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The Situation Room
Kidnapped Americans Still Missing; Poison-Laced Cookies Sent to Supreme Court
Aired November 17, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you tonight's top stories.
Happening now, families in anguish, their loved ones seized on the main highways of Iraq. It's 3:00 a.m. Saturday in southeast Iraq where the hunt continues for five kidnapped Western contractors. We'll hear from the relatives of one American who's paying the horrible price right now for his job.
Also this hour -- the case of the deadly cookies revealed. Could the United States Supreme Court have been wiped out by a package of home-baked treats? It's 7:00 p.m. here in Washington where we're just learning about this stunning security scare.
And he's not "Borat", but he plays him in the hit movie. Now Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor behind the outrageous and often offensive character is doing something rare. He's speaking out as himself. Is he as controversial as his film?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Tonight, the Pentagon is planning for a new year of war in Iraq. Military officials say some 57,000 troops will be sent there in early 2007. That's part of a routine rotation to keep force levels precisely where they are right now. There's nothing routine though about the mission for many Americans who have soured on the war and who voted for a change in Washington. The danger in Iraq is hitting especially close to home right now for the relatives of four American security contractors abducted at a fake police checkpoint along with an Austrian colleague.
Our Brian Todd is standing by with more on what may be ahead in Iraq, but let's turn to our Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre for more on the hunt for these American contractors. Jamie?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, it's been a day of confusing and conflicting reports including some false accounts that some of the hostages had been freed, even that some might have been killed in a raid. But the bottom line is at this point the four Americans and the Austrian remain missing and unaccounted for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MCINTYRE (voice-over): In southeastern Iraq, British troops backed by U.S. helicopters battled gunmen in the area where the convoy was hijacked as they hunted for the missing contractors, including four Americans. Two gunmen were killed, but it's not clear they were connected to the abduction. The hijacking happened Thursday on a main road from Kuwait into Iraq where a civilian supply convoy guarded by the Kuwaiti-based Crescent Security Company, was apparently stopped by people posing as Iraqi police what appears to have been a fake checkpoint.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad provided only sketchy details. The convoy was made up of 43 heavy trucks and six security vehicles. Up to 14 people taken, nine truck drivers were released up the road while five security personnel were abducted. Four of the five contractors taken were Americans, the fifth, a former Austrian soldier. Only one of the Americans has been identified publicly, 39-year-old Paul Reuben, a former police officer from the suburban Minneapolis town of St. Louis Park.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: And Wolf, it's still very unclear who is responsible for this attack. It took place in a largely Shia area of southern Iraq, however, it was near a city that was majority Sunni population, and a police chief nearby insists that he has a report that a criminal gang was responsible and that they've demanded a ransom. That's something that CNN has not been able to confirm. Wolf?
BLITZER: We'll stay on top of this story, Jamie. Thanks very much.
And in just a few moments we'll hear from the mother of the -- one of those kidnapped American contractors, Paul Rueben of Minnesota. Meanwhile, a bipartisan panel is making concerted efforts right now to try to find a way to turn around the war, and that it's taken right to the heart of what the president calls its axis of evil. CNN's Brian Todd is watching this story for us. He's joining us live with more. Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a source close to the Iraq study group tells us it's looking more likely the group will give President Bush its key recommendations on Iraq sometime after the first week in December. And tonight we can report this group has already done what the Bush administration has refused to do -- it's reached out to America's chief antagonist in the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Syrian officials tell CNN the Iraq study group led by former Secretary of State James Baker met with them in the past several weeks.
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMB. TO THE U.S.: We were meeting with Secretary James Baker, and we were discussing all these issues.
TODD: Syria's ambassador to the U.S. tells us his side made it clear to Baker how Syria can help stabilize Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have very good relations with all Iraqi factions across the political spectrum.
TODD: Including he says the anti-American Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Syria is mostly Sunni, but Imad Moustapha says al-Sadr travels frequently to Damascus. The implication -- Syria could convince al-Sadr to rein in his lethal militia and could do the same with some Sunni insurgents. An Iranian official tells CNN Iran's ambassador to the U.N. had a three-hour dinner meeting with Baker and his group during the height of Ramadan in October.
