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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Bush to Address Nation Tonight, Expected to Discuss Iraq

Aired March 06, 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: In just three hours, President Bush will hold only his second prime time news conference since taking office. We'll set the stage.
And I'm standing by to speak live with one key Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, who's urged caution from day one.

These are critical days, and we'll have complete coverage starting right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Now, a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Showdown: Iraq.

BLITZER (voice-over): President Bush goes prime time. What he'll share with TV audiences tonight on Iraq, terror.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We feel good about the deterrent and the defensive capability that the United States has.

As diplomacy gets one more chance...

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The moment we find ourselves in is a critical moment.

BLITZER: Saddam Hussein is defiant. Are U.S. troops ready to face the worst case scenario?

She's back, a new warning from an FBI whistle-blower.

And missing in America: Lindsey, Laci and an LSU student. John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" speaks out on these troubling cases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Behind me, the White House where President Bush, just three hours from now, will hold a rare evening news conference, just two days after the capture of the top al Qaeda commander. At least one of them.

The president will offer encouraging words about the war against terrorism, but he'll also warn there are not many days left before he makes a critical decision about war with Iraq. The U.S. military is making final preparations. American pilots are flying more patrols over Iraq, taking advantage of every opportunity to take out Iraqi targets even before the battle begins. It's what they call softening up the battlefield.

And a day before the U.N. gets a make or break report on Iraqi weapons, America's staunchest ally, British foreign minister Jack Straw, is making a last ditch effort to find friends on the Security Council.

We'll go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, on the final troop movements and our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, on the last chance for some sort of diplomacy.

That's all coming up, but we begin with tonight's news conference. It's a way for the president to answer his critics and a way to keep the initiative on crucial issues. Right now nothing, nothing is more crucial than the issue of war or peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over_ White House officials reject criticism the president has been inaccessible to reporters' questioning during this buildup to a possible war.

In his speeches, the president has certainly been out in front on Iraq.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're dealing with Iraq because the dictator of Iraq has got weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: Tonight, Mr. Bush is expected to use the formal news conference setting to prepare the nation for the prospect of war, but his aides stress there will be no major announcements and no hard timetable for the president to make a decision on war. But aides say once that decision is made, the president will deliver a formal address to the nation from the Oval Office.

Two key members of his national security team have been pressing the case in recent days. During a town hall meeting at the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked if the U.S. could sustain a possible three-front war, Iraq, North Korea and the war on terrorism.

RUMSFELD: We are well arranged and we feel good about the deterrent and the defensive capability that the United States has.

BLITZER: And Secretary of State Colin Powell has again forcefully rejected any notion that the Iraqis are cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors.

POWELL: We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred by false claims that it's all OK, he is complying when he is not complying. BLITZER: The president is expected to give an upbeat report on the war on terror, encouraged by the weekend capture of al Qaeda operations chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but his every word on Iraq will be scrutinized for clues on when a war might begin.

The news conference comes one day after what may be the last face-to-face meeting before a war between the president and his top commander in the Gulf, general Tommy Franks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CNN, of course, will have special live coverage of the presidential news conference. That begins tonight at 7:45 p.m. eastern. Please join Aaron Brown and me for our coverage.

And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please 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 this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com/Wolf.

The Pentagon says it's ready for war as the U.S. military puts the final pieces in place for a possible invasion of Iraq as soon as mid-March. Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon says it's ready to go now, but we are still seeing some things moving around as those final preparations are made, every indication, though, is that the U.S. will be ready to go to war in a week or so.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) At the Bethesda Naval Medical Center the doctors and nurses who man the hospital ship Comfort are shipping out to the Persian Gulf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel a little bit sad, but I'm honored and it's a duty thing. So I'm glad that my country chose me to go.

McINTYRE: The Comfort is scheduled to pull into Bahrain this weekend to take the medical team onboard. Sources say staffing the hospital ship to deal with battlefield casualties is one of the final steps before war.

Other preparations include vastly increasing the number of patrols over southern Iraq, taking advantage of three aircraft carriers now in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. has tripled the number of sorties over the last days.

On a typical day, about 250 sorties are flown in support of no- fly zone patrols. Over the last ten days, the number of sorties have been as high as 750 and the latest plan called for 900 sorties in one day.

