Return to Transcripts main page
The Situation Room
Hastert Refuses to Resign; Rice Calls on Iraqi Leaders to Find Agreement
Aired October 05, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: 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: He says he's sorry and he's staying. That would be the Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert. He says he regrets the Mark Foley scandal concerning messages and teenage boys. Is he taking responsibility?
Settle any differences now. That's what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tells warring Iraqi leaders. It's midnight in Iraq, where Rice says it's time for the country's leaders to find agreement so the bloodshed can end.
And will they? Or won't they? In North Korea, it's 6:00 a.m. Friday, and the world is anxiously awaiting for any sign that Pyongyang will make good on his threat to conduct a nuclear test.
I'm Wolf Blitzer, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Another afternoon of fast-changing developments in the scandal rocking Capitol Hill. The House Ethics Committee now launching a full- scale investigation into former Congressman Mark Foley's Internet messages to former pages, including who knew about them and when.
Meanwhile, the Speaker Dennis Hastert is standing firm in face of demands for him to resign his leadership post. He's taking responsibility, saying, and I'm quoting now, "The buck stops here."
We will have complete coverage for you including CNN's Kathleen Koch at the White House, Mary Snow in New York. But let's begin with our Chief National Correspondent John King -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE SITUATION ROOM: Wolf, as you said, the speaker making clear he takes full responsibility today. But also making clear he has no intention of stepping down now. And every intention for standing for speaker again next year, if the Republicans manage to keep their House majority after next month's midterm election.
At a news conference back home in Illinois Speaker Hastert took issue with the Republicans who believe he needs to go because of the perception that he didn't act fast enough to stop Mark Foley's reprehensible conduct. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DENNIS HASTERT, (R-IL) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Ultimately any time that a person has to, as a leader, be on the hot seat, he is a detriment to the party, you know, there ought to be a change. I became speaker in a situation like that. I don't think that's the case. I said I haven't done anything wrong, obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now the speaker insisted again he was not personally aware of any details of questionable Foley conduct until last Friday. Foley's former chief of staff says he reported concerns to the speaker's office more than two years ago. If that turns out to be true, Speaker Hastert says there will be consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASTERT: That's why we've asked for an investigation. So let me just say, that's when we've asked for an investigation. To find who that is. If its members of my staff, or they didn't do the job, we will act appropriately. If it's somebody else's staff, they ought to act as appropriately as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now back here in Washington, the House Ethics Committee began its investigation by issuing subpoenas to witnesses and documents. The leadership's handling of the Foley matter is part of the committee's focus. And committee members say they hope to reach findings in a matter of weeks, not months.
Of course, the biggest political questions is whether Speaker Hastert did enough to calm Republicans who say the scandal is turning an already tough midterm election environment ugly.
Wolf, several top GOP strategists I talked to this afternoon say they say clear evidence the scandal is dampening Republican voter intensity. And the consensus among these strategy -- these strategists, excuse me -- was that just by saying sorry and promising changes to the page program, the speaker didn't do enough -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And John, we heard a blast from the past today. A name we haven't heard in some time. Louis Freeh, the former FBI director. Tell our viewers what's that all about.
KING: A very interesting sub-plot here. We are told by sources the Speaker Hastert hopes to make an even more dramatic announcement today. Hoped to make an announcement he was asking Louis Freeh, the former Clinton administration FBI director, to come in and launch a review of the page program.
Security's precautions, interaction between members of Congress, ask Louis Freeh to essentially to look at the rules as they exist, see if there should be new rules. We are told by sources, though, that he called Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, and said that is what he planned to do. Republicans are saying Nancy Pelosi said, no.
Democrats are saying Nancy Pelosi said, do whatever you want to do, I'm not going to be any part of that. This would not be a bi- partisan review. The speaker did not make that announcement, unclear whether he will in the future. But obviously something held that up today.
BLITZER: He worked for President Clinton, but I think it's fair to say there's no love lost between the Clinton people and Louis Freeh.
KING: More than fair to say that, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, thanks very much for that. John King reporting.
Meanwhile, some Republicans including Hastert are going on the offensive saying Democrats in the news media are behind the spreading scandal. Let's bring in CNN's Mary Snow. She's in New York. She's watching this part of the story -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT, THE SITUATION ROOM: Wolf, the House speaker is pointing fingers at Democrats over the scandals, suggesting the news was politically timed to coincide with November's elections. And those who are being blamed are now firing back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice over): As pressure builds around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, the Republican leader is blaming political opponents for the widening scandal surrounding Mark Foley.
He tells "The Chicago Tribune", "The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives. People funded by George Soros."
In the same interview, Hastert said political operatives aligned with former President Clinton are also behind the Foley story getting out. But at his press conference today, Hastert stuck to generalities.
HASTERT: Our friends on the other side of the aisle really don't have a story to tell. And maybe they are resolving to another way to -- another political tactic.