He says a message was related to Baker that Iran would consider helping the United States control Shia militias in Iraq if the Bush administration started treating Teheran like a strategic partner in the region. A spokesman for Baker confirms he met with the Iranian and Syrian diplomats but will not give details. He says Baker made it clear he does not represent the U.S. government. If Baker recommends reaching out to Iran and Syria, would the president listen?
ROBERT MALLEY, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It gives some space, some political space for those in the administration who are in agreement with that view, and they may be able to sway the president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: A word of caution from analysts -- even if the administration does start to talk to Syria and Iran, don't expect it to be a silver bullet solution. Both countries will want something in return. But James Baker has said he's a firm believer in talking to your enemies and that these two nations are what he called big players in Iraq. Wolf?
BLITZER: As co-chairman Lee Hamilton believes almost exactly the same thing. We'll watch for this report coming out next month, Brian. Thank you very much.
Meanwhile, a former Iraqi leader is now offering a truly alarming assessment about what's happening in Iraq right now. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has details. Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, another dire warning about Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Ayad Allawi, the former Baathist who was Iraq's prime minister in 2004, is sounding a grim note.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's really quite alarming and dangerous where Iraq is now. It's quite frightening.
STARR: Allawi continues to largely blame the de-Baathification process ordered by Ambassador Paul Bremer in the weeks after Saddam fell for much of Iraq's current problems. It was an effort to get rid of high-level Baath party officials who had run Iraq for years under Saddam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A complex numbers of mistakes have been committed starting from dismantling institutions in Iraq, security, judicial, government institutions and so on, to de-Baathification.
STARR: Allawi's views may have more to do with domestic Iraqi politics than security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iraq is slipping continuously into a chaotic level of violence. To be honest, this is not something that I could have imagined when we fought Saddam's regime for over 30 years.
STARR: Allawi, some say, is clearly taking a slight at Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's struggle to control the sectarian violence.
BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think it's probably he views himself at this point being an agent provocateur. I mean he wants to make it difficult as he can on the leadership that exists because it's an easy target. I would say, you know, in layman's terms, he's piling it on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: A senior U.S. official told CNN that the Bush administration views Allawi's remarks as domestic Iraqi politics, something for them to work out. Wolf?
BLITZER: Barbara, thank you. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's in New York with "The Cafferty File". Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thank you. Remember Mark Foley, the dirt-bag Florida congressman who probably contributed to the Republicans losing the midterm elections? You know, Foley, the one accused of sending inappropriate e-mails to 16-year-old congressional pages. He resigned in disgrace and ran away into rehab to hide.
House Republicans made a big deal out of getting the Ethics Committee right on the case. They were going to get to the bottom of the Foley thing, who knew about this degenerate behavior and when did they know it. But so far, we haven't heard a word. So, we called the House Ethics Committee. They don't issue statements. They don't talk to the news media.
In the meantime, authorities in Florida have launched a full- scale criminal investigation of Foley. They think he may have used computers in Florida to engage minors in illegal activities. Here's the question. Why haven't we heard anything from the House Ethics Committee about the Foley investigation? E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. Wolf?
BLITZER: Jack, thank you for that. We'll get back to you soon.
Still to come, details on an attempt to kill the entire United States Supreme Court, all nine justices, chilling details. Also, my interview with Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, the first Democrat to announce he's running for president.
Plus, it's meant to offend and it's apparently doing a very good job at that. Now the actor behind "Borat", Sacha Baron Cohen, speaking out, giving a rare interview out of character to a top magazine. Find out what he's saying.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The next election is two years away, but many are already preparing. One of them the Iowa Democrat Tom Vilsack, the two-term governor is the first Democrat to file for a White House run. He's not filing for an exploratory run. He's already filed the paperwork to run for president of the United States. And just a short while ago, I asked Governor Vilsack why he's wasting such little time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. TOM VILSACK (D), IOWA: Well, the bottom line is you make a decision and you go with it. That's the kind of person I am, and that's the kind of leader I want to be. Once you've made the decision, there's no reason to explore. You jump in with both feet.
BLITZER: The first contest is in your home state of Iowa. So, you presumably have a real advantage there. You've been elected twice. Everybody in Iowa knows you. Are you hoping to scare OFF other Democrats from even running in Iowa?
VILSACK: Not at all, Wolf. I think every candidate for president who's interested in being the president of the United States needs to come to Iowa and we need to campaign together. We need to debate the issues. We need to have fun. And we need to make sure that the field is wide open. And, so I have in specific conversations with many people who are thinking about this, invited them to come to Iowa, and I hope that they do come.
