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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Daschle Criticizes Bush; Interview With Elizabeth Dole; War Veterans Say 'We Were Soldiers' Gets Vietnam Right
Aired February 28, 2002 - 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, HOST: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: a parting of the ways in the war against terrorism?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: The continued success, I think, is still somewhat in doubt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has no doubts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: She's been away for decades but now calls North Carolina home again. Will voters pick her for Senate? I'll speak live with Elizabeth Dole in her first nationally-televised interview since her announcement.
And the movie veterans say gets the Vietnam War "right." The story behind the true-life drama, "We Were Soldiers."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going into battle against a tough and determined enemy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. In our news alert, a developing story at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The FBI says there is a passenger described as "suspicious," on an Air India jetliner that just landed at the airport only moments ago on Air India flight 101 arrived from London's Heathrow Airport. The FBI received information about one of the passengers on the plane. You're looking at live pictures of that Air India jetliner. Our Michael Okwu is at Kennedy Airport. He joins us now with the latest developments -- Michael. MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, good afternoon to you. Air India flight 101 just landed here at John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4:45, just moments ago. And it appeared to be escorted by a pair of F-15s. We want to show you live pictures on the tarmac now here at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The plane, a Boeing 747, arrived, again, just moments ago, and then it was taken off the main tarmac. It just sort of drove off to the side, surrounded by what we believe to be a small team of Port Authority police vehicles. We understand that a staircase has been moved. One of these transportable staircases has been moved to what appears to be the door of the plane on the front side of the plane.
But from the pictures we're showing you, I understand you cannot see that staircase. It is unclear whether that door has been opened and whether any passengers have gotten off the flight, or whether anyone has gotten on to the flight. We understand of course that a team of FBI agents were dispatched here to JFK. And we understand that they may be trying to get on board that flight now. At the very least, they will be trying to make some contact with the man who raised suspicions back at Heathrow Airport, where this flight originated.
Now, we were told also that the FAA contacted pilots in the cockpit during the course of this flight. The pilots said that they were in a secure position, and that they had absolutely no reason to feel any threat whatsoever. We can tell you that there are 370 passengers on board this flight, and that as far as we know, operations at this airport appear to be normal -- flights taking off and landing on time and as scheduled -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Michael, stand by. I want to bring in our aviation correspondent, Kathleen Koch. She's been checking with her sources here in Washington, elsewhere, to get a little bit additional information. Kathleen, you probably saw the tape of those two escort fighter jets that were at John F. Kennedy airport.
Kathleen, what are you hearing about this incident?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hearing a number of things, Wolf. Federal law enforcement officials, FBI officials are saying all of this has been done out of an abundance of caution, and this is just the sort of thing that exists and they believe is appropriate, in light of what happened on September 11th.
What aroused the suspicions in this case was, a screener at Heathrow Airport this morning, as people began boarding this plane, thought that this particular passenger resembled someone on the no-fly list -- a list of passengers that might pose a danger to the public, potential terrorists, though not necessarily criminals.
Unfortunately, this person did not notify Air India officials until after the plane departed. He was questioned by the FBI and at that point, officials here in Washington tell us, that he was a little less sure, not sure of what he may or may not have seen. So obviously what officials will be trying to find out when they get on the plane is, is this individual anyone who they need to be concerned about, or simply an innocent citizen who resembles someone who might be dangerous -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Kathleen, as our viewers can see there, the staircases have now been pushed up to that 747, the Air India flight. The door is opened. Someone is walking up those stairs right now. Presumably we should know fairly soon what this incident is really all about.
I want to bring back our Michael Okwu. He's at the JFK airport. We did see the videotape of those escort jets. That, once again, Michael, may just be the result of an abundance of caution, that the Air India flight was escorted by these U.S. Air Force flights, right?
OKWU: That's exactly right, Wolf. We understand that NORAD also dispatched some planes to shadow this plane as it was making its approach to U.S. territory. And then of course the U.S. military F- 15s picked up the flight.
Now, again, they just want to be perfectly sure that there was no wrongdoing or ill wishes on the part of anyone on that flight as it headed into U.S. territory. Obviously, no need to say that U.S. officials very concerned, given, obviously, the events of September 11th, as to what would happen with this flight. So it's all precautionary. There is no detail or confirmation at this point that this man was -- posed any kind of threat to U.S. security or to the passengers on the flight -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Okwu, thanks for that report. Kathleen Koch here in Washington. And once again we're looking at this live picture of Air India flight 101, just a few moments ago landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, a suspicious passenger on board. We will continue to update you throughout this course of this hour on late-breaking developments in this continuing story.