SNOW: Democrats fired back. Committee Chairman Howard Dean told CNN, "This is a Republican lie. They are blaming everyone but themselves for what happened."
Liberal political activist and billionaire George Soros told us, "The charge that I had something to do with the Foley scandal is laughable. Dennis Hastert cannot divert attention from his responsibility by trying to drag my name into the affair.
But last year Soros donated $100,000 to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The group that turned over a Mark Foley e-mail exchange with the page to the FBI this past July. The advocacy group says it's independent.
MELANIE SLOAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY & ETHICS: George Soros has no control over what we do on a day-to-day basis. I don't think George Soros even knew we were involved in this matter until yesterday, or the day before, when it started making big news.
SNOW: As for blaming Democrats, some say Hastert's strategy could backfire without substantial proof.
DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR: Without some hard evidence the Republicans look like they are flailing around and they are only going to make it worse. They are going to be seen as being even clumsier in responding to this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now in "The Chicago Tribune", Hastert specifically mentioned Dick Morris as one of Bill Clinton's advisers, who claims Democrats knew about the Foley allegations before him. Now many point out that Morris has been highly critical of the Clintons. And in addition the Bill Clinton's spokesman had no response to Hastert's comments -- Wolf.
BLITZER: That's to put it mildly -- highly critical. They don't like this guy at all. Thanks very much for that, Mary Snow reporting.
Meanwhile, the White House is walking a fine line. Trying to support the speaker, Dennis Hastert, while at the same time, distancing itself as much as they can from the scandal. CNN's Kathleen Koch is joining us now from the White House with more -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, THE SITUATION ROOM: Wolf, it is a delicate balancing act indeed. We heard over and over again from the podium during today's White House briefing, we don't know the facts. We don't know the details. We are not going to try to tell the House how to do its job.
Yet at the same time, Press Secretary Tony Snow threw a lifeline to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, saying the president supports him. The president doesn't think he should resign. And Snow also made a point of peppering his briefing with numerous condemnations of Congressman Foley's behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president's made it absolutely clear that the behavior that has been reported on the part of former Representative Mark Foley is disgusting and unacceptable. He supports House Speaker Dennis Hastert's calls for a full and thorough investigation. And he believes that we need to get all the facts, find out what the problem is, and you need to fix it.
As far as speculating about what people in the House ought to do to accomplish those ends, that's up to members of the House. We are not going to get into it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: What the White House has been very eager to get into this week are its winning issues. The president made several tough speeches this week around the country on the war on terror. He spoke today at a local school on his "No Child Left Behind Act", but the president is really having a lot of difficulty -- having a very hard time -- cutting through the furor to be heard, the furor over the scandal.
So there is a certain degree of frustration here. And, Wolf, growing concern about the toll that this could take in the midterms.
BLITZER: Almost four weeks left to go, not very much time.
KOCH: Not much time.
BLITZER: Kathleen, thank you.
And as we head into the crucial midterm elections, this important note. Stay up to date on all the latest developments with the CNN Political Ticker. The daily news service on CNN.com gives you an inside view of the day's political stories. See for yourself. Simple way to do it. Go to cnn.com/ticker.
Jack Cafferty goes there all the time for his political news, as all of us do.
Jack, you are shaking your head. But I know you go to the ticker.
CAFFERTY: I have no idea what you're talking about.
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: None.
More than half of the veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are saying that the military is stretched too thin. This is according to a new poll that was done by a veteran's group.
The study found 63 percent of those surveyed say the Army and Marine Corps are overextended; 42 percent say their equipment didn't meet military standards that requires the unit to be at least 90 percent operational at the time they go into combat.
Many also complained about suffering emotional and physical problems upon their return. Now Army officials say they have spent a ton of money on body armor, fortified vehicles and expanded mental health programs. But this all comes a particularly deadly time for the U.S. military Iraq. Twenty American soldiers have been killed there so far this month. And today is the 5th of October.
Here's the question: What does it mean when the majority of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans say that the military's stretched too thin? E-mail your thoughts to caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. Those are the only websites I know anything about, Wolf.
BLITZER: They are both very strong. Thank you.
The most important thing is cnn.com. You want a sneak preview, by the way, of Jack's questions, plus an early read of the day's political news and what's ahead on THE SITUATION ROOM, sign up for the daily e-mail alert. Easy way to do that. Go to cnn.com/situationroom.
Up ahead, the FBI probe into the Foley scandal. We are going to show you why investigators may have a harder time than you might think proving a criminal case. Our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena standing by with the story.
Also, the Bush administration issues a strong warning saying it will not tolerate a nuclear North Korea. We'll talk about that, what it means, with our World Affairs Analyst William Cohen.
Plus, Washington's other would-be nuclear adversary, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And guess what? He has a blog. Yes, Ahmadinejad has a blog. Our Internet reporter will show you the situation online. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Our Zain Verjee is standing by with a closer look at other important stories making news.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN NEWS ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Hi, Wolf.
