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The Situation Room
Bush Meets With al-Hakim; Bloody Battle in Afghanistan
Aired December 04, 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 -- are top administration officials telling the public one thing about Iraq and telling each other something else? It's 7:00 p.m. here in Washington a leaked memo from Donald Rumsfeld creates new controversy.
A bloody battle in Afghanistan, as the Taliban takes a beating. We have dramatic new pictures from the combat zone. And our Barbara Starr travels with the general in charge of the effort in both Afghanistan and Iraq. She has an exclusive interview coming up.
Also, the race for the White House, signs that Hillary Rodham Clinton is moving toward the starting gate, but will Barack Obama throw a big hurdle in her way?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Tonight, President Bush is under intense pressure and his widely criticized Iraq policy potentially in a crossroads. But Mr. Bush met today with the Shiite leader of the largest political bloc in Iraq's parliament. We will have a live report on that in just a moment. This was the first of a series of meetings, and possible Iraq turning points this week alone.
But the shadow of Donald Rumsfeld is looming over any new prospects for progress. A newly leaked memo from the outgoing Pentagon chief suggests a stark divide between what the administration has been saying about the war publicly and privately. Let's begin or coverage with our senior national correspondent John Roberts. John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NAT'L CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Wolf. When you are the president, the American people will support you through a lot of difficult times if they think you are being straight with them. Tonight, there are new questions about just how straight the president has been on the Iraq war, and the political impact of that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): A week before the November election, President Bush put his characteristically rosy spin on the Iraq war. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're winning, and we will win unless we leave before the job is done.
ROBERTS: At almost the same time, his defense secretary had a much darker outlook, crafting a memo that reads it is time for a major adjustment. Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.
A stark contradiction, and evidence, says former presidential adviser David Gergen that what the administration says in public isn't what it's thinking in private.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: They show that the inside (INAUDIBLE) is much bleaker about Iraq than what they have been saying in their upbeat public assessments and it really suggests you know they are not giving us the unvarnished truth as a public.
ROBERTS: It was the second time in less than a week that the curtain has been pulled back on this famously tight lipped administration. The first was this leaked memo from national security adviser Stephen Hadley who raised serious questions about the Iraqi prime minister's ability to lead. The next day in public it was like President Bush hadn't even seen it.
BUSH: He's the right guy for Iraq.
ROBERTS: Some people see a pattern to the disconnect. One first illuminated in the days after Hurricane Katrina, when White House statements about relief efforts didn't match the pictures on the ground. Ron Fournier, editor of the political Web site HotSoup.com, says that's when President Bush developed a credibility problem.
RON FOURNIER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HOTSOUP.COM: These memos have the potential of further reinforcing that credibility gap, of the public hearing him say one thing and hearing Don Rumsfeld say one thing and then privately, a different set of talking points coming out that contradict what they're hearing publicly.
ROBERTS: Perhaps more remarkable about the memos is that they became public at all, a huge crack in the usually disciplined White House team.
HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": I guess the team player mentality that had really defined the Bush administration for most of its tenure has now evaporated with the administration seeming to be on the losing side of this battle in Iraq.
ROBERTS: And the biggest loser may be President Bush.
GERGEN: The leaks make it appear the men around the president believe we ought to change course but the president is the last holdout, and that makes him look like he's the one who's the stubborn fellow in the middle who is in denial. Everybody else sees it, but he doesn't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: So what's the real danger for President Bush? Well people might not like being spun, but they hate being deceived. And if they feel the White House is deceiving over the war, the president may find an already shallow well of support quickly turning bone dry -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And as you and I know, this administration for six years was pretty tight lipped, had a pretty good grip on all those secret documents, but right now they seem to be exploding.
ROBERTS: Yes, you know I used to be the White House correspondent for CBS and I wished the leaks were coming as fast and furious then as they are now.
BLITZER: That's what happens when there's so much dissension going on, so much criticism. Thanks very much John for that.
The president's choice to replace Rumsfeld was on Capitol Hill today on the eve of his confirmation hearing. Former CIA Director Robert Gates is expected to win Senate approval to the top Pentagon job quickly pretty easily, as well. We'll have live coverage of that starting tomorrow morning.
