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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

What Are the Costs of War With Iraq?

Aired February 26, 2003 - 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: While the debate rages on about support for a U.S. war in Iraq, President Bush has to fight a battle -- a public battle on another front: convincing the American people that the costs are worth it.
We're looking at the hard costs of war: what the White House says, what the critics say.

And I'll speak live with Senator Carl Levin of the Armed Services Committee.

I'll also talk live with Rhode Island attorney general Patrick Lynch. He convened a grand jury today. I'll ask him about possible criminal charges in that deadly nightclub fire.

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) Showdown: Iraq, the $100 billion price tag.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I'm not in a position to speculate about what the number may be.

BLITZER: Can U.S. tax payers bear the cost of war?

A key ally opens the door to U.S. air power. Does that open the way to war?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein will be disarmed one way or the other.

BLITZER: Can the U.S. get top Iraqis to turn against their leader?

Is there a way out of war? I'll ask Senator Carl Levin, just back from the region.

A deadly fire sweeps through a Connecticut nursing home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire was suspicious in nature, and an individual is being questioned in connection with the fire.

BLITZER: Nightclub inferno: will there be criminal charges? I'll ask Rhode Island's attorney general. And Hollywood murder mystery. Is there enough evidence to try actor Robert Blake?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

It's Wednesday, February 26, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

With war looming in the Persian Gulf, American taxpayers may be asked to pick up an enormous tab, one which could run close to $100 billion. Administration officials are keeping quiet about just how much of a blow the budget will take, and how much will come out of your pockets.

Let's go live to our senior White House correspondent, John King -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in about two hours here in Washington tonight the president will deliver a speech outlining his vision for a post Saddam democratic Iraq.

For that to happen, and we are told the president will make the case it is a moral imperative to help the Iraqi people, there would have to be a war first. A war that won't come cheap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) The president is preparing an emergency spending plan for a war that could start within weeks.

BUSH: The choice is Saddam Hussein's to make. It's been his to make all along. He gets to choose between peace and war.

KING: Administration sources say the White House could soon ask Congress for as much as $95 billion to pay for war in Iraq, though some in the White House prefer a leaner request of about $60 billion.

Where would that money go? Two months of war would cost as much as $40 billion. A peacekeeping force in Iraq would cost at least $6 billion a year.

Humanitarian supplies are being moved to deal with as men as two million refugees in and around Iraq, and the administration is planning billions more in aid to Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and perhaps Egypt and others.

A shorter war would mean less spending, but the cost could be higher if Iraq used chemical or biological weapons on U.S. troops or if it sets fire to oil fields, as it did to Kuwait in the last Gulf War.

DONALD RUMSFELD, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: There's so many variables to pretend that someone can even marginally usefully speculate on that, when no decision has been made, is obviously not -- I don't think a very useful exercise. KING: The White House is reluctant to acknowledge one additional cost: a bigger federal budget deficit, already estimated at $300 billion next year.

FLEISCHER: It's too soon to say with precision how much this war will cost.

KING: In the last Gulf War, coalition partners paid more than 80 percent of the costs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

But the administration is not expecting much help paying the bills this time. And while Iraqi oil would be used to pay for long- term reconstruction costs inside of Iraq, the administration says that oil would not be used to pay for the war itself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John King at the White House. John, thanks very much.

And regardless of what war with Iraq might cost, Americans could be paying for it over the next decade, if not longer. Add to the equation the real possibility of underestimating the costs.

For more on the dollars and cents of fighting Saddam Hussein, here's Kathleen Hays of CNN financial news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How much will a war with Iraq cost? It's a question the White House can't give an exact answer on.

FLEISCHER: I'm just not going to get into any speculation about numbers.

HAYS: White House sources tell CNN the price tag is $65 to $95 billion. That's about 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, an amount most economists say the country could easily afford.

But there are so many variables.

WILLIAM DUDLEY, GOLDMAN SACHS: I think that's really the key question, is how long are you in Iraq and how much does it cost to really nation build? And that expense could be considerably higher than the actual cost of the war itself.

HAYS: Factor in a conflict that spreads into neighboring countries and disrupts oil supplies, the cost of keeping the peace and rebuilding Iraq after a war, and the cost could approach $2 trillion, or about 20 percent of the nation's economy.

If President Bush underestimates the war cost, he wouldn't be the first president to do so.

The Civil War ended up costing 13 times more than originally estimated, according to a Yale University study. And the cost of the Vietnam War was underestimated by 90 percent.

A worst-case scenario for a war with Iraq would cost much more than current estimates, the Yale study says.

WILLIAM NORDHAUS, YALE UNIVERSITY: I like to think of it in terms of the average family; and at the low end, we're talking about $1,000 per family over the next decade. At the high end, we're talking actually about $20,000 per household over the next decade.

HAYS: Kathleen Hays, CNN financial news, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "In the end, do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq?"

We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of the program. That's also where you can read my daily online column: CNN.com/Wolf.

Saudi Arabia today publicly called on Iraq to cooperate with the United Nations. At the same time, CNN has confirmed the Saudis have privately agreed to give the United States full access to a vital operation center in the event of war with Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): For the Saudis, it doesn't get much more politically sensitive than this.

The issue, the use by the United States of the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh. More than 5,000 U.S. personnel are based there.

U.S. war planes take off on a nearly daily basis to patrol the southern no-fly zone in Iraq. That's been going on for years.

But now comes word the U.S. and Saudi governments have reached a new agreement that would allow U.S. troops and equipment to be used in the event of war with Iraq.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We've had very productive meetings regarding military cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the event of military action against Iraq.

BLITZER: As outlined by U.S. and Saudi sources, the new arrangement will permit U.S. AWACs, aerial refueling tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and other planes to be used.

U.S. command and control facilities at Prince Sultan also will be available to help commanding General Tommy Franks and his war planners, who themselves will be based at the As Sayliyah military facility in nearby Qatar.

The U.S./Saudi deal is not a huge surprise, given their close strategic relationship and history of military cooperation, especially since the Gulf War.

That was underlined to me when I was there in December and spent some time with the U.S. Air force wing commander, Brigadier General Dale Waters.

BRIG. GEN. DALE WATERS, U.S. AIR FORCE: We've been flying southern watch for ten years out of Saudi Arabia. We couldn't have done that without the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

BLITZER: But the new arrangement provides the U.S. military with yet another vital link.

Still, it's a very dicey matter for the Saudis. After the first Gulf War, Osama bin Laden, himself a Saudi, went to war against the U.S. and Saudi Arabia because U.S. troops remained on what he regarded as sacred Saudi soil.

Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's holiest sites.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And that helps explain why the Saudi foreign minister today is trying to play down this latest development, telling reporters the Prince Sultan Base would be used only in connection with the 1991 agreement that ended the first Gulf War.

NATO missiles arrived in Turkey today to defend that country in the case of war with Iraq, but dozens of ships remain offshore, carrying the tanks that U.S. troops would use in a possible assault on northern Iraq.

Turkey's parliament is weighing a deal to allow a huge U.S. deployment. A debate and a decision are likely tomorrow.

Looking at some other developments now in the showdown with Iraq: the British prime minister, Tony Blair, President Bush's staunchest supporter when it comes to Iraq, found his own support in parliament put to the test today.

Blair won a vote backing his handling of the Iraqi crisis, but more than 100 MP's, most from Blair's own Labor Party, backed an unsuccessful amendment stating that the case for war is, quote, "unproven."

Iraqi opposition groups are meeting in the Kurdish enclave of northern Iraq. They heard from President Bush's special envoy today that the United States will help establish democracy in Iraq after Saddam Hussein is gone from the scene.

But Zalmay Khalizad told the session that the U.S. military presence will not last, quote, "one minute more than necessary." The chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, says that despite new signs of cooperation, Saddam Hussein still has not made a fundamental decision to disarm. Blix says there's a long list of disarmament issues and it will take a big effort to clarify all of them.

Speaking to reporters, Blix said he has the impression the Iraqis have stepped up their efforts. Blix said in the latest example, Iraqi officials turned over new information about some weapons, including the discovery of two bombs.