BLITZER: Because as you remember back in 1992, and I remember it very vividly, Tom Harkin, the Democrat senator from Iowa, was running for president and he ran, in fact, as a favorite son in Iowa and he scared off Bill Clinton and a whole bunch of other people from even running in Iowa.
VILSACK: Well, this is a much different situation and a much different time.
BLITZER: So you think you're going to get Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and other potential Democrats to challenge you in your own home state?
VILSACK: Well, I don't think it's about challenging me, Wolf. I think it's about talking about the future of this country and whether or not we're going to have a government unlike the government that we have today that really cares about tomorrow and really acts as if tomorrow matters. You can't have deficits.
You can't have a lack of discussion about health care and energy and security and a national and foreign policy that has essentially alienated most of our friends and somehow united most of our enemies. We need to have a debate about that in the state of Iowa and across the country, and I welcome that debate. I look forward to that debate.
BLITZER: You must be heartened by this fact that of the Democratic presidents who have been recently elected, Jimmy Carter was a little-known governor from Georgia. Bill Clinton was a little-known governor from Arkansas. Both managed to get to the White House. You're relatively little known, at least nationally, known governor from Iowa. Is that what you're basing your hope on?
VILSACK: No. I'm basing it on the fact that I think I have better ideas in terms of the direction of this country. And the reality is I look forward to learning more from America and having America learn more about me. I think it's going to be a great journey, and I look forward to it.
BLITZER: A big issue hovering over the last election and maybe the next election will be Iraq. Are you among those Democrats who want to see the U.S. start pulling out troops within the next four to six months?
VILSACK: I wouldn't put a specific timetable on it, Wolf, but I do think that we need to be strategic about where the troops are located. I would -- if I were president today, I would sit down with my military advisers and talk about how we could remove troops from the southern part of the country and from Baghdad in the central part of the country. I think what we have done is we've created a culture of dependency there and we have basically put ourselves in a position where the Iraqis are not making the decisions that only they can make.
I would still maintain for a period of time troops in the northern part of the country to make sure that Turkey did not interfere, to make sure that we could send a very specific message to Iran that we do, in fact, have a military option, which clearly we don't have today as we discussed diplomatically the nuclear issue with that country. And if in fact chaos continues to reign, we would be in a position to respond to it.
I think it's more than just military. I think we have to look at the reconstruction plan, encourage countries from the region to get involved and I think we also have to build local governing capacity, something that there's been very little discussion about...
BLITZER: All right.
VILSACK: ... but the reality is if you want basic services to folk, it's local government that provides them.
BLITZER: Should the U.S. if you were president, be talking directly to Syria and Iran to try to help out the situation in Iraq? VILSACK: Well, not only to help out the situation in Iraq but to basically engage a discussion about the Middle East as a whole. The fact that we're not talking to Iran, to Syria, to North Korea, I think has made it a much more dangerous world than it needed to be. And we need to aggressively engage, aggressively engage in discussions and conversations to figure out diplomatically how we can avert very serious problems with a nuclear bomb in Iran and with the current situation in North Korea.
BLITZER: The outgoing governor of Iowa, he's not messing around. He's running for president already and making no bones about it. Governor Vilsack, we hope you'll be a frequent guest here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
VILSACK: Thanks, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And still to come tonight right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor reveals an attempt not only on her life but the lives of all nine Supreme Court justices. We're going to tell you what we're learning about this plot to poison the high court.
Plus, the government lifts the ban on silicone breast implants after more than a decade. We'll show you why, what it means for women who might be considering getting them.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Carol Lin to get a closer look at some other important stories making news. Carol?
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, you were talking about that major medical development, the FDA is lifting its 14-year ban on silicone gel breast implants, but not everyone can get them. The FDA is approving the implants for breast reconstruction in women of any age, but women must be at least age 22 to get silicone implants with breast augmentation. The FDA says younger women may not have fully developed physically. Now the implants were taken off the market in 1992 out of safety concerns.
Also, several frightening violent incidents today as Sony's much- anticipated PlayStation 3 made its U.S. debut. Connecticut police say two gunmen tried to rob people waiting outside a Wal-Mart. One man resisted and was shot. Now he's at a hospital in stable condition. Police are looking for the suspects. Also in another incident, a man was beaten and robbed of his new PlayStation minutes after he bought it. Several other PlayStation robberies are also reported.
