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The Situation Room
Bush Administration Confirms That Top Iraqi Shiite Leader To Meet With The President; Nancy Pelosi Ruffling Feathers On Intelligence Committee Chair; John Murtha Interview; Classes For Incoming Congress
Aired December 01, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, President Bush seeks a powerful new ally in Iraq, even as there are growing concerns the Iraqi prime minister's days in power may be numbered. It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington, where Mr. Bush plans to host a Shiite leader with close ties to Iran. We'll have a live report on those talks and the future of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Also this hour, talk of a timetable for U.S. troops to come home. I'll ask a leading Democrat critic of the war, Congressman John Murtha, about a bipartisan panel's upcoming report.
Will it recommend a date for withdrawal from Iraq or skirt the issue?
And bold campaign tactics -- Republican presidential prospect John McCain crashes a rival's party.
And Democratic Congressman William Jefferson effectively tells voters he's not a crook.
I'm Wolf Blitzer.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Up first this hour, a striking new example of President Bush looking to outside forces to try to help him pave the way for a potential exit from Iraq. The Bush administration confirms that a top Iraqi Shiite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, is supposed to meet with the president here in Washington on Monday. This, as there are new rumblings in Iraq about Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's hold on power.
Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, joining us now live from Baghdad.
I know you have been speaking with top Iraqi officials -- Nic, give us a flavor of how this situation is unfolding.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I just gave you a favor of what's happening on the ground. I just heard a large explosion not far behind -- not far away from where we are, a little off in the distance, a mile or so away. Gunfire breaking out, a gun-battle.
It's the middle of the night here in Baghdad, yet it sounds like a large bomb has gone off and a gun-battle is ensuing. That's an indication of the volatility of the situation on the ground. Leading Iraqi politicians very concerned about the political situation now.
They believe the pressure that is being put on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, pressure from the United States for the prime minister to disarm the militia of the firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, they believe that pressure could break the government.
They say the prime minister gets his support, and he certainly gets his political support, from Muqtada al-Sadr. Asking Sadr to disarm his militia may be a test and a push too far.
There is a consensus that they will help the prime minister, that they will try and bring Muqtada al-Sadr on board politically. But this is a point now where many feel that the plight of this government is a desperate plight and they may need to reshuffle it and find new leadership soon -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And all of a sudden they're bringing this Shiite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, to the White House Monday for these talks.
What's going on, on this front? What is the possible scenario?
ROBERTSON: Well, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is the leader of one of the largest Shia blocs, who's been supportive of the United States' position in Iraq, supportive of the government. His politicians have places in this government. His constituency is the perhaps slightly more moderate Shia constituency.
He does -- he did spend a lot of time in exile under Saddam Hussein regime in Iran. He does have in his party a large militia, the Badr Brigade, about 30,000 militia, who say they have signed up for -- to hand in their weapons, say they have signed up for a peaceful way forward.
Many here believe that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's militia is still active. He is a politician who will have great bearing, probably, here in the coming weeks -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Between the Badr militia, the Mahdi militia, a lot of militias in power right now in Iraq.
Nic, stand by.
We're going to be getting back to you.
Nic Robertson is our man on the screen in Baghdad.
All this comes just days before the bipartisan Iraq Study Group due to deliver its recommendations to Mr. Bush. The "Washington Post" reports the panel will call for a conditional goal of withdrawing nearly all U.S. combat -- combat units -- from Iraq by early 2008. Sources close to the Study Group tell CNN no specific timetable will be proposed in the report, which will be released Wednesday morning.
On Capitol Hill right now, the House Democratic leader is ruffling feathers and apparently backing off from a campaign promise as she prepares to become the speaker of the House. At issue, Nancy Pelosi's newly named choice to head the Intelligence Committee and her pledge to quickly approve all of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
Our Congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel, standing by with that -- Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I believe -- are we talking about Jane Harman right now and...
BLITZER: Yes.
KOPPEL: OK.
I think that's Brian Todd's story.
But nevertheless, the decision was made today by Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi to nominate Silvestre Reyes, basically tap him for the job of the chairman of the very powerful House Intelligence Committee.
He was the choice over the woman who is now the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jane Harman, and also, you'll remember earlier this week, Alcee Hastings of Florida was also passed over -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Andrea, stand by, because I want to come back to you on this and some other issues.
Brian Todd is also looking into this story -- Brian, that's a lot of political intrigue, a lot of political significant on what this new speaker has done.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
Nancy Pelosi's pick to head the Intelligence Committee says if he's a compromise choice, that's fine with him. But as you just mentioned, that process getting to that compromise did involve a lot of back channel intrigue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): A long time Border Patrol agent now set to go after al Qaeda.