But let's move on now to another significant story we're covering today. For the first time since September 11th, top Democrats on Capitol Hill are openly questioning the way President Bush is conducting the war on terror. Since the suicide hijackings almost six months ago, the Democrats have steadfastly refused to criticize the president's policy.
Remember this picture? It was immediately after the president addressed a joint session of Congress in late September. He and the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, warmly embraced. But that was then, and this is now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DASCHLE: Before we make commitments in resources, I think we need to have a clear understanding of what the direction will be.
BLITZER (voice-over): That may not sound like blistering criticism about administration policy, but it does go well beyond anything the Senate Democratic leader has said since September 11. DASCHLE: Clearly, we've got to find Mohammed Omar. We've got to find Osama bin Laden. And we've got to find other key leaders of the al Qaeda network, or we will have failed.
BLITZER: Those comments drew a sharp rebuke from the Senate Republican leader, Trent Lott.
"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism, especially when we have U.S. troops on the ground? Our country is united and Senator Daschle should not attempt to divide us." The White House reaction was considerably more restrained.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president very proud of the bipartisan cooperation he's gotten from Capitol Hill on this. He'll continue to call on members of Congress to engage in that bipartisan spirit.
BLITZER: But Daschle's criticism was by no means isolated. Other Democrats, both in and out of government, are now openly challenging the president's support for sending U.S. troops to the Philippines, the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and elsewhere.
REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: As a member of the Vietnam generation, I think we forgot that a generation ago. And we need to know why we're going in, exactly what we're going to do and when we're leaving.
BOB KERREY, FMR. U.S. SENATOR: We're not done in Afghanistan yet. We still have 1,000 to 1,500 al Qaeda soldiers loose in Afghanistan. We haven't got Osama bin Laden, we haven't got Mullah Omar. Yes, I think we're going to stretch ourselves way too thin.
BLITZER: West Virginia's Robert Byrd made a similar point: "If we expect to kill every terrorist in the world, that's going to keep us going beyond doomsday."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Joining us now for more on this split in the ranks over the war on terror, our military analyst and former NATO supreme allied commander, the retired General Wesley Clark. General Clark, first of all, to put it bluntly, should these Democrats be openly questioning U.S. military strategy right now?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET), FMR. NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with questioning it at this point. The country has been very united in wanting to take the fight to the enemy. We've done that, we're looking for Osama bin Laden. I think it's important that we stay focused on al Qaeda. And I think the administration should be able to explain that strategy adequately to assuage these questions.
But I think the dialogue itself is critically important. We're a democracy and we have a right to know, and we want to know.
BLITZER: And on the substance, do you believe the U.S. military is being stretched too thin, as former Senator Kerrey suggests?
CLARK: Not in and of itself, as of what I know right now about the Georgia operation. I don't. I think we can do that. But I think it is important to keep our forces balanced and ready, and to have an overall strategy and look at our commitments overall.
BLITZER: As you know, there was a failed attempt to capture Radovan Karadzic, the accused war criminal, the Bosnian Serb leader. NATO went in, tried to find him, snatch him, bring him out. They failed, they acknowledged that today. It obviously underscores how difficult it is to find someone like that. But what happened?
CLARK: Well, we don't know exactly what happened. These operations require excellent intelligence. And they require cooperation among several different governments, to pull something like this off. So we don't know exactly whether the operation was a little slow, whether the intelligence was compromised in some way, or whether it was just faulty information. It could have been rehearsal. It could have been a feint. We may not know about the real operation.
BLITZER: But it does point to another continued inability to find Osama bin Laden. If the U.S. and its NATO allies can't find Radovan Karadzic in a relatively small area like Bosnia and Serbia, what's to say the U.S. will ever find Osama bin Laden, in a much bigger area that is Afghanistan?
CLARK: I think it's a very difficult proposition to find Osama bin Laden. I've never been an optimist on this, Wolf. But I think the key thing that's required is human intelligence. And that means we have to have our sources, our people, and our people's agents on the ground -- people that we can trust and believe in. That development takes a while.
BLITZER: All right. General Clark, thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
And our Web question of the day is this: is the Democratic criticism of the war on terror justified? You can vote at my Web page, cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, let me know what you are thinking. There's a "click here" icon on the left side of the page. Send me your comments. I'll read some of them on the air at the end of this program each day. Also, that's where you can read my daily on-line column, cnn.com/wolf.
