct comments today came not about Iran's nuclear program but about U.S. President Bush from Iran's supreme leader. The Ayatollah Khomeini was quoted as saying, "This person speaks as if he is the owner of Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Iran and other Islamic countries. However, if the immense force of the nations is fielded, as took place in Lebanon, the arrogant will be humiliated." Khomeini made the comments with the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sitting close by.

(on camera): Iran's response, of course, made big news around the world, but didn't make big news here in Iran. Today was a day off for people, an auspicious Muslim holiday. They came here to the market to go about their business and they did voice concern for what might come next.

(voice-over): Here as the vendors hawked their fruits, as the people came to shop, the shop owners like Amir (ph) showed apprehension.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RAMAN: "Yes, sanctions will definitely have an impact on the market, on my business. People are afraid, they are anxious."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RAMAN: "We Iranians don't like to have crises," said Mashid (ph). "We like a peaceful and tranquil life. We are worried, but we don't make the decisions. We hope whatever decision is made that it ends well for our nation."

Most here support Iran's nuclear program, whether it brings sanctions or not. But as their government shows no indication of scaling back its nuclear activities, the people of Iran can do little now but prepare for the hardships that might come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That report from our Aneesh Raman in Tehran right now.

The White House is reserving judgment on the Iranian response, but seems to be warning Tehran that push has come to shove, one spokeswoman telling reporters -- and I'm quoting now -- "We are aware of the rhetoric that's been coming out of the regime about a nuclear program. The president made very clear to everyone yesterday at the press conference that he thinks that that is a mistake and dangerous for the region and the whole world." North Korea's nuclear program is another sore point for the United States and much of the rest of the world as well. But right now, the north is sore over some conventional military maneuvers the United States is holding with South Korea. Let's bring in Zain Verjee. She's watching this story -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, North and South Korea have enemy armies that face each other down at the border. Now the uneasy peace on the peninsula is escalating because of a game the north doesn't like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOTS)

VERJEE (voice-over): Fire at the enemy, pin them down, rescue and evacuate the injured. War games in South Korea with the U.S. military. These exercises are not new. They've been going on every year since 1975. But North Korea is seeing red. The government's official news agency calls the military exercises a dangerous military adventure that could drive the peninsula to the brink of war.

And, it says, North Korea has the right to preemptively strike to defend itself. North Korea test-fired seven missiles last month, there are reports now that it could be preparing to test a nuclear weapon underground for the first time. South Korea just launched its first ever military satellite to boost its defenses against the unpredictable North. And while both sides are flexing their military might, the diplomatic tract has hit a wall.

The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have stalled, no meetings since last fall, with North Korea furious at the U.S. financial sanctions against its alleged illicit activities, activities that provide the regime with millions of dollars from alleged drug running and money laundering. Despite the North Korean protests the games are scheduled to go on until the first of September. Captain Jon Gaju (ph) says these exercises will improve South Korean response time in an emergency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: An emergency that could be all the more ominous as about two million men from either side close to the border stand poised for the real thing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thank you very much, Zain Verjee reporting. Let's stay in New York now. Jack Cafferty has got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The rest of the country might want to take a look at Illinois. Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to reduce his state's dependence on foreign oil and he's got an idea how to do it. Illinois plans to invest $225 million over the next five to 10 years to build up to 20 plants that can turn corn into ethanol, five soy biodiesel plants, and four facilities that make ethanol from things like corn husks. The governor wants Illinois' gas stations, all of them, to offer E-85, a blend of ethanol and gasoline within 10 years. In order to go ahead with the plan, of course, lawmakers will have to sign off on borrowing the money to pay for it.

Environmental activists say the Illinois proposal is among the most ambitious in the country. So here's the question. What does it mean when individual states have to take their own steps toward energy independence? E-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jack thank you very much. And coming up, Senator Joe Lieberman, he's in the biggest fight of his political career. Will his support for the war in Iraq get him kicked out of office? Senator Lieberman in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Handwriting and confessions, do the claims of John Mark Karr actually add up? Wait until you hear what one handwriting expert says.