REP. SILVESTRE REYES (D), TEXAS: Having been a consumer of intelligence, been the real -- in the real world since, with my career in the Border Patrol -- I felt that I had very strong credentials and credentials that I could stand -- that could stand up to anybody.
TODD: Silvestre Reyes of Texas gets the nod for the House Intelligence Committee chair.
But was this the result of back room maneuvering between two powerful women?
Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Intelligence Committee ranking member Jane Harman -- both with long histories in California's Democratic political machine. Both married to successful businessmen, whose fortunes have made them two of the richest members of Congress.
Pelosi alone had the power to decide the committee chair.
Is Harman upset she wasn't picked?
REP. JANE HARMAN, (D-CF), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: That was her own decision. She has the right to make that decision, as I mentioned, and I respect her right. I'm very pleased that my successor is Silvestre Reyes, a man I've worked with closely.
TODD: The day after her sweeping victory in the mid-term elections, Wolf Blitzer asked Pelosi if Harman wouldn't be a natural choice.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: There is no seniority on the Intelligence Committee.
TODD: Sources close to both women say they don't believe Harman was bypassed because of any personal falling out. As one says, "There's been no nuclear event between them."
The most widely cited reason?
Pelosi's frustration that Harman, who voted for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but has since become more critical, wasn't tough enough on President Bush over the war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nancy Pelosi has taken a much stronger position that the U.S. troops ought to be withdrawn and redeployed. Jane Harman has had a much more moderate position.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Also bypassed by Pelosi, Congressman Alcee Hastings, who many believe didn't get the job because he'd been impeached by Congress as a federal judge back in the 1980s. Hastings issued a statement this week saying he would support the next chairman. As a parting zinger to his critics in the media and elsewhere, Hastings said: "Sorry haters, god is not finished with me yet" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And there's a related development on this, Brian, thanks very much.
We want to follow up on that Democratic campaign promise and whether it's going to pan out when the new Congress convenes next year.
Once again, let's bring back our Congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Wolf, as you know, out on a campaign trail, Democrats, especially speaker, like Nancy Pelosi, almost on a daily basis were talking about pledging to implement all of the 9/11 recommendations made by that committee. And she pledged to do so in the first 100 legislative hours of the next Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PELOSI: The recommendations are specific and they all address making America safer. That's something we have to do.
KOPPEL (voice-over): But now that pledge, according to a Democratic aide familiar with Pelosi's plan, will not include one of those recommendations -- improving intelligence oversight by reorganizing Congress itself.
Instead, Pelosi plans to appoint a bipartisan panel to work out details of what Democrats say was a vague and complex 9/11 recommendation.
Republicans responded with an I told you so.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, (R-ME), CHAIR GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: I'm not surprised that Speaker Pelosi's pledge that she would implement all of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations is running into a brick wall of reality.
KOPPEL: Of the 9/11 Commission's 41 recommendations, at least 16 remain unfinished. Among them, improving screening for explosives on airline passengers; providing adequate radio frequencies for first responders and moving to streamline intelligence oversight, which the 9/11 Commission called dysfunctional.
If implemented, the House and the Senate Intelligence Committees would have the power not only to approve new programs, they'd be able to fund them, too.
Currently, the Appropriations Committees hold the purse strings.
California Congresswoman Jane Harman is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
HARMAN: Money talks and if we don't control the money, we don't get the committee to follow our direction.
KOPPEL: But to do so could mean igniting turf wars, as some of the most powerful lawmakers, whose committees like Defense Appropriations, now control the money and will fight to keep the Intelligence Committees from taking some of it away.
Still, according to one of the members of the 9/11 Commission, it's essential to keep the nation safe.
TIM ROEMER, FORMER 9/11 COMMISSIONER: They result in better expenditure of taxpayer money when you base your spending on benchmarks and risk in intelligence, rather than pork barrel spending.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: Implementing all of the 9/11 recommendations is just one of a number of pledges that the Democrats now must make good on. Others include cutting in half the interest rates on student loans, as well as severing the link between lobbyists and lawmakers -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Andrea, thank you for that.
Andrea Koppel reporting for us from the Hill.
Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, this is a little unsettling. Millions of Americans, as well as visitors to this country, are being scored when they cross over the U.S. border.
The Department of Homeland Security's automated targeting system, ATS, gives a number-based risk assessment of travelers -- in other words, how likely they are to become terrorists or criminals.
It's been going on for four years. They never told the public about it. Virtually every person who crosses our borders by land, sea or air is evaluated. The number is based on analysis of personal data and travel records, information like where you're from, how you paid for your ticket, what you ordered on your way here to eat, what your motor vehicle record looks like.
You want to know what your score is?