In other news, Elizabeth Dole's Senate campaign in North Carolina is about to become $1 million richer after yesterday's fund-raising event by President Bush. The race in North Carolina could prove pivotal in Republican efforts to regain control of the Senate and hold their slim majority in the House of Representatives. Our Jeanne Meserve gives a closer look at Elizabeth Dole and her long career in public service.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH DOLE (R), SENATE CANDIDATE: I have decided to run for the United States Senate from the great state of North Carolina! (APPLAUSE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She is a formidable candidate, well-known, well-liked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has been in the public eye for a long time, and we here in North Carolina are pretty proud of her.
MESERVE: If years in Washington are a disadvantage, it is a disadvantage shared by Erskine Bowles, President Clinton's one-time chief of staff, who could be Dole's Democratic opponent. With control of the Senate in play, there are predictions that this race will get tight, expensive and nasty.
MARK ROTTERMAN, N.C. GOP CONSULTANT: No race in North Carolina is a cakewalk. It's a contact sport.
MESERVE: Indeed, even before the primaries, Democrats have bought ads linking Dole to Enron and to the controversial conservative senator she wants to replace.
SCOTT FALMELN, N.C. DEMOCRATIC PARTY: We think North Carolina has moved beyond Jesse Helms.
MESERVE: Dole doesn't see it that way. She has won Helms' endorsement and is courting his voters, flip-flopping on guns, moving rightward on abortion.
ROB CHRISTENSON, "RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER": Well, I don't know that the true Jesse Helms conservatives will ever quite trust her, but a lot of them have accepted her.
MESERVE: Just like they accepted George W. Bush. The president, who hand-picked Dole for this race, was in North Carolina this week to drum up money and support for her campaign. Because she could help him in the Senate, he will do what he can to help her get there. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Elizabeth Dole is on the campaign trail today in North Carolina. She joins us now from Raleigh to talk more about her run for the Senate. Mrs. Dole, thanks for joining us.
DOLE: Yes, indeed, Wolf.
BLITZER: And I'm sure the criticism you've heard from people in North Carolina, including Erskine Bowles and others, is you've been out of touch, out of that state for so long, what gives you the right to come back and try to become the senator for North Carolina?
DOLE: It's amazing to hear that, because you know, my roots are deep in North Carolina. Obviously, if you serve in the president's cabinet or you're president of the American Red Cross, you can't do it from Salisbury, North Carolina, which is where I grew up, my family home I'm living in, have a business in Salisbury, served on the Duke board, where I went to school for 11 years. And I've campaigned for people, Wolf, up and down the state for years. So this is my home.
But you know, it's interesting that the North Carolinian Press Association named me in 1994 their first North Carolinian of the year. And I don't believe they would have brought a foreigner in to name that person the North Carolinian of the year.
BLITZER: What about some of the other criticism that is heading your way, that you've been moving to the right? You heard Jeanne Meserve's piece just now, trying to attract those very conservative Jesse Helms supporters, flip-flopping, she said, on some of the issues like gun control. Is that accurate?
DOLE: No. I am -- certainly have been pro-life, except for rape, incest, the life of the mother. And as far as guns are concerned, I had questions about the carry and conceal law. I have since had those questions satisfied because I've been -- I met with the sheriff's -- most of the Republican sheriffs are supporting my campaign.
And they have satisfied my questions about the North Carolina carry and conceal law. I've always been a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, protecting the rights of law abiding citizens. In fact, I was the first woman to speak to the NRA convention back in the early '80s.
BLITZER: I want you to listen to what you said in New Hampshire when you were running for president in 1999 on this issue of gun control. Listen to this.
DOLE: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLE: We have to have tough, enforceable laws. That means retaining the ban on assault weapons. I don't think you need an AK-47 to defend your family. Also, in terms of cop killer bullets, I think that we have to eliminate all forms of cop killer bullets.
I also favor safety locks. Yes, safety locks on guns, to protect our children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You know the National Rifle Association, on several of those points, disagrees with what you said then.
DOLE: Well, you know, first of all, let me say that cop killer bullets have been banned, and that was just a statement that I continue to support that. And as far as assault weapons, the true assault weapons were banned back in the 1930s.
Now, the issue to me, it's a rather simple formula. It's a common sense formula. Is it making a difference, in terms of reducing crime or is it inhibiting somehow the legitimate rights of citizens? And I think if the ban is making a difference in terms of criminality, then let's have it. But if it appears not to be having much of an effect, then it should be re-evaluated. And I think the latter is the case, with the law that was passed during the Clinton era.