Horse-drawn buggies carried mourners to funerals today for four of the five Amish schoolgirls killed by a gunman in Pennsylvania earlier this week. The fifth funeral will take place tomorrow.
Police say Charles Roberts stormed a one-room schoolhouse on Monday and shot 10 female students; he then killed himself. His widow reportedly has been invited to one of the funerals as a sign of forgiveness. Five young girls are in the hospital with injuries.
Police have been combing through private and public schools in Virginia's Culpepper County all day long. But they say they haven't found any explosives. The schools and day care centers were closed today when a local emergency center received a call late last night threatening to blow up schools. It's not clear yet if the schools will reopen tomorrow. Police have reportedly identified suspects.
Former Hewlett-Packard Chairman Patricia Dunn surrenders to authorities in California, at any moment now. She's scheduled to appear at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse, this hour, for an arraignment date.
Dunn was charged yesterday with a former Hewlett-Packard's former chief ethics officer, and three investigators. They face felony charges in Hewlett's probe to find the source of media leaks. Dunn has testified that she was assured that the methods used were legal -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee thanks for that. Zain Verjee reporting.
The time to act is now. The secretary of State delivered that message today to the top Iraqi leaders who seem not to be able to settle their differences. But are her words getting through?
Joining us now our correspondent in Baghdad, Michael Ware. The Secretary of State, Michael, Condoleezza Rice. She flies into Baghdad. Her flight was a little bit delayed. Indirect fire, they are saying, as she was coming into Baghdad. She immediately goes to the green zone, meets with this prime minister.
I assume she's reading him the riot act, saying you know what? You Iraqis got to get your act together.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, THE SITUATION ROOM: Well, it certainly seems that way. It appears to be implied from what scraps of public statement have been made. We heard Secretary Rice coming in saying that the Iraqi political forces need to understand that there's no longer time for endless debate about the problems confronting that country.
She also said that the security situation is not one that can be tolerated. So that's firmer language than we heard back in April when Secretary Rice was saying she was coming in to nudge this government into formation. Back then when there was so much of the political bargaining going on. So there seems to be a change in tone.
And remember, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is vital to the U.S. mission. In some ways, he could seem to be the last gasp for this democratic models that American is trying to implant here. So they've invested a lot in him hoping that he can create a popular base with U.S. support that will give a wedge against the militias and the Iranian-backed political parties that actually hold power.
So she may have been asking him very firmly to step up to the plate. And start delivering, when quite frankly, it's hard to see how he can, Wolf.
BLITZER: At this point, she comes in for a few hours, a day, or whatever, into Iraq. She immediately goes to the very secure green zone. Does she really see what's happening inside Iraq? Does she leave there with a better appreciation of either the sectarian violence or the insurgency?
WARE: Of course not, Wolf. I mean you could just imagine the umbrella of security that encases someone like the secretary of State. But I mean going to from the airport, which is its own self-contained little bubble, to the green zone which is the ultimate bubble here in Iraq, I mean, U.S. officials and contractors, and all manner of people will come and do six to 12 months in Iraq, but never leave the green zone.
They don't know even what it's like to walk an Iraqi street. Certainly not without the shroud of heavily armed American soldiers about them. They don't know what it's like to go to someone's home and sit and talk with them, to shop in the markets, to have blackouts, to not have water, to have to queue up for benzene . Secretary Rice is so far divorced from that reality that she couldn't possibly hope to understand it. Certainly not from fleeting visits to an artificial bubble like the green zone, Wolf?
BLITZER: And I know that's something that Michael Ware is not in; in any bubble. You are one of our courageous correspondents. Michael, thanks very much.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And coming up, more on the Foley scandal that's rocking Capitol Hill. There are some significant develops this afternoon in the FBI probe. We're going to have the latest for you on that front.
Plus, "Time" magazine's Senior Correspondent Michael Weisskopf. He'll join us to talk about the situation in Iraq, and the ordeal in which he saved six lives, but lost a hand. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Will they, or won't they? Right now, that's what many are asking about North Korea, as that nation threatens to conduct a nuclear test. Japan hopes to have the United Nations condemn the threat. And in a stern warning, the United States says it will not tolerate a nuclear North Korea.
Here for more on this very important subject or CNN World Affairs Analyst William Cohen. He's a former Defense secretary and chairman and CEO of the Cohen Group here in Washington. He is also a key member of our CNN Security Council.
Well, what can the United States do if the North Koreans want to conduct a nuclear test? Something they have not yet done. What are the U.S. options?
WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it's not only the U.S. What can take place here is they can finally unify the six parties -- or at least five of the parties, to those six party talks.
There's something Orwellian about what's taking place. George Orwell talked about newspeak. Here you have some of the spokesman for the North Koreans saying they will not return to the six party talks until such time, as the six party talks resume.