And Hezbollah's hideaway, see for yourself what they left behind inside their bunkers.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, John Mark Karr's bizarre journey continues. The man suspected in the 1996 killing of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey will be taken to Boulder, Colorado, to face charges possibly as soon as this evening. He appeared at an extradition hearing in Los Angeles today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF JUDGE LUIS LAVIN, LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT: Mr. Karr, I'm holding up a waiver of extradition. Do you see that?

JOHN MARK KARR, SUSPECT: Yes, your honor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you read and understand the form?

KARR: Yes, your honor.

LAVIN: Do you understand that by signing this form, your agreement could be extradited to Colorado?

KARR: Yes, your honor.

LAVIN: All right, the court finds the defendant knowingly and intelligently waived his right to the issuance and service of government's warrant. He is remanded into custody without bail and the defendant shall be returned to the state of Colorado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Among many other things, investigators in Colorado now are likely examining Karr's handwriting. Specifically they may be comparing what Karr wrote in a classmate's high school yearbook back in 1982 to the ransom note found in the Ramsey home 14 years later after JonBenet Ramsey died. And as we've reported, the yearbook entry includes the phrase "maybe I shall be the conqueror."

And those are the first four letters of those last four words, S-B-T-C, that appear at the end of the ransom note as well. Still, we're learning of other similarities between the two writing samples. And joining us now from Dallas is Curt Baggett. He's a handwriting expert. He's a document examiner.

You were quoted, Mr. Baggett, in the "Rocky Mountain News" this morning suggesting that you're 99.9 percent certain that there's a match between the yearbook inscription that John Mark Karr made years ago and the ransom note that was found Christmas Day in Boulder, Colorado. Are you still certain about that?

CURT BAGGETT, HANDWRITING EXPERT: I am, Wolf. It's a perfect match. There's so many similarities it could not be someone different that wrote the ransom note.

BLITZER: Because I looked at both of those documents and I saw -- yes, I saw some similarities, but I certainly saw a lot of differences as well. I know that some of the similarities involve, for example, lower case -- the lower case "A" and we'll put that up and show our viewers, from the yearbook as well as from the ransom note. What convinces you that the same person who wrote that inscription in the yearbook is the same person who wrote the ransom note?

BAGGETT: Well, they're shaped the same, the size and shape. And they have a little overhang on the top. And then the bottom, many of them have a little tail on the right side, very unusual. I think that...

(CROSSTALK)

BAGGETT: I think they are very, very similar in all of his A's.

BLITZER: All right. Another similarity -- and we'll put it up as well -- from the yearbook and the ransom note shows the lower case "D" -- "D" as in David.

BAGGETT: These are very unusual traits to write that way. And he goes up to the top and then usually goes to the left. You'll notice that some of the ends have little blunt endings, which is prevalent all over his handwriting. But that's a very unusual trait and most of his go up to the left.

BLITZER: But some of them go up to the right. From the ransom note, that "D" that we're showing our viewers now goes up to the right.

BAGGETT: Well, Wolf, much of his writing -- the first thing I noticed about his handwriting is that some of it leans to the right in the same sentence. Sometimes in the same word it leans to the left, which simply means the man has two personalities.

BLITZER: And you also believe that there is a similarity that he has on the letter "R" and the letter "F," upper case "R" and upper case "F". We're going to put that up. From the yearbook we're showing part of an "R" and we're showing from the ransom note an "F". Why do you think that shows a match?

BAGGETT: Well, it's a very unusual trait to do. He goes up and comes back down in a very pointed fashion. A stroke is a stroke wherever you find it. And some of our strokes show up in different letters. And I think it's a perfect match and a very unusual trait. In fact, I've not seen those before.