Pentagon sources say the idea is to orient pilots to the MiGs they will have to fly in the war, prepare the battlefield by bombing air defenses and other threatening targets and establish an unpredictable pattern of activity so it will be harder for Iraq to figure out when the war is actually starting.

Pentagon sources say there has been no decision about what to do with the army's 4th Infantry Division, which was scheduled to go to Turkey, but could well sit out the war in Texas.

And while Turkey reconsiders its refusal to allow U.S. troop deployments or over flight rights, the U.S. has not yet moved its two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean to their backup location in the Red Sea, where they could send planes over Saudi Arabia instead.

Even if Turkey says yes, the Pentagon may still go with plan B, which is to take northern Iraq with airborne troops from Kuwait. The 101st Airborne Division, which would get that assignment is still waiting for the rest of its helicopters and combat gear to arrive, something sources say should be in place by late next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And the latest charge from the Pentagon is that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is getting U.S. and British uniforms to give to some of his troops so that they can commit atrocities that will be blamed on the U.S. and Great Britain -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre with the latest at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

And while they get ready for war, are the United States and Britain also getting ready to give diplomacy yet another chance? There's talk of an evolution in the U.N. resolution.

Let's go live to our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, ten days after the U.S., U.K. and Spain introduced a short and simple draft resolution which implicitly authorizes military action against Iraq, it now appears some new language may be added to the text.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) British foreign secretary Jack Straw was careful not to use the word compromise, but he did signal one could be in the works.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the possibility of an amendment?

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: There's certainly a possibility of an amendment and that's something we are looking at.

KOPPEL: When asked if that included a firm deadline, Straw would not say, but U.S. officials tell CNN both Britain and the United States are currently considering tweaks to their draft U.N. resolution to give Saddam Hussein a deadline by which to disarm.

Privately, U.S. officials say the Bush administration might support another one or two weeks of inspections, enough time to allow undecided governments like Mexico and Chile, which suggested the extensions, to indicate they had gone the extra mile.

But Powell made clear the U.S. is determined to take military action if necessary.

POWELL: That's why the moment we find ourselves in now is a critical moment, where we are being tested and where the Security Council and the United Nations, the international community is being tested.

KOPPEL: Already tensions between the U.S. and many of its key allies seem to be increasing by the day. At last tally, there were only four declared yes votes, but U.S. officials believe the three African countries, Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, as well as Pakistan, can be counted on to vote yes, too.

That would leave the U.S., U.K. and Spain one vote shy of the nine out of 15 Security Council votes necessary to pass a second resolution.

Chile or Mexico could be the swing vote, but a resolution would not pass if permanent members France, Russia and China decided to use their veto. Britain's prime minister said even if that happened, London would stand by the U.S. and go into war without U.N. backing.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there was a veto applied by one of the countries with a veto or by countries that I thought were applying the veto unreasonably, in those circumstances, we would.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: With or without the threat of a veto, the Bush administration has made it abundantly clear, Wolf, that it would introduce a resolution, perhaps as soon as next week if it thinks it has the votes.

And on a related note, just late yesterday, the Bush administration expelled two Iraqi diplomats at the U.N., accusing them essentially of spying -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Thanks very much.

Let's take a look at some of the other developments in the showdown with Iraq.

The ruling party officials in Turkey say parliament will not reconsider a plan to base 60,000 U.S. troops in the country until next week, if at all. The Bush administration wants the troops for an attack into northern Iraq if the U.S.-led invasion takes place. Parliament voted down the request narrowly last Saturday.

With the possibility of war growing every day, several hundred Russian workers pulled out of Iraq today. Dependents of Russian diplomats left the country over the weekend. Sources tell CNN there's also been a significant drop in the number of U.N. workers. But a U.N. official says about 600 are still in the country.

In Baghdad today President Saddam Hussein remains defiant as ever, again vowing to fight if President Bush orders an invasion. This as his government says civilians are being killed in allied air strikes in the southern part of the country.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in the Iraqi capitol with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to Iraq's news agency, overnight Wednesday night into Thursday morning three innocent Iraqi citizens, they say, were killed in a coalition strike in the province west of Baghdad.

