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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
America's New War: President Bush Addresses the Nation; Officials Defend Military Strategy in Afghanistan
Aired November 08, 2001 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Today on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: "America Strikes Back."
The attorney general insists Americans have won an initial home front victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thanks to their patience and to their vigilance, we know this: we have not suffered another major terrorist attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But after visiting the frontlines in the battle against bioterrorism, President Bush tonight will warn Americans that life in the U.S. will never be the same.
Saying the war in Afghanistan will go on for as long as it takes, its commander rejects criticism that the campaign has been too cautious, and rejects comparisons to his Gulf War predecessor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL FORCES: Tommy Franks is no Norman Schwarzkopf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And Britain's Prince Charles feels a bit of the anti- war backlash, as "America Strikes Back."
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington.
The two fronts of America's new war are in today's spotlight. President Bush at this hour is touring the front line in the battle against bioterrorism, ahead of a major speech he'll deliver tonight on homeland defense.
And the U.S. commander of the war inside Afghanistan defends its prosecution. We'll get to all of that in just a moment, but first Kyra Phillips updates us now with the latest development -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, Wolf.
Well, President Bush has arrived in Atlanta and he's on his tour, as we told you, the CDC, and his address to the nation tonight. Before Mr. Bush left Washington, the White House revealed he will enlist the help of Americans in this war on terrorism. In his speech tonight, he will inform American citizens they have a new responsibility in the wake of September 11. We'll have a lot more on that.
The U.S. Army general whose running the war in Afghanistan says he is satisfied with the way this campaign is progressing. Appearing today with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, General Tommy Franks dispute critics who say the tactics he is using are too timid. Today CNN has learned that General Franks is asking the Pentagon to deploy another aircraft carrier. Three United States carriers are currently being used for strikes against the Taliban.
Today the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar came under heavy attack. United States war planes struck the city before and after dark. For the first time, attacks were reported today against Taliban front lines in the mountains above Kabul.
Back in this country, the head of the postal service says the recent anthrax mailings are costing billions of dollars. John Potter told Congress he'll need $2 billion to cover lost revenues, plus $3 billion or more to cover anthrax cleanup and prevention.
Meantime, a Senate Democrat says the government has failed to do what's necessary to protect the public from biological agents. Dianne Feinstein is offering legislation to upgrade security at laboratories that handle certain toxins. Feinstein has expressed concern that the FBI cannot inform Congress as to how many U.S. laboratories handle anthrax.
Also today, members of the House have begun to read the names of the dead and missing from the terror attacks September 11. The progress -- the process, rather, of reading the thousands of names is expected to take some six hours, spaced out over several days. We'll have more on that, and also more news in about a half an hour.
Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Kyra.
In less than two months, Americans have witnessed devastating terror attacks with deaths in the thousands. They've seen the nation's armed forces deployed against enemies overseas, and they've come to know the fear of biological weapons. So to say that life has change is hardly a stretch. But coming as it does, from the president of the United States, the message gained significant weight.
The president will speak in Atlanta tonight, and that's where we find our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, give us a preview of what the president is likely to say.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that speech about three hours away now. We are told it will run about 20 to 25 minutes. The president will briefly update the American people on the military campaign overseas, but spend most of his time discussing the war on terrorism here at home. And he will assert to the American people that the government is doing all it can, and in his view, making significant progress in improving security.
Mr. Bush will speak of flights: putting 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country on full alert. Improving, in his view, security at airports and on airlines, and at harbors and other major transportation centers.
Also taking steps to improve security at nuclear power plants and other key installations. But this speech also comes at a time in which the government cannot answer some questions, and is finding itself frustrated in some of these new security efforts.
The government still cannot say, for example, where the anthrax in those letters to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and other prominent media personalities, came from -- who might have done that, whether that anthrax came from here in the United States, or overseas. In recent weeks, despite the increased security, several major breaches of security at major airports around the United States.
And some have criticized those vague warnings issued by the government -- the vague alerts of the possibility of new terrorist attacks. Some saying they only served to increase the nervousness of an already jittery nation. Answering some of those questions and trying to explain what the president sees as the new responsibility of every American citizen in this new country, as he will call it tonight, this is just one of the questions he faces.
His national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, earlier today discussed the president's challenge tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The president will -- will, I think, talk to the American people about how life both changes and goes on, since September 11, about the spirit of the country. About some of the things that the government has been doing, on behalf of the American people, to make us all safer.