BLITZER: We've spoken to some experts who say, you know what, they can't rule definitively based on the copies, the Xeroxes, because you need the original to really make a match. Based on the copies and the generations that have been lost, why are you so certain that the same person...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... who wrote in that yearbook is the same person who wrote the ransom note?

BAGGETT: We have some pretty good fax machines and the computers transmit it very well. You don't change the shape, the spacing, the beginnings, the endings. There's only a couple things you can't discover if you don't have originals. And I think there's enough evidence that I've seen to give me an indication that it's a match. Whoever wrote the ransom note was the same person that wrote his yearbook and his applications for his school job.

BLITZER: The other day we interviewed John Hargett. He's a former Secret Service forensic expert and he disagrees. I want you to listen to what he says.

BAGGETT: All right, sir.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Although there are some isolated similarities appearing between the document from the 1980's and the ransom note, I don't find these to be unusual features. I find that these are features that you would expect to find in the writings of many people and nothing really unusual about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. You want to respond to his suggestion that it may not necessarily be a match?

BAGGETT: Well, I think he's wrong, of course. And we run into this frequently in the courtroom, Wolf. But I think if you let a lot of crooks get away if you wait for originals because they destroy them as soon as they do it. And I'm a forgery expert, so I use the evidence that I have. In this case, the evidence I had proved to me that the same author wrote both documents, the question documents and the known documents.

BLITZER: Curt Baggett thanks very much for sharing your expertise with us.

BAGGETT: Thank you Wolf. And later this hour, more on the JonBenet Ramsey case. Was there an earlier confession by John Mark Karr? We're investigating what's going on. That's coming up.

Also still to come tonight in THE SITUATION ROOM, fighting for political survival, Senator Joe Lieberman defending his defense of the war in Iraq. And if he's reelected, will he realign himself with Republicans? We'll hear from him. That's coming up.

Plus, Hezbollah hideouts, we'll take you inside their bunkers. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's new video tonight from southern Lebanon showing the underground hideouts Hezbollah used in its battle with Israeli forces. Let's bring back Zain Verjee once again for this story -- Zain.

VERJEE: Wolf, we want to show you a close-up look at that hideout Hezbollah operated from. Here's what was found in it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): It looks like a hole in the ground, but this is how Hezbollah lived and hid during the month-long fighting between Israel and Lebanon. Israeli forces say they found a network of bunkers in Raja (ph) village, a town that sits right on the border partly controlled by Israel, partly by Lebanon and also home to Hezbollah outposts.

A Reuters' camera crew entered this bunker on the Lebanese side of Raja (ph) village. On the bed, a pistol, on the wall, photographs of Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini (ph), a calendar displaying the face of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also on the wall. Military analysts say none of this is a big surprise.

BARAK BEN-ZUR, WASH. INST. FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: It's very, very natural that Hezbollah members are a part of the Iranian revolution and they are a part of the Khamenei (ph) revolution.

VERJEE: This site is part of a system of bunkers and shelters developed by Hezbollah all over south Lebanon. Experts say a bunker like this may have been used as a shield against air raids for Hezbollah forces or as a control center to activate mines and missiles from inside. Such a bunker can lead to others, possibly connected.

BEN-ZUR: The battle for those bunkers were unknown to the Israeli intelligence. And due to that, they succeeded to pop up from those bunkers, to emerge from the hiding places and attack the Israelis from behind. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: A former Israeli intelligence officer who we spoke to says Israel had expected there would be a control center Hezbollah was using in this area, and that this was it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain thanks very much, Zain Verjee reporting. And just ahead, is Democratic turned Independent Senate candidate Joe Lieberman waging an unfair fight? Some of his former colleagues cry foul over his new affiliation. Why he says they've got it all wrong. I'll speak with the senator right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

And could e-mail reveal a hidden link between John Mark Karr and the Ramsey family? What one woman claims the man suspected of killing JonBenet Ramsey told her about the case years ago.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening now, several thousand United States Marines served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and now they face a possible involuntary recall. The Pentagon may be on the verge of calling 2,500 Marines back to active duty.