BLITZER: Another issue that's dogged you on the campaign trail more recently is the association you had with Ken Lay, the former CEO of Enron. You attended a fundraiser that he hosted some 11 days after the September 11th terrorist attacks, took in $20,000. I know you've answered this question, but tell our national viewers out there what is the relationship you had then and have today with Ken Lay?
DOLE: I do not know him intimately at all. As a matter of fact, I was invited to address 10,000 Christian women by one of the founders of Campus Crusade for Christ. The meeting was being held in Houston, Texas. The president called the country back to work on September 16th, and so I decided to go ahead and fulfill my commitment to make that speech.
And on about 48 hours notice, it was suggested that there be a little luncheon in Houston to raise some money for the campaign -- nothing secret about it. It was in a hotel. And the person that the folks in Houston asked to chair the event was Ken Lay. Obviously at that time, Enron -- no one knew there was any problem at all. This was the 20th of September.
And so it was just a matter of going to a luncheon. $5,000 of that money was from either Ken or his family, or the corporation. That money was given to the employees' fund. But obviously, if we had known then what we know now, then I would not have attended the luncheon. But I think the key point is, there needs to be full investigations, criminal and civil investigations. And if there's wrong-doing, then so be it.
But it's very important too, that as we look at the fallout from this, that employees' retirement funds are protected and that investors' confidence in financial audits be restored. And so I favor provisions that would do exactly that.
BLITZER: While I have you, Mrs. Dole, how is Bob Dole, a good friend of all of ours? How is Bob Dole doing right now?
DOLE: Oh, he is doing just fine. He's made his debut as my surrogate, as the spouse, and did a great job. And of course, he's going to be on the campaign trail a great deal. I was out for about 14 months campaigning for him in 1996, and he looks forward to returning the favor now.
BLITZER: All right. Elizabeth Dole on the campaign trail in her home state of North Carolina. Thanks so much.
DOLE: Thank you, Wolf. It's always great to talk with you.
BLITZER: Thank you. Good luck to you.
DOLE: Thanks.
BLITZER: In just a moment, the latest on India Air flight 101, now on the ground at JFK International Airport in New York. This is a live picture you're looking at right now. Also, a mystery rash spreading in schools around the country. Should you be concerned for your children or grandchildren?
And. she survived the presidential sex scandal. But she isn't leaving it in the past. Learn why there is plenty left for Monica Lewinsky to say.
But first, our news quiz. Which player in the Clinton-Lewinsky ordeal recently got married in the home used by television's "Designing Women"? Was it Betty Curry, Lucianne Goldberg, Paula Jones or Linda Tripp? The answer coming up later on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check back in with Michael Okwu. He's on the ground at Kennedy Airport in New York, for the latest on India Air flight 101. Take a look at this live picture. Michael, we're seeing, it looks like the jetliner, the 747, is being brought closer to the terminal. Can you update us on what's going on?
OKWU: That's right, Wolf. Federal law enforcement officials say that they're using an abundance of caution, which is exactly what we saw here become quite manifest just moments ago. You're looking at live pictures again of Air India flight 101, a Boeing 747. Just moments ago, about a dozen cars -- we believe that most of those vehicles were Port Authority police cars. And we believe also that those police cars had inside them at least several FBI agents.
We know that one person walked up into the plane, and we do not know what happened after that, whether somebody was brought off the plane. We're trying to work on that information now. But we do know that just moments after that, that a dozen cars slowly left the plane and rolled off the tarmac. Could very well be that the suspicious passenger on board that flight was taken in one of those vehicles.
Of course, the plane is now at the gate and we believe that passengers are coming out. We know that -- also that there was no disturbance on the flight. There's been no indication at all that this individual passenger caused any disturbance or needed to be restrained in any way -- Wolf.
BLITZER: It does underscore, Michael, as our viewers probably appreciate by now, the sensitivity that federal law enforcement takes to all of these kinds of questions, suspicions that arise, especially aircraft coming into the United States. Michael, stand by. We'll get back with you throughout the course of this hour to update us on what further developments may ensue, including some comments from passengers, who are, as you report, about to get off that plane.
Meanwhile, a federal appeals court today threw out the convictions of three New York police officers in the torture case of the Haitian immigrant, Abner Louima. Our Deborah Feyerick is covering the story. She joins us now live from New York -- Deborah.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, certainly a drastic turn of events for the three police officers. One of them was found guilty of taking part in the brutal assault and then, along with two others, of lying to cover it up. That's all been overturned. Tonight in New York there are feelings of disbelief on one side and relief on the other.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): His wife, his lawyer and his police union chief say they never lost faith Charles Schwarz would get out of prison.