On another key weapons issue, Blix says Iraq still has not officially responded to a U.N. order to begin destroying its Al-Samoud 2 missiles by this coming Saturday.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with the latest on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.N. officials here say Iraq has until Friday to communicate to them and let them know that they will begin that destruction process of the Al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday.

Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons chief, is sending his top deputy back to Baghdad, Dmitri Perricos. With him will likely be another senior U.N. official who would oversee the destruction of the Al-Samoud missiles, if that happens.

However, U.N. officials here say they still have had no communication from Iraqi officials about if and when that could take place. The latest from Iraqi officials is they are still studying the request from the U.N., the demand from the U.N. to begin destroying the Al-Samoud II missiles.

And in an interview with CBS anchorman Dan Rather, Iraq's leader, President Saddam Hussein, when asked if Iraq would begin destroying the missiles, said that Iraq was complying and it had done in the past with the U.N. Resolution 1441. He said it would comply in the future.

However, when Mr. Rather pushed him on that issue of would Iraq meet that deadline, March 1, Saturday, to begin the destruction of the Al-Samoud II missiles, the Iraqi leader said that Iraq didn't have any missiles that went beyond the limited range, 150 kilometers. He said all such missiles that Iraq had have been destroyed in the past.

Not clear if he was talking there about the SCUD missiles that Iraq and U.N. officials have destroyed back during the 1990s U.N. inspection mission here. So still a question mark over that. Will Iraq begin the destruction of the Al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday?

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And amid all of this, there's an important development, a breaking development involving North Korea and its nuclear weapons.

For that, let's turn to our national security correspondent David Ensor -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, U.S. officials are confirming they now have evidence that the North Koreans have restarted their Yongbyong nuclear reactor.

This is a five megawatt reactor that has not been in service since 1994. Officials say they now have clear evidence that causes them to believe the reactor has been restarted.

Now, as recently as yesterday, Secretary of State Powell said that at that point, he had no evidence that it had been restarted. Officials telling me that that is correct. It hadn't been started by then. It has just been started.

Now, this is a reactor that produces electricity, but it also produces plutonium, which could be used for nuclear weapons. Officials pointing out it's at least 18 months before a product could come from that facility that could be used for nuclear weapons.

Still, this is obviously a fairly dramatic escalation of what many call a crisis on the North Korean peninsula -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And David, I've heard experts say that once that reactor is working fully, North Koreans could be producing six, eight, ten additional nuclear bombs?

ENSOR: In a period of years, that's right. But the equipment, the material, the processed plutonium that would needed to produce additional bombs won't be available for another 18 months.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor, thanks very much for that report. We'll continue to follow the crisis with North Korea as well.

When we come back, is the price of a potential war worth the cost? I'll ask Senator Carl Levin when we return.

Also, protests against the war. Moving from the streets to the Internet. The electronic flood that hit Washington today.

And the Blake tapes: conversations with his wife before she was murdered. Do they hold any clues?

All of that. But first, today's news quiz: "What was the most expensive U.S. war ever? World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War." The answer, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Trading shoes for phones, faxes and e-mail, anti-war protesters bombarded Capitol Hill and the White House with the message war is not the answer.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of calls attempted didn't get through, because of the busy circuits.

The so-called virtual march on Washington was organized by the group called, quote, "Win Without War." Tom Andres, the national director of that group, says about 400,000 people registered for the call-in campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM ANDREWS, DIRECTOR, WIN WITHOUT WAR: The message is, don't invade Iraq, don't occupy Iraq when it's unnecessary.

We don't have to kill innocent people. We don't have to put Americans at risk. We don't have give Osama bin Laden a tremendous boost in terms of the capacity to recruit terrorists, suicidal terrorists. We don't have to destabilize that region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining me now to talk more about a possible war with Iraq, is it a foregone conclusion? What would it cost Americans in dollar terms in the huge post-war occupation, if it comes to that, is Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and just back from the region himself.

Thanks, Senator, for joining us.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Is it a foregone conclusion that a war is only two, three, four weeks away?

LEVIN: I think it's highly likely, but it's not totally foregone. A lot will depend on how the U.N. handles that missile destruction request of Iraq.

If Iraq complies with a request, despite what Saddam has been saying on TV, and if they do destroy those missiles, it would seem to me it's likely then that the U.N. is going to continue to look for ways in which the inspection regime can be toughened, tightened and imposed on Iraq.

BLITZER: Are you satisfied that the Bush Administration has a post-Saddam game plan in mind, what has to be done to deal with the aftermath of war?

LEVIN: I'm satisfied they don't have a post-Saddam game plan, that they're unwilling or unable -- probably both -- to share even a range of costs or of length of time that we'd be there or the number of troops that would be required.

I asked General Shinseki yesterday how many troops does he think would be required in Iraq post-war, and his answer was probably a couple hundred thousand.

The Defense Department is sure trying to soft-pedal that figure today. But that is what General Shinseki, who's the army chief of staff, gave us as his instinctive estimate yesterday.

That's a military man's instinct and I'll put a lot of store in that.

BLITZER: To eliminate this threat, though, from Saddam Hussein, is $95 billion a good price tag?

LEVIN: I think how it is eliminated is really important, and more important than the price tag, because the long-term costs can be so much more than that.

It's so critical that we work through the U.N., that we try to keep the Security Council together, that we not do this unilaterally, without the authority of the U.N. for three good reasons.

Number one, the only hope we have of persuading Saddam to comply peacefully without war is if the Security Council holds together in some formulation.

Secondly, if there is going to be a war, the risks short-term in a war are much less if there's a whole world community there that is doing it.

And also, the long-term risks of a terrorist response against the United States is much less if it's a world community decision and not just a unilateral U.S. decision.

And finally, post-Saddam, we're going to get more help in a post- war Iraq if there is a United Nations authority of our going in, because there will be more countries that would join us in that effort after Saddam is gone.

BLITZER: You just came back from this trip to the region, including Kuwait. You were, of course, led by your chairman, Senator Warner of Virginia.

What's the most important thing that you personally learned that you didn't know before that seems to be critical as far as you're concerned right now?

LEVIN: Well, first of all, it's obvious that the military pieces are coming together. But the contrast between our military's capabilities and coming together and coordination compared to the political side, which is really in disarray, as far as I'm concerned, at the United Nations and around the world, that contrast is huge.

The anti-Americanism in places where you would hope would not exist is very intense.

In Pakistan, where you've got a leader who is supporting this effort, at least trying to, you've got 80 percent or 90 percent of the public that is strongly opposed to what we are doing, and you have a Pakistani press that is vitriolically opposed to the Bush effort.

And that contrast between our military having their act together, on the other hand the political side being somewhat in disarray, it seems to me, is a very sharp contrast and it's not -- that is not a good thing at all.

BLITZER: We only have a little time left. But while I have you, Senator, I know you've been to the reactor in North Korea that the North Koreans are now apparently going to restart, using -- developing some plutonium there.

How big of a deal is this, as far as you're concerned?

LEVIN: It's big and it's a crisis. It's a more serious crisis than Iraq. Because here, you've got a country that has -- in North Korea -- kicked out the inspectors and we know has proliferated.

In Iraq, at least the inspectors are there now and the evidence that they shared in the secrets or material with terrorists or terror states is pretty slim and sketchy.

So North Korea is a bigger problem, in my book, than is Iraq. Yet you've got this administration trying to downplay the crisis in Iraq -- excuse me, in North Korea, saying it's not a crisis at all. And I don't think that washes.

BLITZER: All right. Senator Levin, always good to speak with you. Thanks very much.

LEVIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Will human shields be used to slow down U.S. troops? We'll go live to the Pentagon. There's new information on that.

Also, a shuttle warning. Did NASA know it could explode the day before reentry? There's new developments on that front, as well.

And a nursing home fire that left ten people dead. Is a resident to blame? We'll have that and much more. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. intelligence has put together a database of Iraq's elite, including some of Saddam Hussein's top henchmen.

Once again, here's CNN national security correspondent, David Ensor, with more on the list and how it might be used.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): At the Central Intelligence Agency, officials have compiled a list of more than 2,000 key Iraqis, ranging from some close to Saddam Hussein or suspected of involvement in war crimes, to others that they believe could be convinced to turn against the Iraqi leader.