Iran says it's ready for serious talks about its nuclear program. It's formally responding to an incentives package from the West to suspend uranium enrichment ahead of the U.N. deadline, but Tehran is not saying if it's willing to stop nuclear activities first, which the United Nations has demanded.

And Saddam Hussein's genocide trial resumes tomorrow in Baghdad. Two witnesses today testified about surviving a chemical weapons attack back in the 1980's. Hussein's co-defendants say there was a military campaign but deny it targeted Iraqi Kurds.

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

New poll numbers tonight and new questions about Senator Joe Lieberman's difficult fight to keep his job. The latest survey shows him neck and neck with the Democrat who defeated him in the primary just days after another poll gave him a double-digit lead. Lieberman's run as an Independent now is testing party ties and the fallout from the Iraq war. Senator Joe Lieberman is joining us now in THE SITUATION ROOM. Senator, thanks for coming in.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Good to be with you, Wolf. Thank you.

BLITZER: Knowing what you know right now three years after the start of the war, knowing what is the current situation, the possibility this could all turn out to be civil war, would you have done -- would you have supported it knowing what you know right now? LIEBERMAN: Hindsight is always clearer than foresight, but in my opinion we did the right thing in going in to overthrow Saddam Hussein. I've said over and over again that mistakes were made by the administration after Saddam was overthrown.

But now we're here, we're there. And the key question before the United States and actually in this campaign is, what do we do now? My opponent has taken a position that was supported by only 13 senators: all of American troops out by July 1st of next year. If we did that, there would be an all-out civil war.

BLITZER: But, Senator...

LIEBERMAN: The place would collapse. Iran would come in and Iraq would become a safe haven for al Qaeda from which it would attack other Arab countries and us.

BLITZER: If you would have known then, before the war, that he didn't have any weapons of mass destruction, that that did not pose any threat whatsoever, why would you have supported sending U.S. troops in as opposed to dealing with him with sanctions, the no-fly zones, the pressure that was clearly working?

LIEBERMAN: Wolf, history is going to be the final judge on this, and I'm really focused on the future. But since you asked, I'll give you the answer. In 1998, John McCain, former Senator Bob Kerrey and I introduced the Iraq Liberation Act. We said in that act -- which passed, and it was signed by President Clinton -- Saddam Hussein is a ticking time bomb; he's a mass murderer. Look what's happening in his trial today. He's being tried for gassing, using a weapon of mass destruction...

BLITZER: But that was in the '80s.

LIEBERMAN: No, no. This man had broken every promise to us that he made after the Gulf War. He had invaded two of his neighbors. He was supporting terrorists and he hated the United States of America. That's why we thought then -- and apparently President Clinton did, too, because he signed our law -- that our policy had to be to change the regime in Baghdad. So no, I think we did the right thing.

BLITZER: Because arguably, a lot of critics point out Iran right now and North Korea right now represent potentially much graver threats to the U.S. and the U.S. is trying to deal with those two issues through diplomatic channels.

LIEBERMAN: I wish that we could choose the threats that we had to respond to. This is, unfortunately, a dangerous world. The most significant threat that we face today is from radical Islamist terrorism, the same people who attacked us on 9/11/01, who were going to attack us again from Britain if we had not thwarted that plot. Iraq today -- we have the face where we are today. Iraq today is a battlefield in that war and...

BLITZER: But hasn't the war in Iraq undermined the U.S. effort to deal with that legitimate threat in the war on terror? LIEBERMAN: It has not. In my opinion, we will undermine our ability to deal with radical Islamist terrorists if we pick up -- as many, including my opponents, seem to want to do -- and pull out of Iraq by a date certain. The majority of Iraqis still want a better, freer, more independent unified future. And I think we owe it to them to stick with them a while, notwithstanding all the difficulties there. Look, my eyes are open. The sectarian violence has been terrible. The inability of...