Legendary former University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler has died. He collapsed while taping a TV show this morning and was taken to a Detroit hospital. Michigan's winningest football coach won 194 games with the Wolverines and 234 games overall. His death comes one day before Michigan meets archrival Ohio State. Bo Schembechler was 77 years old.
And wearing burqas in certain areas could become illegal in the Netherlands. Citing security concerns, the Dutch Cabinet today adopted a plan to ban the head to toe burqas and other clothing that covers the face in public places. Now, this comes ahead of national elections next Wednesday. Burqas are worn by some Muslim women. The proposal is expected to go to the Dutch Parliament for a vote, Wolf.
BLITZER: That's a pretty controversial decision over there. We'll watch it. We'll stay on top of that story. Carol, thank you for that.
Just ahead, if Donald Rumsfeld had been let go long ago, would Republicans still be the majority in the United States Senate? Republican Senator Trent Lott has a surprising answer to that question. He joins us.
And "Borat" sweeping U.S. box offices while creating controversy. Now in a rare move, the actor Sacha Baron Cohen is speaking out as himself. I think you're going to want to hear what he has to say.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening now, in Iraq, a frantic search continues. American and Iraqi forces are looking for those Western security contractors kidnapped yesterday. Four of them are Americans, another an Austrian. In just a moment we'll go live to Minnesota where Ed Lavandera is standing by. He reports on one family's anguish tonight.
Also, show of support. The incoming Senate majority leader says the president's pick to be the next defense secretary should be confirmed. Democratic Senator Harry Reid says Robert Gates should get the spot assuming there are no surprises at his confirmation hearings that begin December 5. And same jobs, new titles. Two congressmen hold on to their leadership posts in the House. Republicans chose current Majority Leader John Boehner to be their next minority leader, and current Whip Roy Blunt will become the minority whip.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We now return to that developing story tonight. Relatives of contractor Paul Reuben are anxiously waiting for word about his fate as U.S. troops search for him desperately and four other Westerners abducted in Iraq.
CNN's Ed Lavandera joining us now from Minneapolis, the area that Reuben calls home. What's the latest there, Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. Well I just spent the last hour speaking with Paul Reuben's mother and sister here in the Minneapolis area. This is the city where Paul Reuben worked as a police officer for eight years in a suburb just near -- just outside of Minneapolis. He worked here for eight years, but then three years ago he was lured to Iraq by the high-paying jobs of security contract work, but he's -- and so he took one of those jobs.
And his mom says that over the last couple years he's worked there almost three years that something started to change, that he felt that he was doing good work there and important work and that that's why he continued to do all of that. But just a few days ago, he had told the family that it was becoming too dangerous, too violent, and that he was planning on coming home to celebrate his 40th birthday with his twin brother. And right now, this is a family here in the Minneapolis area just hoping for any kind of good news to come out of Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNIE REUBEN, PAUL REUBEN'S MOTHER: I knew something had happened. There was something that told me and even at 3:00 this morning, something -- a dream from me. I'm just -- I'm scared, but something, an injury or worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: This is a family riding an emotional roller coaster, and there's just frankly no other way to put that for them at this moment. His mom and sister telling me that at times they feel like they're going to get good news at any moment and that the next second they're feeling like they're about to receive the worst news. So at this point they're not getting a lot of information.
There is an official from the State Department who is talking to Paul Reuben's brother and passing along information, but those calls are few and far in between simply and they understand that. They're not being critical. They're just saying that they understand that so far at this point there's just not a lot of information. But the family pleading with the people holding their loved one here this evening, saying that you know she is a mother and that they hope that they understand what she's going through tonight -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Our heart goes out to that family and to the other families of the other missing, as well, those kidnapped contractors. Ed, thanks for that.
President Bush has long avoided comparing the war in Iraq to the war in Vietnam. Tonight, he's in Vietnam and now says the earlier war offers some lessons for the current U.S. mission in Iraq. Let's turn to our White House correspondent Ed Henry. He's traveling with the president. He's joining us tonight from Hanoi -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, White House aides stay the president is not dwelling on the past, the Vietnam War, instead he is looking forward at this emerging friendship with Vietnamese officials here who greeted him with pomp and circumstance, also looking forward at the rapidly growing economy here in Vietnam.
