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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Bomb Scare in Philadelphia; Israeli Soldiers Poised on West Bank; Tel Aviv: City that Never Sleeps; Man Released From Prison After DNA Proves Innocence
Aired May 14, 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: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Tel Aviv. This part of the world is no stranger to terrorists, but in the past couple days there has been a scare in the United States -- one bombing in Philadelphia, another potential scare with a Middle East message.
Is someone in the United States taking a cue from terrorists in this part of the world?
Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nerves were on edge as another bomb scare rocked northeast Philadelphia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am afraid to put the mail in the mailbox now. I just have to go to the post office now, you know?
ARENA: This time it was a false alarm. Instead of a bomb, authorities found a pair of sneakers. The sneakers raised suspicions because they were accompanied by a note that read "Free Palestine." That is the same message that accompanied a real bomb found in another Philadelphia mailbox on Monday.
LINDA VIZI, FBI: We're going to take a look to see if they are connected. We will have analysis done on the handwriting and as well as the materials, fingerprints, whatever other forensics are available to us at the laboratory. Step by step, it will be conducted.
ARENA: Monday's note also mentioned the Al Qaeda terrorist network, but one investigator says Al Qaeda was badly misspelled and that so far there is no evidence linking the bomb to any terrorist group.
Authorities say the bomber's intended target is not clear. The package was not addressed and did not have any postage. One investigator rated the bomb in terms of sophistication at a 6, 10 being the most sophisticated, but he refused to elaborate for fear of copycats.
Monday's bomb, found in a foam box, was packed with nails and an explosive charge. When police detonated it they say shrapnel flew about 100 feet, but no one was hurt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The explosion shook all the windows in all the houses. It was very loud and very -- it was big. .
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENA: At this hour the FBI, postal investigators and local police are checking whether the two incidents are related. They don not have a suspect and they are canvassing the neighborhood for possible eyewitnesses -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kelli Arena with the latest on that bomb square in Philadelphia. Thank you very much. Let's get perspective now on what this might all mean. Joining us from Los Angeles, one of the world's top experts on counterterrorism, Brian Jenkins of the Rand Corporation.
Brian, thank you, as usual, for joining us. The key question a lot of people are asking is this -- could what has happened here in Israel, the soft target terrorist strikes at cafes, supermarkets, pizzerias -- is it possible that kind of terrorism could spread to the United States?
BRIAN JENKINS, RAND CORPORATION: Well, there is certainly the possibility that events in the Middle East may inspire individuals to carry out bombings here. I don't think we're going to see the kind of continued activity, the campaign of bombings that we have seen in Israel, in this country. That requires organization, that requires production.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We are having technical problems with Wolf Blitzer. I am Martin Savidge at CNN Center in Atlanta. We have been talking about the issue of mail bombs, but now we want to get to another subject. Let's go to Brian Jenkins with that -- Brian.
I'm sorry. Go ahead. We were talking about the issue, Brian, of terrorism in the United States. You were describing that you don't see this sort of organization that you might see, say, in the Middle East, obviously.
JENKINS: Right. You know, again, our greatest concern is that those associated, the operatives associated with Al Qaeda that may still be at large, will attempt to carry out additional terrorist spectaculars.
Certainly they did not retire on September 12. They remain determined to carry out attacks on Americans abroad and potentially here in the United States. But at the same time we may see individual acts of violence that are not organizationally connected with the Middle East but that nonetheless may be inspired by events there or inspired by the call to action to carry out attacks.
These will be individual events. I don't think we have in this country the kind of organization, the kind of structure that will produce the same intensity and sustained intensity of the bombings in Israel. SAVIDGE: How can we say that in light of the events that happened on September 11?
JENKINS: Well, again, this is an event that was years in planning. It was calculated to be a single spectacular event, and certainly on September 11, the terrorists succeeded in carrying out their attack.
But a one-time attack is different from carrying on a sustained campaign of terrorism. In Israel we have seen, in the past 18 months, something approaching 60 suicide bombings and a far greater number than that were attempted and thwarted by the authorities.
