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Al Qaeda Speaks out Before 9/11 Anniversary; Bush Updates War on Terror Efforts; NATO Troops Meeting Resistance in Afghanistan; President Bill Clinton's Former National Security Team Taking ABC To Task Over Miniseries "The Path to 9/11"

Aired September 07, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Abbi, 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 today's top stories.

Happening now, competing messages about 9/11. One mourns the attacks. Another applauds it. President Bush says we've learned invaluable lessons. But al Qaeda hopes to impart lessons of a different kind. The group appears to be out with a frightening 9/11 how-to video.

Meanwhile, history or fiction? Would you watch a movie about the facts of 9/11 that's also filled with fictional scenes? ABC is planning to air one, and some Clinton administration officials, including the former president, are up in arms.

And guess who's coming to the United States? If the presidents of Iran and Venezuela hate the U.S. government so much, why would they want to come for a visit right now?

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

They both want you to pay attention. Just days before the fifth anniversary of 9/11, both sides in the ongoing terror war are out with messages about the attacks.

Today President Bush is saying the government continues to suppress its enemies. But al Qaeda hopes to show it won't be silenced. The group appears to be out with a frightening new 9/11 video. We're going to show it to you.

We also have four reports. Our Jamie McIntyre is standing by live at the Pentagon. Elaine Quijano is over at the White House. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is standing by in Pakistan. But let's begin with our justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this new al Qaeda tape allegedly shows members planning the September 11 attacks.

Now, this isn't the first time that al Qaeda has released a tape around the anniversary of September 11. And analysts see this mostly as a recruiting vehicle.

Now, on this video we see Ramzi Binalshibh alongside Osama bin Laden. This is the first time that we've seen these two men together. Binalshibh is one of the alleged planners and facilitators of the September 11 attacks. And it was announced just yesterday that he would be transferred from a secret CIA prison to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Now, also on this tape are two of the 9/11 hijackers, Wail Alshehri, who was on American Airlines Flight 11, and Hamza al-Ghamdi, who was on United Flight 75. Both of those planes flew into the World Trade Center towers. Among other militants seen on the tape is Mohammed Atef. He was killed during a U.S. missile strike in Afghanistan back in 2001.

Now, Wolf, this tape follows the release of other al Qaeda tapes, one just this weekend. And that's causing some to speculate that perhaps al Qaeda is planning an attack.

I spoke with FBI director Robert Mueller today. He says there is no intelligence to suggest that any threat is imminent, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope that's the case. Thanks very much, Kelli, for that. Kelli Arena reporting.

With this new tape coming out so close to 9/11, what might it mean? Joining us now is our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He's in Islamabad, Pakistan.

What's your sense, Nic? What are you hearing -- what are you hearing about this new al Qaeda tape?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's very interesting. I was at Al-Jazeera's office here in Islamabad. They received al Qaeda tapes there directly at their office right in the center of Pakistan here before. When we were there yesterday, they had no idea, it appeared to us, at least, that they were about to receive another tape or that they had received one.

It does seem to indicate that al Qaeda wants to show that it's still in the game. Osama bin Laden, we haven't actually seen him on videotape, a new videotape, for two years now. His messages recently have been on audiotapes. And again, this is old. These are old pictures of him. It doesn't offer us any new insights.

But what it does show us is, because al Qaeda's releasing this old tape, we can really -- it really gives us a yardstick of how their leadership has been crippled over the past few years. Ramzi bin al- Shibh arrested, Mohammed Atef killed in the bombing in Afghanistan after September 11. The two hijackers there, they're dead now, as well.

Bin Laden clearly has a library of material. He's still able to release it. It's still new material. The training material shows al Qaeda up in the mountains, shows how well they were training. But really, Wolf, some of it's new, but it's really old. It's not telling us anything new. And it's certainly not giving any indications where bin Laden might be or what his next plans might be, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, you're in Pakistan right now, and almost everyone in the intelligence communities of various countries thinks Osama bin Laden is hiding out someplace along the Pakistani border.

And there's been some confusion in recent days how committed the government of Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, where you are right now, is committed to finding Osama bin Laden. What are you hearing about this search?

ROBERTSON: You know, Wolf, just in the last couple of days I interviewed the prime minister here, Shaukat Aziz. He told me the government here is 100 percent committed to tracking down Osama bin Laden, 100 percent committed to tracking down al Qaeda members.