BLITZER: It's a much greater threat right now to the people of Iraq, that sectarian violence, the potential civil war, than the insurgency.

LIEBERMAN: Well, the sectarian violence is -- I don't think so. And let's talk the truth here. The sectarian violence was intentionally stimulated and inflamed by the terrorists. Zarqawi, when he was alive, boasted that his people had blown up the Shia mosque, holy site, in Samarra, Iraq, and that was the turning point in sectarian violence. So the question is: Are we going to allow the forces of hate and terrorism to take over that country or are we going to stick with it?

BLITZER: So you don't think there's a civil war yet?

LIEBERMAN: Look, that's a semantical -- a question of words. I'd say there's not technically a civil war because there still is a unity government and there still is what I call a nonsectarian military. There is terrible violence there. But you want to see a real civil war and a collapse of a great country in the center of the Middle East? Pull out by a date certain and that's what you'll see.

BLITZER: Here's what John Kerry, your colleague from Massachusetts, said on this week.

LIEBERMAN: More good news, yes.

BLITZER: Here's what he said. "I'm concerned that Lieberman is making a Republican case and he's uttering almost the same words as Vice President Cheney, and I think it's inappropriate. "The fact is, Joe Lieberman is out of step with the people of Connecticut. I believe that he's just dead wrong with respect to the war."

LIEBERMAN: Look, John's is entitled to his opinion. I think he's dead wrong in what he had to say. And it's up to the people of Connecticut to say in November where they are on the war. But the fact is here John Kerry is seeking higher office. He wants to run for the White House again. I take that to be a politically motivated statement...

BLITZER: So it's just politics...

LIEBERMAN: ... by an old friend. But let me say this: My position on this has not changed. I'm doing what I think is right. I'm not patterning myself after anybody else. I have a responsibility -- and maybe it's part of the reason why I'm in such a tough fight this year -- I have a responsibility to do what I think is right for the security of our country. And that's what I'm doing. I'm a devoted Democrat, but my loyalty to America and my state is higher than my loyalty to my party.

BLITZER: If, in fact, you do win and you're re-elected, what are the chances that you will join Bill Frist, who says he would welcome you to join the Republican Caucus and effectively -- even though you'll be an independent -- side with the Republicans?

LIEBERMAN: I'm a Democrat. I've made very clear that I'm going to organize with the Democratic Caucus. But I'm going to be an independent senator. I'm going to look for every opportunity I can to build alliances, to fix our broken health care system, to make America energy independent, to make our public schools the best in the world, to do something about global warming, to get our federal books back in balance.

We've got enormous problems that we're not solving because too many people in Washington are playing partisan games. They think of themselves as Democrats or Republicans. They forget we have a higher loyalty. It is to our country and our children's future.

BLITZER: Here's the reason I asked the question. Let's say the Republicans retain their majority in the United States Senate and you have a chance of retaining -- if you're re-elected -- all of your seniority and you go with the Republicans, you become the chairman of a powerful committee in the Senate, as you telling us -- can you look into the camera and tell the people in Connecticut once and for all you would not then join the Republican Caucus?

LIEBERMAN: That's absolutely what I've said. Are you representing the Republicans here today?

BLITZER: I'm asking the questions.

LIEBERMAN: No. The answer is: I've made that clear.

BLITZER: So there's no chance you would side with the Republicans...

LIEBERMAN: No.

BLITZER: ... even though you would become a chairman, potentially, of a committee?

LIEBERMAN: No. I'm a Democrat and I will remain a Democrat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Senator Lieberman speaking with me earlier. Last Friday we spoke with Ned Lamont, his Democratic challenger in the race.

Up ahead tonight, Israelis capture Hassan Nasrallah, but the man they catch isn't the leader of Hezbollah. Brent Sadler will explain.