ANDRA SCHWARZ, CHARLES SCHWARZ'S WIFE: I just pray to God that this -- this is the beginning of the end and he'll be home soon. You know, all we wanted was a fair trial, and I just hope we get it this time.
FEYERICK: Police officer Charles Schwarz, on the other end of the phone, speaking to his lawyer from federal prison after learning an appeals court overturned his 15-year sentence and ordered a new trial.
RON FISCHETTI, CHARLES SCHWARZ'S ATTY: There was no obstruction of justice, and he just didn't get a fair trial the first time. The jury never heard Volpe saying that he was innocent, that Chuck was innocent. And we finally got three judges to listen to it, and Chuck's coming home.
FEYERICK: Justin Volpe, a disgraced cop, pleaded guilty to sodomizing a Haitian immigrant with a wooden stick inside Brooklyn's 70th precinct five years ago. The assault rocked New York City. Huge demonstrations, public cries of police brutality, a shakeup of the NYPD, a city divided. Schwarz was convicted of helping Volpe, holding Abner Louima during the assault.
But Volpe never testified at the first trial and would have denied Schwarz was there. The appeals court, overturning the conviction, saying Schwarz did not have "effective assistance of counsel," that Schwarz's lawyer, provided by the police union, had a conflict of interest because the union was being sued by Louima.
Louima's supporters are upset at the turn of events.
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: A shocking display of how the judicial system continues to fail to protect citizens against police abuse.
FEYERICK: Schwarz and two other officers were also cleared of obstructing justice. Prosecutors said at trial they lied to cover up their roles in the assault. The victim, Abner Louima, now living in Florida, sued New York City, settling for close to $9 million.
SANFORD RUBENSTEIN, LOUIMA'S ATTORNEY: With regard to the trial, the retrial of Officer Schwarz, Abner Louima will cooperate with the federal authorities. And we look to the federal authorities to vigorously prosecute, once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: And the federal prosecutor is saying that the government has every intention to retry this case. They say they are ready to go -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick in New York, thank you very much.
And from New York, we want to got to Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Our Bob Franken is standing by on the phone. He's got a developing story he's covering. Bob, fill us in.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the commanding general here has made a small concession to the detainees here, after a protest spread that was based on an occurrence on Tuesday, when the guards had tried to take a turban off an inmate who was ignoring their orders. They burst into his cell, unaware that he was not paying attention to them because he was involved in prayer.
That has caused a hunger strike that had spread to 194 of the detainees, nearly 200 of them not eating during the noon hour. We've been watching as the meals have been delivered this evening right now, and so far have seen none of the detainees eating. We do see several wearing turbans, because the general said that they could now be allowed to do this.
Their concern had been over turbans being worn to hide items of contraband, that type of thing. They had ordered that detainee on Tuesday to take the turban off, that he had not done so. In any case, the general spoke with the detainees, said that he would allow them to do so, and also has spoken to the guards about more religious sensitivity -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Bob Franken at Guantanamo Bay, our national correspondent. We'll come back to you if there are any further developments. Thanks for that report.
Meanwhile, the United States is asking for help in taking on the axis of evil, especially one nation. Coming up, meet the man who may help keep Iraq in check.
And what's the federal government doing about a puzzling rash affecting kids in several states?
And where are they now? The players in the Monica Lewinsky saga. And why Lewinsky herself is hoping to get your attention tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We want to update you on the latest developments.
You are looking at a live picture from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Air India Flight 101 has just landed. The 747 has now pulled up to the terminal after stopping on the tarmac. Earlier, presumably, FBI agents went on board. And there is a suspicious individual that the FBI wanted to check out. We will continue to follow this development throughout the course of this program and update you on late-breaking developments. Once again, that is Air India Flight 101 at John F. Kennedy airport.
There has been persistent speculation that Iraq could be among the upcoming targets in the U.S. war on terrorism. But officials at the United Nations are hoping armed confrontation can be avoided with the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq. An Iraqi delegation is getting ready to meet with the U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, to talk about the matter.
We get more now from our national security correspondent David Ensor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Though he calls Iraq part of an axis of evil, unless President Bush plans to put forces into Iraq this year, it could be this man will have more to say about weapons of mass destruction there really are destroyed. And he takes a less confrontational approach.