Some on the list were among those targeted with a wave of e-mails recently by U.S. cyberwarfare experts, urging them not to obey orders to use weapons of mass destruction if there's a war.

"The New York Times" reports a wave of telephone calls has also gone out to the private cell phone numbers of selected officials inside Iraq. The same message was in many of the roughly eight million leaflets Pentagon officials say have been dropped so far over Iraq.

In Arabic on this leaflet, the message is "do not use weapons of mass destruction. Unit commanders will be held accountable," it says, and it promises swift and severe retribution.

RUMSFELD: Any orders they receive with regard to the use of weapons of mass destruction, they should disobey. And in the event force has to be used, any person who is in any way connected with the use of weapons of mass destruction would be treated and tried as a war criminal.

ENSOR: The message is also included in broadcasts from air force EC-130 Commando Solo planes, which are transmitting calls to soldiers not to fight, along with American rock music, Iraqi folk music and news programming in Arabic.

(on camera) U.S. officials say the CIA's list of the Iraqi elite, which is constantly updated, should help U.S. forces separate friend from foe, the innocent from possible war criminals, if it should come to war ending in U.S. control of that country.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's -- quote -- "utter nonsense" to think the United States may go to war against Iraq for oil.

Rumsfeld makes it clear the U.S. is determined to see a change of leadership in Baghdad, and in that regard, he tells the Arab news channel Al Jazeera, the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein does have some options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUMSFELD: One is to cooperate. And he hasn't done it. We wish he would.

A second choice is to do nothing and lead to a potential conflict, which is everyone's last choice.

And a third choice is to leave the country. And have someone in that country that the Iraq where people want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's turn now to the issue of human shields. The Pentagon's plans for a quick knockout punch in the opening hours of war could be foiled by an old Iraqi strategy.

Let's get more on that from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of all the imponderables of war, one that's got the Pentagon most concerned is Saddam Hussein's possible use of human shields, because it could vastly complicate the U.S. strategy to minimize civilian casualties.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) In 1990, Saddam Hussein held hundreds of foreign nationals and dispatched them to strategic sites in Iraq and Kuwait to serve as human shields.

In a chilling videotape four months before the war, the Iraqi leader could be seen patting the head of a young boy, while telling him he should be happy to help deter an attack by the United States.

But before the war came, Saddam Hussein let the hostages go. And this time, he's taking a different tack, soliciting volunteers, including between 100 and 200 western anti-war protesters.

But some in the Pentagon question whether volunteers are still noncombatants or have they crossed the line to assist the Iraqi regime.

RUMSFELD: It's clear that people who put themselves in dangerous positions put themselves in dangerous positions.

MCINTYRE: No matter the circumstance, the Pentagon argues using human shields is a war crime, subject to prosecution.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: It is a violation of the law of armed conflict to use noncombatants as a means of shielding potential military targets, even those people who may volunteer for this purpose.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. says Iraq has further endangered civilians by moving military equipment and supplies next to schools, mosques, and historic sites. And by making military targets out of otherwise civilian structures.

For example, by placing anti-aircraft guns on the roof of the Ministry of Media.

The Pentagon is anxious to avoid a repeat of what happened in February of 1991, when the U.S. bombed what it thought was a command bunker, only to discover it was used as a bomb shelter by civilians. The deaths of 293, mostly women and children, caused a temporary pause in the bombing of Baghdad and handed Saddam Hussein a P.R. victory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

So what happens if a key target is surrounded by civilians? Well, the Pentagon says it will try to work around human shields, but it's not guaranteeing it will take any vital target off the target list -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. A secret grand jury hearing evidence on the Rhode Island nightclub fire. We'll talk to the man in charge of the case. Will charges be filed soon?

And was NASA warned about the shuttle disaster the day before it happened? Find out what's inside a newly released memo.

But first, the answer to today's news quiz.

Earlier we asked, "What was the most expensive U.S. war ever?" The answer, World War II.

According to the "Wall Street Journal," in current dollars, that war would cost more than $2 trillion. The next expensive war, Vietnam, cost $484 billion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: A nursing home fire with almost a dozen victims. Police suspect arson. We'll have the latest in the investigation and David Letterman on Saddam Hussein's big interview with Dan Rather, but first, a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

Just in case. With tension on the Korean Peninsula running high, U.S. troops in South Korea took part in chemical weapons defense exercises just a few miles from the Demilitarized Zone. North Korea is believed to have large stocks of chemical weapons.

Gas and oil. Venezuelan police used tear gas to stop a demonstration by fired oil workers. The workers say they were dismissed unfairly during a strike aimed at toppling President Hugo Chavez.

Chilean charges. Five former secret police officials have been indicted in Chile. They're accused of plotting the murder of a dissident Army general in 1974 during the reign of Augusto Pinochet. All five deny the charges.

Mexican menace. Experts are keeping a watchful eye on a volcano southeast of Mexico City. The volcano is showing increased activity. And dozens of nearby villages may have to be evacuated.

Snow job. Students at a Canadian elementary school say they've broken the snow angel record. They plopped themselves on the ground and waved their arms and legs. The result was 523 snow angels on a flight of fancy. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's a nightmare for all of us who know people who live in nursing homes. A resident of a Hartford, Connecticut nursing home has been detained by authorities after an early morning fire that killed 10 people.

CNN's Jamie Colby is joining us live from Hartford with the latest -- Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's a heartbreaking story. And as you said, 10 people lost their lives in a blaze that started just after 2:30 this morning at the Greenwood Health Facility. It's a facility that cares for elderly people. They provide medical treatment for them. They also care for younger psychiatric patients.

A female patient was being questioned early in the day in connection with the case. We have just learned that that questioning has ceased. Her physician has deemed her unstable. Police are not saying whether or not they will continue and hold her or release her. In the meantime, patients have been moved to other facilities. Some have stayed here as well. Portions of the facility now reopened. A steady stream of friends and family members coming here throughout the day, looking for news about their loved ones. Peter Andrusco (ph) did not get the news he was hoping for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually stood behind the captain of the fire department. I saw my mother's name on the list with a mark beside it. And then I asked him, and he said, "Go to Bus 3." And I realized Bus 3 is the bad news bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLBY: Peter's mom, Shirley, was 77. She had been here for several years. She could not walk. She had also had several strokes. He had big questions today, Wolf, about why elderly patients are cared for in the same facility as younger psychiatric patients. He also wanted to know why facilities that care for our elderly are not required to have sprinklers. This facility does not have a sprinkler system. That is not required by Connecticut law. The second major fatal fire in a week, both without sprinklers, perhaps this will lead to change -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie Colby with that sad story. Jamie, thanks very much.

And coming up, we're going to be speaking with the attorney general of Rhode Island to find out the latest in that investigation. Another very, very sad story. Also, the Robert Blake phone tapes. Do they hold a clue to murder? Hear what came out in court today.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A grand jury began hearing evidence today about last week's nightclub inferno in Rhode Island. At least two members of Great White, the band that was playing when the fire broke out, arrived at the National Guard training center where the jury is meeting. The band's lead singer spoke with the reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the most horrible experience of my life, man, most horrible experience of my life, you know. That's all I can say. There's nothing else I can say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Band member Ty Longley was one of the 97 people who died in the fire. The investigation appears to be centering on pyrotechnics used during the show. Joining us from West Warwick to discuss the case is the Rhode Island attorney general, Patrick Lynch.

Mr. Lynch, thanks once again for joining us. So where does the investigation...

PATRICK LYNCH, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good evening, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you. Where does the investigation stand right now?

LYNCH: Well, as I stand here in this bracing cold, keeping me awake, it's good, because we have not rested since this horrific incident occurred. We are forging ahead wherever we can to develop evidence that may be used, should a crime have occurred and to get to that very determination in interviewing people, naturally, and using whatever procedural means we can to assist us and make that determination.

BLITZER: It seems like the band members are cooperating with your investigation, but the owner is not necessarily so.