And five years before his bizarre confession in Thailand that we've all seen in recent days, did John Mark Karr talk about being with JonBenet Ramsey the night she was killed? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In the middle of its war with Hezbollah, Israel sent commandos deep into northeastern Lebanon to raid what it says was a Hezbollah stronghold. They brought back several hostages, including a man named Hassan Nasrallah. But was it the leader of Hezbollah?

Our senior international correspondent, Brent Sadler, reports from Lebanon -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the fortunes of war swung in extraordinary ways for a group of five Lebanese men, especially true for one man in particular, in what seems to be a mysterious case of mistaken identity.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SADLER (voice-over): Meet Hassan Nasrallah, the unknown owner of a grocery store in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the same name as this Hassan Nasrallah, the now world famous leader of Hezbollah. Nasrallah, the grosser, returns to a hero's welcome in Baalbeck after his unexpected release from an Israeli jail. Three weeks ago, he and four other men were seized by Israeli commandos on the same night.

HASSAN NASRALLAH, BAALBECK GROCER (through translator): At first I thought they were going to kill me. But when they took me out and tied my hands, I knew they were kidnapping me, which was a relief.

SADLER: Hassan shows painful welts on his wrists and legs from plastic cuffs. Outside, he reconstructs how the group of five were bound and forced to walk at gun point, they claim, for two hours, across high terrain to a helicopter that took them to Israel. Israel admits its army made errors during the war, picking up some innocent bystanders like Hassan Nasrallah, the grocer.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: We just returned them as quickly as we could. And I think everyone understood that an honest mistake had happened.

SADLER: The area Hassan was taken from was repeatedly hit by Israeli jets, striking at suspected Hezbollah strongholds. He had taken shelter with four other families in the basement of this bomb- damaged house when Israeli troops blasted their way in.

NASRALLAH: They came down the stairs to where we were. They fired the first two shots and we said, we have kids.

SADLER (on camera): The Nasrallahs of Baalbeck were not the only Lebanese family bearing the same name as Hezbollah's commander in chief to be caught in the crosshairs of Israel's military actions.

(voice-over): Red Cross workers recently discovered the bodies of two men and two women in a village close to Israel's border. The family name was Nasrallah. Israel denies its troops have gone after any Nasrallahs based on faulty intelligence. REGEV: No, no, no. I think we know very clearly who the real Hassan Nasrallah is and there wouldn't have been a mistake on that issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SADLER: Red cross officials took statements from the men in Baalbeck who complained that during their detention and interrogation period, pictures were often taken by Israeli cameramen. While not physically mistreated while in captivity they say, they say their ordeal should be investigated further -- Wolf.

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

And up ahead, five years before his bizarre confession in Thailand, did John Mark Karr talk about being with JonBenet Ramsey the night she was killed? CNN's Brian Todd has been investigating. That report coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, another line of investigation in the case against John Mark Karr. Experts are pouring over his correspondence, trying to determine if his claims about JonBenet Ramsey's death 10 years ago actually pan out. Our Brian Todd has been following the trail of e-mail and phone calls. Brian joining us now live -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, e-mails and phone calls apparently between Karr and one woman five years ago are now attracting a lot of attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Did John Mark Karr discuss the JonBenet Ramsey case with this woman five years before his arrest in Thailand? Wendy Hutchens is a northern California resident, who says Karr came to her in 2001, just before he was arrested in Sonoma County on charges of possessing child pornography.

Karr pleaded not guilty to those charges but skipped bail and never stood trial. Hutchens' representative tells CNN Wendy Hutchens was a childhood acquaintance of Richard Allen Davis, the man convicted of the 1993 kidnapping and murder of Polly Klaas.

Hutchens told the "Santa Rosa Press Democrat" newspaper and CNN affiliate KRON that she corresponded and talked on the phone with Karr at that time, initially about Klaas, then about the Ramsey case, conversations she says she recorded.

WENDY HUTCHENS, CLAIMS CONTACT WITH KARR: He knew JonBenet's family because his brother worked for the Ramseys, worked for Mr. Ramsey.