HANS BLIX, UNITED NATIONS CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: What's best, as a matter of psychology: shouting or soft speaking with some leverage? I don't know. My habit is not to shout.
ENSOR: A soft-spoken Swede, Hans Blix is the head of the United Nation's team of arms inspectors preparing to search for weapons later this year, if Iraq agrees.
Last time around, U.N. arms inspectors protested loudly when prevented from entering some Iraqi facilities. And Richard Butler, their blunt Australian boss, ordered them out of Iraq. This time, U.N. officials hope, the warnings from the Bush administration may help convince Saddam Hussein his regime can only survive if he gives up on weapons of mass destruction. If a new team goes in, no nuclear, chemical, biological or missile facility will be left untouched, says Blix.
BLIX: Yes, I think we have to be very firm, yes. And I add to that I myself think that cosmetic inspections are worse than none, because they may lull into a false security. And that may be fatal.
ENSOR: U.S. intelligence says Iraq has rebuilt its weapons programs in the three years since the last inspectors left. And many in Washington doubt that even a tough inspection regime will be enough.
CHARLES DUELFER, FORMER UNITED NATIONS WEAPONS INSPECTOR: They are not going to give them up under any circumstances that I can imagine without conflict.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They are very accomplished liars as to what is going on. It would be -- you could put inspectors all over that place and it would be very difficult to find anything. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: Still, for now, President Bush is saying what the Iraqis must do is admit the U.N. arms inspectors with no preconditions. An Iraqi delegation will be discussing the matter next week with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. If Baghdad decides in the end it prefers arms inspectors to the threat of regime change by force, well, then it'll be up to Mr. Blix, Wolf.
BLITZER: And, David, the CIA director, as you know, George Tenet, is in Saudi Arabia right now. What is he doing there?
ENSOR: He is there to discuss the peace plan, the proposal by Crown Prince Abdullah that was put out not too long ago. He is there with Assistant Secretary William Burns. They want to find more out on behalf of the president the specifics. Exactly how far will the crown prince go?
And, of course, as you know, the CIA and particularly Mr. Tenet himself, have often brokered talks between security chiefs on the Palestinian and Israeli sides. He has a lot of intimate knowledge of exactly the details on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza. So he will want to go into the details with the crown prince.
BLITZER: Playing the role of diplomat as far as the Saudi peace initiative, Crown Prince Abdullah's peace plan involving the Israelis and the Palestinians.
David Ensor, thanks so much for that update, that report.
And one of the most popular television programs is going through a major casting change. Also ahead: Why is the Vietnam movie -- this Vietnam movie earning unusual praise from veterans? I will talk to men behind the story "We Were Soldiers. And are the supporting players of the Lewinsky soap opera -- what are they doing now? Find out as Monica Lewinsky is about to break her silence once again.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're standing by for a news conference at John F. Kennedy Airport. Once that happens, we will go there live.
Meantime, let's check these stories on today's "Newswire": Students in 14 states have come down with rashes and no one knows what is causing them. Federal authorities are stepping in to help search for answers. The rashes are mild and go away by themselves. They are itchy and tend to appear suddenly on the face, neck, hands or arms. The first case showed up in October in Indiana.
A high school basketball player in Pikeville, Kentucky is out for the season from injuries he received in a beating. And police say a group of other students was behind the assault. They say 20 students attacked Jarrod Adkins possibly to keep him out of the regional playoffs. At least six of the students face assault charges. ABC is shaking up its "Monday Night Football" lineup again to make room for John Madden. The former coach of the Oakland Raiders is leaving Fox Sports and will join Al Michaels in the booth for ABC. They will replace analyst Dan Fouts and comedian Dennis Miller.
For months she disappeared from the headlines. So why is Monica Lewinsky eager to be back in the news right now? And why does this war movie get two thumbs up from Vietnam vets?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked: Which player in the Clinton-Lewinsky ordeal recently got married in the home used by television's "Designing Women": Betty Currie, Lucianne Goldberg, Paula Jones, or Linda Tripp? And the answer: Paula Jones. A little news quiz for all of our viewers.
Tonight, "LARRY KING LIVE" will bring you an interview with Monica Lewinsky.
That is a name, of course, forever linked with the former president, Bill Clinton. It's been four years now -- hard to believe -- four years since the independent counsel Ken Starr began handing out subpoenas to folks who worked in the White House.
Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley joins us now for a look at where some of those characters are right now.
Candy, let's begin with Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky's one-time confidante.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And, as you know, sort of, to many, the villainess in this, because, of course, she turned over the tapes over to the prosecutor.