They say that al Qaeda, bin Laden is not inside Pakistan, that he might be across the border. The speculation is to the north of Pakistan, the Chitra region, possibly in that finger of Afghanistan that runs along the north of Pakistan possibly just north of there inside Tajikistan is also what some in the intelligence community are rumoring.

But there are critics of Pakistan's efforts to track down bin Laden and others. In the intelligence, in the western intelligence community, they say that in Pakistan not enough is being done, that there isn't enough commitment coming from mid- and senior-level army and intelligence officers, and police officers are not committed fluff to the job, that they lack in some cases the skills to do the job adequately.

There does from the international community's perception seem that Pakistan is falling short, but that's not what Pakistani officials here are saying, Wolf. They say they're doing a good job to the best of their ability 100 percent they say, they're committed to the war on terrorism, Wolf.

BLITZER: And that's what the Pakistani ambassador to the United States told us here in THE SITUATION ROOM yesterday.

Nic Robertson in Islamabad for us. Thank you, Nic, very much.

The newly released videotape of Osama bin Laden comes in the middle of a White House offensive on terror, including President Bush's third speech in as many days touting progress in the overall war on terror.

Let's go to the White House. Our correspondent, Elaine Quijano, has the latest -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And Wolf, as that tape is being examined, one official that I talked to here today says that it would seem to underscore, in fact, the president's message all this week about the need to address the continuing and the -- terrorist threat.

Now, today the president went through what he called a progress report in the terrorism fight, walking through step by step how al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, exploited gaps in U.S. Security and how under the president's watch those gaps have been closed.

Now, the president made his comments during a speech to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He said, though top al Qaeda leaders are on the run, terrorists still pose a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our enemies have fought relentlessly these past five years, and they have a record of their own. Bin Laden and his deputy Zawahiri are still in hiding. Al Qaeda has continued its campaign of terror with deadly attacks that have targeted the innocent, including large numbers of fellow Muslims. The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq have killed American troops and thousands of Iraqis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, just two months, of course, before congressional mid-terms and days away from the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mr. Bush also urged Congress to pass legislation dealing with military trials for high-level terror suspects. Mr. Bush suggested that any delay would mean putting off justice for the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thanks very much.

I want to go quickly to Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent. There's a developing story happening where he is -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're tracking something that the Pentagon is calling a security situation in the south parking lot of the Pentagon. It's prompted Pentagon police to close off about a dozen lanes of traffic, to reroute some buses, and tell commuters they have to find a different place to pick up rides in the parking lot, because of a vehicle that apparently is exhibiting some suspicious characteristics.

CNN producer Mike Noun (ph) is out there now checking out the scene, and we'll bring you an update as soon as we know whether this suspicious situation turns out to be anything really serious.

BLITZER: We'll watch it together with you, Jamie. As soon as you get information, Mike gets information, you'll let us know. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

And remember, stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Jack Cafferty has the day off. He'll be back on Monday. Up ahead, a dire warning from NATO commanders in Afghanistan. They call it a hornet's nest. We're going to show you what's happening right now that has these commanders urgently requesting more troops.

Also, growing controversy over an upcoming miniseries about 9/11. There are some former officials in the Clinton administration, including the former president himself crying foul.

Plus, they're both popular politicians, but which one do Republicans want as their candidate in 2008? Would it be Rudy Giuliani or John McCain? We're going to tell you what our latest poll is showing us. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: NATO's top commanders now calling for more troops in Afghanistan, citing some unexpectedly fierce fighting by Taliban fighters. Once again let's bring back our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

MCINTYRE: Wolf, you know, when I traveled with supreme allied commander general Jim Jones to Afghanistan earlier this year, I was struck by the fact that he doesn't downplay the problems. And we saw another example of that candor today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): NATO's top general says his troops in Afghanistan are being tested by a stubborn Taliban resistance which is showing a surprising willingness to stand and fight, instead of taking pot shots and running away, as NATO expected.

GEN. JAMES JONES, SUPREME NATO COMMANDER: While not a complete surprise certainly the tenacity of the resistance is a little bit of a surprise. We all know that in the springtime, traditionally hostilities do start up again. We expected a certain amount of it in the southern region. It's turned out to be more than we expected, but certainly by no means unmanageable.

MCINTYRE: Jones says NATO knew it would stir up a hornet's nest when it began its southern offensive this summer, but the Taliban, flush with drug cash from a bumper harvest of opium, are well armed and inflicting heavy casualties.