TODD: According to Hutchens' account to KRON, Karr told her he and his brother went to a Christmas party at the Ramsey's house in 1996. HUTCHENS: He met JonBenet, sat on the stairs with her by her kitchen, ate pineapple with her, and talked to her, and did his funny voices and some magic tricks, you know, quarter behind the ear kind of thing and got her confidence at that time. And he went ...

TODD: Then Hutchens says, Karr claimed he found a storm window in the house, unlocked it, returned later, and snuck in, then hid in a guest bedroom until JonBenet's parents were asleep.

HUTCHENS: He got out from under the guest bed and went into her room. And she was just only barely asleep and woke her up and said her parents wanted her to come downstairs. And she remembered him from the party, and so she willingly went with him.

TODD: Karr has since claimed that JonBenet's death was an accident. Hutchens does not mention any specific confession from Karr. This is an excerpt from an audiotape that she gave to KRON, a voice she claims is Karr's.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: JonBenet. God, what a powerful thing, to just be alone with that little girl. That doll face. You know, she was just so incredible in mind and so unreal in death. She's just so alive. She's so alive. She's so alive. She's so alive. I mean, she's wonderful.

TODD: CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the tape. When we spoke to Hutchens' representative asking to interview her and for copies of the audiotapes and e-mails, the representative indicated she wanted to be paid. CNN declined. The "Santa Rosa Press Democrat" also says it cannot independently verify the voice on the tapes, of the copies of the e-mails.

Hutchens told the newspaper and KRON she recorded Karr at the request of local investigators and the FBI official in San Francisco first told CNN the bureau's field office there had nothing to do with this case, then said the bureau had assisted the Sonoma County sheriff's office in its 2001 investigation of Karr.

The sheriff's office did not respond to our repeated calls. But Hutchins' name does show up in one document related to Karr obtained by CNN. A Sonoma County judge's order in October 2001 granting Karr's supervised release from jail in the pornography case.

"The line reads, do not contact victim directly or indirectly." Then has Hutchins' name next to it, with a slightly different spelling. That same line appears again in divorce papers filed by Karr's now ex-wife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: So should investigators have gone after John Mark Karr five years ago? The Sonoma County sheriff told the "Santa Rosa Press Democrat" his department did not have clear evidence tying Karr to JonBenet Ramsey's killing.

Despite efforts, CNN has not been able to verify the authenticity of those tapes and no law enforcement agency involved has been willing to say they're genuine -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Solid reporting, Brian. Thank you very much. Brian todd doing excellent work for us.

Jack Cafferty is in New York with the "Cafferty File" -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah. A little less lurid stuff here, Wolf.

Illinois governor Rod Blagojivich wants to reduce his state's dependence on foreign oil. He's proposing a plan to build more plants that can turn corn into ethanol, among other things.

The question we asked is, "what does it mean when individual states have to take their own steps toward energy independence."

Tim in Colorado writes, "states taking these kinds of initiatives means that we, the real people of this country, recognize we have a problem and can't wait any longer on Washington or conglomorates to deal with it in any rational way."

Jerry in Atlanta, "hopefully Illinois' plan will be tailored to the state's own resources and markets. They grow a lot of corn and soybeans there. Chicago, like any urban area, would benefit from lower polluting ethanol burning vehicles. Energy independence means just that, having home-grown solutions. Who needs Washington."

Glenda in California, "it means a few governors are not in the pockets of Exxon. And unlike our president, they have imagination, motivation and initiative."

Danny in West Des Moines, Iowa. "In Iowa we know how to get things done when it comes to energy independence. We're the third largest per capita producer of renewable energy. California and Texas are first and second. We have ethanol plants producing millions of gallons of ethanol a year and 12 more plants are currently being built or are about to be built."