That's too bad. It's all classified. You can't see it. You can't challenge it. And the government's going to hold onto this information for 40 years. I guess they figure by then you'll either be dead or you'll be too old to be a terrorist.
Here's the question -- should the U.S. government keep terrorist profiles on travelers for 40 years?
E-mail us at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thanks for that.
Jack Cafferty reporting.
And coming up, snow and ice are causing havoc in the nation's mid-section right now. We're tracking the first major winter storm of the season and how it might affect you.
Plus, a congressman embroiled in a bitter runoff makes a remarkable TV ad statement denying he's taken a bribe.
Up next, is the new hope that U.S. troops will leave Iraq sooner rather than later? I'll ask Democratic Congressman John Murtha whether a bipartisan panel's report, due out next Wednesday, is likely to make much of a difference.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Anticipation is building for the Iraq Study Group to deliver its recommendations to President Bush next Wednesday. Lawmakers of both parties are likely to zero in on parts of the report dealing with exit strategies and possible target dates for a U.S. military withdrawal.
Joining us now, a powerful voice in the push to try to bring the troops home, Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania.
Congressman, thanks very much for coming in.
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Nice to be here, Wolf.
BLITZER: The outlines are coming out of what this bipartisan study group is going to do. We don't know the specific details yet. It's a 100-page document.
But based on what you've read, what you've heard so far, the general outlines, what do you think?
MURTHA: Well, I talked to Leon Panetta today and if you remember, a year ago I said we need to redeploy as soon as practicable, and I said stress diplomacy. Then the public spoke. And at the time I spoke out, about 50 percent of the public supported what I was saying. Now, 60 percent of the public supports what I've been saying and they spoke very clearly in the election.
Now, the commission is saying let's redeploy, let's change the policy of stay the course to redeployment.
The problem, as I understand it -- and I haven't seen the report either, Wolf -- but the problem is they say it depends on the circumstances on the ground.
Well, if it depends on circumstances on the ground, it's not a lot different than what President Bush is saying. And then President Bush says you're going to ignore it anyway.
Now, we have to have a change in policy here and that's what we're going to work on all this year, trying to work with this president in trying to reduce our number of troops in Iraq and do it as soon as practicable.
BLITZER: Leon Panetta, a former White House chief of staff under President Clinton, OMB director, a former member of the House himself, did he give you a sense of how specific, though, they might be, in terms of a time line?
MURTHA: Well, he said I think the end of 2008 have all the troops out. But that's unacceptable.
BLITZER: What, you mean all the troops, or just the combat troops...
MURTHA: Well, that's right...
BLITZER: ... because half of the troops...
MURTHA: You -- yes.
BLITZER: ... the other are support troops or trainers.
MURTHA: Yes, that's true. He said combat troops. But that is unacceptable to me. We're costing $8 billion a month, Wolf. Since I spoke out, there were 400 attacks a day. Now there's 800 attacks a day. All the measurements which you and I have talked about before -- oil production, electricity production below pre-war level.
The Iraqis want us out of there. The world wants us out of there. We have to find a way to redeploy the troops and we have to do it sooner rather than later.
Now, we have to work on it this year. I'm going to meet with the White House officials some time next week and try to convince them that it's just not going well. Is not going to be better.
Commissioner -- or the Kissinger came out with the same type of thing in the 1960s and three years later, we got out of there, but we lost 20,000 troops.
We're just not making the progress. And then they say well, we need 300,000 Iraqis trained. Then they say we need 100,000 more Iraqis trained. They keep changing the guidelines.
That's the problem with this report.
BLITZER: Here's what the president said the other day, and he seemed to be speaking to you and other critics when he said this.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been asked about timetables ever since we got into this. All timetables mean is that it -- it -- it -- it is a timetable for withdrawal. You kept asking me those questions. All that does is -- hold on a second.
All that does is set people up for unrealistic expectations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, you want to respond to him?
MURTHA: Yes, I'll tell you, Wolf, he misses the whole point. The public has spoken. The world has spoken. This is not a dictatorship. This is a democracy.
We have to do what's best for America. They keep saying there will be more chaos. The Secretary Designate said if we leave, there will be more chaos.
I don't agree with that. I think there will be less chaos. I think we have caused some of the chaos by being in Iraq. We're going to have less terrorism if we reduce -- if we redeploy our troops, and we should redeploy them as quickly as possible.
So I need to see the whole report. They say in the report no permanent bases and some other things like that. Well, that's fine. I agree with that. We need to get these supplementals out of the way and start putting the funding for this bill in the base bill, all of those kind of things we're going to change next year.
We can have a dramatic influence on what's happening here if we do it right. But we want to work with this administration to redeploy the troops and we want to do it as soon as possible.