Now coalition central command had said that overnight they had attacked a surface-to-air missile system, some 250 miles west of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials today and U.N. officials saying that Iraq has destroyed another six of its Al Samoud 2 missiles, bringing the total number destroyed to 34 roughly one-quarter of Iraq's declared arsenal of Al Samoud 2 missiles.

President Saddam Hussein met with his top military commanders. That was on Iraqi television Wednesday night. He told them, referring the first time to the Al Samoud 2 missiles, that this would not break the morale of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi military meeting Thursday with his top ministers, his council ministers.

President Saddam Hussein said that anyone who tried to attack Iraq it's not as simple as just striking the army and that would be it. He said the people would fight to defend their leadership and defend the country, saying that to attack Iraq was absolutely ridiculous.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Making the case for a war with Iraq, how will President Bush convince the critics? Senator Chuck Hagel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will join us live from Capitol Hill.

Plus, an FBI whistle blower is back in the spotlight with a warning about homeland security.

And we'll focus in on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack. Are U.S. troops ready to face the so-called worst-case scenarios?

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He's voiced concern about the war with Iraq before, now Senator Chuck Hagel will joins live only hours before the president takes questions from reporters. That's coming up. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush faces reporters tonight in a prime time news conference. Officials say the president will once again explain why he thinks it may be necessary to go to war with Iraq, but will it be enough to win over his many critics on the issue?

Joining us now live from Capitol Hill to talk about this, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. He's a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Senator Hagel, as usual, thanks very much for joining us. You were one of the early critics who were wondering whether the Bush administration was going too quickly rushing toward war. Are you now confident that everything has been done that should be done on a diplomatic front before the president gives that order for war?

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: Well, the diplomatic channels have not yet been fully exhausted. Wolf, hence, Secretary Powell's appearance in New York today at the U.N., which is appropriate, it's responsible.

Obviously, the British are talking about the possibility of tinkering with that resolution language which I think would be wise if we can buy another week or two to bring on other allies, world opinion, before we undertake a military invasion of Iraq. That's responsible, because we have to understand something here. What begins in Baghdad will not end in Baghdad.

The next day will come and that next day is going to require an awful lot of focus and help and resources and commitment and that means a lot of allies and a lot of attention in a still very dangerous world.

So I think the president stays on the course he's on. It's a responsible course. Powell is up there now working it. Let's see what Blix has to say tomorrow and then we go from there.

BLITZER: Are you convinced that the day after a war -- a lot of experts think the war might be the easy part. What follows could be painfully difficult for the U.S. troops in that part of the world and elsewhere given the anger, the terrorism that may develop. Are you convinced enough has been done looking down the road?

HAGEL: Wolf, we all understand that this is an imperfect process. We can't figure out every angle and give every answer and every solution to every question or problem.

However, if we go into Iraq with a military incursion with, maybe the way it looks now, very few allies, we will need to remain in Iraq. And that is going to be a complicated, dangerous task in a very, very complicated part of the world.

We don't understand that part of the world. Yes, we could -- we hope, make a more stable and just world, but this is going to take time and the unintended consequences that may well come from this. And if we don't do this, with the legitimacy of the United Nations, with Arab allies, with Islamic allies, with allies all over the world, it's going to be even more difficult to do this.

It's important that we learn something from 1990 and '91. We did this with the legitimacy of the United Nations and most Arab nations as our allies.

BLITZER: Senator Hagel, what does the president need to say tonight to convince his critics, his American critics, and there are plenty of them out there, that there may be no alternative but to go to war against Iraq?

HAGEL: Wolf, there may not be any alternative other than the military alternative. And if that is the way it turns out, it turns out. But that should be the last resort.

And the people of the world, who are looking at this scenario, as it unfolds, the people of America should have some confidence that America is going to use military force as the last resort, if we must.

And I think the president needs to talk about that. I think the president needs to talk about his efforts at the United Nations. His efforts in league with our allies, trying to find language and if it's another week or two to let this go forward, that's a smarter, wiser way to do this.

America must be seen as a just and careful and wise leader. If we are able to project that image, then I think nations will come with us, even if we have to use a military option.