That's an attack that in recent months -- we have seen these attacks coming in Israel, several a week, and indeed approaching an intensity of almost one a day. That requires organization and we don't see that kind of an organization right now here in this country.
SAVIDGE: Well, organization in what sense, though? Obviously you could have an individual that strikes. We have already seen it domestically with the person doing it albeit through the mail and post boxes at the end of the driveway. It doesn't seem that sophisticated to carry out an attack that could injure or kill and certainly, in many ways, strike fear in most Americans, even if it is relatively simple by nature.
JENKINS: No, I agree that the possibility of one attack, of two attacks, but the possibility of continuing a high level, a campaign of terrorism, first of all, if we're talking about a single individual in the case of the mailbox bomber, that was one young man with a package of simple devices.
Now, he put them in mailboxes. Could one individual make the devices, the same devices, perhaps alter them to make them more deadly and carry out a series of bombings across the country up until he was apprehended? That, I suppose is possible.
SAVIDGE: Brian Jenkins, we appreciate you rolling with the punches in our technical difficulty. Thank you for joining us
JENKINS: That is OK. Thank you.
SAVIDGE: Let's go back to Wolf now in Israel -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Marty.
We'll be back to you later in the program as well. Not far from where I am right now in Tel Aviv along the mediterranean coast, if you go about 40 miles south you wind up in Gaza, where some Palestinians are preparing -- they are justifying future suicide bombing attacks.
Our Matthew Chance is standing by live. He is in Gaza -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. Just a few kilometers, a few miles down the coastline from where you are right now here in Gaza, there is a great deal of anticipation about what the coming days and indeed what the coming hours might bring.
Israel, of course, still has its forces massed outside of Gaza, although it has said that it does not now intend to carry out even pinpoint strikes inside Gaza at this stage. Try telling that to the countless, the numerous militants and Islamic Palestinian groups here who every day and every night are preparing for an attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE (voice-over): A show of force in Gaza from the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. While Israeli forces remain poised outside this territory, they're preparing for what could still be a terrible fight.
Despised as terrorists in Israel, these brigades have carried out shootings and suicide attacks. But they see themselves here as defenders of Gaza, subject, they believe, of an inevitable invasion, like the West Bank, by Israel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the world will not defend our homes, our families, or our holy places, then we'll do it ourselves. Sharon, the war criminal, is the terrorist, not us.
CHANCE: There is no shortage of grim determination here. Israel's plans to strike at Gaza may have been placed on hold for the moment, but few Palestinians believe an attack has been anything but temporarily delayed, and armed groups like this, all over Gaza, are still on high alert.
At night members of the brigade plant land mines in earth barricades on the street. Tanks are the main target, but armored bulldozers, so devastating in Jenin, could also be stopped.
Small units of fighters like this say they'll spread out across Gaza, in conjunction with other groups to harass Israeli forces once they attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In spite of the disagreements that may occur between the different Palestinian groups, we all know who the real enemy is. Israel does not differentiate between a member of Fatah or Hamas or Islamic Jihad, so we are one front against them.
CHANCE: And from the Hamas leader the promise of more suicide attacks as long as Israel's occupation goes on.
SHEIK AHMED YASSIM, HAMAS SPIRITUAL LEADER: This is the last arrow in the quiver of our fighters. With do not have F-16 warplanes or Apache helicopters or tanks. Our bodies are our only weapons. We have no option but to die in order to defend ourselves.
(on camera): But it is the coordination on the ground that could turn any West Bank-style operation here into a bloodbath. Israeli soldiers might have to fight at close quarters with these men through densely populated civilian areas, and the real possibility of heavy casualties, they say, has forced Israel to blink this time.
(END VIDEOTAPE) All right. Well, it's not just the militants but also the civilians here in Gaza, ordinary Palestinians that are preparing themselves. They have seen the sieges in Bethlehem and Ramallah and Jenin and they are stockpiling food to make sure they at least are prepared for the worst --Wolf.