But there's no question it is an awkward time for president to be visiting Vietnam. At the same time he's trying to turn the corner on his Iraq policy, of course, critics charging that he has not learned the lessons of Vietnam, he's gotten the United States caught in another quagmire.
White House officials obviously insist that's not true. They point out some clear differences between the two conflicts, such as the fact that the Iraqi people have elected their own government, whereas here in Vietnam still under communist rule.
But the president himself even noted some of the symbols of war that you can't miss, such as the fact that he drove right by the lake where Senator John McCain's Navy plane was shot down before he became, and was dragged in, as a prisoner of war.
And then during a photo opportunity with the Australian prime minister, John Howard, the president was asked about lessons from Vietnam that could be applied to Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll succeed unless we quit. The Maliki government is going to make it unless the coalition leaves before they have a chance to make it, and that's why I assured the prime minister we'll get the job done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: A lot riding on this summit because this coming out of the midterm elections, the first opportunity for the president to be on the world stage, show he still has clout. He wanted to do that on the trade issue, but he came here empty-handed on a U.S.-Vietnam trade deal because fellow Republicans on the Hill could not deliver, but the president is insisting here and telling Vietnamese officials that this trade deal will eventually get done -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ed Henry, reporting from Hanoi tonight, thanks very much, Ed, in Vietnam.
The Iraq war weighing very heavily in the recent midterm election, certainly a major reason the Republican Party lost its majority status in Congress. But one U.S. senator wound up a winner and also able to exorcise his political ghosts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now, the incoming Senate minority whip, Trent Lott -- once was the majority leader.
Congratulations, Senator. Thanks very much for coming in.
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: Thank you, Wolf. It's always a pleasure to be back with you.
BLITZER: They're calling you the comeback kid.
Four years ago, there was a dark spot. You were effectively pushed out by the then -- Bill Frist, who wanted your job as majority leader. He's going to be gone. But the president of the United States weighed in as well. He needs your help, now. Are you ready to work with him?
LOTT: Absolutely.
I mean, he is president of the United States. We still have a substantial number of Republicans in the Senate, 49 out of 100. We've got a lot of work to do.
We are in a position to block really bad initiatives. But I've always been one that believed we should try to produce for the American people. President Reagan will be -- President Bush will be in that position for two more years, and I'm delighted to be back in a position where I can use the experience I had in the House in the '80s and in the Senate in the '90s, hopefully in a positive way.
BLITZER: There's got to be a little bitterness still lingering from the way they pushed you out at the White House.
LOTT: Actually not, Wolf.
You know, a lot of people predict that that's the case, or project it's the case, but others know that, when you go through what I've been through the last four years, which has been a series of very difficult events, including losing my mother last July, losing my house in August, and dealing with some health problems, even after that, you learn that you can't get up and move forward if you're looking back, and if you're mad and if you're seeking revenge. And I haven't done that.
Now, I have been a little bit of a free spirit. I have been liberated to express my views, you know, as I saw them, and I will continue to do that. But I will also be in a position where maybe I can express those views privately, in a way that would be helpful.
You know, look, there were disappointments back there, no question about it. But I have been given another chance. You know, I have been able to seek and, I think, receive, redemption, and I want to build on that.
BLITZER: Is there anything you want to say -- because there was a lot of focus on the past few days on those words you uttered at Strom Thurmond's birthday -- that you would like to tell the American people right now, the African-American community in particular?
LOTT: I'm honored to be in a position where hopefully I can help all Americans. I learned again, after Hurricane Katrina, that race, religion, sex, ethnicity, when you're all hurting, makes no difference.
You try to help each other. And that's the way we ought to approach life. And that's the way, certainly, I ought to do this job. I made a mistake, terribly chosen words. They were, you know, well- intentioned at the time, just to make a 100-year-old senator at his birthday party feel good. But I got too carried away and exuberant on the occasion. I have learned from that. And I'm hoping to build on that.
BLITZER: How -- you know, a lot of Republicans firmly believe, including Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker, if the president would have asked Rumsfeld to resign a few weeks earlier, and set in motion a notion that there could be some changes, announce that Robert Gates was going to be his nominee to be Defense secretary, you right now wouldn't be the minority whip; you would be the majority whip in the United State Senate.