BLITZER: We only have a few seconds left, Senator Hagel, but you say one or two or maybe three weeks, but if Hans Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei tomorrow say we need a few more months to see if the Iraqis are fully disarming, what's wrong with giving those inspectors three or four more months?

HAGEL: I think it depends on what substance they would bring forward to justify another two months or three months to go through the inspections process.

Remember, inspections were never meant to be indefinite. They were never meant to be a policy. They were and are a process to get us to the objective to disarm Saddam and have him fully comply with the 17 U.N. resolutions.

BLITZER: Senator Chuck Hagel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thanks to you and thanks very much for joining us.

HAGEL: Thanks Wolf.

BLITZER: Once again, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now?" We'll have the results later in the broadcast. Please vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

She blew the whistle on the FBI for missing key September 11 clues. Now she's calling the agency to task over what might happen here if -- if the U.S. attacks Iraq.

Also, what will Saddam Hussein do if the bombs start to fall? We'll talk about some worst case scenarios for allied troops with our military analyst.

Plus, the Taliban American fighter John Walker Lindh tacked in prison. Find out what happened to him.

Our special coverage will continue in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's new information on Osama bin Laden. Reports from Pakistan indicate the al Qaeda leader is alive.

In an interview with CNN, the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, said captured al Qaeda official Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gave conflicting information about bin Laden, saying he was alive and later saying he was dead. Asked what he thought, the Pakistani leader said bin Laden should be presumed to be alive.

Meantime, U.S. intelligence officials today refused to confirm or deny a report in "The New York Times" suggesting that bin Laden was in Pakistan last month and actually met with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

An outspoken FBI agent has fired another salvo, suggesting that the agency is unprepared for a new wave of terrorism. CNN's Jeanne Meserve has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Colleen Rowley is going public again, this time about possible war with Iraq and its impact on the war on terror.

In a letter to her boss, FBI director Robert Mueller, she wrote: "We should be deluding neither ourselves nor the American people that there is any way the FBI... will be able to stem the flood of terrorism that will likely head our way in the wake of an attack on Iraq."

COLLEEN ROWLEY, FBI AGENT: You look out and you say I should try, even though I don't have little or no chance to have a slight impact. I think it's -- it's something I just felt I had to do. MESERVE: Rowley was named one of "TIME" magazine's persons of the year in 2002 for detailing how FBI headquarters had stopped the Minneapolis field office from aggressively investigating Zacarias Moussaoui before the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui was later charged as a co-conspirator.

Rowley is chief counsel in the Minneapolis field office, and some feel she's going way beyond her area of expertise.

BUCK REVELL, FORMER FBI OFFICIAL: She's mixing foreign policy issues with criminal justice issues, of which she is very much ill informed. So I find this to be an exercise in egotism rather than professionalism.

MESERVE: FBI director Robert Mueller has acknowledged hostilities with Iraq are likely to increase the risk of terrorist attack, and his organization has taken some preventive steps, like keeping suspected Iraqi agents under surveillance.

Rowley told CNN in an interview the bureau has come a long way, but in her letter, there is criticism and that it has not done enough.

(on camera) Rowley made the letter public after Mueller didn't answer. There is still no direct reply, but senior FBI officials say the bureau has a comprehensive way to act against possible attacks in the event of a war with Iraq.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: If American forces attack Iraq what does Saddam Hussein have up his sleeve? Will there be another inferno on the oilfields? I'll ask our military analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.

They left home long ago, leaving behind torture and murder. Why do these Iraqi exiles still live in fear?

And allegedly lured away by a convicted killer. Now a new sighting of the missing Michigan teenager. The latest on the case from "America's Most Wanted" host, John Walsh. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Coming up, we'll focus on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack.

(NEWS ALERT)

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. Army General Tommy Franks says the American military is ready for war with Iraq. Franks will command American troops if President Bush orders an invasion to disarm Saddam Hussein and remove him from power. Tens of thousands of those troops are in Kuwait right now waiting for their orders.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in Kuwait City with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is a line from Julius Caesar which goes "Cry havoc, let's slip the dogs of war." That pretty much describes the attitude and state of morale of the officers and men of the U.S. army and Marines here in the Kuwait theater of operations. Now, the latest additions to the task force in this region is the U.S. 101st airborne division, 20,000 strong. They're here, they're ready, but their helicopters are not here. They will come in the next few days.