As the bodies pile up back in Baghdad, 106 new victims found in the past two days alone, an Iraqi power broker visits President Bush at the White House and a blue ribbon panel prepares to offer suggestions for a way out of Iraq. Could this week be a turning point for the United States role in Iraq? Let's turn to our White House correspondent Ed Henry. Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the president did bring in a key Shiite cleric today at the White House. On Thursday, he will be hosting British Prime Minister Tony Blair. All signs that the president realizes this week the heat is on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): Pressure building on President Bush to change course with judgment from the Iraq Study Group coming Wednesday, so the president is trying to crank up the diplomacy, meeting with key Shiite leader Abdul Aziz Hakim to help stabilize Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
BUSH: We talked about the need to give the government of Iraq more capability as quickly as possible. So that the elected government of Iraq can do that which is Iraqi people want, which is to secure their country from the extremists and murderers.
HENRY: More importantly the president was trying to send a message to the American people. I get it. There needs to be a new direction in Iraq.
BUSH: I told him that we're not satisfied with the pace of progress in Iraq. And that we want to continue to work with the sovereign government of Iraq to accomplish our mutual objectives, which is a free country that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.
HENRY: The president realizes the Iraq Study Group's report may be blistering in its assessment of the war. And while sources say the panel will not have a timetable for withdrawal it may push for a significant number of combat troops to start coming home. White House spokesman Tony Snow is noncommittal about whether the president will embrace some of any of the report. Noting the president is also waiting for Pentagon and White House reviews of Iraq policy. But Snow bristled at a suggestion the president ordered these separate reviews in order to have the political cover to cherry pick which recommendations to follow.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You don't understand the president. The president doesn't look for cover. What he looks for is information to help formulate the best judgments about how to move forward.
HENRY: The White House knows that all of the options from withdrawal to adding more troops carry risk.
KEN POLLACK, SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY: At this point in time, the situation has deteriorated so much that there probably just aren't any solutions to the problem of Iraq. There are simply choices to be made among these different bad options.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: And we're just getting late word this evening that the president tomorrow morning will be meeting with Robert Gates, his Pentagon nominee here at the White House. Then the president will make a brief statement before heading -- before Gates heads up to Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearing. Clearly, the White House trying to turn the page here and get their new nominee -- get him confirmed by the Senate -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And we'll have coverage of that tomorrow morning here on CNN. Ed, thank you for that.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has been traveling with the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, the man in charge of the war in Iraq. And in an exclusive interview he says Iran is up to no good there. Here's Barbara's report.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the key question -- can the government of the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hold together in the face of mounting pressure?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): As the Shia and Sunni killings across Baghdad reach new levels, General John Abizaid, the top commander for U.S. military forces in the Middle East, says Iraqi Shia militias are being directly trained and financed by the government of Iran. Something the Iranian government has denied.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: It's clear that money is coming in through their intelligence services. Training is probably being conducted inside Iran through various surrogates and proxies. Iranian equipment is finding its way into the hands of Shia extremist groups. It's hard to believe that that's not a matter of policy from the Iranian government.
STARR: CNN has been the only network traveling with Abizaid. In this exclusive interview, he leaves no doubt about the involvement of Iran in the Iraqi militias that U.S. troops are fighting.
ABIZAID: It's also clear to me that Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force intelligence personnel are operating within the country, and operating in a way that does not support stability or the current legitimately elected government of Iraq.
STARR: For Abizaid this trip into the combat zone comes at a time when the Washington political wars dominate the news. But he is determined to stay out of that fray. This trip has focused on talking to commanders trying to get a sense of whether they think Iraqi forces will remain loyal to the new government. There is continuing concern about police units in Baghdad.
ABIZAID: But as you heard today in some of the conversations with our various commanders, some of them are very concerned about certain police locations being badly infiltrated, and certain units within the national police not doing their job the way that they should be.
STARR: Abizaid avoids using the words civil war but his meaning is clear.
ABIZAID: Yes, I think the concerns about it spinning into a broader conflict are still there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: U.S. military commanders believe the government of Iraq can maintain control of the security forces, which is key to avoiding all-out civil war. But commanders say that Iraq is in a period of crucial instability, and any major draw down of U.S. combat forces could still be months away. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right, Barbara -- Barbara doing some exclusive reporting for us from the region.