He will make a very clear case that the government is on the case and doing everything that it possibly can. But the American people need to continue to be vigilant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We are told the president will make no major new announcements, but will make a few specific requests of the United States Congress, including an end to the partisan squabbling over a new airline and airport security bill. The president's speech also will take some time, as the first lady did earlier today, to salute what he will call the new heroes of America: public health workers, postal workers, firefighters, police workers. The president taking some time to applaud what he will call the new spirit taking hold in America. But he also will assert, once again, that every American has the responsibility to be more alert, because of the continued thread of domestic terrorism here in the United States -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John, is the speech likely to be exclusively on homeland security, or will he get into the actual war on the ground in Afghanistan as well?
KING: We are told that he will assert that there is progress being made in the war in Afghanistan, in the military campaign. And he will discuss briefly the military operation, as well as the international coalition. But the overwhelming majority of this speech, again, expected to run about 25 minutes here in Atlanta tonight, will be dedicated to homeland security, the domestic war on terrorism, the steps the government is taking and will take.
And in part, as well, a rallying cry to the American people, if you will, that they too have a responsibility to join the fight. The president, in the past, has used the term every American is a foot soldier in the war on terrorism. The vice president has called this the new normalcy. The president won't use that term, but he will say all Americans have a new responsibility -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King in Atlanta, thank you very much.
We're joined now by CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. Bill, why do you sense the president has decided tonight to deliver this major speech on homeland security?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think they're sensing that there is wavering of support. But you don't find it in public opinion. You do find it in the press. The press believes -- many people, the press are reporting there are no results yet. We don't see any victories. They expected the Taliban to crumble, people to defect. They haven't been able to report that.
You know, unfortunately the press has only two models of war, one of which is the Gulf War, which the president has repeatedly said this isn't. And the other is Vietnam. So for the past couple of weeks, we've been seeing the word "Vietnam" and "quagmire" come into the discussion in the press, and I think the White House is worried that this will filter down to the American people eventually, and be a problem with morale.
BLITZER: We did hear, Bill, from the attorney general today, John Ashcroft, insisting that the warnings that the Justice Department has issued over the past few weeks of potential terrorist threats out there may be paying off. I want you to listen to what Mr. Ashcroft had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHCROFT: We cannot know with certainty what act of terrorism our combined efforts have thwarted or prevented. But we have trusted the American people to act responsibly in the face of threats.
And thanks to their patience and to their vigilance, we know this: we have not suffered another major terrorist attack. The home front has witnessed the opening battle in the war against terrorism, and America has emerged victorious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Now, clearly, there is potential there, Bill, that those words could come back to haunt him. Why do you believe he came out and made that kind of statement today?
SCHNEIDER: Because the press is not reporting any results, and the attorney general is saying there are results: no more terrorist attacks against the United States. Again, that's a risky thing. One terrorist attack, and people could get very worried.
But he's saying, we're winning so far because we haven't seen anything like what we saw September 11, anything close to it. And the anthrax threat seems to have diminished. The president is also tonight going to call for volunteer efforts to participate in homeland defense, on the theory that if you give people a stake in the effort, they will be more likely to support it.
It's the same argument being used to our coalition partners, inviting them to contribute to the war effort on the theory that if they are participating, their publics and their press will be more likely to support it.
BLITZER: Bill Schneider here in Washington, thank you very much.
An almost daily, the Defense Department is asked to offer proof that the war in Afghanistan is going the right way. And today the answer was delivered by the architect of the war, the Army General Tommy Franks. He's the Central Command commander.
General Franks has become the subject of a certain amount of second-guessing. With the story from the Pentagon, let's go live to CNN's military affairs correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, as word trickles back from the front in Afghanistan of only modest gains by the Northern Alliance, as they try to move against those cities, the Pentagon was clearly signaling today that they are settling in for a long war over the winter.
Pentagon sources say that the U.S. aircraft carrier John Stennis may be dispatched to the region as soon as a month ahead of schedule to relieve one of three carriers now there, launching strikes into Afghanistan. That could put the Stennis on station in December, the clearest signal yet that the Pentagon expects the war to last through the winter.
And General Tommy Franks, the U.S. Central commander, said simply that this war was going to last as long as it takes. He talked about the importance of that strategic city of Mazar-e-Sharif, in the north of Afghanistan, that it would provide what he called a land bridge to bring in both supplies for the Northern Alliance and humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan. And explained that they are hopeful that that will fall to the Northern Alliance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKS: It's a bit early for us to characterize this as the success that will enable our establishment of the land bridge. So I'm not prepared to do that right now. But yes, there is a big fight that's going on in the vicinity of Mazar-e-Sharif.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Now, Franks made what was really a rare appearance here in the Pentagon briefing room, as he talked about the conduct of the war, how the strikes were going on. He said 24 hours a day, as evidenced from this video that we see here from Kandahar, Afghanistan.