BLITZER: Matthew Chance in Gaza, thank you very much for that report. Let's get some perspective now here in Tel Aviv. Joining me is professor Ariel Merari of Tel Aviv University, one of Israel's foremost authorities on Terrorism. You've studied the minds of these suicide bombers. What take makes them tick?
PROFESSOR ARIEL MERARI, TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY: The most important thing is that suicide bombing is an organizational phenomenon, not an individual phenomenon. There has not been a single case, not even a single case of a person who, on his or her own whim, got himself or herself a bomb or hand grenade and went out and did it. In all cases with no exception it was an organization that got the persons, the candidates, prepared them, and the preparation is the most important matter here, and sent them to their -- on their mission.
BLITZER: Is this a case of these young people, men and some women too being brainwashed?
MERARI: It's some sort of brainwashing I would say. The main element in this process of preparation is that the extraction of an irrevocable commitment on the part of the candidate, if you would look at these videotapes that the organizations release after the attack, you see the persons, the candidates that soon become real suicides, say, I am the living martyr. Once they give this kind of statement on camera, they are in a mind set of a living dead. They are living dead.
BLITZER: They're ready to die. So what's the best way to protect yourself for the so-called soft targets, pizza parlors, coffee shops, restaurants, malls. How do you protect yourself against someone who is willing to die for the so-called cause?
MERARI: There's three layers of defense against suicide bombing. One thing is, the most important perhaps is deterrence. People who are willing to die, who are ready to die, cannot really be deterred. But organizations, the organizations that send them can be deterred -- Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda. These are all organizations that want to survive, to continue to function. They can be deterred.
The second level is intelligence. Many suicide bombing attacks have been prevented in Israel by good intelligence work. Intelligence, intelligence, intelligence. This is the most -- one of the most important elements in preventing suicide bombing attacks.
And the third element is the physical defenses around potential targets.
BLITZER: Security guards and metal detectors and things like that?
MERARI: Yes, but it's not only that, it is also public awareness.
BLITZER: You've studied the mind set of these people. The United States is very closely aligned with Israel. Do you believe this kind of terrorism will be exported against the United States?
MERARI: Yes, I think it's quite likely. It has already happened in the United States on September 11 of course. It can happen again, probably will. But I don't think it will become a strategy of the same magnitude as in Israel for the simple reason that for launching suicide bombing attacks you need an infrastructure near the target otherwise you cannot really carry out many suicide attacks. You can carry out several like on September 11, but you cannot carry out a hundred like what happened here in Israel.
BLITZER: All right. Professor Ariel Merari of Tel Aviv University. Thank you for your insight. Appreciate it very much.
Later we'll speak to some Israelis and see how they combine their day-to-day life activities with this constant fear of terrorism, very much in their minds as well. Let's go back to Martin Savidge at the CNN in Atlanta. He has the Web question of the day -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: Thank you very much, Wolf. And our Web question of the day: Who do you fear more, domestic or international-based terrorists? Vote at cnn.com/wolf.
While you are there, let us know what you're thinking. Send your comments and we will read some of them on the air each day. Also, read Wolf's daily on-line column at cnn.com/wolf.
The Catholic church sex abuse scandal turns violent. A priest gunned down in the streets of Baltimore. A look at who police say pulled the trigger.
Plus, Jimmy Carter makes history. But has his trip to Cuba gone too far? We will go live to Havana for the latest. Plus, free at last. A man wrongly accused of rape walks out of prison after 22 years behind bars. He will join us coming up live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: What does Tel Aviv mean in English? Land by the sea? Hill of spring, Jonna Departs, the King's Vineyard? The answer coming up.
Later this hour we're going take a close look at Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon and the very different pressures on both of these very, very different men. But for now let's go back to CNN's Martin Savidge. He's at the CNN center and he has news of a stunning development involving priests and sexual abuse -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: It certainly is, Wolf.