Jack Cafferty is in New York. He has "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: With a civil war raging in Iraq and no clear U.S. strategy to fight it, there are plenty of critics of President Bush around. He keeps saying things aren't so bad, and we will eventually be victorious there. "New York Times" columnist Frank Rich had some harsh words for President Bush in the Sunday edition of the newspaper.
Rich said this and I'm quoting here. "We've witnessed the troubling behavior of a president who isn't merely in a state of denial but is completely untethered from reality. It's not that he can't handle the truth about Iraq. He doesn't know what the truth is."
These remarks came days before the president's scheduled meeting with the by partisan Iraq Study Group. Sources close to that group say it will recommend a gradual reduction of U.S. combat troops to begin early next year. The Pentagon says it's conducting its own assessment of the situation in Iraq, and then there's the Rumsfeld memo, suggestions that he penned just days before his resignation. White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley says that President Bush will weigh all his options but will not likely make changes for weeks, weeks.
The question then, is this. "New York Times" columnist Frank Rich says President Bush is untethered from reality. Do you agree? E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you -- Jack's in New York.
And coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM, Hillary Clinton, smoke signals? We'll find out why some political news junkies think she's getting closer to jumping into the 2008 presidential race.
Plus, spinning out of control, we'll take you live to the front lines of Afghanistan for a firefight with the Taliban. We'll tell you what's going on there.
Also, former President George Bush breaks down crying. Yes. We're going to tell you why.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Tonight, a respected Democratic political operative tells CNN he'll join Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign team if she runs for president. He's Phil Singer, a long-time aide to New York's other senator, Chuck Schumer. There's a new wave of speculation tonight about Hillary Clinton's plans in 2008, and whether a Democratic primary slug fest could be in the works.
Let's turn to our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. Candy?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Hillary may not be running, but she is out and talking about running. Perhaps more interesting than that is why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Month after month, and year after year, I've watched with a heavy heart as my deepest suspicious about this war's conception have been confirmed and exacerbated in its disastrous implementation. CROWLEY (voice-over): For a guy who hasn't decided whether he's running for president, the electric senator from Illinois has been a busy bee. Since the election, a major speech on Iraq in the comfort of his home state, a talk to an AIDS conference in California.
OBAMA: We also have a responsibility to treat the 40 million individuals who are already living with HIV.
CROWLEY: He's made the rounds on television, and, oh, he's going to New Hampshire this weekend. While pundit world went bats over the possibility of an Obama race, Senator Clinton flew below the radar, not her usual flight pattern. Now, after weeks of Obama fest the Clinton camp where little is said or leader without prior approval reveals that the senator is talking about running in private talks with New York politicians and others.
Message -- hold your horses, I'm on my way. While two titans jockey for early postposition, consider the case of lesser-knowns, who even in the best of times struggle for equal billing with the marquee names.
GOV. TOM VILSACK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I announce my candidacy to be the next president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
CROWLEY: Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack made his presidential ambitions official last week with less fanfare than Obama's September trip to Iowa. Indiana Senator Evan Bayh opened his exploratory committee today with less attention than Hillary Clinton's private talks. Bayh has collected a good bit of money and spent more time in the early presidential states than any other Democrat. He pondered the problem of lesser lights five months ago during a trip to Iowa.
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Now is it a little bit of a David versus Goliath situation? Yes, probably is, but as I recall David did OK.
CROWLEY: The problem is back then there was only one Goliath. Now there are two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: While Vilsack and others like him have long seen themselves campaigning as not Hillary Clinton, the person who could take advantage of party qualms that the senator is too laden with baggage and too divisive to win a general election, but if Obama gets into the race, it significantly decreases the amount of running for others who would be president.
BLITZER: And we expect both of them to formally make decisions when?
CROWLEY: Well, you're not going to hear it until next year. I mean one of the advantages of being able to collect a lot of money and have a big name is you can delay that and you can keep pushing it back. Then everything supposedly doesn't look quite so aimed towards a presidential campaign. And a lot of people don't think Obama is certain at this point. Though, they -- most people certainly believe Hillary is in.
BLITZER: Yes, I think that's fair to say. I spoke to a lot of people close to her, and they're pretty convinced she's running, but we'll see. Thanks very much, Candy, for that.