He defended his aversion to give press briefings, like those given by Norman Schwarzkopf during the Persian Gulf war, acknowledging -- he said Tommy Franks is "no Norman Schwarzkopf."
He also defended his methodical war plan against some of the second guessing that's coming, in some cases, from inside the Pentagon, saying that he did absolutely did not agree that his plan was too timid. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld rushed to his defense also, explaining that although the sortie rate is much lower than even the war in Kosovo, he said it was a completely different situation. It wasn't realistic to expect they would generate more sorties per day, as some critics suggested.
And in response to some rumors that General Franks might be eased out, or there might be some unhappiness, Donald Rumsfeld went to the specific step to state at the beginning, as he introduced him, that General Franks had the full confidence of the secretary of defense, and the full confidence of the president of the United States -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Now a month and a day into the war, we take a closer look at how the campaign is progressing. I'm joined here in Washington by Michael Gordon of "The New York Times." In today's edition, he has a piece assessing the war to date. And in Chicago, we're joined by the retired General David Grange, a CNN military analyst.
Thanks to both of you for joining us. Let me begin with you, Michael, your long and very excellent piece today, outlining how this war is moving ahead. It doesn't seem to be moving as quickly at least, some of the Pentagon spokesman suggested, at least a couple weeks ago, they said the combat forces of the Taliban had been eviscerated.
MICHAEL R. GORDON, "NEW YORK TIMES": That's a phrase that they won't use again. As we wrote today -- and I had a lot of help on that article from other "New York Times" colleagues -- there is a saying at the Pentagon that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and this war is no exception.
The war has not gone as the Pentagon had hoped in several respects. They were hoping that there would be more resistance in the south, from tribesmen, and the Pashtun tribes. They were also anticipating that they would make the greater use of special operations forces to conduct raids. None of those two things have really happened.
And as a result, the Pentagon is heavily reliant on the Northern Alliance in order to prosecute its campaign. It's the only force on the ground that it really has to work with.
BLITZER: And, General Grange, you, being a former special operations officer in the U.S. military, I want to put up on the screen a map of Mazar-e-Sharif, the strategic town in the northern part of Afghanistan, which, a lot of our viewers know, has been very critical, at least to date, in the Pentagon assessment.
If they want to, for example -- here is Mazar-e-Sharif, right over here -- if they want to bring resupplies or humanitarian aid in from Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, any of the areas around here from the north, where the U.S. has been working with these former Soviet republics, they have to get into Mazar-e-Sharif. And so far that's not been possible. What's the biggest problem?
RETIRED GENERAL DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY: Well, it's obviously key terrain. It's key terrain because it's at the crossroads of key lines of communication. It was the same issue with Alexander the Great thousands of years ago. It is a key objective. It's not only the key to sustain a fight, but key for humanitarian assistance and to continue to move supplies in, and also reduce the combat radius of combat aircraft, or armored units or infantry units in the area.
It's probably well defended. It's probably full of mines. It has well-established fighting positions, and I would say the Northern Alliance may be a little hesitant to attack such a strong defensive position. But I think eventually that they will take it.
Now, I think we also have to have the mind-set that this may be in for the winter. It'd be nice to get this objective before the winter. I would think that would be our objective. I'd want it to be mine, if I was involved. But it's a tough target.
BLITZER: All right, let me bring back Michael Gordon. We have another map, Michael, of Mazar-e-Sharif, and I want it put it up on our screen, showing the actual town itself. You can get that up here, and you can see it if you take a look behind me. You see the map.
This is the -- there is a holy mosque right over here. Rauza, what's called, which is a mosque where the son of the prophet Mohammed is believed to have been buried. Obviously, going into an area like this, and hand-to-hand, street-to-street, building-to-building combat, would not be a picnic for anyone.
GORDON: Well, I don't think that the U.S. is going to go in under those circumstances. Mazar-e-Sharif is a very important objective for a number of reasons. One, if the Northern Alliance can succeed in taking this town, it will have the effect of cutting off Taliban forces to the east, and also giving the Northern Alliance some control of provinces to the west and south. So it's very important, in terms of cutting off Taliban forces.