In fact, they are the ones not coming to the six party talks. And so it's kind of a curious situation where they seem to be setting up a situation where they are going to go forward.
We have to be sure that we are not just engaging in words. We have to make sure we have follow up to it. By the Chinese, by the South Koreans, and I met with President Noh when he was here a couple of weeks ago. And he indicated, at that time, this would be a very grave situation for him. That means he may alter his so-called "Sunshine Policy" that has been in for some time. Japan is very concerned. Here is Japan, a brand new prime minister, who wants to better relationship with China. To the extent that Japan sees North Korea going forward with a nuclear test, that may have a ramification for its relationship with China. Them believing, perhaps, that China hasn't done enough to impose its will upon the North Koreans. So, a lot at stake.
BLITZER: The threat made by Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary of State, yesterday, was, "We are not going to live with a nuclear North Korea. We are not going to accept it."
Those are -- that's a powerful threat. But short of military response, it sounds like if the United States is saying flatly, we are not going to live with a nuclear North Korea, and they have a test, what is the United States going to do, launch a war?
COHEN: Well, not necessarily launch a war. But certainly launch some kind of a campaign against the North Korean regime that might cause it to collapse. If, for example, China failed to carry through with the programs it currently has; if South Korea cut off all of its programs of assistance to the North, if Japan does likewise, that certainly is going to have serious implications for the future survivability of the North Korean regime.
So there are some steps that can be taken, provided it's a unified process that the Chinese, the Russians, the South Koreans, and Japan are all on board. Right now there's been some division and the North Koreans have been able to exploit that. This is a time, which we say, I've always tried to say walk softly -- or talk softly, carry a big stick. Time to raise the decibel level, a bit, to make sure the North Koreans may understand. They may not be bluffing, but nor should they consider the United States or the other countries involved, to be bluffing.
BLITZER: Stealing a line from Teddy Roosevelt.
COHEN: Exactly.
BLITZER: Not too shabby.
Put on your political cap for just a second. You were a young Republican congressman when Watergate exploded in the early 1970s, and you saw what happened eventually, the Republican President Richard Nixon forced to resign. Where do you see this Foley scandal winding up right now?
COHEN: It's hard to say right now. I think what's really discouraging is to see so much bitter partisanship taking place. When I was there, we certainly had a much better level of cooperation. I saw that Joe Califano, former secretary of HEW did a piece for "The Washington Post," pointing out when they had scandals in the past, you would have Speaker O'Neil, or Bob Michael, minority leader, work together to clear it up.
There doesn't seem to be any effort to do that right now. Rather than engage in accusation and counter-accusation. This is a serious matter. It ought to be investigated in a bi-partisan way. It ought to be cleared up immediately. And there should be no finger pointing saying this is really ABC or this is the Democrats. This is a serious issue that ought to be cleared up as soon as possible.
And to put our trust -- to have the American people put their trust back into this system. Right now, the notion that somehow you would have members of Congress, whether it's criminal or non-criminal, the fact is it is completely unacceptable behavior. And that shouldn't be allowed to take place.
BLITZER: William Cohen, thanks very much for joining us as usual.
Coming up more on the fallout from the Mark Foley scandal. The FBI interviews a key player involved. We're going to have details of that.
And he covered the Iraq war, but lost a limb because of it. We have his amazing account. Michael Weisskopf standing by live. He'll be joining us, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening now: As the story unfolds, how will it end? In the Mark Foley scandal, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert says he's sorry it all happened. But Hastert says not only won't he quit over the matter, but that he expects to run for speaker again.
Meanwhile, today the FBI interviewed a key player making controversial claims. Former Congressional Aide Kirk Fordham says he told has Hastert's office about questionable conduct in 2004. Hastert's office denies that.
And a three-day streak, the Dow Jones industrial average hits a record close for the third straight day. This as investors shrug off higher oil prices, that today settled above $60 a barrel.
I'm Wolf Blitzer, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Multiple investigation now under way in the Foley scandal. Including what could become a criminal probe by the FIB. That case, though, far from clear cut right now. Let's bring in our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena. She's covering the story for us -- Kelli.
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT, THE SITUATION ROOM: Wolf, Justice officials say that there are a lot of resources that are being devoted to looking into the Foley allegations, but in order to seek search warrants or subpoenas the legal bar is very high.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): The e-mails and instant messages sent by former Congressman Mark Foley may be disgusting, but not necessarily illegal. MARK RASCH, FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROSECUTOR: Right now, we don't have any evidence that somebody is soliciting somebody for sex, which is an element that you need to prove for a federal crime.
ARENA: Government sources say prosecutors are looking at the evidence, but, as of right now, haven't found enough to begin a full criminal investigation.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let us get the information. Let us get the facts, before we make, you know, an announcement about -- about possible crimes. That will be great.
ARENA: The law is by no means clear.
First, it's not a federal crime to have sexually explicit conversations with children over the Internet. That's because the Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that it's free speech, protected by the Constitution.