BLITZER: Does the United States have a responsibility to protect those Iraqis who cooperated with the United States, who worked with the United States and who now clearly fear if the U.S. pulls out -- which is what you want -- they're going to be vulnerable to attack, they could be killed?
MURTHA: Let me tell you something, we have to do what's best for America. That's what our diplomacy is all about. We've made a lot of mistakes in this war. We made a mistake by going in -- no al Qaeda connection, no connection -- no weapons of mass destruction. And the handling of the occupation has been dismal. Everybody admits that's all kinds of mistakes.
But for us to stay when it's getting worse every day is irresponsible and so we need to find a way, a center. We need to give the Iraqis the incentive. They have no incentive. They're living in the green zone. The prime minister is living in the green zone. He comes out every once in a while to meet with people, but he's being protected by American troops.
We need to say to him, let the Iraqis protect you.
BLITZER: Congressman, what do you say to Senator John McCain or Lindsey Graham or John Cornyn, who say the United States can still win in Iraq, but it would require deploying perhaps another 50,000 American forces to go in there and get the job done?
MURTHA: I say it's impossible to find 50,000 troops to send in there for the amount of time it would take. I just met with the deputy chief of staff of the Army today. I said what's our strategic reserve look like?
And he said the same thing I've been saying. We have no strategic reserve. We have no ability to find those troops to go over there for that extended period of time. We can't sustain that kind of a deployment. So that's unrealistic to even make those kind of comments.
BLITZER: Any hard feelings over Steny Hoyer becoming the majority leader, your losing that position?
MURTHA: Well, we'll keep working where we are to try to get this war out of the way. That's all over and now we're working, trying to get the troops redeployed.
BLITZER: We saw that photo-op when he started to speak. You sort of walked away. There was an interpretation u were irritated.
Are you still irritated?
MURTHA: Well, let me tell you, Wolf, you want to talk about Iraq, I'm glad to talk about it. I'm going to work with Nancy and work with the majority trying to get our troops home as soon as possible.
BLITZER: You don't want to talk about working with Steny Hoyer?
MURTHA: You heard what I said, Wolf.
BLITZER: OK.
I'll leave it at that.
Congressman, always great to speak with you.
Thanks very much.
And in the next hour, I'll speak with the Republican senator, John Cornyn, of Texas, who wants to send 50,000 more troops to Iraq. That interview coming up shortly.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM.
I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
The gloves are coming off in what already has been a fierce Congressional contest.
Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson is firing back at his runoff challenger and he's talking tough about those bribery allegations surrounding him.
CNN's Susan Roesgen is joining us now live with details -- Susan.
SUSAN ROESGEN, GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you know the big issue in this race is the FBI accusation that Congressman Jefferson took a $100,000 bribe in exchange for his help in setting up an African telecommunications company. Now Jefferson is running an ad that flatly denies it. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN (voice-over): In nine days, Louisiana voters must choose between incumbent Congressman Bill Jefferson and State Representative Karen Carter. After a fairly civilized general election, Carter is now using a mock spelling bee to tell voters what she really thinks of Congressman Jefferson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CARTER CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: T-O...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Jefferson was videotaped by a FBI taking a $100,000 bribe.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: C-R...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... $90,000 of White House was later found in his freezer.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I-T-E. Hypocrite.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: But Jefferson is firing back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM JEFFERSON CAMPAIGN AD)
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON (D), LOUISIANA: A source of hers claimed I was videotaped by the FBI taking a bribe. Her newspaper source got the facts wrong. I have never taken a bribe from anyone. This is a desperate attempt by an ambitious young woman who won't debate me on her cozy relationship with the insurance industry and has our insurance premiums sky high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Still, Jefferson doesn't explain the money in his freezer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a clever ad where he responds to the most serious charge without going into the details and then slams his opponent in the process.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: In fact, Karen Carter's office released a statement about that new ad today, Wolf. The statement says that two people have already gone to jail in this investigation, but that Jefferson fails to see how the law applies to him.
So never a dull moment, Wolf, in Louisiana politics.
BLITZER: I think that's an understatement.
Thanks very much, Susan, for that. Susan Roesgen reporting.
Coming up, should travelers who cross the United States border get rated for their terrorist and have it kept on file for decades?
It's Jack Cafferty's question this hour.
Up next, though, Senator John McCain steps on another presidential prospects turf. James Carville and Terry Jeffrey standing by. They'll consider McCain's motives in our Strategy Session.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
In today's "Strategy Session": Senator John McCain courting Republican governors, and crashing the party of the man who could be one of his chief rivals for the GOP presidential nomination.