It's also important, as General Franks mentioned today, to open up a corridor to Uzbekistan that can be used to bring in humanitarian aid for refugees, supplies to the Northern Alliance. And also, Mazar- e-Sharif could become useful in the future to the Americans, as a base within Afghanistan. It has an airfield that could prove to be quite useful in that respect.
So it's an important objective. But taking it won't win the war. If we look on the map, Mazar-e-Sharif is a long way from Kandahar, which is the political base of the Taliban.
BLITZER: General Grange, do you think the Northern Alliance can go in there and get the job done in Mazar-e-Sharif, at least before the winter begins?
GRANGE: Well, I hope so. One, it would be -- not only is it valuable strategically, just as what's been discussed so far on the station here, but it also would be a great morale booster for the united front, the Northern Alliance, and others watching outside of Afghanistan, to see this progress. I think it would cause a lot of movement of other tribal units to join the Northern Alliance side.
So it has a great psychological effect, which is just as powerful as killing people. They should get it before the winter, but they may not. That would help isolate Kandahar, obviously, and it would be one objective that I personally would want to get before the winter. It's to be seen.
The toughest part for the Northern Alliance is now they are trying to -- they are going on the offensive. They were a defensive type force, fighting small hit-and-run type operations. Now they're going to do a combined arms attack on a built-up area, integrating air support. They're not used to doing that. They need to have a little guidance, a little training. That's why you have some special operation forces on the ground from several nations, to help them out on this.
BLITZER: Michael, you and I covered the Gulf War. We remember General Schwarzkopf. We heard General Franks today acknowledge he's no General Schwarzkopf, and vice versa. What's the difference, as far as you can tell, with the way General Schwarzkopf developed and pursued the Gulf War, and the way General Franks is pursuing this war?
GORDON: Well, this is a very different war from the Gulf War, in many respects. But General Schwarzkopf became -- he was a public figure. He was an important personage, in terms of Americans. He was, I think, played a pretty vital role in keeping the public engaged in the war. But he didn't decide all of the strategy. A lot of that was decided in Washington.
I think the same is the case for General Franks. He's become a little bit of a scapegoat for people within the Pentagon, as well perhaps, as outside of it, who are frustrated with the pace of the war. But ultimately the decisions are going to be made by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, by General Myers, and by President Bush, themselves.
BLITZER: General Grange, what about that criticism, if you will, that some are leveling against General Franks? Is it fair?
GRANGE: No, it's not. I think everybody ought to get off his back and let him fight his operation. First of all, he doesn't have the American troops, or the coalition troops, under his command now, for instance, on a target like Mazar-e-Sharif. He's working through indigenous forces, until we do some type of force buildup, if that is, in fact, our decision. So it's unfair to compare that right now.
BLITZER: All right. General Grange, Michael Gordon, thanks to both of you for joining us. We always appreciate having you on our program.
GRANGE: Thank you.
BLITZER: And the former NATO commander, General Wesley Clark, and Senators Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson join me to discuss the two fronts of America's new war in the CNN war room. That's ahead, on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4 Pacific.
And by the way, you can participate by going to my Web site, cnn.com/wolf. Just click on "send questions" and I'll post some of them to our war room panel. That's also where you can read my daily online column.
Homeland defense from several perspectives: Missouri's governor on the states' needs, and a presidential historian on what the president needs to say tonight.
And next, the House speaker on stimulating the economy and securing the skies. Also ahead, Pakistan's diplomatic squeeze on the Taliban. And the new polish for the Big Apple: the ad campaign to get to you say, "I love New York," again. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
About an hour -- about two and a half hours from now the president will deliver a major speech on homeland security. CNN's senior White House correspondent John King is in Atlanta, where the president will make that speech. He joins us once again now, live.
John, I understand you have some additional details of what the president will be saying.
KING: Wolf, the White House has released some very limited excerpts of the speech tonight. We are told that one goal the president wants to reach tonight in this speech is to give a pep talk, if you will, to the American people, and to applaud the spirit in this country in the two months since the September 11 attacks. That is very much reflected in the very limited excerpts the White House has released in advance of the speech.
For starters, in these excerpts, the president says he came to Atlanta tonight to address this question: how should we live in light of what has happened? Now, it's not in here, but we do know the president will say that all Americans should try go about their daily business, but they also have a responsibility to be more alert in this new environment.
In the excerpts, the president also says -- quote -- "none of us would ever wish the evil that has been done to our country. Yet we have learned that out of evil can come great good. During the last two months, we have shown the world America is a great nation." Again, very much a rallying pep talk environment in that quote.