Over the course of the past several months, at least since last November, the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division has been operating within sight of the Iraqi border, training, training, training. And the reason training is so important according to the officers and men, and particularly the officers here is, they say it keeps the mind of the men off of what is waiting for them when these military units get to the gates of Baghdad.

The officers say they don't want their men to think about Saddam Hussein's possible use of chemical and biological weapons. Consequently, there is constant training and training so that no one gets bored. The soldiers and Marines have not lost their edge according to what we're being told. The only shortages, we understand, they're encountering at least according to one of the Kuwaiti I papers, the 52,000 rolls of toilet paper short, other than that, nearly everyone here says they're ready to go or soon will be.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We've talked a lot about how the U.S. Military would invade Iraq. Now we'll focus on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack.

Joining us to talk about this, our military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.

General, first of all, what are the chances that Iraq will wind up using chemical or biological weapons?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN ANALYST: We don't know, Wolf, is the bottom line answer. On the other hand we have to be prepared for it. Our troops are well qualified and well trained in biological warfare. We know how to protect ourselves. We know how to decontaminate. It will be ugly if it happens and it will slow us down, but we know how to operate there.

BLITZER: General, there's been one defensive tactic that's been widely mentioned, perhaps Saddam Hussein pulling the plug on his own electrical power in Baghdad. What presumably would that do?

SHEPPERD: Yes, that's a bad problem if that happens and if you see the electricity go down in Baghdad, it will likely be Saddam that does it, not us. Because electricity key to pumping water and of course sewage. If you don't have water, and you don't have sewage handling, you have a real humanitarian mess over time. You need clean water to survive and electricity is the key to that. So, we won't take it down. Its infrastructure that we need and also infrastructure we would have to repair, Wolf. So, that's a serious problem if it happens.

BLITZER: General as you and I remember during the Gulf War a dozen years ago, Saddam Hussein set fire to Kuwait's oil fields.

Will he do that to his own oil fields?

What will be the impact of that?

SHEPPERD: The impact will be -- it will slow us down because we'll try to peel off troops to guard the other oil wells that we don't want him to set fire to. Because that's the key to the recovery of the Iraqi economy that needs to happen after the war. So again, all of these things are they could happen. You don't know. So, you have to be prepared to them. That's why going to war is so serious -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The other nightmare scenario you've heard about, I've heard about from U.S. military planners. They have to worry about these worst case scenarios. What if he blows up the country's dams and winds up flooding the countryside?

What will be the impact of that?

SHEPPERD: Unlike many other countries, rack is rich in water and dams are the key to keeping it in the right places. If he blows the dams, it will flood area, make the travel more difficult. Make the movement of troops more difficult. And also it has a big impact on what you're able to do agriculturally during the recovery phase.

So, all of the things we talked about are big deals and ugly things. You have had to think through them and we hope that we have and we think we have -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What about eventually if it does come down to capturing Saddam Hussein, will he hide in those underground bunkers?

Does the U.S. military have a plan to catch Saddam Hussein?

SHEPPERD: I'm sure we have all sorts of plans to catch him, if we can. If he goes down deep in the bunkers, we have penetrator bombs that will go down very deep. Even if they don't go as deep as he is, they certainly will are you ruin his day and make it difficult for him to get out. It could also be at end of the war, that we don't know whether we killed him or not. He could disappear just like bin Laden has disappeared. So it's It's one of those unknown things. We'd like to get him. And we'd like have him got by other people before we get there. We're working out all those things, Wolf. We'll just have to wait and see.

BLITZER: Do you really believe, knowing what you know about Saddam Hussein he'll be there when the U.S. troops arrive in Baghdad.

SHEPPERD: I think it will be very, very difficult to find him. And as wily as he is I think he has escape mechanisms set up and thought out. But, wherever he goes, he can be sure that the United States' Coalition will be after him forever.

BLITZER: General Don Shepard, thanks very much, good to speak with you as usual.

They fled Saddam Hussein's rule, now exiles say they are two ways to stop them. God is one, hear the other side coming up.