A Catholic priest in Baltimore is shot and seriously wounded. Now, police say a young man who has accused the priest of abusing him years ago, pulled the trigger. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is there with the latest for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dontee Stokes first made the charges in 1993 against Father Blackwell. At that time Father Blackwell was temporarily suspended from his job and was put in treatment, but when police and the archdiocese failed to substantiate the allegations, he was reinstated in his job over the objections of an independent review panel.
Then in 1998 there were separate and unrelated charges against Father Blackwell. At that time he was removed from his job and effectively removed from the priesthood. Although he has retained the title Father Blackwell, he is allowed to say mass only to members of his own family.
Today we're told there were prayers from the archdiocese for Father Blackwell and all victims of sexual abuse though not specifically for Dontee Stokes.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN Baltimore, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Also from our justice files: Lawyers are back in a Boston courtroom to decided whether the medical and psychiatric records of a retired priest should be made public. A superior court judge already has ordered Paul Shanley's records turned over to the lawyer for a man who says he was sexually abused by Shanley.
In Washington state, a case involving a teenage boy and his married sixth-grade teacher could go to the jury soon. Vili Fualaau (ph) says school officials and police failed to protect him from Mary Kay Letourneau six years ago. Now 18, he is seeking an unspecified amount of money for emotional damages. You may remember, he and Letourneau had two children. She is still in prison for child rape.
In Florida, another teenager wants a wrestling icon to help with his defense. So, Gorman Roberts' attorney says he plans to subpoena the Rock. Roberts, who is 17, is charged with manslaughter in the drowning death of an autistic 5-year-old. His lawyer says the victim and other boys watched a wrestling program that featured the Rock two days before the drowning.
A roadblock to peace in the Middle East: Israel's prime minister draws a hard line in the sand. Plus, the presidential divide over Cuba: Why Mr. Bush and Carter see things so differently. And an earth-moving experience for Bay area sports fans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked, what does Tel Aviv mean in English? The land originally founded in 1909 by 60 Hebrew families means "hill of spring."
Welcome back. Coming up we'll talk about Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, but first this news alert.
Zacharias Moussaoui, charged with conspiracy in the September 11 attacks, has appealed a court order requiring him to undergo a psychiatric exam and another order naming his defense attorneys. Moussaoui is also fighting a third court ruling, which remains secret. The alleged 20th hijacker wants to fire his lawyers and represent himself.
The U.N. Security Council today voted unanimously to overhaul its sanctions against Iraq. The council is tightening the 11-year-old military embargo by drawing up a long list of possible dual-use items that need approval before shipment to Iraq. But, the flow of civilian goods is being eased with the extension of the U.N.'s oil-for-food program.
Talk about strange bedfellows and men who despise each other, but each of them feeling the heat very much so. They may have, in the end, to depend on one another.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): They're both in their 70s, they have a long history of mutual hatred and they've been forced upon each other at this critical point. Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat are also both under enormous pressure from some unlikely sources. The Israeli prime minister is facing a major challenge from his political rival, Benjamin Netanyahu. At issue, Sharon's support for an eventual Palestinian state. Sharon spelled out two conditions for such a state during the address to the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): One is complete cessation of terrorism, violence and incitement. And two, the Palestinian Authority must undergo basic structural reforms in all areas, security, economic, legal and social.
BLITZER: Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by a solid majority in a party on Sunday said no to any Palestinian state, ever.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We're concerned what happens if Arafat gets all the powers of the state, the power to field an army, the power to bring in weapons -- unlimited weapons -- the power to bring in unlimited weapons and to make military pacts with Iraq and Iran, and they were saying that is not how we envision peace.
BLITZER: Sharon's proposal for a Palestinian state is backed by foreign minister Shimon Peres, a member of the rival Labour party.
SHIMON PEREZ, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: In my judgment a Palestinian state is a foregone conclusion.
BLITZER: That's also the strongly held view of President Bush, the European leadership, and almost all of the rest of the world. The next Israeli elections are scheduled for October 28, 2003, but given the Sharon Netanyahu battle, the continuing terror threat, and other factors, that date easily could be moved up and the outcome of that election could be significantly shaped by this man, Yasser Arafat, who also finds himself under enormous pressure.