At least 35 British and Canadian troops have died in the past five weeks, and a town in the south has fallen to Taliban control. Meanwhile, NATO commanders have only 85 percent of the troops and equipment they were promised.

NATO has failed to come up with a squadron of attack helicopters and several C-130 transport planes that General Jones says his ground commander needs for additional flexibility on the battlefield.

Currently, there are about 19,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, of which about 1,000 are American and 6,000 are in the south. In addition, the U.S. has another 20,000 troops under American command.

General Jones says the need for reinforcements is urgent but not dire.

JONES: So it's not a reinforcement -- reinforcement in a desperate sense, but it is prudent military advice that adds a certain measure of guarantee and cushion to the forces that are already performing very well on the scene.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: General Jones says he specifically didn't use the word "reinforcements." He just wants NATO to provide the troops that they were supposed to in the original plan, and he insisted they will prevail and that Afghanistan was, in his words, a success story in the making -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jamie, thanks very much. Jamie's at the Pentagon.

Let's get some more on the situation in Afghanistan. We're joined by our terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen. He's in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, right now. A success in the making.

You've been there for a few days now, Peter. You've been in Afghanistan many previous occasions since 9/11. Does it look like a success is in the making right now?

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: I think if we'd had this conversation in 2002 or 2003, Wolf, it would have been a lot more optimistic. You know, millions of refugees returning. There was a successful presidential election, parliamentary election in the 2004- 2005 time frame.

But frankly, the last year has been quite disappointing. Ninety- two percent of the world's heroin is produced here. A record-breaking crop. The Taliban are back, as Jamie pointed out in his piece.

And I've been embedded with some of the commanders here. The Taliban are standing up, and they're fighting. That's proven pretty costly for them. By speaking to U.S. military officials here, they estimate at least 1,000 Taliban have been killed in the last three months. NATO says just 200 in the last week.

But these guys are fighting. And one of the commanders I spoke to who's in Iraq said these guys are actually more -- more prepared to engage directly than the Iraqi insurgents, who rely on IEDs and tactics which are sort of standoff tactics, rather than signing up and really engaging.

And the Taliban, of course, the resurgence has come at the same time that the drug trade has exploded. There's clearly a relationship between that.

But the one line -- the one word explanation for a lot of this is Pakistan. You know, you can't talk to a U.S. military commander here, at least off the record, without their mentioning the Pakistan problem, that the senior leadership of the Taliban, they have the two most important councils, one is in Pershawa (ph), a town in northwest frontier province of Pakistan. One is in Baluchistan, and many of the senior leaders don't even come into Afghanistan, they're so comfortable in their situation in Pakistan.

And you -- Wolf, you know no doubt about this peace agreement that the Pakistani government has just concluded with militants in the tribal areas. Well, there's a concern, U.S. military officials here concerned that that peace agreement will allow not only the Taliban to sort of have a breathing space but also al Qaeda itself to regroup in those tribal territories, Wolf.

BLITZER: Peter Bergen out of CNN Kabul for us. We're going to be hearing a lot more from him in the coming days as we approach this fifth anniversary of 9/11. Peter Bergen, thank you very much.

Coming up, some former top Clinton aides, including the former president himself, very angry over an upcoming 9/11 miniseries. We'll tell you about their protests to ABC.

Plus, he's one of America's most outspoken critics. The leader of what President Bush has called part of the axis of evil. So why is Iran's president likely to come to New York City in the coming days? We're going to tell you what's going on.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check in with Zain Verjee for a closer look at some other stories making news.

Hi, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf.

It's believed to be the first tape released by the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Part of an audiotape was broadcast on Al Jazeera today. The TV network identifies the speaker as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. The speaker says he's confident that victory will be achieved against U.S. forces in Iraq, and he urges militants to unite.

CNN is unable to verify the identity independently.

It's a big day in Iraq, where a handover ceremony's been taking place. The ceremony begins a transfer of Iraqi military control from the coalition to the Iraqi government. But the day's been marred by violence. Insurgent attacks have killed at least 20 people throughout Baghdad today.

Authorities are looking for a Marine who supposedly disappeared while hiking in a canyon in the Boulder, Colorado, area. But they now say Lance Hering staged his disappearance. He was on leave from Iraq.

His friend, Steve Powers, told authorities Hering disappeared while the two were hiking. Authorities later arrested Powers for allegedly making a false report. Sheriff's officials say Powers finally confessed that the disappearance was staged and that Hering was avoiding his duty -- his return to duty.