Joining us now to discuss this and more, CNN political analyst and Democratic strategist James Carville, and Terry Jeffrey, the editor of "Human Events Online."
What do you make of this? McCain, he runs into these governors, Mitt Romney, the outgoing governor of Massachusetts, having a little reception, and McCain shows up.
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, that's presidential politics. I mean, he's not -- he has announced an exploratory committee. He's running. They were Republican governors there.
It -- I kind of like it. I encourage him to do more of this stuff. And I hope Romney gets irritated by it. And maybe they will -- you know, maybe they will break out in an argument.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: But I don't think it's unfair politics to do that, at all, not at all.
BLITZER: If -- if you're courting governors, you know what?
CARVILLE: Yes.
BLITZER: You go where the governors are, right?
CARVILLE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
TERRY JEFFREY, EDITOR, "HUMAN EVENTS": Yes. It's not unfair politics. It's good politics. There's no doubt McCain right now is the front-runner for the Republican nomination. Romney has emerged as the early number-one challenger. Romney has been trying to define himself as a conservative. McCain has been trying to reestablish his credibility with conservatives. He's going at it very aggressively right now. So, they're really into a campaign pretty early here.
BLITZER: Here is a little clip of what McCain said. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I would like to tell you that we have a lot of work ahead of us. We do. We did not have a good election. We all know that. And we have got to find our way again. We have got to remember why people are Republicans. We have got to return to the principles of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You notice they didn't say the principles of George W. Bush.
CARVILLE: No, he didn't.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Is that a slap at the president?
CARVILLE: It's a political reality. They're not going -- they're going to have a terrible time with George W. Bush at the 2008 Republican Convention, because he retained -- some of the popularity he has left is with the Republican base. But it is -- I think it's indicative of the challenges that he has. Yes, it is.
And I -- he will probably get some heat for that.
JEFFREY: Well, what McCain is trying to do is recognize that the Republican Party has done something wrong in recent years. Basically, it's moved away from its roots. He is trying to reassure people he is really with those roots with Reagan, Lincoln, et cetera.
He's not getting very specific about it, though. And, as things go forward, he is going to be pushed very hard on hard conservative issues to see what sort of commitments he will make.
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY: And that's going to be the test for him down the road.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, those are the kind of Republicans I like. I could be for them.
BLITZER: You go got to give him credit, though, James.
JEFFREY: Big-government...
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: Yes.
BLITZER: He's a -- he totally believes that the United States does not have enough troops in Iraq right now...
CARVILLE: Right.
BLITZER: ... to get the job done. And by suggesting sending tens of thousands of more...
CARVILLE: Right.
BLITZER: ... not necessarily a very popular statement on his part.
CARVILLE: Well, it's not a popular statement. He knows it's not going to happen. It can't happen. Every military analyst has come up and said, we don't have the troops. And...
BLITZER: But, politically, that could hurt him by even saying that, right?
CARVILLE: Well, I think what he's hoping is that it helps him, because he can say it, and he knows it's not going to happen.
And, then, he can say: Look, I have taken the sort of unpopular point.
McCain, to -- but, to his credit -- or his detriment, probably -- he has always wanted -- his answer to everything is more troops. The American people don't want that. Right now, I think he's getting both sides. He's sort of saying, well, I'm calling for something unpopular, but he knows that it can't happen, because we don't have the troops to send.
JEFFREY: You know, the truth is, if the United States is still in Iraq in 2008, and we're taking casualties there, John McCain is not going to get elected president. The Democrats are going to elect an anti-war president, if that is in fact the case.
I think McCain sees that something is going to have to happen in Iraq in the next few months to change the political situation there and change the equation into which U.S. troops are going, or else, forget it; it's not going to happen.
CARVILLE: And what I suspect he figures is what everybody else does. It is going to end up being pretty much of a disaster. And he will able to say: Look, I -- I said back then the unpopular thing.
BLITZER: But is he is -- I mean, it is very unpopular, including, I suspect, with a lot of Republicans right now, to be calling for an increase of U.S. forces in Iraq, given the vulnerability, the dangers there. Is this a profile-in-courage kind of statement that he is making?
JEFFREY: Well, I think McCain has definitely been consistent on the Iraq war. He has been principled. I think a lot of people have questioned whether the strategy he is pursuing right now would be successful.
I suspect you might see the Bush administration increase troop forces in Iraq in the short run, before they begin a drawdown next year.
BLITZER: What about Nancy Pelosi's latest decision to name a new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, not Jane Harman...
CARVILLE: Right.
BLITZER: ... who was the ranking Democrat...
CARVILLE: Right.
BLITZER: ... but Silvestre Reyes?