Meanwhile, could two other well-known politicians be greasing the gears of their party's political machine for a potential White House run? Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is joining us now with details. Bill?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in Florida today meeting with the governor, Jeb Bush. Now, what could that be about?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(APPLAUSE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Florida Governor Jeb Bush is an ardent conservative. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pretty liberal. In a year when Republicans across the country are reeling, that Bush and Bloomberg are thriving. Why? Florida and New York City are doing well economically. Neither Bush nor Bloomberg is tied to Washington or Iraq.
They both have the image of competence. Something President Bush lost as a result of Katrina and Iraq. Governor Bush earned high marks for his handling of hurricane disasters in Florida.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: We've worked on this all night long and today there is significant improvement.
SCHNEIDER: Mayor Bloomberg has acted (INAUDIBLE) to diffuse a racially tense police shooting in New York.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK: This morning's dialogue I think was open and honest and blunt just the way it should be.
SCHNEIDER: The list of potential Republican contenders for 2008 is long, but neither of them is on it. Bloomberg's too liberal. And as for Jeb, this doesn't seem like a good time to talk about a third Bush in the White House.
BUSH: I think he'd be a great president but it's -- he said he's not going to run in 2008.
SCHNEIDER: Both men could have a powerful influence on the 2008 presidential campaign. So far, conservatives have no strong horse for 2008. No candidate to carry the George W. Bush banner. With Florida a must-win state for Republicans, Jeb Bush is a strong contender for the number two spot on any GOP ticket.
Bloomberg appeals to independents, just like John McCain. But "New York" magazine quotes Bloomberg as saying about McCain, "is he a viable candidate? Is it McCain from the 'Straight-Talk Express' or the guy that went to Liberty University?"
The magazine reports that Bloomberg may run for president as an independent. He's very rich, he's popular, there seems to be a strong market these days for an independent, and did we mention, he's very rich?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: Bloomberg and Bush are joining forces to lobby Congress to reauthorize the controversial No Child Left Behind Bill with some important changes. Now it can't hurt either of them to pull their influence on an issue where both of them have a lot of credibility. Wolf?
BLITZER: Bill, thanks very much -- Bill Schneider reporting.
And still to come tonight here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a former president breaks down and cries when talking about his son. We're going to tell you what brought former President George Bush to tears.
Firefight with the Taliban -- dramatic new pictures on the front lines of Afghanistan where a forgotten war is still raging and seemingly getting worse.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Some other important stories making news. Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. Hello to all of you.
In Afghanistan a brutal gun battle between Taliban insurgents and NATO troops. Listen to this.
(SHOTS FIRING)
COSTELLO: It was brutal. This was in a southern Afghan Province of Helmand. NATO says as many as 80 insurgents were killed in the fight. They say though there were no NATO casualties.
Big protest today outside of the Supreme Court -- hundreds of demonstrators rallied as the justices looked at integration rules in public schools. At issue, whether programs in Seattle and Louisville, Kentucky are acceptable moves toward student diversity or whether they involve illegal racial quotas. A ruling is expected next year. Most of those who protested today support affirmative action.
And a tearful moment featuring father and son -- today former President George Bush cried tears of pride at a meeting for his son, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The father was on hand at a leadership counsel. Jeb Bush is a member and his dad was toasting him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: True measure of a man is how you handle victory and also defeat. So in '94, Floridians chose to rehire the governor and they took note of his defeated opponent, who showed not merely with words but with wise actions what decency he...
(APPLAUSE)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH: I can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He's saying I can do it. Jeb Bush will be leaving office next month, and that applause you heard, Wolf, was sustained.
BLITZER: Well, that shows the love of a father for his son -- clearly, an emotional moment for the former president. Thank you very much, Carol, for that.
And still ahead, will New York's outgoing governor, George Pataki, run for president in '08? I'll ask him. My interview with the outgoing Republican governor is coming up.
Plus, some major new developments in the case of that former Russian spy killed with radiation. British investigators are now on the trail in Moscow.
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, Kofi Annan says Iraqis were better off with a brutal dictator than they are without him. In an interview with the BBC, the UN secretary- general said Iraq was in better shape with Saddam Hussein than the country is in a civil war and again questioned whether Iraq's leaders can solve the crisis.