To prove a crime, investigators would need more than just talk. They would have to uncover evidence that Foley actually tried to get a minor to meet him for sex.
RASCH: You have to engage in some kind of affirmative act towards meeting him, buying a plane ticket, arranging a place to meet, something like that. And it has to be explicit.
ARENA: And, even then, it's tricky. The legal age of consent in Washington, D.C., is 16. And all of the pages in question were at least that old.
There are indications Foley may have met a former page in California, so, prosecutors are reviewing various state laws. And all of the evidence may not be in yet. Investigators continue to interview former pages and others who knew Foley, including his former chief of staff, Kirk Fordham.
TIMOTHY HEAPHY, ATTORNEY FOR KIRK FORDHAM: He will continue to be completely forthcoming. But because there's an ongoing investigation, he can't comment any farther.
ARENA: And discussions continue regarding access to Foley's computer and other files in his Capitol Hill office.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: But even that isn't straightforward. Now that Foley is no longer a member of Congress, one of the issues is, who owns that computer? And who has the right to give consent for a search -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Questions that only are just beginning, Kelli. Thanks very much for that report.
As the Mark Foley scandal unfolds, many people now are talking. And the many people investigating are gathering as much information as they possibly can. Let's bring in our Brian Todd. He's watching this story for us as well -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we are getting incremental new information about some of those alleged instant message exchanges that have gotten the former congressman caught up in scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): June 2002, then Congressman Mark Foley steps up on the House floor to address the departing class of pages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JUNE 2002)
REP. MARK FOLEY (R), FLORIDA: Above all, cherish your families. Let them know how much you appreciate them giving you this chance. And let them know how much you appreciate their love to make you the people you are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: He goes on to name about a dozen pages he had gotten to know during that term. One of them may be at the very center of the unfolding scandal.
On its Web site, ABC News reported a lurid instant message exchange between one sender, identified as Foley, and another person whose moniker was redacted -- redacted except on one line that ABC mistakenly left up, but we have blocked out.
From Maf54, I.D.ed by Foley: "Your in the boxers, too?"
The reply: "Nope. Just got home."
Maf54: "Well, strip down and get relaxed."
Once a blogger found that conversation, various news organizations, including CNN, traced the young person's moniker through Internet search engines and matched it with the name of a former House page, who now says he works for the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Congressman Ernest Istook of Oklahoma.
Istook's office would not confirm that the young man works there, but issued a statement Wednesday evening, saying, in part: "It was a complete surprise to learn this morning that one victim may be someone I know. Each one of the victims deserves their privacy."
CNN is told, the FBI wants to interview this young man. But the investigation is just getting started.
GONZALES: We are trying to learn what's happened here to make an statement as to whether or not we should begin a full-fledged investigation.
TODD: If and when he is interviewed, the young man may have a high-profile lawyer by his side. The "Daily Oklahoman" newspaper reports he's hired Stephen Jones, the reporter who reported Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Our repeated calls to Stephen Jones today have not been returned.
Jones did confirm to "The Daily Oklahoman" that he had been hired, but did not say why. We called Mark Foley's attorney, David Roth, to see if he knew anything about this young man or about the Stephen Jones connection. Roth did not return our phone calls -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. I suspect they will returning those calls sooner, rather than later.
Brian, thank you very much.
Still to come, a war reporter who saw and experienced the tragedies up close and personal. Michael Weisskopf of "TIME" magazine has written a powerful new book. He lost his hand covering the Iraq war. He's standing by to tell us about his harrowing story, what he's learned from it, and what it means for U.S. troops in Iraq right now.
And the president of Iran is updating his blog. We will tell you what he's saying.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Wounds of war, stories of hope -- as a reporter for "TIME" magazine, my next guest covered the war in Iraq, but he lost a hand in the process.
Now he's written a powerful new book about his path to recovery, as well as those of other American troops. Michael Weisskopf is a senior correspondent for "TIME" magazine. He's joining us now from New York.
It's called "Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57," really, a gut-wrenching, amazing book.
Michael, congratulations on writing this book. Couldn't -- couldn't put it down. I want to get to it in a moment.
But, before we do, give us your immediate thoughts on what's happening in Iraq right now, because, from the outside, it looks like the whole situation, potentially, could collapse.
MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, "TIME": It looks like it's really falling apart, Wolf. But we have been saying that since the last time I was there, a couple of years ago.
The question is whether or not Iraqis will stop the bloodletting among themselves. That's where the -- the focus now of the violence is. BLITZER: Let me read to you from the book "Blood Brothers."
"I had favored the invasion of Iraq, believing U.S. intelligence reports of unconventional weapons. But reporters had no business helping officeholders make their case, even if they agreed with it. I did know one thing for certain: I didn't grab that grenade as a soldier fighting the president's war."
Remind our viewers how you lost your right hand.