Some of that pressure comes from the Bush Administration, the Europeans and the moderate Arab states, all of whom are pushing for major reforms within its Palestinian Authority and for a greater commitment to prevent terror strikes against Israelis. But Arafat is also facing very different reform pressures from his own hard-line critics. From Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militants who reject an Israeli state within any boarders.
This was reflected in the occasionally less than enthusiastic reception the Palestinian leader received during parts of his tour Monday of the West Bank. And Arafat insisted during an interview with CNN that there are sources of terror beyond his control.
YASSER ARAFAT, CHAIRMAN, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: There are some, I don't want to say their names. Some international power are supporting this.
BLITZER (on camera): Iraq?
ARAFAT: I'm not speaking names. I will not mention any name -- had supported them.
BLITZER: Iran?
ARAFAT: I'm not saying names. I'm saying that and their leaders, their main leaders is not here. That main leaders are outside.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Like New York, this is another city that never sleeps. In Tel Aviv and its older twin, Jaffa, residents are going about their day to day lives defying terror. Here is CNN's Anand Naidoo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am here in Jaffa, the port which is just south of Tel Aviv. And right here at the waterfront, a picture of tranquility. Boats, fishermen, restaurant goers, looks pretty normal, or is it.
Only six weeks ago a suicide bomber set off a bomb in a coffee ship in Tel Aviv injuring many people. It has also been the target of many, many attacks over the last few weeks.
We asked Israelis here at the waterfront how they go about their daily lives, how they deal with this. I see you're going fishing here this afternoon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm looking for fish.
NAIDOO: When you come out fishing, when you go around in the afternoons relaxing, are you afraid at all?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm not. It's the same like. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard and people get used to check around them and see people put it in the dark side of their mind, try not to think about it.
NAIDOO: For your day-to-day life, has that changed a lot in the last few months?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you think I'm afraid to go out? I go out every night in Tel Aviv.
NAIDOO: When you're at home and you decide you want to come out, do you hesitate? Do you think about it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little, not all the time. I try to forget all the situations, all the security, but it's in my mind a little.
NAIDOO: What are your hopes for yourself, for your family in the future?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The solution will be found. That's it.
NAIDOO: And your patient to wait for that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No other way, otherwise you have to take yourself and go on. That's it.
NAIDOO: All right, thank you. Thank you very much.
BLITZER: I'll be back later tonight for an in-depth look at the situation here in the Middle East. "LIVE FROM TEL AVIV, INSIDE THE POLITICAL BATTLE" airs at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, 5:30 Pacific, right here of course only on CNN.
And just an hour and a half or so ago, a man walked free. Clark McMillan walked free after two decades in jail for a crime he did not commit. He joins us live to talk about those wasted years behind bars. Plus, the controversy over Cuba, is Jimmy Carter out of bounds or bridging the gap? And, off the tracks again, another rough ride for Amtrak, but first our news quiz answer. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. You're looking at the sights of Havana, Cuba, the communist nation just 90 miles from U.S. shores, where former President Jimmy Carter is on Day Three of a five-day visit. Live and uncensored, just moments from now on Cuban state television, Carter will make a speech in Spanish to the people of Cuba.
It's an unprecedented opportunity for the former President to speak freely on a medium normally under strict government control. CNN Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman is on the scene for us and she joins us now live. Lucia.
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Good afternoon, Wolf. In deed I am speaking to you here from the University of Havana, where just 25 minutes from now, history will be made, when Jimmy Carter becomes, not only the first U.S. President, former or current, to come to Cuba, but also the first one, as you said, to actually address the Cuban people freely since the 1969 revolution.
Now behind me you can see hundreds and hundreds of university students who are gathering here waiting to greet Mr. Carter at any moment as he arrives here, as he makes his way to the auditorium, where he will make his address.