And fear in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a missing Louisiana college student, only the latest victim of a serial killer. I'll ask the host of "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh. He'll join me live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One group that doesn't need to be convinced of the necessity of regime change in Iraq is the estimated 300,000 Iraqi exiles living right here in the United States. But while their hatred of Saddam Hussein is total, their trust in the United States is not. Here's CNN's John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to decide what is most upsetting about Yaseem Al Habib's story. That he says his two brothers and cousin were first tortured and then executed by Iraq's secret police, or that he had to pay officials more than $2,000 U.S. to get their bodies back.

YASEEM AL HABIB, IRAQI EXILE (through translator): This was to cover the cost partly for killing them and partly the electricity for keeping them in the freezer.

VAUSE: Or perhaps, worst of all, that his story is not unique. So many others who fled Iraq say they have similar memories of life under Saddam Hussein.

Spend some time with Iraqi exiles in El Cojon in Southern California, they'll tell you they still fear Saddam, that somehow, even here, they are still not safe.

Salah Daly fled his country 27 years ago.

SALAH DALY, IRAQI EXILE: When we were there we have this fear and we bring this fear with us where still we have it.

VAUSE: John Kalabat is looked upon as an elder statesman, helping new arrivals to adjust.

JOHN KALABAT, IRAQI EXILE: He looks left and right and we tell him where -- you are not in Iraq. You are -- nobody's watching you. Here nobody will report you.

VAUSE: Walk into any mom and pop grocery store in El Cajon and chances are it's owned by an Iraqi family. John Mansour works for his parents part-time while going to college.

JOHN MANSOUR, IRAQI EXILE: A lot of people are just scared because they still have a lot of families back there.

VAUSE: Which is why when the Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz called on American Iraqis to stand up and tell their stories, few have been keen to speak out. But they have been working behind the scenes.

Convincing anti-war protesters to carry anti-Saddam signs because they say the Iraqi regime used recent peace demonstrations as propaganda, claiming worldwide support.

But those demonstrations angered Yaseem Al Habib.

AL HABIB (through translator): In my opinion, these people are wrong. Iraq is our Iraq. If there are to be protests, it should be us who are protesting because we are suffering from Saddam's regime.

VAUSE: And as war looms ever closer, some Iraqis believe it is the only way Saddam will ever be forced from power.

KALABAT: There are two powers only in the world that can remove Saddam. God and America. And there's no other way.

VAUSE (on camera): And right now it seems almost all of the 30,000 exiled Iraqis who are living here in El Cajon are looking to America to answer their prayers so that one day they may go back to Iraq and that one day they will no longer live in fear.

John Vause, CNN, El Cajon, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Is a missing Louisiana college student the latest victim of a serial killer? Coming up, a special task force (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the latest case to strike fear in Baton Rouge.

And a missing Michigan teenager spotted in California with a man the FBI says kidnapped her. John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted" will join me live to talk about that and other cases.

But first a look at some other news making "Headlines Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Desert disaster. More than one hundred people have died in the crash of an Air Algerie jet. The Boeing 737 was taking off from a town in the Algerian desert on a flight to Algiers. The airline blames a mechanical problem.

Israel strikes back. One day after a deadly bus bombing in Haifa, Israeli troops raided a refugee camp in Gaza. Reports say 11 Palestinians are dead and a man described as a senior Hamas activist is under arrest.

Show of strength. U.S. warplanes have started to arrive in Guam. The Pentagon dispatched two dozen long-range bombers to the Pacific island base in response to rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. Guam is 2,000 miles from Korea.

Poetic pope. A new poetry book released today is drawing special attention because the author is Pope John Paul II. John Paul was a prolific writer as a younger man, but this is the first time he's published poetry since becoming pope almost 25 years ago.

Masked merriment. Buddhist monks performed masked dances to celebrate the end of winter in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The colorful annual festival draws both worshipers and tourists.

Russian to enlist? Forget those old stereo types about beefy guys named Boris. Meet the girls of the Russian army. The military force that once inspired Cold War nightmares is holding a beauty contest with the winner to be named on International Women's Day. The competition is aimed at making the army more attractive to recruits. Specifically, we assume, male recruits.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We have updates now on several unsolved cases we've been following. A serial killer task force has joined the case of a missing Louisiana college student. Investigators want to know if Carrie Lynn Yoder is the latest victim of a serial killer who's blamed for four murders in the Baton Rouge area. Yoder hasn't been seen since Monday.