Are you among those Republicans that feels that way?
LOTT: Well, first of all, I don't know if that would have been the case. I think one of the reasons I was able to get elected, frankly, was because we are in the minority, and there were a lot of people that felt, well, maybe we need our most experienced hands in place here.
But having said that, I did think that Secretary Rumsfeld should have been replaced earlier. Actually, I thought certainly right after the last election. I thought it was a mistake not to allow that to happen. I think the president had a point in that, at some time, if you did it, it would look like it was just pure, blatant politics.
And, if you did it, you know, two weeks before or even a month before, it would have been severely criticized. If it had been six months earlier or whatever, yes, it could have made a difference.
BLITZER: Is there a stance that you would like to see emerge on the Iraq war right now?
We're almost out of time, but are you among those who would like to see some benchmarks, a timetable put forward?
LOTT: Yes. Yes.
BLITZER: The Iraqi government's got to do X, Y and Z in order to allow the United States to stay in place?
LOTT: Yes, yes, and yes.
You know, we've got to make some changes. Things have got to improve. The Iraqis have got to do better. They've got to understand that we can't stay there forever. It's their government, their people, their country. We don't want to run it for them. But we have got to have milestones and we have got to meet them. We have not been doing that. So, we have got to make some changes.
But, just last night...
BLITZER: So, on that point, it sounds like you disagree with General Abizaid, the commander for U.S. forces in the Middle East, who says, a timetable would not necessarily be helpful.
LOTT: No, no, no. I'm not advocating a timetable. Milestones, the benchmarks are not timetables. These are things that have to be achieved before you can go to the next step. I do think an artificial timetable, not based on the situation, the needs and facts, is not a good idea, not an immediate withdrawal, not even a phased withdrawal. It should be based on other things, I think.
I don't know exactly what all the answers are. I'm not on the Armed Services Committee. But I -- believe it or not, last night -- late last night -- I was speaking to Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton on the floor of the Senate, talking about the hearings they had just had.
And we were talking about, you know, how are we going to move forward in Iraq in a positive way? We don't have the answer, but we have some ideas. And I know the Pentagon, I know the president probably has some ideas, and is working on that.
There's just one thing we do know: The current situation is not acceptable. If it's not, we have got to change it some way.
BLITZER: We have got to leave it right there, Senator Lott. Thanks very much.
Once again, I will end the interview the way I started it, by saying congratulations.
LOTT: Thank you very much, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And tonight, the vice president, Dick Cheney, is standing strongly behind Donald Rumsfeld, sounding undaunted by the Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections. In a speech to a conservative legal group here in Washington, Cheney praised the outgoing defense secretary. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the meantime, we've kept at the work of military transformation. We've begun the day we arrived here, retooling the entire military to make it faster, more agile, more lethal in action, and all this vital work has been carried out under the steady hand of one of the great public servants of the age, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The vice president also pressed his view that any retreat from Iraq would put America at greater risk of terrorist attacks rather than make it safer.
Still to come tonight -- the former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor reveals a frightening security threat that most Americans had never heard about: cookies sent to the court packed with poison.
And a protest at UCLA after a student is tasered by campus police. We're going to tell you why and show you the controversy. All that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're now learning of a stunning plot against all nine United States Supreme Court justices and some military and government officials as well. It involves packages containing some very dangerous treats. Our Mary Snow is in New York. She has these details -- Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, had she not mentioned it in public, a poison attempt against Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her fellow justices may have remained little known.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): It might have been just another legal conference in Dallas until retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor mentioned, in her words, "a wonderful package of home-baked cookies" sent to all the justices. "The Ft. Worth Star Telegram" quotes O'Connor saying, "each one contained enough poison to kill the entire membership of the court."
Prosecutors say those baked goods and candy were laced with rat poison and sent not only to the nine Supreme Court justices, but to two FBI officials and officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
It happened in April of 2005. Just last month, 60-year-old Barbara Joan March of Bridgeport, Connecticut was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sending those packages.
Court watchers were surprised that they're only hearing about this now.
EDWARD LAZARUS, SUPREME COURT LEGAL ANALYST: Quite clearly, the court did not want to publicize this incident. It's very different from the other branches of government. I think they just don't want the idea that this is even thinkable.
SNOW: A Supreme Court spokeswoman says the packages never reached the justices due to increased security following a 2001 anthrax scare to the Supreme Court.