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton is resigning. The White House says he handed in his resignation on Friday, and the president was surprised, but accepted it reluctantly. Bolton will step aside when the current session of Congress ends. That's expected this week.
And he's a Ronald Reagan conservative who's exploring a presidential bid, Senator Sam Brownback. Today the Kansas Republican opened a presidential exploratory committee. I'm Wolf Blitzer, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
When you're Hillary Rodham Clinton, a few well-timed meetings with fellow political figures don't go unnoticed. We have more tonight on the signals being sent to from the senator as she mulls a presidential bid. Our Mary Snow is watching Senator Clinton's political moves in New York -- Mary? MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, those moves have been behind the scenes, talks with politicians. But they are gaining attention and making headlines and they're seen as a sign that Senator Clinton may be stepping closer to a 2008 presidential run.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): A political adviser says Senator Hillary Clinton has been seeking advice and counsel in private meetings with New York Democrats. On Sunday, Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer met at his home with Senator Clinton for two hours.
Last Wednesday, she had a breakfast meeting with Congressman Charles Rangel, one of her early supporters in 2000, one who encouraged her to run in New York. Their staffs didn't want to elaborate on the discussions, neither did Senator Charles Schumer who says he's meeting with Senator Clinton next week.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Look, I think she would make a very good president but let's wait and see. Everyone is sort of jumping the gun here.
SNOW: But the non-stop talk about a possible 2008 run has been fueled by the staff she has accumulated and the millions she has raised during her Senate campaign. Senator Clinton has been reluctant to talk about 2008 but during a debate in October, she was put on the spot about whether she is considering a run for president.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, (D) NEW YORK: It is hard not to think about it because people talk to me about it all the time. But I have not engaged in any planning or serious thought about it and I have certainly made no decisions.
SNOW: On her recent meetings and phone calls to New York Democrats, Clinton's political adviser Howard Wolfson explained it this way. "She said before the election that after the election she would be considering a presidential run. Part of that process is seeking the advice and counsel of her colleagues in New York." Some democratic strategists say those New York Democrats can serve as messengers.
DOUG HATTHAWAY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Her challenge is getting Americans to see her for who she is in her own right. So I think getting folks onboard in New York to talk about the great job she has done there is a really smart move.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now what about a forming an exploratory committee to test the waters for a presidential run? A source close to Clinton's campaign says that announcement is more likely to come in January, less likely before the end of the year -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York will be watching this every step of the way. Thank you Mary for that. Hillary Clinton isn't the only New Yorker eying the White House. On the Republican side, there's the former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the current New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the outgoing governor, George Pataki.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Governor, thanks very much for coming in.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Nice being with you, Wolf.
BLITZER: How close are you to making that decision whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination?
PATAKI: Well, obviously, it's a very important and momentous decision and it's something I have to not just think about, talk to my family about, and then make a decision. I expect within the next few weeks I'll decide one way or the other what to do here.
BLITZER: And the next theoretical move would be to create that exploratory committee. Would you take that step?
PATAKI: Well if in fact I decide to do that that would be the next step. You create an exploratory committee and begin to raise the funds and make the trips.
BLITZER: In our recent CNN poll last month, November 17 through 19, we had Giuliani and McCain among registered Republicans with 33 and 30 percent respectively, a whole bunch of other candidates way down. You were only at one percent in that poll. What do you attribute that to?
PATAKI: Well I think, Wolf, if people had taken a poll in 1993 about who is going to be the next governor of New York, I don't know if I would have gotten one percent. I was virtually unknown.
But when you work hard, when you have good ideas, and the proper vision, in this case for New York State, you can overcome wherever you might be in the polls. And if I do make the decision, I'm confident that the American people want to see someone who has run a significant government, who does believe in bringing the American people together so that we can work on practical ways to solve the very real challenges to face our country.
But as I said, you know, I'm thinking about it. I'm still the governor, we're going to have a special session of the legislature next week and I hope to get some important legislation through. Certainly, after that, at some point I'll make a decision.
BLITZER: When it comes to Iraq, governor, where do you see the situation right now? If you were the president of the United States, what would you do right now?
PATAKI: Well I was in Iraq last week. And I have to tell you, Wolf, it was very distressing to see the level of violence and to see how since I had been there two and a half years ago it does seem like the whole civil situation has gotten significantly worse.