Linda Tripp has fallen on some hard times. She had foreclosure on her house in December. But she was able, we are told, to get that money together for the mortgagers. She now has a house for sale, a house that we have seen so many times as she comes out of it -- on sale. She has moved to Middleburg, Virginia, Hunt Country, is renting a place down there, a very private place, I should add. As far as we know, the house is still on the market.
And she got cosmetic surgery.
BLITZER: We all remember the cosmetic surgery.
What about Paula Jones, the woman who accused the president of sexual harassment and got the ball rolling, if you will, in the first place?
CROWLEY: Paula Jones also got some cosmetic surgery. I think we have got a theme here.
BLITZER: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Appeared in "Penthouse" in December of 2000.
One of the things we found when we were sort of searching around on this is that an inmate in Texas sued "Penthouse," saying that there was not sufficient nudity in the "Penthouse" exposure of Jones. He sued for $500,000 mental hurt and anger. It was dismissed, you will be happy to know.
The U.S. district judge -- it was around Christmas time when he dismissed this case -- wrote his opinion saying: "'Twas was the night before Christmas and all through the prison, inmates were planning their new porno mission." It ended: "Life has its disappointments. Some come out of the blue, but that doesn't mean a prisoner should sue."
BLITZER: We spared our viewers some of those pictures, I want you to know.
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: We did.
BLITZER: Someone I knew when I covered the White House, Betty Currie, the president's personal secretary. We remember the poignant moment when she had to testify.
CROWLEY: Yes, Betty Currie has retired, she and her husband still living in Northern Virginia, as far as we know.
You should also know that Socks the cat, someone you also know, or something you also know, has moved on with Betty Currie. She made friends with Socks during her White House tenure. And when the Clintons left the White House, so did Socks, but he went home with Betty Currie. We're told she walks him on a leash.
BLITZER: All right, and Bob Bennett, the president's personal attorney then.
CROWLEY: Bob Bennett, the president's personal attorney then, continues to be an attorney who likes high-profile cases. He now is representing Enron.
BLITZER: I'm sure that's a lucrative venture, even though Enron is not necessarily all that lucrative.
Finally, Vernon Jordan": the high-priced Washington insider who was a close personal friend of the president's. And, of course, he got to know Monica Lewinsky, recommending her for an internship.
CROWLEY: Vernon Jordan still a very busy man -- he is a managing director for an investment banking firm. He is still counsel at his law firm. He has been raising money for Erskine Bowles, who is running against Elizabeth Dole, who you just got finished interviewing. A little show and tell: He has had time to write a book called "Vernon Can Read" about his experiences growing up as an African- American in the South. This is obviously books on tape. It's doing pretty well. And so he continues to be very busy and making a lot of money.
BLITZER: And it is an excellent book. I actually read it. And I know Vernon Jordan.
Candy Crowley, you and I covered that story. It's hard to believe. A lot has happened since then.
CROWLEY: It has. Sometimes, though, we when do this, it seems like yesterday.
BLITZER: We should also point out to our viewers that Larry King's interview tonight is being conducted because Monica Lewinsky has an HBO special coming out this week, HBO being the sister network to CNN, all of us part of the AOL Time Warner family.
CROWLEY: Anyone who wants more can tune in.
BLITZER: Can watch.
Thank you so much.
On that note, Larry King's interview tonight with Monica Lewinsky: 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. on the West Coast.
And it was a very different time and a very different place. It was the Vietnam War. And now it is being portrayed once again on the big screen, with quite a different reaction -- a look into the real- life war drama "We Were Soldiers" just ahead.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WE WERE SOLDIERS")
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR: Who the hell are you?
BARRY PEPPER, ACTOR: I'm a reporter, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's it going, Colonel?
GIBSON: Well, we've been flat to the board since last night. We are greatly outnumbered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The film clip you just saw is from the new movie "We Were Soldiers". It's about the battle of Ia Drang Valley, the first major battle involving U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War. In just four days of heavy fighting in November, 1965, 234 Americans were killed. The Ia Drang Valley campaign set the strategy for future battles in that long war. Yesterday, I sat down with the authors of the book the movie is based on: retired Army General Hal Moore; Joe Galloway, who covered the battle for United Press International; and the director of the movie, Randall Wallace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: This was a patriotic movie, Joe, but it was also -- at least I came out of it feeling this was an anti-war movie. Did you see it that way, in the sense of the futility? What was the point of going after that hill?