Another red flag: Prosecutors cite type-written letters accompanying the packages, saying "I am" or "we are going to kill you. This is poisoned."
March's lawyer says her motive is unclear, but says she's had a history of mental illness.
While this incident may be a rarity, court observers say one reason O'Connor has been speaking publicly is to bring further attention to political attacks on judges, which she believes may encourage more serious threats of violence.
In September, she gave a rare interview to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: As I went through the last few years of service here at the court, I saw increasing indicators of unhappiness with judges. And it was erupting all over the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Last March, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg acknowledged a specific death threat against her and retired Justice O'Connor -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York. A chilling story indeed. Thank you.
UCLA students protested today after an Iranian American undergrad was repeatedly stunned with a taser by campus police on Tuesday at the university library. Video capturing part of the incident is now spreading with lightning speed online. Let's bring in Jacki Schechner. She has details -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, this is the video of the incident that's been posted several times on Youtube.com and now viewed more than 800,000 times.
Take a look.
What you're listening to is 23-year-old student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad as he is screaming back and forth with campus police officers. They yell at him to get up, get up. He yells back about the Patriot Act and abuse of power. He says he was tasered a total of five times. Police eventually restrained him.
The campus police say that a student monitor had asked to see the student's identification in order for him, per school policy, to stay in the library past 11:00 p.m., and that the student refused to show identification. So, they called the campus police, and that's when this incident ensued.
They eventually arrested him on charges of resisting an officer, and he's hired himself a civil rights attorney who says he is going to file a brutality lawsuit against the campus police.
The attorney tells us today that his client refused to show identification because he felt that he was a victim of racial profiling.
Now, UCLA campus officials and the UCLA campus police department both tell us they are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the entire incident. The UCLA campus police also tell us they have received some questions about the circumstances under which this video was captured, wondering if the student who took the video of the incident actually knew the student who was involved in the incident.
Now, Avi Kovi (ph), who took this video on his digital camera, says he had never met the student before, but he is selling his video to news organizations, including CNN. He says that he is raising money for the stunned student in part, among other things -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jacki, thank you for that. Jackie Schechner reporting.
Up ahead, Jack Schechner -- excuse me, Jack Cafferty is wondering why haven't we heard anything from the House Ethics Commission about the Foley investigation? Jack is standing by with "The Cafferty File."
Plus, the actor behind "Borat" now speaking out as himself in a magazine interview. Sacha Baron Cohen on the controversy over the number one movie in the country. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thank you, sir. The question is, why haven't we heard anything from the House Ethics Committee about that Mark Foley investigation? Remember that deal?
Harold writes from Anchorage, Alaska -- "Silly question from part of the best political team on TV. The Democratic Party won't be a majority until January, Jack. The ruling Republicans are busy covering their tracks."
Ralph writes from Ohio: "One has to picture a cat's litter box and the way a cat covers the mess. It's covered, and if there's not too much in the box, you don't see it. And it takes a while before the smell begins to permeate the surroundings.
Karen in Michigan: "Jack, they're all busy erasing their hard drives."
Clyde in North Carolina -- "I'm not interested in Mark Foley. He's out. I am interested in William Jefferson of Louisiana, the congressman caught with $90,000 in cash in his refrigerator freezer by the FBI. What is the status of his case?"
I don't know.
Jeff in Washington: "It's simple. I live in Doc Hastings' congressional district here in Washington state. He is the chair of the House Ethics Committee, and he's done nothing except act like the usual do-nothing Republi(can't) for years."
And Mark in Henderson, Nevada: "The committee has been completely paralyzed by the gut busting laughter of the members every time somebody says 'House' and 'ethics' in the same sentence."
If you didn't see your email here, you can go to CNN.com/caffertyfile and read some more of these online -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, have a great weekend. Thanks very much, Jack Cafferty, reporting. Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" -- Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. We're going to start off the hour with the latest on the search for the captured contractors, then we move on to the startling results of an investigation by our consumer correspondent Greg Hunter. See how quickly the furniture some of you might be sitting on right now can turn your home into a blazing inferno and what you can do to avoid your family from going through that?
Plus, the top story in entertainment -- the biggest, splashiest, most extravagant wedding on either side of the Atlantic. At the top of the hour, Tom and Katie tying the knot Scientology style. What does that mean? What will the ceremony look like, for those of us who were not on the invite guest -- list? You weren't on that list, were you, Wolf?