What I think we have to do, the president just met this afternoon with one of the leading Shia members of parliament, supporters of parliament. We have got to put pressure on the Iraqi government to finally show that it can in fact govern. They don't have to win a war in one day. But they have to have some confidence from the public that they can get things done. I'll just give you some examples.
If I were the president I would tell President Maliki and his colleagues in government that you have a limited period of time to get this done. They have to pass petroleum legislation so they can give all corners of the country confidence that they will share appropriately in the funds they get from petroleum.
They should pass legislation allowing some of the Baathist party members who were kicked out of government and kicked out of civil activities to come back in when they weren't high level people. They should show a commitment to deliver services. They should say that they were going to do whatever is necessary to reign in al-Sadr's Shia militias that are having a negative impact on both the civil situation in Iraq and then our troops.
So I think the most important thing for us, if we are going to keep our troops there as the Shia leaders want us to do, is to tell them that they have to show that they can effectively govern. And put...
BLITZER: ... In effect, put up or shut up, how much time would you give them?
PATAKI: Put up or shut up. I would give them a very short period of time.
BLITZER: Be specific.
PATAKI: I don't think you can do that. I don't think you can tell a democratically-elected government that have you three weeks, a month, two months to pass this particular bill.
But these are not difficult things to do. The petroleum legislation, the Baathfication legislation, a commitment to reign in Al Sadr and his militia, these are the things the Iraqi government should be able do in a short period of time.
And by the way, Wolf, it seems to me that al Sadr -- there's a model there. He's getting support militarily with munitions and others from Iran. I think they see him as the equivalent in Iraq of Hezbollah in Lebanon. And that's why it's absolutely essential that the Maliki government show a willingness to go after him in a very, very short period of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Outgoing governor of New York, George Pataki, mulling over decision to run for president. We'll be watching that, as well. Still ahead tonight here in THE SITUATION ROOM, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez sweeps to victory after calling President Bush the devil. So why has a Kennedy teamed up with the fiery leader to bring cheap oil to the United States? We'll tell you what's going on.
Also, murder and politics. We'll find out why the death of a spy in London is leading investigators straight to Russia. Much more of our coverage, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: It appears to be a relationship solidified by oil. And alliance between a man with little love for President Bush and a member of the Kennedy clan.
Let's turn to CNN's Carol Costello. She's got more -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Call it the Kennedy/Chavez ticket for the poor. It's a partnership that's helping thousands of Americans. But at what cost?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): His is the mouth that roared, delighting and referring to President Bush as a madman, a tyrant, and, while at the United Nations, the devil.
HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (translated from Spanish): Yesterday, the devil came here.
COSTELLO: Name-calling that in part scored Hugo Chavez another big presidential win in Venezuela. And some political watchers say oddly, Chavez's name-calling didn't put a stop to a program he says comes from his big heart.
FMR. REP. JOE KENNEDY (D-MA): I'm Joe Kennedy. Help is on the way. Heating oil at 40 percent off from our friends in Venezuela and Citgo.
COSTELLO: Former U.S. Representative Joseph Kennedy now runs the Citizens' Energy Corporation, a non-profit heating-assistance program that's advertising its relationship with Citgo by a television ad. Citgo, an oil company operated in the USA but owned by the government of Hugo Chavez, is paying for the commercials. It's an arrangement some find appalling.
JOHN FUND, COLUMNIST, "WALL STREET JOURNAL: I mean, you not only get oil, you get cheap, free propaganda.
COSTELLO: John Fund is with the "Wall Street Journal".
FUND: This is a temporary reprieve from what people believe are high fuel prices because Chavez wants to score cheap propaganda points.
COSTELLO: But Kennedy seems unconcerned by the criticism. Here he is in New York, pumping the first delivery of discounted oil for this coming winter.
KENNEDY: It is the leadership of President Hugo Chavez, who has recognized the struggles of some many poor people, that we need to be grateful.
In 30 years, there was only one country -- only one country that ever gave us a price break. And that's the Venezuelans.
COSTELLO: What matters, he says, is the disadvantaged, like those depicted in Citgo's commercial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wear two pairs of long underwear and a jacket. And that's inside my house.