JOE GALLOWAY, CO-AUTHOR, "WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE": Well, I've got to agree with you. And the book is almost the same way. I told General Moore -- when we finished the manuscript, I said, "You know that we have written maybe the greatest anti-war book of the 20th century," because we show so graphically the face of war and who pays the price of war. And Randall captured that in the movie.
BLITZER: Did you see it as an anti-war movie?
RANDALL WALLACE, DIRECTOR: Absolutely, though I did not see it in any sense as making a political statement.
It was a story that just grabbed my heart. Hal Moore is a leader who cared more about the lives of his men than he cared about his own life. And Joe Galloway is a journalist who thought the American people need the truth, deserve the truth. And he was willing to risk his own life to go get that truth.
BLITZER: General Moore, I want you to listen to this clip. It shows the then-president LBJ, President Johnson, announcing a major escalation in U.S. troop levels in Vietnam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WE WERE SOLDIERS")
LYNDON JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have today ordered to Vietnam 125,000 men. Additional forces will be needed later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: When he says, "Additional forces will be needed later," you didn't have enough personnel under your command to really get that job done, did you?
RETIRED LT. GEN. HAL MOORE, AUTHOR, "WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE": No, we did not.
And we were all greatly disappointed that President Johnson did not freeze enlistments, freeze discharges, keep us like we were. I lost 130, 140 men. The president of the United States, the commander in chief of the military forces of America, sent this division to war understrength. Now, that is bad. That is immoral. I lost men killed over there because of what that president did. BLITZER: When people nowadays, when they watch this movie on Vietnam, a whole generation that was born since the Vietnam War, Joe, and they bring it up to what is happening right now in the U.S. war on terrorism, how will they react?
GALLOWAY: We have always hoped that it would persuade the American people to change their attitude toward those who fought the war, and embrace the warrior. It is OK to hate the war, hate any war, but you can't hate the warrior.
BLITZER: When you came home from Vietnam, and all your fellow Vietnam war veterans came home, there were no big parades for you, were there?
MOORE: No, not at all. And we were ignored. Some of my veterans were treated really poorly. And, for years and years, this went on.
Now I sense that the Vietnam veteran is getting more respect for what he did over there in that unfortunate, tragic war. I certainly hope this movie strikes all the people in America to honor and respect the Vietnam veteran for what he did.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: You can see my interview with Lieutenant General Hal Moore, Joe Galloway and Randall Wallace in its entirety tonight when I return here to the CNN "War Room." That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific, a little more than an hour from now.
Let's go to New York now get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you very much.
A weak performance in the markets and a mixed performance for the month, we will be telling you about that -- also, strong criticism against the war on terror from Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. We will have a live report from Capitol Hill. And, as the violence in the Middle East escalates, Israel launches assaults on two West Bank refugee camps. We'll have the latest. And Enron shareholders were not the only investors burned by the collapse. Tonight, we will look at the role of mutual funds in our continuing series, "Who Can You Trust?" All of that and a lot more coming up at the top of the hour.
Please join us -- now back to Wolf in Washington.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou.
And is that Democratic criticism that Lou just mentioned -- is that Democratic criticism on the war justified? We will have the results of our Web poll. And you can learn why one viewer has a beef with the war as well.
Stay with us.
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BLITZER: We want to update you now on that Air India Flight 101 that is now at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Air India has identified the suspected passenger as one Octar Adel (ph). Air India says he was travelling with a woman. The plane, including its 378 passengers, a crew of 21, they are now all at John F. Kennedy Airport after being brought in from the tarmac. It appears that the FBI is on the scene. We are standing by for a news conference for more information. Once again, Air India identifies the suspected passenger who caused, apparently, this commotion as one Octar Adel (ph).
And, earlier, we asked you if you thought the Democratic criticism of the U.S. war on terror was justified in our online "Question of the Day." Let's check out the results right now. Look at this: 62 percent of you say no. Those numbers, of course, could change. You can continue to vote at my Web site: CNN.com/Wolf.
Let's take a look and hear from our viewers.
Jessica from Fort Worth, Texas, write this: "Washington really needs to stop with all this excessive and unnecessary spending on the so-called war on terrorism. It does not matter how much money you spend or how much security you have. The only thing that matters is the type of people you allow to enter this country."
Diane writes on the Saudi peace plan in the Middle East: "I think it presents an opportunity which, if ignored, will ensure that peace remains unattainable. I hope, for everyone's sake, that this offer is given serious and genuine consideration and is adopted."
That's all the time we have today. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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