And lastly, the final excerpt released by the White House, the president says -- quote -- "Our great national challenge is to hunt down the terrorists and strengthen our protection against future attacks. Our great national opportunity is to preserve forever the good that has resulted. Through this tragedy, we are renewing and reclaiming our strong American values."
So, very upbeat excerpts released by the White House in advance of the president's speech. We are told to expect no major new initiatives, but we are told the president will give a broad outline and his assessment of how the government has responded here at home, in the domestic war on terrorism, and make a few specific requests of the United States Congress for new initiatives -- including an end, in the president's view, for the partisan bickering over that airline security bill still stalled in the Congress -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King in Atlanta. Of course, CNN will have live coverage of the president's speech at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, about two and a half hours from now. And as the nation waits to hear specifically what the president will say about homeland security, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, Richard Gephardt, is also focusing in on that topic.
Gephardt believes Congress can play a key role in helping to make America safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: Instead of spending money on a misguided stimulus package that the Republicans produced in the House, aimed at America's wealthiest individuals and corporations, we think Congress should provide a fraction of that money to our public agencies so they can fight the war on the second front, here at home. Agencies have repeatedly said they face immediate needs, and must have help from Congress to strengthen homeland defense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Now to the Republican side. A short while ago, CNN Congressional correspondent Kate Snow spoke with the speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, about the economic stimulus package and what the president is going to have to talk about tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: People came in and tried to take away our liberty and freedom in this country, at a great cost of life and human suffering. And we need to see some progress. And I think he is going to talk about that.
I think he's going to talk about the state of the art -- of where our health care is, as far as those things that we worry about, anthrax and other things. And I think he'll have good things to say about that.
Also, just the everyday tedium of trying to fight this war. Yesterday there was good news. We closed down some of the Al Qaeda- linked businesses. It could frozen up to $24 million in assets. I think that's good news, so those things, I think, he'll be able to talk to the American people.
And really, one of the things we see on the media all the time, the war in Afghanistan. But the war is around 68 countries where there is Al Qaeda cells -- and how we can start to pick those apart and ensure freedom and liberty in the free world.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here on Capitol Hill, the Senate about to take up an economic stimulus plan. Theirs looks a lot different than what you did in the House. Theirs is spending as well as tax cuts. Yours was more heavily weighted towards tax cuts. And Democrats in the Senate say tax cuts are the wrong idea, that's not the way to stimulate economy.
HASTERT: I saw some of the tax cuts in the Senate bill, and they give tax cuts to bison meat, and tax cuts to watermelons, and I'm not sure that that's exactly the way it go. What we've said -- there's three things that we need to do. First of all, we need to restore consumer confidence, so people feel good about going out and buying things, and taking care of their family needs.
The second thing we need to do, every family in this country has some type of security. They have either a pension or a 401(k), and we need to -- all based on securities in the stock market. We have to get people's confidence back in the stock market.
The third thing we need to do is to make sure that we're investing in jobs. We lost 700,000 jobs since September 11. And what we need to do is have that investment, take capital and put it in creating the jobs. That's been a strength of this country for the last 20 years.
SNOW: Doesn't spending need to be part of it, though? Mr. Gephardt, just a short time ago, was saying we've got to spend on some of our domestic security. And if we don't spend this money now, people may not be safe. HASTERT: Absolutely. In our bill there is $40 billion extra for domestic security, helping New York City and making our airlines safe. We put in an extra $18.5 billion above what the cost -- originally, our appropriations to put in our national security. So we have addressed that.
And what I have also said is, if there are no new needs, we'll come back and do the supplementals we need to make that happen.
SNOW: But why not do it now, is the argument from the Democrats.
HASTERT: I'll tell you the issue right now, is there is so much money in the pipeline, almost $65 billion in just defense alone, above last year's spending, and another almost 30-some billion above last year's spending on other issues. We need to get to get that money out of the pipeline.
We want to spend that money, but we need to spend it wisely. And we need to see what the bottom-line needs are. Right now, there is so much money in the pipeline, we haven't seen it sift out yet.
SNOW: Aren't there industries, though, that still need some help? Just for example, the Postal Service was up here today saying they may need a bailout, too. And yet the president has said he will veto anything over and above what you just outlined in the budget agreement.
HASTERT: But what we said is that we will come back and look at what the real needs are and then appropriate those needs. I'm not sure that everybody wants to bail out the post office. They have some needs. They need new screening machines and those types of things for safety. But I don't think we have to go back prior to September 11 and bail them out for things that are bad management.