COSTELLO: They will get help despite critics who say the real price is too high to pay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: As we told you, Mr. Chavez just won another six-year term in Venezuela as president. He told his adoring supporters it's another defeat for the devil who tries to dominate the world.
And, Wolf, you know who he means.
BLITZER: We certainly do.
Carol, thank you for that. Carol Costello.
Reporting -- meanwhile, tonight, there are new developments in the case of that former Russian spy killed in London with a radioactive poisoning.
CNN's Matthew Chance reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a poisoned KGB spy in London to the Russian capital. The radioactive trail from Alexander Litvinenko has now led British police to Moscow. A team of nine investigators has already arrived to gather evidence. Under international scrutiny, Russian authorities are pledging full cooperation.
But there are signs of increasing diplomatic tensions. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is warning that continued suggestions about the Kremlin's alleged involvement in the poison plot could damage relations between the two countries. "We need to avoid the politicization of this tragedy," he says.
But much of the evidence turned up so far does point to some kind of Russian link. Experts say the radioactive polonium 210 which killed Litvinenko and sparked a public health scare in Britain may have originated in Russia. And aircraft between Moscow and London were contaminated, perhaps, say experts, as the poison was carried into Britain. There are also a number of key witnesses British police say they want to interview in Moscow, not least, two Russians who met Litvinenko in a hotel on the day he was poisoned. One of them now says he's also contaminated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated from Russian): We met with him on November 1st and agreed to meet again on November 2nd. But at 7:30 on November 2nd, he called and said, you know Andrei, I don't feel good. I've been throwing up. I don't think I can meet you.
CHANCE: British police may also seek to interview Mikhail Trepashkin. He's currently serving a jail sentence in Russia for revealing state secrets. But his lawyer says in letters, he's alleged Litvinenko was the victim of a death squad set up to liquidate Kremlin opponents.
Back in Britain, speculation in the press is rife about the poisoner's motives. Was Litvinenko trying to blackmail Russian tycoons? Was he killed for his criticism of the Russian president? It is just speculation.
As more sites are scanned for contamination, British officials say they will follow the evidence. And neither politics nor diplomacy, they say, will obscure the truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: That was CNN's Matthew Chance reporting from London.
A brief clarification: in a Friday story about the poisoning of that Russian spy, an interviewed guest speculated that Mario Scaramella could be a possible suspect. In the case, to be clear, British authorities have not named Scaramella as a suspect.
Still ahead, snapshots of prison life for an American accused of terror.
And Jose Padilla's lawyer is making serious accusations of his own.
And President Bush, is he untethered from reality? Jack Cafferty with your e-mail when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check in with Jack Cafferty, he's got "The Cafferty File." Jack?
CAFFERTY: "New York Times" columnist Frank Rich wrote in yesterday's paper, Wolf, that President Bush is quote, "untethered from reality," un quote.
We asked if you agree with that statement. A remarkable percentage of you do.
Ken in Lynchburg, Virginia: "Bush and reality have never met. Be it the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, illegal immigration, or the exportation of working, middle-class jobs. Best I can determine, Bush is ignorant, arrogant and incompetent, a deadly combination in war."
Ann in Florida: "Untethered? That's flattering. The man is dissociative, selfish, arrogant, stupid, stubborn and that's only a few adjectives I can use. The others would be censored. His legacy will reflect him as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history."
Sarah in Illinois: "I believe the president is very much in touch with reality, he just chooses not to tell the American people the truth because it would show us the error of his ways. His ego will not permit him to acknowledge that he's capable of making bad judgments."
Mary in a place called Bean Station, Tennessee: "Reality is just another word for George W. Bush. His father's name, his family name and influence have allowed him to go through life with someone following behind to clean up his messes. Sort of like the guys who follow the elephants in the parade."
Richard in Colorado: "It has become abundantly clear that Bush is delusional. We'll stay until the job is done. That doesn't even mean anything. I used to think he had started drinking again, now I hope has has."
And Ken in Bay City, Oregon: "I disagree with Frank Rich's statement, Jack, because it implies that Mr. Bush was once tethered to reality."
If you didn't see your e-mail here, and we got a ton of letters, go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile, you can read some more of them online. Not a lot of love out there for the chief executive.