Just a little bit more to the right, you can see a tank, which is on display here at this university. Now that tank was captured by President Castro's rebel forces in 1958, and just a year later of course, he defeated the government of Forencio (ph) Battista. That's when the Cuban revolution took over and from then on, as we all know, relations between Cuba and the United States have been in the deep freeze, which is why the visit here by Jimmy Carter is so remarkable.
Now earlier today, the President visited a sanatorium, an AIDS clinic, on the outskirts of Havana. There, of course, he met many of the patients. There are about 300 patients there. AIDS is one of the causes that Mr. Carter and his wife Rosalyn have been most concerned about at the Carter Center.
And after that, he visited an agricultural cooperative run by the government. The former peanut farmer not only wanted to know about the techniques being used by the farmers there who grow mainly fruits and vegetables, but especially about their working conditions, how much money they made, whether or not they were able to sell their produce freely.
But, of course, Mr. Carter's speech just 25 minutes away now will be the highlight of his visit here, at least from the point of view of the Cuban people, who will be able to hear his message in Spanish, free and uncensored on Cuban television and radio all over the country.
Now the exact subject of his speech we don't know, Wolf, but it is expected to deal with the differences in the styles of government between the United States and communist Cuba, and as we all know, of course, the differences are enormous. Wolf.
BLITZER: Lucia Newman on the scene for us, as usual, in Havana. Thanks so much for covering this very important historic visit by a former President of the United States.
Let's get some perspective on this visit that puts Jimmy Carter at odds with the current President George W. Bush over the issue of U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba.
Joining us now live Professor Richard Shenkman, he's a presidential historian. He's also the editor of the website History News Network. Professor Shenkman, thanks so much for joining us. Give us some perspective. First of all the fact that Jimmy Carter has made this trip, putting him at odds with an incumbent president, how unusual is this for a former president?
RICHARD SHENKMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Jimmy Carter has done this repeatedly to the first President Bush to Bill Clinton and now to this President Bush. So three presidents in a row he has frustrated by freelancing American diplomacy as an ex-president, and every time the president, the sitting president gets very frustrated and very upset about it.
BLITZER: One of the issues in the past day or so that's really put him at odds with the White House, this issue of whether Cuba is engaged in bio weaponry along the lines of other so-called rogue states. The White House saying that the Cubans are engaged in that, the former president saying in Cuba there's no evidence of that. Does that put the former president in a very awkward position?
SHENKMAN: Well it does, but he's used to being in this awkward position. You know people like to talk about Jimmy Carter as the best ex-president we've ever had, and in some respects it's true. He does all the work for Habitat for Humanity, where he's building homes for the homeless, and he does have the Carter Center down in Atlanta, where he tries to bring parties together who have been traditional enemies and try to work out their differences.
But, every time he gets involved with one of these high-profile cases against a sitting president, there's frustration. The most famous case was back in 1990 when the United States was preparing for the Gulf War. The United States, President Bush, had gone to the U.N. Security Council, said he wanted a resolution, Resolution 678, where we were going to give Iraq a deadline. January 15th, they had to pull out of Kuwait, otherwise we were going in with this U.N. coalition force.
Jimmy Carter sent a letter to all of the members of the U.N. Security Council opposing the U.S. resolution. There was talk in the White House that they ought to bring him up on treason charges and violation of the Federal Logan Act from the 1790s. It didn't happen because they decided they wanted to sidestep the problem.
Then in 1994, you have Jimmy Carter once again going up against Bill Clinton. This was to try to resolve a matter with terrible controversy, really the most serious foreign policy crisis of the Clinton Administration, where North Korea was possibly developing nuclear weapons, and we were possibly going to have to go to war to stop them.
Jimmy Carter said, "look I'll go over there. I'll talk to them." The administration was opposed. He went over anyway and then he goes over and he's really not supposed to negotiate. He's just supposed to get a sense of what Kim, the leader, was thinking and then send - go back to the United States and let the administration know about that.
Well he gets over there. He starts negotiating and he misstates U.S. foreign policy. He promises Kim that we will not seek sanctions against North Korea in the United Nations and this was flat out against, contrary, to the policy of President Clinton.