LYNCH: Well, many -- much of the press has brought it down to those two groups. I can tell you I have no such short list. I am merely looking at all the facts, all the evidence in making a determination. I can tell you that the band, as I have indicated, has been cooperative, in as much as they have responded to questions we have asked. And I remain quite confident they will respond to questions as the investigation continues and ultimately in a court, if that's appropriate.

The Derderians, Mr. Jeffrey Derderian made some brief comment while this area behind me was ablaze and this horrific incident was unfolding. Since then, he has not responded to any. And Michael Derderian has never responded to our requests for answers to questions. Yet, they have twice appeared in front of the media, using that as, I guess, a medium to say they want answers. And we're trying to find answers. As the chief law enforcement officer, I'm the one empowered to do just that with the great men and women in uniform. And I wish they'd help, and others, if they can.

BLITZER: Is it -- is there a precedent that you're working under to try to look back at other horrible disasters, tragedies in Rhode Island that is giving you any guidance in this particular investigation?

LYNCH: Does anybody have a tragedy like this? I mean, they say that it's the worst in 25 years, I guess, in our nation and they've rated it along those lines. I can only tell you it's ripped through our little state that has such a tight-knit community. I say there are six degrees of separation -- here -- there, in the world. There's one degree here.

What we're trying to do is just stay focused to the task at hand and try to keep it to that simple level, is look at facts, look at evidence and look at our laws and determine if the reason these people have perished and the reason that other lives hang in the balance and others will be injured forever is because of a crime and if it is, follow through and find justice in a court of law.

BLITZER: Patrick Lynch, good luck to you. Our hearts go out to the people of Rhode Island.

LYNCH: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us once again.

And when we come back, there's new information on the shuttle Columbia tragedy. Our Miles O'Brien is standing by. He'll join us live right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's new information that's coming out just now about the Columbia space shuttle disaster and about conversations between engineers the day before the disaster occurred. Our space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, is joining us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta. He's got those details -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. We've been seeing a series of e-mails that have been released subsequent to the demise of the space shuttle Columbia. NASA releasing them at the request of Freedom of Information Act requests and these are additional e-mails, which began with the e-mails we were telling you about a little while ago from an engineer by the name of Bob Daugherty (ph) at the Langley Research Center in Hampton Rhodes, Virginia. He's a landing gear expert and was tasked unofficially with considering the possibilities, if there was some tile damage or a breach in the left main landing gear well of Columbia, what would be the what-ifs.

It started with this -- 82 seconds after launch, a piece of debris falling on the left side of the wing of Columbia. There were a series of engineering analyses done by the Boeing Corporation, primarily. Those were given to the upper management of the shuttle team. Those indicated that there was no serious concern. But meanwhile, while those reports were at the highest levels of NASA shuttle management, there was this undercurrent of e-mails going on unofficial, if you will, what-ifing among engineers and some of these are somewhat revealing, except you should remember that these are engineers talking, batting ideas around, if you will.

William Anderson (ph), who is a maintenance and engineer in Houston, starts off an e-mail on January 31 by saying, "First, why are we talking about this on the day before landing and not the day after launch?" and then goes into some scenarios and the possibility if there had been, in fact, been a breach in the landing wheel well, what should be done. Should the crew come in at a special trajectory, should there be a ditched landing, should there be a bailout?

Another engineer, Jeff Cling (ph), who was sitting on the console in the Flight Control Room on February 1, when this came in, maintenance mechanical engineering, looks at this and looks at the possibilities, says, he thinks, first of all, a bail-out is the way to go. But he says this, "If there were hot plasma sneaking into the wheel wells, we would see increases in our landing gear temperatures and likely tire pressures if we actually saw our instrumentation in the wheel wells disappear during entry." And he goes on to say, "This is all assuming the wing doesn't burn off before we can get the crew out." Jeff Cling (ph) was the man who sat and saw those very same readings he predicted on February 1.

Just a little taste of some of the engineering bantering that was going on, Wolf. As I say, this didn't get into the highest levels of shuttle management. Their decisions were based on some reports, which said there wasn't anything to worry about -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I know you're just beginning your look at all these late documents that have been released. We'll be checking back with you. Miles O'Brien on top of the story for us as he always is. Thanks very much.

Let's go to Los Angeles now where prosecutors have started laying out their case against Robert Blake. A preliminary hearing is underway for the actor accused of killing his wife. It will determine whether there's enough evidence for a murder trial. Our Charles Feldman is keeping track of these proceedings -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now, prosecutors are trying to establish motive. And as we speak, on the stand, is a private investigator, who says that Robert Blake had approached him at one point with a scheme to kidnap Bonny Lee Bakley, abort the child that he had with her. And if that didn't work, said the private investigator, Blake said he wanted to kill Bonny Lee Bakley. And then, the investigator says he tried to talk Blake out of it.

Now, earlier in the day, prosecutors played an audiotape. This was a tape made by Bonny Lee Bakley and it was discussing the fact that she was having this child and the issue about whether or not to abort it. It was a tape recording she made of her then-boyfriend and soon to be husband, Robert Blake.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BONNY LEE BAKLEY, MURDER VICTIM: I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted to be with you and I didn't like the way things were going.

ROBERT BLAKE, ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE: You just wanted to get pregnant. For whatever reason, that's what you did. You lied to me. You double-crossed me. You double-dealt me and that's who you are. That's how you operate. I mean it doesn't stop me from caring about you and wanting to be with you.

BAKLEY: It sounds like it does.

BLAKE: Well, I'm not going to lie about who you are and what you are because that's who you are and that's what you are, and that's what you do. And those are big lies, baby, and if you can live with that, you know, if that doesn't come down on you, I can't do that kind of thing. The aura would get me.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FELDMAN: Now don't think the defense attorneys didn't try and succeed in scoring at least some points today. They had on the stand the coroner and got the coroner to admit that the LAPD officers who were present during the autopsy of Bonny Lee Bakley -- that he admitted that they got him to disregard any further examination into establishing the time of death, which is always very crucial in any murder investigation. Listen to this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, they were telling you what they thought had happened, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And obviously, they were influencing what you decided to concentrate on in that autopsy, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FELDMAN: Now this hearing is supposed to go on anywhere from one week, if you believe the prosecutors, to two-and-a-half, if you believe the defense -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And we know you'll be covering it for us. Charles Feldman in L.A. Thanks very much, Charles.

And don't forget, time is running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." In the end, do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq? Logon to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: With all the horrible news out there, I thought I'd want to leave you with a little bit of lighter news in our "Picture of The Day." Late night talk show comedian, David Letterman's, take on Dan Rather's interview with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. On his show last night, Letterman, who loves -- the man who loves to give us lists, gave us his top 10 surprises from that interview between Saddam Hussein and Dan Rather. Check it out, especially No. 8.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: No. 10, surprises in the big interview. Saddam's response to American charges were mainly of the "your mamma's so fat" variety. Is she a hellcat, Dan? Is she? Is she? No. 9, the good laugh they shared at how wimpy the French are. No. 8, Saddam kept calling Dan "Wolf." No. 7, the palpable sexual tension. No. 6, not only do they get CBS in Iraq, Saddam loves "Becker." I did not know that.

(CROSSTALK)

LETTERMAN: And No. 5, if the United States invades, Saddam would like us to do it in March, after the Baghdad tulip show. No. 4, the entire interview with Saddam demonstrating a low-impact aerobic workout. Saddam fell for it every time Dan yelled, "incoming." No. 2, he proudly introduced Dan to the three relatives he hasn't executed. And the No. 1 surprise in Dan Rather's interview with Saddam Hussein, Saddam agreed to disarm if they give him one shot on "American Idol." There you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Don't forget tomorrow night, Dan Rather will be Larry King's special guest, tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Remember, we've been asking you this -- in the end do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq? Look at this, 73 percent of you so far say it would cost the U.S. more to go to war. Twenty-seven percent say it would not cost -- it would cost less to go to war, in effect -- not to go to war. This is not a scientific poll, obviously.