And here's a sign that tensions may be easing just a little bit in the Middle East. Now, that's a Lebanese flag that you see there. If you take a close look, it's waving there from the cockpit of a Middle East Airlines passenger jet after it landed in Beirut.

That signals basically the beginning of the end of Israel's air and sea blockade of Lebanon. But Israel says the lifting of its naval blockade won't happen for another day or two -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Zain, thank you. Zain Verjee reporting.

And coming up, it's a movie concerning the realities of 9/11. So would you watch the show if it contains events that did not happen? It's an upcoming movie that will air on ABC in the coming days. We're going to tell you why some top Clinton administration officials, including the former president, hope it goes back to the editing room right now.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Former President Bill Clinton is furious about an upcoming ABC miniseries supposed to air Sunday and Monday, a movie that Clinton administration officials say blurs fact and fiction. We're going to have an extensive discussion on what is going on.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's a movie that will tackle one of the most painful events in American history. But if it features some scenes that are completely made up, would you watch? Some Clinton administration officials, including the former president, hope you won't watch an upcoming ABC miniseries about 9/11.

Let's bring in Brian Todd. He's watching this story -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, ABC is making it very clear this is a dramatization, and it's still being edited. But its depiction of real people in some controversial scenes has upset some very powerful people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): President Bill Clinton's former national security team, taking ABC to task over the network's dramatic miniseries "The Path to 9/11".

A letter sent from Clinton's attorney and his former aide, Bruce Lindsay, to Robert Iger, CEO of ABC's parent company, the Walt Disney Corporation, reads, quote, "ABC has gotten it terribly wrong. It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known."

Former Clinton aides say although they have not seen the film ABC should revise or remove part of it before it airs next week.

Among the proposed scenes upsetting them -- a portrayal of a 1998 CIA-led operation in Afghanistan. In the scene CIA operatives have Osama bin Laden cornered and are poised to capture or kill him until national security adviser Samuel Berger refuses to give the go-ahead.

Berger, other top Clinton national security aides, and members of the 9/11 commission say none of that ever happened.

TIM ROEMER, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: There were plans, not an operation in place. Secondly, Osama bin Laden was never in somebody's sights. Thirdly, on page 114 of our report we say George Tenet took responsibility for pulling the plug on that particular operation.

TODD: In his own letter to Robert Iger, Berger writes the scene quote, "flagrantly misrepresents my personal actions."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Now, it is unclear at this point whether that particular scene or maybe another version of it will be in the final version of this film. Berger and some of Clinton's other aides are also upset that they never got to see an advance copy of the movie.

ABC representatives did not respond specifically to our questions, but in a statement ABC Entertainment says this, quote, "The Path to 9/11" is not a documentary of the events leading to 9/11. It is a dramatization drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report, other published materials, and personal interviews.

As such, for dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue and time compression. No one has seen the final version of this film because the editing process is not yet complete."

Another controversy -- 9/11 Commission chairman Tom Kean, a Republican, was an unpaid consultant with the production title on this movie. Kean tells CNN he had seen the script and informed ABC the scene where the CIA operative had Osama bin Laden in his sights but Berger refused to give the go-ahead was inaccurate, but the decision was probably made by CIA head George Tenet.

Kean says ABC responded that it would revisit that scene. Kean tells me he believes the writers and producers did their best to reflect everyone fairly and he urges President Clinton and his former aides to watch it, quote from him, "it is an effective piece of work."

This note, Wolf. ABC did not consult a Democratic member of the 9/11 commission for this film.

BLITZER: So Brian, you're hearing that Governor Kean has been told by ABC that they're revisiting that controversial scene and might edit it out or revise it? Is that the latest? We don't know yet?

TODD: Governor Kean told me specifically, he said he had pointed out the issue with that particular scene. ABC people according to him, this is in his words, told him they would go back and take a look at the scene. No commitment that we know of yet to alter it in any way.

BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much.

Let's talk a little bit more about this planned 9/11 miniseries on ABC. Joining us is Richard Miniter, he is the author of the book "Losing bin Laden." Been very critical of Bill Clinton's failures, you call them ...

RICHARD MINITER, AUTHOR, "LOSING BIN LADEN": And his success.

BLITZER: And the subtitle of the book, "How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror."

MINITER: Wolf, publishers write titles, not authors.

BLITZER: But it was a pretty critical book which I've read. But Let me ask you about Sandy Berger specifically, was he defamed by this scene as depicted -- none of us, at least I haven't seen it, you haven't seen it.