So he went on CNN and he said this. Then President Clinton had to hold a press conference, one of his underlings had to hold a press conference denying that American policy had changed. But what Carter had done was split the U.S. coalition for sanctions and create a real problem.
BLITZER: Richard Shenkman, as usual, thanks for joining us. On another occasion we'll talk if other foreign leaders understand the nuances, the differences between a sitting and a former president. Richard Shenkman, as usual, thank you very much.
And this important programming note. Join Kate Snow tonight LIVE FROM HAVANA, a special 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, a half hour with Kate Snow in Havana.
And imagine this, being locked up for 22 and a half years without any legitimate reason. When we come back, Clark McMillan free from prison for only a few hours, but he'll talk to us live about his ordeal. Plus, Mississippi rising, residents fight against the tide in the Midwest. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Clark McMillan has spent half his life behind bars, 22 and a half years to be exact. A couple of hours ago, he walked out of prison after having been cleared of the charges that sent him there.
This month, a judge in Memphis, Tennessee overturned McMillan's conviction on rape and robbery charges after DNA tests confirmed his innocence. McMillan has the distinction of having served longer than anyone else in the United States before being cleared by DNA tests.
Clark McMillan joins us now live, as does his attorney, Peter Neufeld in New York. Thanks to both of you. Peter, we had you on about a week or ten days or so ago, but Clark how angry are you right now over this miscarriage of justice?
CLARK MCMILLAN: I'm not angry. I'm really overjoyed.
PETER NEUFELD, ATTORNEY: I'm a little angry for him.
BLITZER: You must feel deep bitterness at the system.
MCMILLAN: Pardon me? Hello.
BLITZER: You must feel deep anger at the system?
MCMILLAN: Well no, I wouldn't say angry. I was more hurt.
BLITZER: Tell us why.
MCMILLAN: Because it was an unbelievable experience that something like that could happen to me.
BLITZER: Who do you blame for this 22 and a half years wasted in a prison?
MCMILLAN: Human error.
BLITZER: You must be an incredible man, Clark. What are you 44 years old right now?
MCMILLAN: Yes.
BLITZER: What are you going to do now that you have your freedom?
MCMILLAN: I'm just going to live and take an issue at a time.
BLITZER: Peter Neufeld, you helped clear Clark McMillan. You were on our program about two weeks ago. Tell us, give us the perspective. This is not that unusual that someone who has spent a long time in jail is now cleared, thanks to DNA evidence.
NEUFELD: Well, by the way Clark, hi. I haven't had a chance to see you since you've been free. Congratulations.
MCMILLAN: Thanks, man.
NEUFELD: Wolf, look he's the 108th person exonerated through post conviction DNA testing. He's too kind. His conviction was a travesty. Primarily at fault were the lousy identification procedures that were utilized by the police, the same kind of procedures that are utilized in Memphis, all over Tennessee, and frankly all over the United States today.
A boyfriend who couldn't identify him and picked other people got to pick him out in front of a jury. The victim herself failed to pick him out of a photo spread, but got to pick him out in front of the jury. His identity was suggested to these people, even though he was clearly innocent, and that just shouldn't be.
Twenty-two and a half years in prison for a crime he had absolutely nothing to do with. You're right. It's half of his life. It just shouldn't be. The innocence project sees people like Clark all the time but unfortunately in most cases, we can't help them because the evidence has either been lost or destroyed.
We have a statute we want passed in Tennessee right now, which will require them to preserve evidence so people like Clark will be able to get out in the future rather than having the evidence destroyed.
BLITZER: Clark, let me bring you back in. Do you believe you should be compensated by the government, some sort of government, for the 22 and a half years you were forced to spend in prison?
MCMILLAN: I would hope that something would be forthcoming in that particular matter.
BLITZER: Is there a possibility, Peter, that he will be compensated?