That's all the time we have today. Please join me again tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget, "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ" weekdays at noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Lou Dobbs is standing by to tell us what he has.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 26, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: While the debate rages on about support for a U.S. war in Iraq, President Bush has to fight a battle -- a public battle on another front: convincing the American people that the costs are worth it.
We're looking at the hard costs of war: what the White House says, what the critics say.

And I'll speak live with Senator Carl Levin of the Armed Services Committee.

I'll also talk live with Rhode Island attorney general Patrick Lynch. He convened a grand jury today. I'll ask him about possible criminal charges in that deadly nightclub fire.

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) Showdown: Iraq, the $100 billion price tag.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I'm not in a position to speculate about what the number may be.

BLITZER: Can U.S. tax payers bear the cost of war?

A key ally opens the door to U.S. air power. Does that open the way to war?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein will be disarmed one way or the other.

BLITZER: Can the U.S. get top Iraqis to turn against their leader?

Is there a way out of war? I'll ask Senator Carl Levin, just back from the region.

A deadly fire sweeps through a Connecticut nursing home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire was suspicious in nature, and an individual is being questioned in connection with the fire.

BLITZER: Nightclub inferno: will there be criminal charges? I'll ask Rhode Island's attorney general. And Hollywood murder mystery. Is there enough evidence to try actor Robert Blake?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

It's Wednesday, February 26, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

With war looming in the Persian Gulf, American taxpayers may be asked to pick up an enormous tab, one which could run close to $100 billion. Administration officials are keeping quiet about just how much of a blow the budget will take, and how much will come out of your pockets.

Let's go live to our senior White House correspondent, John King -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in about two hours here in Washington tonight the president will deliver a speech outlining his vision for a post Saddam democratic Iraq.

For that to happen, and we are told the president will make the case it is a moral imperative to help the Iraqi people, there would have to be a war first. A war that won't come cheap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) The president is preparing an emergency spending plan for a war that could start within weeks.

BUSH: The choice is Saddam Hussein's to make. It's been his to make all along. He gets to choose between peace and war.

KING: Administration sources say the White House could soon ask Congress for as much as $95 billion to pay for war in Iraq, though some in the White House prefer a leaner request of about $60 billion.

Where would that money go? Two months of war would cost as much as $40 billion. A peacekeeping force in Iraq would cost at least $6 billion a year.

Humanitarian supplies are being moved to deal with as men as two million refugees in and around Iraq, and the administration is planning billions more in aid to Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and perhaps Egypt and others.

A shorter war would mean less spending, but the cost could be higher if Iraq used chemical or biological weapons on U.S. troops or if it sets fire to oil fields, as it did to Kuwait in the last Gulf War.

DONALD RUMSFELD, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: There's so many variables to pretend that someone can even marginally usefully speculate on that, when no decision has been made, is obviously not -- I don't think a very useful exercise. KING: The White House is reluctant to acknowledge one additional cost: a bigger federal budget deficit, already estimated at $300 billion next year.

FLEISCHER: It's too soon to say with precision how much this war will cost.

KING: In the last Gulf War, coalition partners paid more than 80 percent of the costs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

But the administration is not expecting much help paying the bills this time. And while Iraqi oil would be used to pay for long- term reconstruction costs inside of Iraq, the administration says that oil would not be used to pay for the war itself -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John King at the White House. John, thanks very much.

And regardless of what war with Iraq might cost, Americans could be paying for it over the next decade, if not longer. Add to the equation the real possibility of underestimating the costs.

For more on the dollars and cents of fighting Saddam Hussein, here's Kathleen Hays of CNN financial news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How much will a war with Iraq cost? It's a question the White House can't give an exact answer on.

FLEISCHER: I'm just not going to get into any speculation about numbers.

HAYS: White House sources tell CNN the price tag is $65 to $95 billion. That's about 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, an amount most economists say the country could easily afford.

But there are so many variables.

WILLIAM DUDLEY, GOLDMAN SACHS: I think that's really the key question, is how long are you in Iraq and how much does it cost to really nation build? And that expense could be considerably higher than the actual cost of the war itself.

HAYS: Factor in a conflict that spreads into neighboring countries and disrupts oil supplies, the cost of keeping the peace and rebuilding Iraq after a war, and the cost could approach $2 trillion, or about 20 percent of the nation's economy.

If President Bush underestimates the war cost, he wouldn't be the first president to do so.

The Civil War ended up costing 13 times more than originally estimated, according to a Yale University study. And the cost of the Vietnam War was underestimated by 90 percent.

A worst-case scenario for a war with Iraq would cost much more than current estimates, the Yale study says.

WILLIAM NORDHAUS, YALE UNIVERSITY: I like to think of it in terms of the average family; and at the low end, we're talking about $1,000 per family over the next decade. At the high end, we're talking actually about $20,000 per household over the next decade.

HAYS: Kathleen Hays, CNN financial news, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "In the end, do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq?"

We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of the program. That's also where you can read my daily online column: CNN.com/Wolf.

Saudi Arabia today publicly called on Iraq to cooperate with the United Nations. At the same time, CNN has confirmed the Saudis have privately agreed to give the United States full access to a vital operation center in the event of war with Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): For the Saudis, it doesn't get much more politically sensitive than this.

The issue, the use by the United States of the sprawling Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh. More than 5,000 U.S. personnel are based there.

U.S. war planes take off on a nearly daily basis to patrol the southern no-fly zone in Iraq. That's been going on for years.

But now comes word the U.S. and Saudi governments have reached a new agreement that would allow U.S. troops and equipment to be used in the event of war with Iraq.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We've had very productive meetings regarding military cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the event of military action against Iraq.

BLITZER: As outlined by U.S. and Saudi sources, the new arrangement will permit U.S. AWACs, aerial refueling tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and other planes to be used.

U.S. command and control facilities at Prince Sultan also will be available to help commanding General Tommy Franks and his war planners, who themselves will be based at the As Sayliyah military facility in nearby Qatar.

The U.S./Saudi deal is not a huge surprise, given their close strategic relationship and history of military cooperation, especially since the Gulf War.

That was underlined to me when I was there in December and spent some time with the U.S. Air force wing commander, Brigadier General Dale Waters.

BRIG. GEN. DALE WATERS, U.S. AIR FORCE: We've been flying southern watch for ten years out of Saudi Arabia. We couldn't have done that without the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

BLITZER: But the new arrangement provides the U.S. military with yet another vital link.

Still, it's a very dicey matter for the Saudis. After the first Gulf War, Osama bin Laden, himself a Saudi, went to war against the U.S. and Saudi Arabia because U.S. troops remained on what he regarded as sacred Saudi soil.

Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's holiest sites.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And that helps explain why the Saudi foreign minister today is trying to play down this latest development, telling reporters the Prince Sultan Base would be used only in connection with the 1991 agreement that ended the first Gulf War.

NATO missiles arrived in Turkey today to defend that country in the case of war with Iraq, but dozens of ships remain offshore, carrying the tanks that U.S. troops would use in a possible assault on northern Iraq.

Turkey's parliament is weighing a deal to allow a huge U.S. deployment. A debate and a decision are likely tomorrow.

Looking at some other developments now in the showdown with Iraq: the British prime minister, Tony Blair, President Bush's staunchest supporter when it comes to Iraq, found his own support in parliament put to the test today.

Blair won a vote backing his handling of the Iraqi crisis, but more than 100 MP's, most from Blair's own Labor Party, backed an unsuccessful amendment stating that the case for war is, quote, "unproven."

Iraqi opposition groups are meeting in the Kurdish enclave of northern Iraq. They heard from President Bush's special envoy today that the United States will help establish democracy in Iraq after Saddam Hussein is gone from the scene.

But Zalmay Khalizad told the session that the U.S. military presence will not last, quote, "one minute more than necessary." The chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, says that despite new signs of cooperation, Saddam Hussein still has not made a fundamental decision to disarm. Blix says there's a long list of disarmament issues and it will take a big effort to clarify all of them.

Speaking to reporters, Blix said he has the impression the Iraqis have stepped up their efforts. Blix said in the latest example, Iraqi officials turned over new information about some weapons, including the discovery of two bombs.