CARVILLE: Well, I think it's a pretty good decision. And I think that a lot of people looked at -- at Jane Harman's record. And she pretty much went along with the most disastrous period in the history of American intelligence.
And I think that, you know, the thing with Alcee Hastings, who I personally am fond of, crazy about, but he -- circumstances were such that he was unable to perform that.
And I -- you know, I think that a lot of Democrats had real questions about Jane Harman's tenure when she was the ranking minority member on that committee. And I think the speaker probably exercised some pretty good judgment, and got the Democrats through some treacherous waters here.
BLITZER: As the incoming speaker, she has the authority to name whoever she wants to head that committee.
JEFFREY: Right.
Well, I think it's a good thing it's not going to be Alcee Hastings. I was amazed that Nancy Pelosi actually considered him for the post. This is a guy who was impeached by the House of Representatives. He was convicted and removed by the United States Senate. He would have had no business being a chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, let alone in a time of war.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But you don't have a problem with Reyes?
JEFFREY: I don't know Mr. Reyes' record, but I have no reason right now to say there's anything wrong with him as the chairman. BLITZER: What does it say about her, though? She had a setback, obviously...
CARVILLE: Right.
BLITZER: ... early on. But now -- how is she -- how is she doing?
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: She had a setback.
And -- and I'm not sure she had Jack Murtha was her friend. She and Hoyer didn't -- she stuck with a friend. It didn't work out. We have got to move on.
She's got many challenges ahead of her, obviously. But I think this -- she got through this one. People were -- it was a thing. And people do like Alcee Hastings. I know I like him.
BLITZER: She...
CARVILLE: And I'm -- so, I feel sorry for him. But it's -- probably, she's right that this wasn't the right man for this time.
BLITZER: She supported Murtha to be the majority leader. He lost to Steny Hoyer. And we just saw Murtha. He is still a little irritated over that...
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: ... that whole issue.
JEFFREY: Well, I mean, there is another place where -- you know, Jack Murtha, we have all seen the tape, where, back, during Abscam, he told an FBI agent: I'm not interested in that $50 -- $50,000 now, but, if we do some business, maybe I will be interested down the road. So...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: That was, you know, 30 years ago, 20 years ago.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: Yes. And he never was. And he never --and I like Jack Murtha a lot. He never was indicted. He was -- the guy was trying...
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: ... to help his district. And we ought to point out, too, that Judge Hastings was found not guilty by a jury of his peers.
I just want to point that, because I like both Jack Murtha, and I like Alcee Hastings. BLITZER: But I was a little surprised when Murtha, you know, was showing that irritation with Steny Hoyer.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You would think that, you know, they are ready to move on now.
CARVILLE: I -- yes, I think -- I think that Colonel Murtha is probably a little irritated, a little -- a little raw, still, from this. And -- but he pledged his allegiance to the speaker.
And I think he will -- I think the speaker will have to call to get his vote together from time to time.
BLITZER: Democratic politics, never dull.
CARVILLE: No. Oh, no. We -- no, we promise you entertainment here.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
JEFFREY: ... appreciate it, James.
CARVILLE: You got it.
BLITZER: James lives up to that promise.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Thanks very much, James Carville, Terry Jeffrey. Thanks to both of you...
JEFFREY: Thank you.
BLITZER: ... for coming in.
What does it take to receive the presidential seal of approval? If you ask the Secret Service, they might tell you it takes the perfect scent.
Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, is standing by to explain -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, it's clean. It's fresh. It's masculine. It's called 1600 For Men. It's an entire line of skin care products. They all bear the official presidential seal.
There is everything from lotion, to aftershave, to a power muscle soak. The Secret Service licensed the presidential seal to a small California company. And 15 percent of the proceeds go to charity.
The Secret Service Benefit Fund has the right to the presidential seal, puts it on everything, from shirts, to glassware, to Christmas ornaments. You can buy it online at the White House gift shop, or go visit it in person.
They say that there's also a line of women's products in the works, perhaps based on the scent of the White House gardens -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for that, Jacki. Scent -- S-C-E-N-T.
Thanks very much.
Coming up: new discoveries of the same radioactive substance that killed a former Russian spy. We're tracking the spreading danger online.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Carol Costello standing -- or sitting by -- to share some other important stories making new -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That is more accurate. I am sitting by.
Hello, Wolf.
Hello to all of you.
We want to give you a look now at the miserable winter weather that has been socking the Midwest and the -- doesn't that look nasty? These pictures are coming from TrafficLand.com.
A state of emergency is in effect in Missouri. National Guard troops are heading to Saint Louis, where nearly 300,000 people are without electricity, snow so high in some places you need a yardstick to measure it, up to 16 inches in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in the streets of Beirut today. They're demanding Lebanon's U.S.-backed prime minister step down. His response: There will be no coup, and he has no plans to resign. Hezbollah and pro-Syrian allies promise to continue protests, after today's massive demonstration. Last month, all four Hezbollah ministers in Lebanon's Cabinet resigned.