WEISSKOPF: I was riding in a night patrol in an open-air Humvee, heard a thunk, looked to my right on the bench of a -- of the Humvee, saw a shiny object, picked it up.
As I picked it up, my hand felt as if it was liquefying from the heat, as if I had picked up a volcanic rock. I began to heave it over the side of the Humvee and passed out, woke up on the -- on the cold floor of a Humvee a couple minutes later.
BLITZER: In the process, though, you saved the lives of several soldiers.
WEISSKOPF: There were two soldiers within a couple feet of me, and a photographer and a couple more in the cab, Wolf.
BLITZER: So, you really did a heroic job.
About the war in Iraq, you, like so many individuals, went into this war thinking it was a good idea. Have you changed your mind since then?
WEISSKOPF: Really, what I have -- what I have focused on, more importantly, is the human cost of this war. And it surrounded me in Ward 57 at Walter Reed.
And I -- I was in Iraq soon after Saddam was ousted, and saw the rejoicing of -- of Iraqi youth. And then I saw the -- the kind of cost of that rejoining around me in Ward 57. And what it reminded me, more importantly, is that we are all -- we always become aware of the cost of what we are getting into, and whether or not we are properly armed, with enough troops, enough weaponry to make our impact felt.
BLITZER: The president visited Ward 57 when you were there.
WEISSKOPF: And that was the tract setting up the visit that you just read.
BLITZER: Let me read to you another excerpt from the book.
"I had gone to Iraq for adventure and glory, discounting the interests of family and friends. I had blithely ridden into danger, with little to gain journalistically. I had focused more on the loss of my hand than on the higher importance of preserving life."
Talk a little bit about what you learned during this awful experience. WEISSKOPF: Over my desk, Wolf, is a picture of me on the bottom of the Humvee with my right stump up in the air. My left hand pointed it out to a medic as she was coming in to take care of me.
And I keep that picture there, because it reminds me of how life and all its pleasures can -- can end in just a -- a flash is the moment it takes for a bomb to go off, in this case, a grenade, and how every moment counts, and to cherish each moment, not to defer them.
BLITZER: Your son -- you write very poignantly in the book, your son said something to the effect, "Daddy, promise me you won't get hurt."
You remember that?
WEISSKOPF: I do.
And, as I was laying in the cold reality of the Humvee, my first thought was, I was going to do to my son what my father did to me, which was dying at the age of 11. My son, Skyler, was 11 at the time. My father was a young man when I -- and died when I was 11. I felt like I was repeating family history.
BLITZER: How did Skyler react to all this? How's he doing?
WEISSKOPF: He's doing fine.
And, interestingly, as a sort of symbol of -- of reuniting, the first day he saw me in Walter Reed, he took a piece of gauze, and wound it around his -- his right hand, as kind of a -- a symbolic form of unity.
BLITZER: What do you hope people who read "Blood Brothers" will -- will get from it? What -- what was your hope going into writing this powerful book?
WEISSKOPF: That people will understand the battle after the war for so many thousands and thousands of Americans who have lost limb, and lost eyesight, and -- and the -- the essence of their youth, to a war which has left people with a large question mark. And I hope people will -- will think of the importance of placing our priorities in the right place.
BLITZER: Instead of a right hand, we see what you have right now. How's that working out?
WEISSKOPF: It's a piece of steel, and not a -- not a piece of bone and flesh.
And it's relatively functional. And it's a reminder to me, both of loss and recovery, and a kind of badge of -- of success and that I -- I got through it.
BLITZER: And you stay in close touch with a lot of the -- the soldiers that you met while you were recovering?
WEISSKOPF: I -- I do, and especially the three I focus on in the book, as well as the photographer I was with at the time.
BLITZER: Michael Weisskopf, thanks for writing this -- this book.
It's called "Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57."
Thanks very much for writing this book. And thanks very much for your work at "TIME" magazine over the years.
WEISSKOPF: Thank you, Wolf.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BLITZER: Want to get back to our top story on the Foley scandal unfolding on Capitol Hill.
Sean Callebs is joining us now from Louisiana.
You -- you have got some exclusive information you are ready to break for our viewers, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Wolf.
We know that, really, at the center of this, the person who was the would-be whistle-blower, the 16-year-old page who was sponsored by Congressman Alexander from Louisiana, it was when that then 16-year- old page received a number of e-mails from Congressman Foley that he went to Alexander's office.
Alexander then spoke with the family. And -- but those e-mails became public. And, then, later people learned about the instant messages. Well, we now have a statement from the family.
We are going to respect their wishes and not use the family's name. But this is the first time the family has broken their silence.
Want to begin by saying the family says: "We would like to express our support for Congressman Rodney Alexander, whose office sponsored our son's position as House page. As far as we know, Congressman Alexander's conduct in this matter has been beyond reproach. He has tried his best to do what we have asked him to do from the very beginning, namely, protect the privacy of our son and family from the intense media scrutiny we are now having to endure.