On another key weapons issue, Blix says Iraq still has not officially responded to a U.N. order to begin destroying its Al-Samoud 2 missiles by this coming Saturday.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with the latest on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.N. officials here say Iraq has until Friday to communicate to them and let them know that they will begin that destruction process of the Al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday.

Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons chief, is sending his top deputy back to Baghdad, Dmitri Perricos. With him will likely be another senior U.N. official who would oversee the destruction of the Al-Samoud missiles, if that happens.

However, U.N. officials here say they still have had no communication from Iraqi officials about if and when that could take place. The latest from Iraqi officials is they are still studying the request from the U.N., the demand from the U.N. to begin destroying the Al-Samoud II missiles.

And in an interview with CBS anchorman Dan Rather, Iraq's leader, President Saddam Hussein, when asked if Iraq would begin destroying the missiles, said that Iraq was complying and it had done in the past with the U.N. Resolution 1441. He said it would comply in the future.

However, when Mr. Rather pushed him on that issue of would Iraq meet that deadline, March 1, Saturday, to begin the destruction of the Al-Samoud II missiles, the Iraqi leader said that Iraq didn't have any missiles that went beyond the limited range, 150 kilometers. He said all such missiles that Iraq had have been destroyed in the past.

Not clear if he was talking there about the SCUD missiles that Iraq and U.N. officials have destroyed back during the 1990s U.N. inspection mission here. So still a question mark over that. Will Iraq begin the destruction of the Al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday?

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And amid all of this, there's an important development, a breaking development involving North Korea and its nuclear weapons.

For that, let's turn to our national security correspondent David Ensor -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, U.S. officials are confirming they now have evidence that the North Koreans have restarted their Yongbyong nuclear reactor.

This is a five megawatt reactor that has not been in service since 1994. Officials say they now have clear evidence that causes them to believe the reactor has been restarted.

Now, as recently as yesterday, Secretary of State Powell said that at that point, he had no evidence that it had been restarted. Officials telling me that that is correct. It hadn't been started by then. It has just been started.

Now, this is a reactor that produces electricity, but it also produces plutonium, which could be used for nuclear weapons. Officials pointing out it's at least 18 months before a product could come from that facility that could be used for nuclear weapons.

Still, this is obviously a fairly dramatic escalation of what many call a crisis on the North Korean peninsula -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And David, I've heard experts say that once that reactor is working fully, North Koreans could be producing six, eight, ten additional nuclear bombs?

ENSOR: In a period of years, that's right. But the equipment, the material, the processed plutonium that would needed to produce additional bombs won't be available for another 18 months.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor, thanks very much for that report. We'll continue to follow the crisis with North Korea as well.

When we come back, is the price of a potential war worth the cost? I'll ask Senator Carl Levin when we return.

Also, protests against the war. Moving from the streets to the Internet. The electronic flood that hit Washington today.

And the Blake tapes: conversations with his wife before she was murdered. Do they hold any clues?

All of that. But first, today's news quiz: "What was the most expensive U.S. war ever? World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War." The answer, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Trading shoes for phones, faxes and e-mail, anti-war protesters bombarded Capitol Hill and the White House with the message war is not the answer.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of calls attempted didn't get through, because of the busy circuits.

The so-called virtual march on Washington was organized by the group called, quote, "Win Without War." Tom Andres, the national director of that group, says about 400,000 people registered for the call-in campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM ANDREWS, DIRECTOR, WIN WITHOUT WAR: The message is, don't invade Iraq, don't occupy Iraq when it's unnecessary.

We don't have to kill innocent people. We don't have to put Americans at risk. We don't have give Osama bin Laden a tremendous boost in terms of the capacity to recruit terrorists, suicidal terrorists. We don't have to destabilize that region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining me now to talk more about a possible war with Iraq, is it a foregone conclusion? What would it cost Americans in dollar terms in the huge post-war occupation, if it comes to that, is Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and just back from the region himself.

Thanks, Senator, for joining us.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Is it a foregone conclusion that a war is only two, three, four weeks away?

LEVIN: I think it's highly likely, but it's not totally foregone. A lot will depend on how the U.N. handles that missile destruction request of Iraq.

If Iraq complies with a request, despite what Saddam has been saying on TV, and if they do destroy those missiles, it would seem to me it's likely then that the U.N. is going to continue to look for ways in which the inspection regime can be toughened, tightened and imposed on Iraq.

BLITZER: Are you satisfied that the Bush Administration has a post-Saddam game plan in mind, what has to be done to deal with the aftermath of war?

LEVIN: I'm satisfied they don't have a post-Saddam game plan, that they're unwilling or unable -- probably both -- to share even a range of costs or of length of time that we'd be there or the number of troops that would be required.

I asked General Shinseki yesterday how many troops does he think would be required in Iraq post-war, and his answer was probably a couple hundred thousand.

The Defense Department is sure trying to soft-pedal that figure today. But that is what General Shinseki, who's the army chief of staff, gave us as his instinctive estimate yesterday.

That's a military man's instinct and I'll put a lot of store in that.

BLITZER: To eliminate this threat, though, from Saddam Hussein, is $95 billion a good price tag?

LEVIN: I think how it is eliminated is really important, and more important than the price tag, because the long-term costs can be so much more than that.

It's so critical that we work through the U.N., that we try to keep the Security Council together, that we not do this unilaterally, without the authority of the U.N. for three good reasons.

Number one, the only hope we have of persuading Saddam to comply peacefully without war is if the Security Council holds together in some formulation.

Secondly, if there is going to be a war, the risks short-term in a war are much less if there's a whole world community there that is doing it.

And also, the long-term risks of a terrorist response against the United States is much less if it's a world community decision and not just a unilateral U.S. decision.

And finally, post-Saddam, we're going to get more help in a post- war Iraq if there is a United Nations authority of our going in, because there will be more countries that would join us in that effort after Saddam is gone.

BLITZER: You just came back from this trip to the region, including Kuwait. You were, of course, led by your chairman, Senator Warner of Virginia.

What's the most important thing that you personally learned that you didn't know before that seems to be critical as far as you're concerned right now?

LEVIN: Well, first of all, it's obvious that the military pieces are coming together. But the contrast between our military's capabilities and coming together and coordination compared to the political side, which is really in disarray, as far as I'm concerned, at the United Nations and around the world, that contrast is huge.

The anti-Americanism in places where you would hope would not exist is very intense.

In Pakistan, where you've got a leader who is supporting this effort, at least trying to, you've got 80 percent or 90 percent of the public that is strongly opposed to what we are doing, and you have a Pakistani press that is vitriolically opposed to the Bush effort.

And that contrast between our military having their act together, on the other hand the political side being somewhat in disarray, it seems to me, is a very sharp contrast and it's not -- that is not a good thing at all.

BLITZER: We only have a little time left. But while I have you, Senator, I know you've been to the reactor in North Korea that the North Koreans are now apparently going to restart, using -- developing some plutonium there.

How big of a deal is this, as far as you're concerned?

LEVIN: It's big and it's a crisis. It's a more serious crisis than Iraq. Because here, you've got a country that has -- in North Korea -- kicked out the inspectors and we know has proliferated.

In Iraq, at least the inspectors are there now and the evidence that they shared in the secrets or material with terrorists or terror states is pretty slim and sketchy.

So North Korea is a bigger problem, in my book, than is Iraq. Yet you've got this administration trying to downplay the crisis in Iraq -- excuse me, in North Korea, saying it's not a crisis at all. And I don't think that washes.

BLITZER: All right. Senator Levin, always good to speak with you. Thanks very much.

LEVIN: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Will human shields be used to slow down U.S. troops? We'll go live to the Pentagon. There's new information on that.

Also, a shuttle warning. Did NASA know it could explode the day before reentry? There's new developments on that front, as well.

And a nursing home fire that left ten people dead. Is a resident to blame? We'll have that and much more. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. intelligence has put together a database of Iraq's elite, including some of Saddam Hussein's top henchmen.

Once again, here's CNN national security correspondent, David Ensor, with more on the list and how it might be used.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): At the Central Intelligence Agency, officials have compiled a list of more than 2,000 key Iraqis, ranging from some close to Saddam Hussein or suspected of involvement in war crimes, to others that they believe could be convinced to turn against the Iraqi leader.