BLITZER: No.
ZAHN: Well, you wouldn't be here tonight if you had been.
Brooke Shields was on that list, surprisingly.
BLITZER: Let her enjoy.
ZAHN: Have a good weekend.
BLITZER: Thanks, Paula. Thanks very much.
And still ahead, it's sexist and anti-Semitic, and that's just for starters. The man behind "Borat," Sacha Baron Cohen, explains in a magazine interview why his hit movie is meant to offend. Stay with us. That's coming up. You're in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here is a look at some of the hot shots coming in from our friends at the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your home town newspapers tomorrow.
Jacksonville, Florida, Zachary Walker (ph) and Michael Reynolds (ph) waive flags after spotting their dads in the cockpits of naval fighter jets. The pilots are returning after a six-month deployment aboard the USS Enterprise.
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a surfer waxes his board before breaking the Guinness world record for riding the longest surfboard.
In Utah, a man releases a turkey into the wild as part of a Thanksgiving release program.
And at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, an endangered gorilla celebrates his first birthday with a banana cake. Happy birthday.
Some of today's hot shots, pictures often worth a thousand words. I's the number-one film at the box office, but not everyone is finding "Borat" funny. Some say it's downright offensive. Now the star is speaking out on the controversy. Here's our CNN entertainment correspondent, Sibila Vargas -- Sibila.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Sacha Baron Cohen has been a star in Britain for some time now, but he is new to many Americans, and some are finding his humor offputting, to say the least.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SACHA BARON COHEN, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: My name is Borat. I journalist from Kazakhstan.
VARGAS (voice-over): He's curious, he's clueless, and he's also No. 1 at the box office. In his first two weeks, "Borat" has taken in more than $67 million, and generated quite a bit of controversy.
The film blatantly presents prejudice and has something to offend just about everyone. Not only is it anti-Semitic and homophobic, it's also racist and sexist.
COHEN: But is it not a problem that the woman have a smaller brain than the men?
VARGAS: Star Sacha Baron Cohen is notorious for staying in character and rarely goes public as himself, but the controversy has prompted him to do just that, giving a cover interview to "Rolling Stone." The furor caught him off guard, with Cohen saying, quote, "I was surprised because I always had faith in the audience, that they would realize that this was a fictitious country, and that the mere purpose of it was to allow people to bring out their own prejudices."
Cohen said he chose to have Borat be from Kazakhstan because few people know anything about the country, making it a blank slate. "The joke is not on Kazakhstan," he says. "I think the joke is on people who believe that the Kazakhstan I describe can exist."
And he goes on to say, "I think part of the movie shows the absurdity of holding any form of racial prejudice, whether it's hatred of African-Americans or Jews."
Cohen himself is an observant Jew, born and raised in Britain and educated at Cambridge. He speaks Hebrew. In fact, that's what he's speaking in the film. Every time he's supposedly speaking Kazakh, it's Hebrew, even in the most anti-Semitic dialogues. And the translation is perfect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: Borat isn't only generating controversy; it's also producing legal action. An etiquette consultant who appears in the film says she thought she was appearing in a documentary, and she is asking California's attorney general to investigate for possible violations of state law. That's on top of a lawsuit already filed by two South Carolina fraternity brothers, who say they were plied with alcohol and told that the movie would not be seen in the U.S.
All of them did, however, sign consent forms -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Sibila, thank you for that. And in a statement we just received, 20th Century Fox responds to the allegations by that etiquette consultant. I'm quoting now, "Cindy signed written agreements with the production, which clearly stated that a movie was being filmed and that the movie could be distributed worldwide. Her fee was negotiated and paid. More than three weeks after filming completed, she asked for and received additional payment for the etiquette training services, which she provided on film, and she signed an additional release."
That's it for us. Thanks very much for joining us. Don't forget this Sunday on "Late Edition," we'll have new leaders of the House and the Senate on Iraq, bipartisanship, lots more. Senators Carl Levin and Kay Bailey Hutchison. And the House whips, Democrat James Clyburn and Republican Roy Blunt. 11:00 a.m. Eastern, for two hours, "Late Edition," the last word in Sunday talk.
Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Let's go to New York, Paula Zahn standing by for more -- Paula.
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