NEUFELD: Well right now in Tennessee, there is no compensation statute. There's the Innocence Protection Act pending in Congress and if it gets passed, then at least certain groups of prisoners will be eligible for compensation. But what we need in Tennessee and what we need in the other states in this country is a statute saying it is our moral duty to repay these men whose lives and liberty we stole for so long. It's as simple as that. It's not his fault he was convicted. We do owe him something. You know, Wolf -
BLITZER: Clark McMillan and Peter Neufeld, congratulations. Go ahead, Peter.
NEUFELD: No, I was going to say, you know, you were surprised maybe that Clark is speaking in short sentences and is a bit surprised. You got to remember, this is the first time - he only got out of prison about an hour and a half ago, after having been locked up for 22 and a half years. I spoke to him briefly on the phone and he just said "it's just great to breathe the air" and I think it's going to take him a while to get past that kind of exhilaration.
MCMILLAN: Yes, it is.
BLITZER: I totally understand. Congratulations to both of you, especially congratulations to you, Clark. Our best wishes to you and hopefully you'll adjust to the regular lifestyle very, very quickly and will enjoy many, many years ahead of you. God knows you deserve it. Appreciate it very much, both of you for joining us. Peter, keep up your excellent work.
When we come back, another bad day for Amtrak, what went wrong in South Carolina? Plus, the bumpy ride for a daredevil cyclist.
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BLITZER: Let's go back to the CNN Center. Marty Savidge is standing by. He's got some other stories making headlines in the United States. Marty.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Wolf. Now checking these stories on today's newswire.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigating an Amtrak train derailment north of Savannah, Georgia. Police say the Silver Meteor was traveling to Miami from New York when it hit a logging truck at a railroad crossing. Authorities say about 15 people aboard that train were injured. The county emergency service director says there was no gate at the rail crossing.
Frayed nerves in the San Francisco Bay area, after a strong earthquake rumbled through. People all over the country saw it happen, if they were watching the NHL playoff game between San Jose and Colorado. It was also the Giants-Braves baseball game, where seemingly everyone above the field felt the earth move.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Chipper is five out of ten. Did we just have a little earthquake tremor here?
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: I think so. It felt like it. SAVIDGE: The tremor knocked out phone service in parts of San Jose. It's much more serious in the Midwest, where the major rivers keep rising. There has been too much rain in too short a time and nowhere for the water to go but over the banks. At least four people have died in Missouri and Ohio and a number of cities. No one is sure how bad it's going to get. The rivers have yet to crest.
And here's something you're not likely to forget. French cyclist Eric Barone (ph) racing down a sand-covered volcano in northern Nicaragua, all he wanted to do is break his record, his speed record.
Instead, he broke his bike in two, sending him hurdling downhill. Barone's crew members blame the accident on a rock in the path. Remarkable Barone managed to get back on his feet. He's in the hospital for observation. Now let's go back to Wolf in Tel Aviv. Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Marty. The clock is ticking. You only have two minutes left to vote. Our web question of the day is this: "Do you fear more domestic or international based terrorists?" You can go ahead and vote. The results when we come back. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Lou Dobbs is standing by with a preview of Lou Dobbs MONEYLINE. That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour. Lou.
LOU DOBBS, MONEYLINE ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Wolf. Coming up next, another big day on Wall Street, a triple digit gain for the Dow, a big gain for the NASDAQ as well, we'll have a full report for you. Jan Hopkins will be here.
The State of Israel honors its 54th birthday. The celebration is muted, however, because of the looming threat of terrorism. Ariel Sharon says the terrorist attacks must end before peace talks can resume. Ambassador Alon Pinkas will be my guest, as will be the CEOs of UBS Warburg and J.C. Penney.
And longstanding sanctions aimed at punishing Saddam Hussein have been rewritten. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved an overhaul of sanctions. We'll have a report from the Pentagon. And Part Two of our continuing special series on America's shaky foundations.
Tonight, we take a look at the distribution of electrical power; all of that and a lot more at the top of the hour, now, back to Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv. Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. That's all the time we have right now. Lou Dobbs MONEYLINE begins right now.
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