Ron in Minnesota, "a couple of months ago, the governor of Montana said his state could produce crude from coal for about $50 a barrel. We have the world's largest supply of coal here in the United States. Hitler ran his war machine on synthetic fuel made from coal. It can be done."

And Tom writes, "it means we as a nation get to look at who are the real future leaders of our country. We should consider this the start of the 2008 interview process."

If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile and read more online.

BLITZER: Thanks, Jack. Jack Cafferty in New York.

Let's stay in New York. Paula Zahn is standing by with a preview of what's coming right at the top of the hour. Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. Thanks.

Coming up in about six minutes from now, we'll have the latest developments in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Suspect John Mark Karr was in court today in L.A. And we're going to have exclusive new details of his claims of involvement in the killing and hear some chilling tapes that may be evidence of an obsession with little girls.

Also, an exclusive interview with the ex-New York Stock Exchange chief whose $200 million payout ignited a firestorm of outrage. What is he saying now that he faces the prospect of losing it all in court? Stick around, you'll see. All that and more coming up in just a matter of minutes, Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll be sticking around, Paula. Thank you very much.

Paula Zahn coming up in a few minutes.

Still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, can you say Ahmadinejad? A lot of people, including some anchors can't -- some anchors. Jeanne Moos is next with that tongue-twisting name.

Stick around, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The president of Iran's nuclear threats have the world on edge. But for some, saying his name is downright scary, as CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANN MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran's president, the world media hang on his every word. Every word from the lips of what's his name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahmadajin?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amadajidad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ahmadinejad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ah -- madinejad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I buy a vowel or something?

MOOS: Those five syllables are enough to make even an old pro like Sean Hannity to hesitate.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Can you talk to Ahmadinejad.

MOOS: For others, ignorance isn't bliss, it's a way to diss Iran's leader.

GLENN BECK, CNN HEADLINE NEWS: This whack job, that's Iranian president Aberjar -- jarbadi, or whatever.

MOOS: Then there are comedians who intentionally mangle it.

STEPHEN COLBERT, THE COLBERT REPORT: Ahmadine -- Alan Aldajad.

MOOS: Maybe we ought to let someone whose Iranian born set the record straight. Ahmadinejad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pronounce the H, Ahmadinejad.

MOOS: Ahmadinejad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are getting the hang of it, you know.

MOOS: Oh, we know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amadinjad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amadinjad.

MOOS: At least most regulars on TV are getting enough practice to nail it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no illusions that Ahmadinejad is somewhat of a lunatic.

MOOS: Those folks tend to get their lunatics mixed up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was just recently caught. He was one of Osama bin Laden's -- no, no, no, Saddam Hussein's right-hand man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, that guy. I saw that interview on "60 Minutes."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran's president Ahmadinejad scares a lot of people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a pretty smart cookie, but he's a dangerous cookie.

MOOS: If this cookie leaves your pronunciation crumbling, there are little mneumonic saying floating around the web to help you remember his name. For instance, Ahmed in a dinner jacket. And I'm a dinner jacket. That's supposed to remind you of Ahmadinejad. Or this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a nut in a dinner jacket.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: Some had their own techniques.

(on camera): You use the president as a guide on how not to pronounce it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

MOOS: Meaning he would say like what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahmajinababadodah.

MOOS: And you would say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahmadinejad.

MOOS (voice-over): Remember back when candidate George Bush was asked to name certain world leaders. He stumbled on Pakistan's General Musharraf.

BUSH: I can't name the general.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's...

BUSH: The General.

MOOS: Well know the general is a big ally. And his name rolls off the president's tough.

BUSH: President Musharraf...

MOOS: So there's hope that some day this name...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ahmaheadinhad?

MOOS: Will enrich pronunciation rather than uranium.

COLBERT: Come on President Ahameninin -- Xsa Xsa Gaborijad.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And thanks very much for joining. Among my guests tomorrow, Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party. Until then, thanks very much for joining. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. Up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Paula standing by in New York -- Paula.

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