Some on the list were among those targeted with a wave of e-mails recently by U.S. cyberwarfare experts, urging them not to obey orders to use weapons of mass destruction if there's a war.

"The New York Times" reports a wave of telephone calls has also gone out to the private cell phone numbers of selected officials inside Iraq. The same message was in many of the roughly eight million leaflets Pentagon officials say have been dropped so far over Iraq.

In Arabic on this leaflet, the message is "do not use weapons of mass destruction. Unit commanders will be held accountable," it says, and it promises swift and severe retribution.

RUMSFELD: Any orders they receive with regard to the use of weapons of mass destruction, they should disobey. And in the event force has to be used, any person who is in any way connected with the use of weapons of mass destruction would be treated and tried as a war criminal.

ENSOR: The message is also included in broadcasts from air force EC-130 Commando Solo planes, which are transmitting calls to soldiers not to fight, along with American rock music, Iraqi folk music and news programming in Arabic.

(on camera) U.S. officials say the CIA's list of the Iraqi elite, which is constantly updated, should help U.S. forces separate friend from foe, the innocent from possible war criminals, if it should come to war ending in U.S. control of that country.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's -- quote -- "utter nonsense" to think the United States may go to war against Iraq for oil.

Rumsfeld makes it clear the U.S. is determined to see a change of leadership in Baghdad, and in that regard, he tells the Arab news channel Al Jazeera, the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein does have some options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUMSFELD: One is to cooperate. And he hasn't done it. We wish he would.

A second choice is to do nothing and lead to a potential conflict, which is everyone's last choice.

And a third choice is to leave the country. And have someone in that country that the Iraq where people want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's turn now to the issue of human shields. The Pentagon's plans for a quick knockout punch in the opening hours of war could be foiled by an old Iraqi strategy.

Let's get more on that from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of all the imponderables of war, one that's got the Pentagon most concerned is Saddam Hussein's possible use of human shields, because it could vastly complicate the U.S. strategy to minimize civilian casualties.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) In 1990, Saddam Hussein held hundreds of foreign nationals and dispatched them to strategic sites in Iraq and Kuwait to serve as human shields.

In a chilling videotape four months before the war, the Iraqi leader could be seen patting the head of a young boy, while telling him he should be happy to help deter an attack by the United States.

But before the war came, Saddam Hussein let the hostages go. And this time, he's taking a different tack, soliciting volunteers, including between 100 and 200 western anti-war protesters.

But some in the Pentagon question whether volunteers are still noncombatants or have they crossed the line to assist the Iraqi regime.

RUMSFELD: It's clear that people who put themselves in dangerous positions put themselves in dangerous positions.

MCINTYRE: No matter the circumstance, the Pentagon argues using human shields is a war crime, subject to prosecution.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: It is a violation of the law of armed conflict to use noncombatants as a means of shielding potential military targets, even those people who may volunteer for this purpose.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. says Iraq has further endangered civilians by moving military equipment and supplies next to schools, mosques, and historic sites. And by making military targets out of otherwise civilian structures.

For example, by placing anti-aircraft guns on the roof of the Ministry of Media.

The Pentagon is anxious to avoid a repeat of what happened in February of 1991, when the U.S. bombed what it thought was a command bunker, only to discover it was used as a bomb shelter by civilians. The deaths of 293, mostly women and children, caused a temporary pause in the bombing of Baghdad and handed Saddam Hussein a P.R. victory.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

So what happens if a key target is surrounded by civilians? Well, the Pentagon says it will try to work around human shields, but it's not guaranteeing it will take any vital target off the target list -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. A secret grand jury hearing evidence on the Rhode Island nightclub fire. We'll talk to the man in charge of the case. Will charges be filed soon?

And was NASA warned about the shuttle disaster the day before it happened? Find out what's inside a newly released memo.

But first, the answer to today's news quiz.

Earlier we asked, "What was the most expensive U.S. war ever?" The answer, World War II.

According to the "Wall Street Journal," in current dollars, that war would cost more than $2 trillion. The next expensive war, Vietnam, cost $484 billion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: A nursing home fire with almost a dozen victims. Police suspect arson. We'll have the latest in the investigation and David Letterman on Saddam Hussein's big interview with Dan Rather, but first, a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

Just in case. With tension on the Korean Peninsula running high, U.S. troops in South Korea took part in chemical weapons defense exercises just a few miles from the Demilitarized Zone. North Korea is believed to have large stocks of chemical weapons.

Gas and oil. Venezuelan police used tear gas to stop a demonstration by fired oil workers. The workers say they were dismissed unfairly during a strike aimed at toppling President Hugo Chavez.

Chilean charges. Five former secret police officials have been indicted in Chile. They're accused of plotting the murder of a dissident Army general in 1974 during the reign of Augusto Pinochet. All five deny the charges.

Mexican menace. Experts are keeping a watchful eye on a volcano southeast of Mexico City. The volcano is showing increased activity. And dozens of nearby villages may have to be evacuated.

Snow job. Students at a Canadian elementary school say they've broken the snow angel record. They plopped themselves on the ground and waved their arms and legs. The result was 523 snow angels on a flight of fancy. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's a nightmare for all of us who know people who live in nursing homes. A resident of a Hartford, Connecticut nursing home has been detained by authorities after an early morning fire that killed 10 people.

CNN's Jamie Colby is joining us live from Hartford with the latest -- Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's a heartbreaking story. And as you said, 10 people lost their lives in a blaze that started just after 2:30 this morning at the Greenwood Health Facility. It's a facility that cares for elderly people. They provide medical treatment for them. They also care for younger psychiatric patients.

A female patient was being questioned early in the day in connection with the case. We have just learned that that questioning has ceased. Her physician has deemed her unstable. Police are not saying whether or not they will continue and hold her or release her. In the meantime, patients have been moved to other facilities. Some have stayed here as well. Portions of the facility now reopened. A steady stream of friends and family members coming here throughout the day, looking for news about their loved ones. Peter Andrusco (ph) did not get the news he was hoping for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually stood behind the captain of the fire department. I saw my mother's name on the list with a mark beside it. And then I asked him, and he said, "Go to Bus 3." And I realized Bus 3 is the bad news bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLBY: Peter's mom, Shirley, was 77. She had been here for several years. She could not walk. She had also had several strokes. He had big questions today, Wolf, about why elderly patients are cared for in the same facility as younger psychiatric patients. He also wanted to know why facilities that care for our elderly are not required to have sprinklers. This facility does not have a sprinkler system. That is not required by Connecticut law. The second major fatal fire in a week, both without sprinklers, perhaps this will lead to change -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie Colby with that sad story. Jamie, thanks very much.

And coming up, we're going to be speaking with the attorney general of Rhode Island to find out the latest in that investigation. Another very, very sad story. Also, the Robert Blake phone tapes. Do they hold a clue to murder? Hear what came out in court today.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A grand jury began hearing evidence today about last week's nightclub inferno in Rhode Island. At least two members of Great White, the band that was playing when the fire broke out, arrived at the National Guard training center where the jury is meeting. The band's lead singer spoke with the reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the most horrible experience of my life, man, most horrible experience of my life, you know. That's all I can say. There's nothing else I can say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Band member Ty Longley was one of the 97 people who died in the fire. The investigation appears to be centering on pyrotechnics used during the show. Joining us from West Warwick to discuss the case is the Rhode Island attorney general, Patrick Lynch.

Mr. Lynch, thanks once again for joining us. So where does the investigation...

PATRICK LYNCH, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good evening, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you. Where does the investigation stand right now?

LYNCH: Well, as I stand here in this bracing cold, keeping me awake, it's good, because we have not rested since this horrific incident occurred. We are forging ahead wherever we can to develop evidence that may be used, should a crime have occurred and to get to that very determination in interviewing people, naturally, and using whatever procedural means we can to assist us and make that determination.

BLITZER: It seems like the band members are cooperating with your investigation, but the owner is not necessarily so.