SNOW: House Speaker Dennis Hastert, thanks so much for being with us.
HASTERT: My pleasure. Thank you.
SNOW: Appreciate it very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And the latest developments in the war against terrorism right after the break -- President Bush's address to the nation could define a new America. We will discuss whether history will be made tonight. And, later, some celebrities are going to extremes to show their love for New York.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
How will historians view the president's speech later tonight? We will get an assessment shortly.
But first let's go back to Kyra Phillips in Atlanta for a quick check of the latest developments -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We've got a little more on that for you, Wolf.
The president has arrived in Atlanta. And at this hour, he is touring the Centers for Disease Control in advance of a nationwide speech to be delivered tonight. Within the past few minutes, CNN has learned that Mr. Bush will salute the national spirit that has emerged in the wake of September 11. He will say the events, as tragic as they were, have helped this country to reclaim its values.
He will also will say that Americans should continue to go about their business with the added responsibility of being alert to possible terrorist attacks.
The U.S. Army general who is running this war in Afghanistan says he is satisfied with the way the campaign is progressing. Appearing today with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, General Tommy Franks disputed critics who say the tactics he is using are too timid. Today, CNN has learned that General Franks is asking the Pentagon to deploy another aircraft carrier. Three United States carriers are currently being used for strikes against the Taliban.
Today, the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar came under heavy attack. United States warplanes struck the city before and after dark. For the first time, attacks were reported today against Taliban lines in the mountains above Kabul.
In this country, the head of the Postal Service said the recent anthrax mailings are costing billions of dollars. John Potter told Congress he will need $2 billion to cover lost revenues, plus $3 billion or more for anthrax cleanup and prevention.
Also today, members of the House have begun to read the names of the dead and missing from the terror attack September 11. The process of reading the thousands of names is expected to take some six hours, spaced out over several days -- Wolf, back to you in Washington.
BLITZER: Thanks, Kyra.
In times of war, America's presidents try to rally the public. President Bush will try to do that tonight with his address on homeland security.
Presidential historian Rick Shenkman joins us now live from Seattle.
Rick, thanks for joining us.
What is your sense? How is the president doing so far, two months into this post-September 11 crisis here in the United States, as far his TV, his public addresses, his appearances are concerned?
RICK SHENKMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I think you would have on give him an A, A-minus. I think he has been doing a splendid job, a very unexpected job, very un-Bush like.
He has been excelling in so many forums where you would you have expected that he wouldn't be terribly well at. The problem is that he is probably thinking, in the back of his mind, that just as his father had had very, very high ratings when the Persian Gulf War seemed to be going well, he fell when bad economic news came in.
Bad economic news is now coming and hitting the country. And I think President Bush doesn't want to repeat his father's mistake. He is trying to really appear that he is in charge, somebody is listening, somebody is paying attention.
BLITZER: I know you have suggested that there may be some similarities with the way the president is now delivering these speeches to the way his predecessor, Bill Clinton, used to do it.
SHENKMAN: Yes.
You know, when President Bush was candidate Bush, he was constantly implicitly comparing his style of governing with President Clinton's. And he was implying that he wasn't going to be going on television all the time and in this kind of around-the-clock fashion the way Bill Clinton was. He wasn't going to be a media hog the way Bill Clinton seemed to be.
And his first eight or nine months in office, he was governing in a different way. He was almost like Calvin Coolidge rather than Bill Clinton. And then all of a sudden, 9/11 hit. And he discovered that, you know, there is 24-hour cable news not only in this country, but with Al Jazeera, around the world. And for him to remain in control of events, to be able to set the agenda for the country and the world, he was going to have to do a lot of television. And that is what is happening now.
BLITZER: I think everyone agrees that President Bush's speech before the joint session of Congress was a home run. Everybody says it was terrific; he did a great -- widely praised, as you know.
Will that speech, though, go down as a Franklin Roosevelt-like speech -- "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" -- or a John F. Kennedy type of speech -- "Ask not what your country can do for you" -- something along those lines?
Is there something that is going to be as memorable from that speech as some of those earlier presidential addresses?
SHENKMAN: I think it's the most memorable speech that any president has given since a series of speeches given by John F. Kennedy. There were several lines in that address to Congress that still ring in people's ears.