"In the fall of 2005, as soon as Congressman Alexander became aware of e-mails received by our son, he called us. He explained that his office had been made aware of these e-mails by our son, and that, while he thought the e-mails were overly friendly, he did not think, nor did we think, that they were offensive enough to warrant an investigation.
"Rather, we asked him to see that Congressman Foley stop e- mailing or contacting our son, and to otherwise drop the matter to avoid a media frenzy.
"He did so. If we had -- if we had any other knowledge or evidence of potential impropriety, we would have asked for the matter to be treated differently. For instance, we were not aware of the instant messages that have come to light in the past few days" -- those, of course, the overly explicit instant messages that we have all heard and read about over the last days.
It goes on to say: "These instant messages, which have only recently surfaced as a result of the news of the ambiguous e-mails received by our son, are separate matters" -- the family really trying to make that clear, that their son did not receive the instant messages.
It goes on to say: "As a young man with integrity, who had the courage to question the intention of the e-mails, we respect and honor our son as a hero. Despite his courageous actions, he is becoming a victim, due to the harassment by some of the media. Please honor our request that we be left alone. There is nothing more that we can contribute to this ongoing matter.
"He is not" -- and that is bold -- "He is not the story. And we feel this intense media scrutiny could endanger our son and family. We have no -- we have intention of discussing this further. Thank you."
Wolf, that is the comment from the family. It's -- it's very difficult to keep the name of the individual here in this area secret.
Congressman Alexander has only sponsored one page in four years. Monroe, Louisiana, is not a -- a huge town. And there are not that many people who end up on Capitol Hill as pages from this area. There are a lot of people in this area who know the name of the individual. People are not using it. Every day, there are more and more stories in the newspaper about Alexander and about this individual.
But, clearly, Wolf, the family hopes that this statement that we have concludes all the scrutiny of this young man.
BLITZER: And -- and just remind our viewers. This congressman, Rodney Alexander, when he was told about the clearly inappropriate e- mail that this young page had received from Congressman Foley, walk us through what he did with that information.
CALLEBS: Really, this is the -- this is the whistle-blower.
He may not have known it at the time, but the 16-year-old received the e-mails. He then sent them on to Congressman Alexander's office. Now, in February of last year, about mid-February, Alexander received a media inquiry from a Florida reporter. At that time, Alexander himself found out about the e-mails. He went to the family.
The family had known about the e-mails. They discussed it. They decided that they were -- quote -- "overly friendly." And they dropped the matter from there.
Alexander tells me that Hastert's office never saw the contents of those e-mails. Now, a couple of months later, another reporter came and asked Alexander. He said this was in the spring. And, at that time, he went to Tom Reynolds' office.
Even though the family requested they keep this quiet, Alexander felt that he had to go and discuss this with Reynolds, because there were media inquiries, and he felt it was best, in his words, that someone "other than our office" know about this.
So, that is the timeline that spells out these first e-mails. But, later, the instant messages, which actually happened a year earlier, came out. And those were the ones that really raised everybody's eyes, and really led to this scandal picking up a lot of steam.
BLITZER: The e-mail that this young man in Louisiana received from Foley included a request for a picture; is that right?
CALLEBS: Exactly.
These are what -- when I talked with Alexander Monday night -- then I spoke with him again on Tuesday -- he said that the -- he received e-mails -- this young page, 16-year-old page, received e- mails saying something like: When is your birthday? What would you like for your birthday? Send me a picture of you.
And, clearly, the 16-year-old, in his words, was freaked out by this. He sent messages on to Alexander's office, saying "sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, sick," going on, repeating that over and over, saying, this congressman's actions are -- quote -- "freaking me out."
That is when his family found out about this, the page's family found out about it. And Alexander also took the initiative, on his own behalf, later on to talk to the family about it.
But, at the time, they didn't know about the instant messages. They simply wanted Foley to stop e-mailing their son. And, from all indications, every bit of information we have, Foley never contacted their son through electronic communication again.
And -- and, when he wrote "sick," what did he -- he wrote it about 13 times, that this was...
(CROSSTALK)
CALLEBS: Sixteen times, is what we were told.
BLITZER: Sixteen.
CALLEBS: Yes.
BLITZER: Sixteen times.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: It really freaked him out at the time.
In addition to the e-mail exchanges, did he say anything about the actual contact that he had, if he ran into or -- or met Congressman Foley at any time while he was a young page on Capitol Hill?
CALLEBS: We can only presume that he did meet Foley somehow. We don't know how. Alexander's office, we have asked that question. They don't know how they met.
We don't know any kind of communication that they -- they did have. We do know that Foley e-mailed this young man after he came back from Washington. It was after Hurricane Katrina came in.
Those first e-mails actually started with something like, "How did your family fare after the hurricane?" even though we are about four-and-a-half-hours north of the -- the New Orleans area, and this area wasn't hammered at all by Hurricane Katrina.