LYNCH: Well, many -- much of the press has brought it down to those two groups. I can tell you I have no such short list. I am merely looking at all the facts, all the evidence in making a determination. I can tell you that the band, as I have indicated, has been cooperative, in as much as they have responded to questions we have asked. And I remain quite confident they will respond to questions as the investigation continues and ultimately in a court, if that's appropriate.

The Derderians, Mr. Jeffrey Derderian made some brief comment while this area behind me was ablaze and this horrific incident was unfolding. Since then, he has not responded to any. And Michael Derderian has never responded to our requests for answers to questions. Yet, they have twice appeared in front of the media, using that as, I guess, a medium to say they want answers. And we're trying to find answers. As the chief law enforcement officer, I'm the one empowered to do just that with the great men and women in uniform. And I wish they'd help, and others, if they can.

BLITZER: Is it -- is there a precedent that you're working under to try to look back at other horrible disasters, tragedies in Rhode Island that is giving you any guidance in this particular investigation?

LYNCH: Does anybody have a tragedy like this? I mean, they say that it's the worst in 25 years, I guess, in our nation and they've rated it along those lines. I can only tell you it's ripped through our little state that has such a tight-knit community. I say there are six degrees of separation -- here -- there, in the world. There's one degree here.

What we're trying to do is just stay focused to the task at hand and try to keep it to that simple level, is look at facts, look at evidence and look at our laws and determine if the reason these people have perished and the reason that other lives hang in the balance and others will be injured forever is because of a crime and if it is, follow through and find justice in a court of law.

BLITZER: Patrick Lynch, good luck to you. Our hearts go out to the people of Rhode Island.

LYNCH: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us once again.

And when we come back, there's new information on the shuttle Columbia tragedy. Our Miles O'Brien is standing by. He'll join us live right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's new information that's coming out just now about the Columbia space shuttle disaster and about conversations between engineers the day before the disaster occurred. Our space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, is joining us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta. He's got those details -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf. We've been seeing a series of e-mails that have been released subsequent to the demise of the space shuttle Columbia. NASA releasing them at the request of Freedom of Information Act requests and these are additional e-mails, which began with the e-mails we were telling you about a little while ago from an engineer by the name of Bob Daugherty (ph) at the Langley Research Center in Hampton Rhodes, Virginia. He's a landing gear expert and was tasked unofficially with considering the possibilities, if there was some tile damage or a breach in the left main landing gear well of Columbia, what would be the what-ifs.

It started with this -- 82 seconds after launch, a piece of debris falling on the left side of the wing of Columbia. There were a series of engineering analyses done by the Boeing Corporation, primarily. Those were given to the upper management of the shuttle team. Those indicated that there was no serious concern. But meanwhile, while those reports were at the highest levels of NASA shuttle management, there was this undercurrent of e-mails going on unofficial, if you will, what-ifing among engineers and some of these are somewhat revealing, except you should remember that these are engineers talking, batting ideas around, if you will.

William Anderson (ph), who is a maintenance and engineer in Houston, starts off an e-mail on January 31 by saying, "First, why are we talking about this on the day before landing and not the day after launch?" and then goes into some scenarios and the possibility if there had been, in fact, been a breach in the landing wheel well, what should be done. Should the crew come in at a special trajectory, should there be a ditched landing, should there be a bailout?

Another engineer, Jeff Cling (ph), who was sitting on the console in the Flight Control Room on February 1, when this came in, maintenance mechanical engineering, looks at this and looks at the possibilities, says, he thinks, first of all, a bail-out is the way to go. But he says this, "If there were hot plasma sneaking into the wheel wells, we would see increases in our landing gear temperatures and likely tire pressures if we actually saw our instrumentation in the wheel wells disappear during entry." And he goes on to say, "This is all assuming the wing doesn't burn off before we can get the crew out." Jeff Cling (ph) was the man who sat and saw those very same readings he predicted on February 1.

Just a little taste of some of the engineering bantering that was going on, Wolf. As I say, this didn't get into the highest levels of shuttle management. Their decisions were based on some reports, which said there wasn't anything to worry about -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I know you're just beginning your look at all these late documents that have been released. We'll be checking back with you. Miles O'Brien on top of the story for us as he always is. Thanks very much.

Let's go to Los Angeles now where prosecutors have started laying out their case against Robert Blake. A preliminary hearing is underway for the actor accused of killing his wife. It will determine whether there's enough evidence for a murder trial. Our Charles Feldman is keeping track of these proceedings -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now, prosecutors are trying to establish motive. And as we speak, on the stand, is a private investigator, who says that Robert Blake had approached him at one point with a scheme to kidnap Bonny Lee Bakley, abort the child that he had with her. And if that didn't work, said the private investigator, Blake said he wanted to kill Bonny Lee Bakley. And then, the investigator says he tried to talk Blake out of it.

Now, earlier in the day, prosecutors played an audiotape. This was a tape made by Bonny Lee Bakley and it was discussing the fact that she was having this child and the issue about whether or not to abort it. It was a tape recording she made of her then-boyfriend and soon to be husband, Robert Blake.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BONNY LEE BAKLEY, MURDER VICTIM: I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted to be with you and I didn't like the way things were going.

ROBERT BLAKE, ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE: You just wanted to get pregnant. For whatever reason, that's what you did. You lied to me. You double-crossed me. You double-dealt me and that's who you are. That's how you operate. I mean it doesn't stop me from caring about you and wanting to be with you.

BAKLEY: It sounds like it does.

BLAKE: Well, I'm not going to lie about who you are and what you are because that's who you are and that's what you are, and that's what you do. And those are big lies, baby, and if you can live with that, you know, if that doesn't come down on you, I can't do that kind of thing. The aura would get me.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FELDMAN: Now don't think the defense attorneys didn't try and succeed in scoring at least some points today. They had on the stand the coroner and got the coroner to admit that the LAPD officers who were present during the autopsy of Bonny Lee Bakley -- that he admitted that they got him to disregard any further examination into establishing the time of death, which is always very crucial in any murder investigation. Listen to this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, they were telling you what they thought had happened, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And obviously, they were influencing what you decided to concentrate on in that autopsy, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FELDMAN: Now this hearing is supposed to go on anywhere from one week, if you believe the prosecutors, to two-and-a-half, if you believe the defense -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And we know you'll be covering it for us. Charles Feldman in L.A. Thanks very much, Charles.

And don't forget, time is running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." In the end, do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq? Logon to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. We'll have the results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: With all the horrible news out there, I thought I'd want to leave you with a little bit of lighter news in our "Picture of The Day." Late night talk show comedian, David Letterman's, take on Dan Rather's interview with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. On his show last night, Letterman, who loves -- the man who loves to give us lists, gave us his top 10 surprises from that interview between Saddam Hussein and Dan Rather. Check it out, especially No. 8.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: No. 10, surprises in the big interview. Saddam's response to American charges were mainly of the "your mamma's so fat" variety. Is she a hellcat, Dan? Is she? Is she? No. 9, the good laugh they shared at how wimpy the French are. No. 8, Saddam kept calling Dan "Wolf." No. 7, the palpable sexual tension. No. 6, not only do they get CBS in Iraq, Saddam loves "Becker." I did not know that.

(CROSSTALK)

LETTERMAN: And No. 5, if the United States invades, Saddam would like us to do it in March, after the Baghdad tulip show. No. 4, the entire interview with Saddam demonstrating a low-impact aerobic workout. Saddam fell for it every time Dan yelled, "incoming." No. 2, he proudly introduced Dan to the three relatives he hasn't executed. And the No. 1 surprise in Dan Rather's interview with Saddam Hussein, Saddam agreed to disarm if they give him one shot on "American Idol." There you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Don't forget tomorrow night, Dan Rather will be Larry King's special guest, tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." Remember, we've been asking you this -- in the end do you think it will cost the U.S. more to go to war or more not to go to war with Iraq? Look at this, 73 percent of you so far say it would cost the U.S. more to go to war. Twenty-seven percent say it would not cost -- it would cost less to go to war, in effect -- not to go to war. This is not a scientific poll, obviously.

That's all the time we have today. Please join me again tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget, "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ" weekdays at noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Lou Dobbs is standing by to tell us what he has.

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