BLITZER: I see, I sense that, at least among the viewers who are writing to you. Jack, thanks very much. Jack Cafferty will be back tomorrow here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
In a new court filing, lawyers for Jose Padilla claim he was tortured and that terror charges should be dismissed. Padilla is the U.S. citizen once identified as the so-called dirty bomber, suspect and detained as an enemy combatant. He's still charged with supporting terrorism. Jacki Schechner has some more details -- Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, that's right. Jose Padilla's lawyers say that he was tortured in the three and a half years that he was in military detention as an enemy combatant.
And these images are part of their latest filing. The images show Padilla chained at the hands and then at the feet as he's being led out of his cell by guards. They are dressed in camouflage and riot gear. There's also an image of him shown in headphones and blackout goggles.
Now in this filing, the attorneys say that he's been damaged mentally and physically. They say he was exposed to extreme heat and cold, harsh lights and sleep deprivation among other things. The "New York Times" says these images are part of a video that was taken while Padilla was being led out of his cell for dental work.
Now the Department of Justice has asked that the federal court deny Padilla's torture motion and the Pentagon strongly denies the allegations, saying they are without support and lack a shred of record evidence. They say that he was treated humanely, and these images are normal security measures that are used to transfer detainees.
We have compiled all of the motions and all of the images for you. You can find them online at CNN.com/SITUATIONROOMBLOG. The trial for Padilla is scheduled for sometime early next year, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you Jacki, for that. Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. That means Paula is standing by -- Paula?
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. That would be about six minutes from now, we're going to take a look at the disturbing trail back to Moscow in the case of the former Russian spy who died from radioactive poisoning.
Tonight, another man is now claiming he may have gotten a lethal dose, as well. Is the Putin government in trouble over allegations it might be involved in all of this? We'll take a look at some of those theories dancing around tonight. Onto our top consumer story, as well. See why your car can get towed away even if you haven't done anything wrong. A CNN investigation of the towing industry, coming up at the top of the hour. We hope you'll join us then, Wolf.
BLITZER: We certainly will, Paula, thank you.
And still ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, bye-bye Bolton. The tough man at the United Nations calls it quits. Jeanne Moos on the story. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Finally tonight, a less serious look at the resignation of the U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. This may be disappointing news to a lot of cartoonists and comedians. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may be John Bolton's last walk into the White House. His resignation left President Bush sounded resigned.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I accept it. I'm not happy about it.
MOOS: And what did Ambassador Bolton say publicly? Two words.
JOHN BOLTON, OUTGOING U.N. AMBASSADOR: Many thanks.
BUSH: Thanks for your service.
MOOS: He's certainly been of service to comedians who specialize in politics.
STEPHEN COLBERT, TALK SHOW HOST: The U.N. is supposed to be lame. That's why we put John Bolton there.
MOOS: His own words were used by opponents to bash him for bashing the U.N.
BOLTON: The secretary's building in New York has 38 stories. If you lost 10 stories today, it would make a bit of difference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the man we want at the U.N.?
MOOS: Anti and pro-commercials for U.N. ambassadors?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need leaders who will stand up for American values, like John Bolton.
MOOS: John Bolton also stood for something else, facial hair.
JON COLBERT, TALK SHOW HOST: Seen here, having just polished off an enormous glass of milk.
MOOS (on camera): Oh yes, that mustache, comedians are going to miss that mustache. We've even watched it change colors over the years.
(voice-over): Back in 1989, it was still brown.
BOLTON: The spirit of cooperation.
MOOS: Five years later, it was going white. Then whiter. Then snow white. Cartoonists love that mustache. It seemed to grow along with the controversy surrounding Bolton. He was portrayed as a bull in the U.N./China shop. One cartoonist morphed the U.N. flag into Bolton's profile, sticking out his tongue at the world. He was mocked as a walrus, though his mustache more closely resembled Captain Kangaroo's. Detractors saw Bolton as a mustachio'ed villain, a la Snidely Whiplash.
While supporters saw him as a tough-talking hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Them's fighting words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I dare you to step across this line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a steppin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one, that one, this one. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
MOOS: Now victorious Democrats have drawn the line, John Bolton. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: That's it for us. Among our guests tomorrow, presidential prospect Evan Bayh. Let's go to Paula in New York. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