MINITER: I've seen this scene and you've seen -- This scene is based on an Internet myth. I did extensive reporting into the Clinton years, and as you say, I'm not afraid to take a few shots.

BLITZER: Hold on. We're not hearing you. Start again. Was Sandy Berger defamed in this scene?

MINITER: Well, that's a legal question. But certainly if I was the producer I wouldn't have gone with this scene because there's no factual basis for it. It seems to be drawn from an Internet myth. From a profound misunderstanding of what actually happened.

If people wanted to be critical of the Clinton years there's things they could have said, but the idea that someone had bin Laden in his sights in 1998 or any other time and Sandy Berger refused to pull the trigger, there's zero factual basis for that.

BLITZER: You've heard other 9/11 Commission members saying it wasn't Sandy Berger who pulled the trigger, it was George Tenet the CIA director. Based on what you know, is that accurate?

MINITER: Even that's not accurate. We just never had eyes on bin Laden in the pre-9/11 situation. The 9/11 Commission investigated this. The House and Senate Joint Committee investigated this and published a 1,000-page report. I looked into it extensively. Most of my source for my book, "Losing bin Laden," are Clinton administration officials. There's no basis for this at all, none.

BLITZER: In his letter that Sandy Berger writes to ABC, he says, "In no instance did President Clinton or I ever fail to support a request from the CIA or U.S. military to authorize an operation against bin Laden or al Qaeda." Based on your research that accurate?

MINITER: No, that's not accurate because the CIA wanted to send in 1998 a special collection team to set up listening posts in non- Taliban territory to try to figure out the movements of bin Laden and that took a very long time for that request to go through and it took the personal intervention of Bill Clinton to make that happen. So they didn't support every single CIA request, but they did support many.

BLITZER: But Bill Clinton was, as far as your investigation was concerned, he personally wanted to capture Osama bin Laden and whenever recommendations came to his level he said do it.

MINITER: He did personally again and again say from 1993 onward that he wanted to get bin Laden. Tony Lake, his national security adviser, and Sandy Berger, both said that as well.

However, the bureaucracy behind him, the rules that he'd established, made it very difficult to do that. There was no information sharing on intelligence. There were other technological problems. It took them a very long time to move the Predator over Afghan territory. If that was done much earlier, we might have had other opportunities.

BLITZER: Let's flash forward to the first nine months of the Bush administration before 9/11. The president took office on January 20th, 2001. On 9/11/2001 we all know what happened.

Listen to this exchange that Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democratic member of the 9/11 commission, had with Condoleezza Rice, who was then the national security adviser.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BEN-VENISTE, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: Isn't it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the August 6th PDB warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that PDB.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I believe the title was "Bin Laden Determined to Attack inside the United States."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: PDB is the Presidential Daily Brief, the most sensitive intelligence document that reaches the president's desk every day.

I guess the bottom line, and I think you'll agree with me on this, looking back, there's plenty of blame to give the Clinton administration and the Bush administration, certainly with 20-20 hindsight before 9/11, that they both missed major opportunities to capture or kill or derail al Qaeda.

MINITER: Well, I think you're misinterpreting the Presidential Daily Brief of August 6th. That title, the titles in PDBs usually reflect the request made by the president or top national security officer for a question to be answered. After July, when they learned of al Qaeda plots against the president while he was traveling in Italy, they commissioned that presidential daily brief.

The CIA came back with old intelligence and talked about hijackings in Egypt and Pakistan not inside the United States. So only the title, nothing else in this presidential daily brief has since been declassified. Well, certainly, yes, you can fault the Bush administration for a few things, but remember, there was a party shift in control of the senate, they couldn't get a lot of their people confirmed, and they were very new getting in. They were in office less than nine months.

Bill Clinton had eight years. The first al Qaeda attack on the on the United States was February 1993, less than 30 days after he's sworn in as president.

BLITZER: Richard Miniter is the author of "Losing bin Laden." Richard, thanks for coming in.

MINITER: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: We're going to hear from a former member of the Clinton administration, former Defense Secretary William Cohen, in a moment. But I want to go back to the Pentagon.

Jamie McIntyre has been following a developing story, a security problem that was developing near the Pentagon. What are you picking up, Jamie? Jamie is picking up information even as we speak right now.

MCINTYRE: I was just on the phone right now ...