A super-typhoon is moving into the South China Sea, but not before taking a horrific toll on the Philippines. Red Cross officials say mudslides and floods killed nearly 400 people. Many houses are in ruins. Rescue crews are having a tough time getting to the stranded people. Volcanic debris crashed down on one village. A witness says it looks like a desert.
Chaos on the floor of Mexico's Congress today, as the country's new president was sworn in. Rival lawmakers punched and shoved each other. Leftist deputies claim Felipe Calderon won July's election by fraud. He had to use a back entrance to reach the podium to be sworn in. His opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, insists he is Mexico's legitimate president.
British health officials say two more people have tested positive for the same radiation substance, polonium 210, that killed the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Sources tell CNN, they are his wife, Marina, and an Italian security expert who met with Litvinenko the same day he became sick to warn him, both men were apparently on a hit list.
In the meantime, a hotel in Sussex, England, has now been evacuated. Forensic experts are testing for possible radiation there.
So, Wolf, the plot thickens.
BLITZER: That story does not end. What a horrible story, that is -- a lot of scared people out there right now.
Thanks for that, Carol. We are going to get back to you soon.
As the investigation into the spread of this deadly substance expands, health officials are racing to keep the public informed.
Our Abbi Tatton has some more now on this radioactive element, polonium 210 -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, it's naturally occurring. It's found in cigarettes. It has been used safely for decades in photographic brushes to eliminate static.
You can all -- all -- actually also buy small quantities of polonium 210 over the Internet. And it's perfectly legal to buy and sell it in these tiny amounts.
But health sites are now addressing just when polonium 210 is hazardous, the Health Physics Society in the United States, the Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom. And it's clear from these sites that polonium 210 it is only a worry when it gets inside the body.
Your skin acts as a natural barrier to it. So, it has to be ingested or inhaled. And, then, only when it is a large amount is it hazardous. A large amount would have to be manmade. It would not be naturally occurring.
Still, many people in the United Kingdom concerned that they have been exposed -- over 2,500 calls to British authorities so far -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you for that, Abbi. What a story. We will stay on top of it -- a lot more on this story coming up here in the next hour, in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Next Wednesday, President Bush gets the much-anticipated report from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Whether or not it calls for a phased withdrawal, as anticipated, will the president have to follow what the report says? And, if not, why have such a panel in the first place? Let's turn to our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield -- Jeff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Wolf, there is an intriguing question about that Iraq Study Group. And it's not about what that well-placed, highly credentialed, scrupulously bipartisan panel is going to recommend.
No, the question is, why do Washington decision-makers so often turn to these kind of panels for advice? And does that advice ever make a difference?
(voice-over): Often, a commission is a way for a president to say, I'm really concerned about this. When American cities burst into racial conflict in the 1960s, President Johnson ordered up a panel headed by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner and New York Mayor John Lindsay. That group warned, famously, that America was becoming two nations, one black, one white, but it yielded no specific policy changes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must begin with a candid conversation on the state of race relations today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: In the '90s, it was President Clinton who appointed an advisory board to the President's Initiative on Race, which led to -- well, it's not exactly clear what that led to.
Nor did Senator Bob Kerrey's commission on reforming Social Security yield any specifics. That famous third rail of American politics proved too hot to handle.
But that is not always the case. In 1983, after future Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan's commission recommended changes to Social Security, President Reagan, a Republican Senate and a Democratic House enacted real change, higher taxes, a slower growth in benefits, that put the system on sound footing for decades.
After World War II, President Truman asked ex-President Herbert Hoover to head a panel on government reform, which triggered big changes in everything from the Pentagon to the State Department.
Maybe the most dramatic and relevant case is the group of wise men summoned by President Johnson as the Vietnam War was escalating. They included many of his closest allies, Washington lawyer Clark Clifford, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas, former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, who urged him to stay the course.
But, three years later, when Johnson chose Clifford as his new defense secretary, the group's views had sharply changed. Clifford urged the president to change course and to begin disengaging. And, on March 31, Johnson announced a bombing halt and negotiations, along with a big surprise of his own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MARCH 31, 1971)
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD (on camera): So, when do these panels have the power to effect real change? When the reality on the ground leaves the president and the Congress no other choice -- Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield, thanks for that -- Jeff Greenfield reporting.
Still ahead: Incoming members of Congress get lessons in being lawmakers. We're going to take you inside the special school for members of the freshman class.