When President Bush said that you are either standing with us or standing with the terrorists, that resonated with people. There are very few lines from Bill Clinton's eight years in office that anybody remembers except for some of the lines related to the Monica case. So I think he has done very, very well with that speech. I know that I as a viewer had an emotional connection to him. And this is not a candidate, a president who I supported during the election.
So I figure if I'm affected that way, I think most people were. And I think the historians will write it that way.
BLITZER: OK, Rick Shenkman, a presidential historian, thanks so much for joining us.
And only a few minute ago, the president was over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, touring the facility. We have some videotape that was shot there.
You see the president meeting with some of the officials there, getting a tour how the CDC operates.
Let's watch the president a little bit as this videotape continues. The president did make some brief remarks over at the CDC. Maybe we'll hear him say something as this videotape goes on.
You see some of the high-tech equipment the CDC has been using to deal with infectious diseases, the bioterrorism threat, of course, that has hit the United States with the anthrax-laced letters that we all know about -- the president being briefed by CDC officials before he heads across town in Atlanta to deliver his speech tonight on homeland security.
Behind the president is Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, who is the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Here's the president walking up. Maybe he will say something. .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They should have run you out of here by now.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)
BUSH: I'd like to say a few words here.
You know, a lot of Americans have never heard of CDC. They're wondering what CDC means. And they have learned that the folks who work at CDC are part of a vast army to fight off the terrorist attacks in America, and I am so fortunate to be able to come by and say hello to the people that are working in these hours to provide good public health information, remedy, quick response to people who have been affected by this evil attack.
I firmly believe that because of the good folks who work in this building and other buildings and throughout Atlanta, Georgia and throughout the country for CDC that we have saved a lot of lives in America. And the very least I can do is come down and thank them for their hard work and their dedication to the country.
For a group of folks that have made a difference in America, and no one ever heard about, they're going to be heard about tonight. I'm going to talk about public health officials as part of being the new heroes of America, and that's why I have come by today to thank them.
QUESTION: Mr. President, what sort of help do the CDCs need now from the administration?
BUSH: Well, one of the things that they need is for there to be an organization that allows for the free flow of information; that when the CDC finds something, get information, they're able to pass it throughout our government. And we've getting very well organized. The CDC--its whole function is to help save lives, and the fast information can move, the more analysis can happen on a real-time basis, the more likely it is that people will live.
In terms of the CDC budget, one of the jobs of Tom Ridge, the new homeland security director, is to collect information and we will present a budget to Congress. If we need to present a supplemental, we will do so next year. But we are collecting all of the information to make sure that our strategy is seamless and the budget reflects a seamless strategy.
QUESTION: Mr. President, what is you take on the call for a universal application of smallpox vaccine for all Americans?
BUSH: We're in the process of looking at different options on smallpox. One thing is for certain--we need to make sure vaccines are available if there were ever to be an outbreak. As to whether or not we ought to have mandatory vaccinations, I'm working with Tommy Thompson on that. One of my concerns is if we were to have universal vaccination, some might lose their life. And I would be deeply concerned about a vaccination program that would cause people to lose their life. But I am looking at all options, all possibilities, and we will work with the smartest minds in America to develop the best strategies as to how to deal with a potential smallpox attack.
QUESTION: Mr. President, do you think the Postal Service should be bailed out? The postmaster general is suggesting billions may be needed.
BUSH: We are looking at all opportunities to spend money in your government, and we're going to make sure that any supplemental that may or may not occur next year fits into an overall national strategy. I told the appropriators in Congress that we believe we've got ample money to make it through the holiday season and the beginning of next year; that the $40 billion that they appropriated in the supplemental is ample to meet our homeland security needs as well as our defense needs, and that before we spend more money, let's make sure we have a national strategy to deal with the homeland defense issue, and the Postal Service is part of the homeland defense.
And so we will looks at all opportunities to spend money, but I urge Congress not to break the budget agreement that signed onto in early October, and I remind them that the $40 billion of supplemental is enough to meet the nation's needs. We have hardly even begun to spend the $40 billion that they presented, but we are listening to all requests. (CROSSTALK)
BUSH: Thank you all very much.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
BUSH: My pleasure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The president over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He's taking a tour. There you see Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, Governor Tom Ridge, the president's homeland security director. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, who is the head of the CDC, was with him.
The president making some news, suggesting that he is discussing with Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, the possibility of mandatory vaccines for smallpox -- no final decision -- the president expressing concern that there could be some deaths if all 250 million or so Americans were to receive that smallpox vaccine, which has not been in service, of course, since the late 1970s, when smallpox was eradicated. But he says he is open to it, that they're continuing to take a look at that possibility.