So, one can speculate on the reasons that Foley felt he wanted to e-mail the young boy at that time.
Also want to point out that Alexander's office painted a pretty good profile of what this young man is. They said he -- you know, he's very bright. He -- they called him a fine young man. And they said he comes from a very good family. But it's not a family that Alexander knew extremely well.
But it is the one page that Alexander did sponsor in four years. So, it's not something that happens all the time. We also talked to Congressman Jindal yesterday. And Jindal has never sponsored a page. Senator Vitter was in this area as well. We spoke with him. And he has not sponsored a page either.
So, as much as the family wants to keep the anonymity, if people want to dig, it's not going to be terribly hard to find out who these people are. That's the disappointing news for the family.
BLITZER: All right, Sean, thank you very much. Good reporting.
We are going to have a lot more on this coming up, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, here in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Sean Callebs reporting for us.
Let's check in with Lou Dobbs. He's getting ready for his program. That begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern tonight: Who will win in November, Republicans or Democrats? Two of the country's leading political journalists join us here to give us their assessment. We will also be talking about their new book on how to win in 2008.
We will also examine the rising controversy over the refusal of many state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce immigration laws. Houston, Texas, is it a sanctuary city, or isn't it? Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt is among our guests tonight.
Election officials all across the country now increasingly frustrated with e-voting machines and the risk of fraud, corruption and political manipulation -- that special report, "Democracy at Risk," coming up tonight. The White House and Congress refusing to raise the minimum wage -- states are taking action on their own to help working American families, as the war on our middle class escalates.
We will have all of that, a great deal more, at the top of the hour. We hope you will be with us -- Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: All right, Lou, thank you very much.
And up ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, Jack Cafferty is wondering what it means when a majority of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans now say the U.S. military is stretched too thin -- Jack just ahead with "The Cafferty File."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Check back with Jack Cafferty. He has got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Wolf.
The question this hour is: What does it mean when a majority of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans say the military is stretched too thin?
We heard from a lot of military members. And we got a lot of mail.
L. writes: "What it means is, those of us who have had our boots on the ground know what's really going on. There were times I was hesitant to push my armored vehicle outside the wire, for fear that that vehicle would fail."
Sergio in Washington writes: "VoteVets" -- which is the outfit that did this poll -- "is a Democratic-leaning organization. Of course they want to state that we are losing our resolve there. I am an intelligence officer who recently returned from Iraq. And the media is vastly distorting what is really happening there. Wake up."
Mike in San Antonio, Texas: "As an active-duty Air Force member, you should remind the world that there isn't a military member who is or has been on the ground in Iraq who would disagree. Our troops there are overworked, overextended, underpaid, understaffed, and, frankly, misunderstood. How many now-retired members must argue this point before our troops can come home?"
Ginny in Danville, Indiana, writes: "It means the survey was not taken in the Green Zone, where the administration gets its statistics. There lies the disconnect that our troops are paying the price for every single day."
William in Auburn, Alabama: "It's not about -- is it not about time to listen to those on the ground, instead of the draft-dodging suits, whose closest encounter with the fire of a battle involves barbecue grills on the Fourth of July?" John in New Jersey writes: "It means a draft is coming. And if the Foley scandal is any example, Washington could care less about our children, whether they are 15 and 16 or 18 and 19."
If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. We post some more of them online at that address -- Wolf.
BLITZER: See you back here in an hour, Jack. Thank you very much.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and high-ranking foreign ministers will meet in London tomorrow to discuss Iran's nuclear program. The U.N. Security Council is expected to discuss a resolution next week possibly to impose sanctions on Tehran for refusing to suspend its uranium-enrichment program. Options could include breaking off diplomatic and economic relations.
Meanwhile, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has a message for the world, and he's posting it online.
Let's bring in Jacki Schechner. She has details -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, we have been waiting two months for an update to this blog. And we finally got it.
And Ahmadinejad says it's taken him two months because he is personally reading all of the messages that people send to him. Now, the comments are posted along the right-hand side. We tried to post a comment earlier today. And it said it was received and would get displayed after it was reviewed.
Now, CNN can't confirm that Ahmadinejad is actually blogging himself. But that is what the blog alleges to be.
Now, today's post seems to be a transcript from Ahmadinejad's meeting with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York back in September. But we spoke to the Council on Foreign Relations today. And they call what's online inaccurate and incomplete.
Now, we also went back to the first post, just to review that. And that's a 2,000-plus-word essay about Ahmadinejad's childhood, his education, the Iran-Iraq War, among other things. Again, we just found this post. We have been checking in on it. It's taken him about two months to get back to his blog -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Let's see if he stays on top of that blog in the days and weeks to come, a blog by the president of Iran.
Stay with us. We're here in THE SITUATION ROOM weekday afternoons, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern -- back in one hour, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Let's go to "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou is standing by in New York -- Lou.
DOBBS: Wolf, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