BLITZER: Hold on one second, Jamie. We're not hearing you. Your mike is not there. We're going to get back to Jamie McIntyre. We'll take a quick break. We'll get the latest from the Pentagon, we'll speak to William Cohen. Much more of our special coverage right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: I want to go right back to Jamie McIntyre. He's been following that security scare outside the Pentagon. What are you picking up, Jamie?

MCINTYRE: Well, Wolf, I was just getting off the phone with our producer, CNN's Mike Noun, who's out in this part of the Pentagon parking lot where they have what they're calling a security situation. Mike tells me it's quite some distance from the Pentagon, in one of the far reaches of an outer parking lot. A blue SUV where something, a suspicious item was found. Police are describing it as possibly some sort of detonator, although Mike reports that the urgency of the situation seems to be toning down a little bit.

They're right now searching this SUV. They're not allowing us to take any video pictures of it. But apparently, some sort of suspicious item found in the car. And perhaps one person may have been taken into custody as a result of this situation. There doesn't seem to be any immediate threat. As I say, it's in the south parking lot of the Pentagon but in a sort of a distant area of the Pentagon. It has resulted in about a dozen lanes of the parking lot being closed. It's hard to get to the metro subway stop there, but the subway trains are still running through the Pentagon, and all the entrances to the Pentagon are open, and nobody has been evacuated from the building.

So again, it appears the urgency is stepping down a little bit but we still don't have an exact explanation for what happened.

BLITZER: Jamie, thanks very much. We'll get back to you as we get all the latest information. Let's get back to that developing story we're following, the controversy over the planned 9/11 movie on ABC.

Some members of the Clinton administration, including the former president himself, say some of the movie is just flat out wrong.

My next guest served in the Clinton administration. Our world affairs analyst, William Cohen, a former Clinton defense secretary. He's also the chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group here in Washington. You I take it have not seen this movie?

WILLIAM COHEN, WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: No, I have not seen it. I have not been consulted. I haven't talked to anyone about it. Only what I've read. Howie Kurtz had an item in the press which I've looked at. And based on that article I can say that what I have seen is inaccurate to say the least.

BLITZER: And you haven't spoke-tone former President Clinton or Sandy Berger?

COHEN: I haven't talked to anyone about it. Just based on reports. And according to ABC, they're in the process of editing. If what I've read is accurate in terms of what they intend to include in that docudrama, which I think say good deal of fiction from what I've read, it would be well to edit it out.

BLITZER: If you're Sandy Berger and you see a scene in which a character, an actor, plays Sandy Berger and he says don't do it, CIA operatives have Osama bin Laden potentially available to kill or capture and he says stop don't do it, you're going to be pretty angry. As far as you know, that never happened?

COHEN: That never happened. As a matter of fact, I never saw or heard Sandy Berger do anything of that nature, saying don't do it. We did have information from time to time from the CIA in which they would say we're not sure and make a call not to take action because we didn't know exactly who we're dealing with. But Sandy Berger in my presence certainly and my understanding never made such a statement.

BLITZER: There's apparently another scene in this film, and we haven't seen it, that depicts Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, as basically tipping off the Pakistanis that missiles were on the way and that presumably word got to Osama bin Laden and he escaped because of that tip-off, some sort of internal word. What do you remember about that incident?

COHEN: That also is false. What took place is we asked General Ralston, Joseph Ralston, who was then the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And in full disclosure he's now a member of my firm, the Cohen Group, so take that into account.

But we asked General Ralston to fly over, to meet with his counterpart in Pakistan, to sit and make sure that when he was with his counterpart, when those missiles were going overhead, if they would detected to make sure the Pakistanis understood these were not coming from India they were coming from us and they were heading for bin Laden. And by the way, this is not a capture situation. We didn't have any handcuffs on those missiles. They were designed to kill all those in the region. So we missed bin Laden, not for want of trying.

BLITZER: But the point was you wanted to make sure the Pakistanis didn't think this was India launching an attack because both of these countries have nuclear arms.

COHEN: And might set off a war. And as a matter of fact, they were not alerted to this until such time as the missiles were well over the territory on their way to the target. So there was no way that we were tipping off the Pakistani military. They may have gotten information in some other fashion. They didn't get it from the military. They didn't get it from Madeleine Albright either.

BLITZER: Everyone agrees with hindsight if we knew after 9/11 what we knew before 9/11 we would have done things differently. In the 9/11 Commission Report this reference to you. And I'm sure you've seen it. But I want you to see and our viewers what was going on in your mind and the mind of the then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh Shelton.