But, first: Should travelers who cross the United States border get rated for their terror risk, and have it kept on file for decades? Jack with your e-mail -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go back to New York and Jack Cafferty with "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Wolf, our question this hour is about a Homeland Security Department system that gives travelers who cross the U.S. borders a number based on the risk that they are either terrorists or criminals. That number then is going to be kept on file for 40 years.
Our question is: Should the government be keeping terrorist profiles on travelers for 40 years?
David writes from California: "I am in favor of the government profiling all international travelers, and keeping the data for 40 years. Of course, I'm aware that, if I travel, the government will keep a file on me. And I have no problem with that at all."
John in New Jersey: "No, absolutely not. The problem with this or any other U.S. government profile program is the rampant incompetence of the officials who determine who gets profiled."
Someone named Cat writes: "I wonder what kind of score they manage to get on the thousands of illegal aliens that cross the border from Mexico every day. If this was truly about security, they would secure our borders, not just tabulate scores on those who use legal means to enter and exit."
Timm in New York: "Of course they ought to be keeping files on us. And who cares if it's for 100 years? Had they started this 10 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now. We complain about not being protected, but, once we hear about something like this, we cry foul. Unless you're a terrorist or a drug dealer, get over it."
Bill in Alexandria writes: "The only thing that we, your fellow Americans, should be keeping track of is the nonsense the flies out of your mouth during your broadcasts."
I wonder how that got in there?
Bill in New York writes: "If collecting data on my travels will accelerate my way through the airport security gridlock, I'm all for it."
This weekend, on "IN THE MONEY" -- this -- this is a program to set your TiVo for -- we will tell you why the Christmas shopping season isn't as good for this economy of ours as you might think, and the cost of caring for our returning veterans and why we're not doing a better job of caring for those who do so much to protect the rest of us. The way we treat veterans in this country is a national disgrace.
"IN THE MONEY" airs Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00 Eastern time. And we invite you to join us.
And, when the prompter operator gets back from lunch, tell him we're at 4:53 in THE SITUATION ROOM, and moving toward 8:00 -- Wolf.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Thank you, Jack.
Jack has got an excellent program on weekend, "IN THE MONEY." I want you to tune in, Saturdays, 1:00 p.m., Sundays, 3:00 p.m. If you like Jack here in THE SITUATION ROOM, you will love him on the weekends as well.
Still to come: Our Barbara Starr is traveling in Iraq with the top U.S. commander assessing the situation on the ground. We're going to have her exclusive report in our next hour.
And up next: everything you need to know about becoming a member of the United States Congress. Getting elected, guess what, only just the beginning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In the classic movie "The Candidate," Robert Redford's newly elected character famously asked this question: "What do I do now?"
The answer might have been go to school.
Our Mary Snow sat in on some classes for incoming members of the new Congress.
Mary, what did you find out? MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just like anything else, there is a school for incoming members of Congress, teaching everything from issues of terrorism to balancing the budget.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): On his way to school, Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq war vet to be elected to Congress, makes sure not to wear new shoes. The old worn ones remind him of his roots and fighting a hard campaign. And now he is walking the path to another challenge, this one at Harvard University.
PATRICK MURPHY (D), PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: It's like officer basic course for congressmen.
SNOW: New congressman that also include John Hall, former band member of the pop group Orleans.
JOHN HALL (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: A lot of them went, "Are you the guy from that band that sang 'Still the One'?"
SNOW: Now he wants to be known for making a difference.
HALL: None of us thought this was going to be easy. But I think we're finding out, in some respects, how hard it's going to be.
SNOW: Vern Buchanan is the Floridian taking Katherine Harris' seat. He won by just 379 votes.
VERN BUCHANAN (R), FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: I have got a big learning curve. And there's a lot of education. But I also bring a lot of real-world experience.
SNOW: One of their biggest tests: Iraq. And there were plenty of questions for teachers like former Senator Gary Hart.
STEVE COHEN (D), TENNESSEE CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: Senator Hart, you talked about our -- our -- our oil policy. And a lot of people in this room, probably a majority of us, are of the proposition that we need to get out of Iraq.
SNOW: Most importantly, the school is a chance for the newcomers to pick the brains of those who have been in their shoes. But these new members are also aware they're stepping into new territory.
YVETTE CLARKE (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT: Every generation has to grapple with the challenges of its day. And we have reached a watershed moment, quite frankly.
SNOW: And, to deal with that watershed moment, the director of the program, former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen says, like any other school, there are lessons learned in building trust.
JEANNE SHAHEEN, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: As a freshman class, they will bond in a way that I think will be helpful to them for many years to come. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, the program is run by the Kennedy School of Government. It is not mandatory -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow, thanks very much -- Mary Snow reporting.
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