From the CDC, the president will be heading downtown in Atlanta to deliver his speech tonight on homeland security. That, of course, is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN will have live coverage.
Homeland defense from a grassroots perspective: We will talk next to the Missouri governor, Bob Holden, about what he is doing and what he needs to do to fight terrorism.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
As we mentioned, the topic of the president's address to the nation tonight is homeland security. He is expected to talk about new possibilities for American citizens and for the government to get involved.
To find out what states and governors need, with me now: the Missouri governor, Bob Holden.
Governor, thanks for joining us.
Is there anything specific you would like to hear from the president tonight, what you and your state need the most in terms of homeland security?
GOV. BOB HOLDEN (D), MISSOURI: Well, I think first and foremost, we need to look at the public health factors. As you know, we have had anthrax in Kansas City -- the smallpox issue. We need to make sure that we are doing all that we can from the public health standpoint to make sure and reassure our citizens that we are here and can provide the protection and services they need.
BLITZER: Has that not been the case to date? Are you getting a muddled message, if you will, from Washington?
HOLDEN: No. I think that they have worked very hard, after events of September the 11th, to be responsive.
I think bringing Tom Ridge on, the former governor of Pennsylvania, to head up Homeland Security, has been very, very good. I moved immediately to bring on Tim Daniel for homeland security in the state of Missouri.
And I think the important thing is, we have got to change the dynamics of the communication. There has to be much better communication between local officials, state officials and federal officials in the years ahead. And we have got to share information to make sure that we are all working together as a team.
BLITZER: If you have an immediate need in Missouri right now, who do you call? Do you call Governor Ridge, Tom Ridge, the director of homeland security, or do you call one of the other Cabinet secretaries? Do you call officials at the White House? Is there one address specifically that you need and you have?
HOLDEN: Well, we call Tom Ridge. Tim Daniel, our special adviser for homeland security, makes contact with Tom Ridge, and we move from there.
BLITZER: You were one of first governors to name a homeland security in your home state. What made you move so quickly?
HOLDEN: Well, after September the 11th, I wanted to make sure that not only did we have the right protocols on paper, but in fact they would work, and that we needed to have somebody that would work with all the different state and local agencies -- in addition, someone that had experience with the federal government so that, in fact, we can respond when needed and not just respond on paper.
BLITZER: Is there a financial issue at stake right now as well? Does Missouri need more money from the federal government?
HOLDEN: Yes, we do.
I mean, the fact is that most of the costs have been borne by the states and local communities up to this point. We can't continue that without some help from the federal government. In public safety, in public health, infrastructure, all these different components, we are going to need the assistance and the cooperation of the federal government.
BLITZER: And so, so far, just to wrap up, you are pretty satisfied with the way the president has been dealing with this issue?
HOLDEN: I am pleased that they are trying to respond. And we have got to realize that this is a whole new agenda that we have never faced as a nation before. I appreciate their effort. We are trying to do our part here at the state level. We are working with local officials.
But it's very important that all levels of government change their dynamics. Where in the past, they would tend to hold onto information and not share it, in the future, we have all got to share this. And this has got to be a bipartisan effort. This is a fight for America's future.
BLITZER: OK, Governor Bob Holden of Missouri, thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.
And up next, we will shift gears: a royal attack. Why did this teenager hit Britain's Prince Charles -- get this -- with a flower?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
A bit of surprise today for Britain's Prince Charles: While he was talking to some schoolchildren in Latvia, a 16-year-old girl slapped him in the face with a carnation. Police took the teenager into custody. As she was being led away, the girl told reporters she was against the war in Afghanistan.
And up next: a New York ad campaign designed to make you laugh and make you want to come back to New York.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani unveiled a new ad campaign to encourage visitors to come to New York. Six 30-second commercials feature celebrities associated with the city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: They all look so wonderful. How's the Ben Stiller?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Ben Stiller, very popular.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: OK, I will have the Ben Stiller.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: One Ben Stiller.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Oh, and can I get that with bacon?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: With bacon. You got it.
Hey Stiller, table three, with bacon! ANNOUNCER: Everyone has a New York dream. Come find yours.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: The New York miracle: Be a part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODY ALLEN, ACTOR: You are not going to believe this. That was the first time I put on ice skates in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: I'll be back in the CNN WAR ROOM in one hour with more coverage, including a preview of the president's homeland security defense speech. Among my guests: Senators Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. CNN's coverage of America's new war continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," which begins right now.
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