It writes this, the 9/11 Commission Report, "Defense Secretary William Cohen told us bin Laden's training camps were primitive, built with rope ladders. General Hugh Shelton called them jungle gym camps. Neither thought them worthwhile targets for very expensive missiles. President Clinton and Sandy Berger also worried that attacks that missed bin Laden could enhance his stature and win him new recruits." You remember those days vividly.

COHEN: Sure, absolutely.

BLITZER: Explain what was going on in your mind.

COHEN: Actually, what we said was these are training camps, they're very rust nick nature, they're very primitive, and we're going to hit a lot of empty things, but it's still worth doing to send a signal that we're coming after you.

So the other half of that story in terms of the testimony and the truth is we recommended to the president that they fire those missiles to make sure that we send a message to bin Laden. We know that you bombed our embassies in East Africa, we are coming after you. Whenever we can find you, we're coming after you. That was the message, even though that particular statement's only half of the story.

BLITZER: We just heard Richard Miniter, the author, say that a month after Bill Clinton back in 1993 took office there was that first attack on the World Trade Center there were numerous opportunities over eight years to capture, destroy, kill Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda. Looking back -- and you know this story as well as anyone -- would you have done things differently knowing what you know now?

COHEN: We would if we had had the information that we have in retrospect. Obviously, we would have tried to do things differently. Given the facts that we had at the time, we were not able to locate him and to target him to take him out.

I think all of us understand, Richard Clarke testified to this as well, all of us are responsible. We didn't do enough to prevent bin Laden from carrying out his mission. That applies to the Clinton administration, to us, to the Bush administration as well.

BLITZER: Not only is William Cohen a former defense secretary and our world affairs analyst, he's also an author in his own right. You've got a hot new book, a novel, called, there it is up on the screen, called "Dragon Fire." It's become a best-seller. I started reading it myself. Congratulations on this book. I'm sure a lot of our viewers will like it.

COHEN: It is fiction.

BLITZER: And it is fiction. Make no mistake about that. William Cohen, thanks very much.

COHEN: Thanks very much, Wolf.

BLITZER: ABC is marketing its 9/11 miniseries to students encouraging them to discuss the film in classrooms. To do this ABC partnered with publishing giant Scholastic, which e-mailed 25,000 teachers. But are the new questions over the accuracy of the film changing that plan?

Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner has that story. Jacki?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Scholastic also put this Web page up asking teachers to encourage their students to watch "The Path to 9/11." And on it there's language like saying the film details the historical events leading up to 9/11. There's also resource sheets that you can download from this Web site and also discussion guides which have sentences like, "What interesting facts did you not know before viewing this film?"

ABC's logo is at the bottom right-hand corner of these downloadable pages with the phrase "Generously sponsored by ABC."

The liberal watchdog group Media Matters has been up front on this issue. They've accuse ABC and Scholastic of intentionally actively seeking to misinform our children. And House Democrats like Louise Slaughter and Bill Pascrell are also speaking out, asking ABC and Scholastic to keep the film out of our classrooms. Now we contacted Scholastic today. The Web page I showed you went down yesterday, and the resources you can download are also offline. They told us they are re-reviewing the materials. They promised a fuller statement by air time, but they didn't get it to us. We also reached out to ABC to ask them about the partnership. They didn't return our calls or e-mails. Wolf?

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jacki, for that. Up ahead -- Rudy Giuliani and John McCain both possible presidential contenders in 2008. So whom do Republicans want as their nominee? The results of our new CNN poll, it's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Another developing story just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. Let's check in with Zain once again. Zain?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, NASA says that it will try and launch the space shuttle Atlantis tomorrow, on Friday. They've been trying to sort out a problem with a fuel cell over the past few hours. If everything goes as planned, at 11:41 in the morning is when Atlantis will blast off. And if it fails, they may have to stand down for two months. Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll watch this story tomorrow with you, Zain. Thank you.

How big is the tent of the Republican Party? Might a man who supports gay marriage and abortion rights for women win the hearts and minds and voters of Republicans? Enough to become the 2008 GOP presidential nominee? Our Mary Snow is in New York. She has more on this story. Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, some are surprised by the results, but Rudy Giuliani is emerging as the Republican favorite for 2008 with a new CNN poll showing him gaining a wider lead over Senator John McCain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Can his popularity as America's mayor following the September 11th attacks translate into America's presidency? A new CNN poll shows former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the early Republican favorite for the 2008 GOP nomination. Over Arizona Senator John McCain.

Opinion Research Corporation compiled the numbers among Republican voters, showing Giuliani with 31 percent, 11 points ahead of McCain. That surprises some political observers.

LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: At first glance it seems far-fetched that someone so liberal on social issues could be the Republican nominee for president.

SNOW: Political observers say Giuliani's popularity increases around the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. But some predict it will only last if national security becomes the top priority.

SABATO: If there's another terrorist attack, Rudy Giuliani may gain more than president bush. Giuliani may gain more than any other candidate on the Democratic or Republican side for the nominations.

SNOW: But on social issues it's no secret Giuliani will have a hard sell to Republicans since he supports abortion and gay rights. He hasn't said he's definitely running for president, but in trips to places like Iowa in May he hasn't ruled it out, either.

RUDY GIULIANI, (R), FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: I am interested in public service again. I've always said that. I don't know exactly when or exactly which one.

SNOW: He's hit the campaign trail for conservatives like Ralph Reed, seen as a sign he's cozying to the right to win over the party faithful. At the same time Senator John McCain made friends with conservative Reverend Jerry Falwell. The big question is will the party faithful anoint a candidate based on social issues or issues of national security?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): While it seems hard to picture Republicans choosing a social liberal, some predict that if the Republicans are in big trouble they may see someone like Giuliani as the way to win the general election. Wolf?

BLITZER: Mary, thank you. Good report. What about the other side? Hillary Clinton continues to dominate the field among the Democrats. Our new CNN poll shows that the senator from New York is the top choice among registered Democrats to be their presidential nominee. The former vice president, Al Gore, and the 2004 ticket with John Kerry and john Edwards round out the top four. Still very early, though, in this presidential campaign.

Up next, a foreign foe likely to come visiting the United States. We're going to show you why Iran's president may soon be in New York City and why the Bush administration probably won't do anything at all to stop him from coming. We'll tell you what's going on. Zain is watching this story, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Relatively warm welcome here in Washington but a cold shoulder from the Bush administration for the former Iranian president, Mohammed Khatami. His two-week U.S. speaking tour brought him within miles of the White House this afternoon, but the State Department says no American officials are meeting with Khatami. The visit comes as the United Nations is poised to consider sanctions against Iran for continuing to enrich uranium.

Khatami's successor, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, may soon be coming to New York City to address the united nations in a visit that is sure to goad the Bush administration. Let's bring back CNN's Zain Verjee. She's watching this story. Zain? VERJEE: Wolf, he may be coming to America even though he's not welcome by Washington. Iran's president, though, may stop over first to see some of his friends whom the U.S. doesn't like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Three men opposed to America. Many Americans believe the goals of these leaders are the same -- challenge, criticize, embarrass, and thwart the United States whenever possible.

The three may meet later this month in Cuba at a meeting of the non-aligned nations. Chavez and Ahmadinejad are expected to go to New York City for the start of the UN General Assembly. Ahmadinejad wants to speak on the same day as President Bush, September 19th. But Iran's president doesn't have a visa yet.

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: If there is of course a visa application, we will take a look at it.

VERJEE: here is no precedent for refusing a visa to a head of state to the UN meeting and no reason to believe that it won't be issued.

MCCORMACK: Iran is a member state of the United Nations. And there are certain obligations as the host country that we have with respect to the United Nations and visitors to the General Assembly and to the United Nations.

VERJEE: The idea of an anti-Semitic, anti-American leader strutting the global stage angers Jewish groups here and some U.S. senators.

Ahmadinejad is also again daring Mr. Bush to debate him, saying he's ready to spar. It's not clear if Ahmadinejad is serious or if he's just being provocative. But the White House isn't having any of it.

Press secretary Tony Snow says there's not going to be a steel cage grudge match between the president and Ahmadinejad and "This is not going to be a UN version of CROSSFIRE."

The White House has rejected calls for a debate with President Bush before, calling it a diversion from the nuclear issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (on camera): And should Americans shell out the cash to protect the Iranian leader in the U.S.? Any head of state who visits this country gets security from the Secret Service, which is funded by the taxpayers. Wolf?

BLITZER: Good interview earlier in the week with the former Iranian president, Zain. Excellent work. I know you're going to be hearing him later tonight in Washington. We'll be back in one hour right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Let's send things over to Lou Dobbs. He is joining us from New York -- Lou.

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