An AMBER Alert is out in California for a missing Michigan teenager. A witness reported seeing 14-year-old Lindsey Ryan with 56- year-old convicted killer Terry Drake. The witness told police the girl's hair had been dyed from blond to black. Initially it wasn't clear whether Lindsey was kidnapped or ran away, but the FBI now says she was abducted.

And investigators have reclassified the case of Laci Peterson from missing person to homicide. They say they now believe the Modesto, California woman was the victim of a violent crime, but they aren't saying why. Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared Christmas Eve. Police say they don't consider her husband Scott a suspect, but they have not ruled him out. Joining me from New York to talk about all of these cases is John Walsh. He's the host of "America's Most Wanted." John, thanks very much for joining us. Let's talk about the 14-year-old girl from Michigan, apparently lured away by this convicted killer. I know you've been digging into this case. What have you learned?

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, I just talked to the Command Center in Cass County, Michigan that is looking long and hard for this young lady. They're very worried that Terry Drake may do something dramatically stupid and horrible to this young lady.

He's a convicted rapist and murderer who murdered his best friend's wife years ago and was released from prison for good behavior, which I'll never understand, in 1996, and he worked his way into this family and was able to get this young lady. She's only 14- years-old. We had a sighting in California yesterday, but, wolf, we're very, very afraid that this guy may dot same thing he did to the last woman that he kidnapped and that is murder this young lady.

So we're begging people. We have a description of the truck. We have a couple of license plates now and we're begging people. They've been spotted three times in the last three days. We are begging people to make that call. They can call "America's Most Wanted," 1- 800-CRIME-TV. Remain anonymous. We've got to get this girl back alive before this creep does something to her.

BLITZER: Now what do you make of the latest development in Louisiana? I know that you've been looking into the serial killer case as well.

WALSH: Well, I was down there in Baton Rouge. We featured this serial killer on "America's Most Wanted" about a month and a half ago. I went down there with the taskforce. This guy kills about every four to six months. There are actually 30 unsolved homicides in the last 10 years in the Baton Rouge area. The last four have been linked together with DNA. You know, I had this terrible gut feeling that this is his fifth victim in the last year and a half and police have no clues whatsoever other than the DNA who this guy is.

BLITZER: Sad story.

I know you've also been looking into the whole story of Laci Peterson, the pregnant woman missing since Christmas Eve. They now suspect ,the police in Modesto, California -- they suspect homicide. What are you hearing on this front?

WALSH: Well, I went out there, Wolf, as you know, and did a special on that. I had Laci Peterson's family on "America's Most Wanted and "The John Walsh Show," my talk show. I had Scott Peterson on "America's Most Wanted," although he wouldn't sit down with me. I talked to him on the phone for 45 minutes.

Nobody keeps a nine-month pregnant woman for two and a half months. Police suspected that she might have been a victim of foul play a month and a half ago. But what still bothers me is the fact that Scott Peterson will not cooperate fully, will not go in and take a polygraph test. This is something that really bothers me.

I said it to Scott Peterson over the phone -- I said, Scott, when my son was kidnapped 21 years ago, I would have stood in Times Square and let people shoot at me if I could have got my son back alive. My wife and I had to take polygraph tests. I don't understand your behavior. You need to help the police because this -- your wife and your son that you were hoping to be born and now it's way past the due date, they desperately need your cooperation in this case. But I don't think she's alive. I didn't think so a month and a half ago.

BLITZER: By my count, John, I think you nabbed more than 700 of America's most wanted over the years, thanks to your TV program. The FBI has asked for your help in dealing with the al Qaeda suspects, including Osama bin Laden. What do you make of the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed? Is he going to lead authorities to Osama bin Laden?

WALSH: I certainly hope so. I went to the Persian Gulf after 9/11 last year to look for some of bin Laden's moneymen that were hiding out in Kuwait. I hope that he makes a bargain for his life or gives some information.

I've always thought bin Laden left Afghanistan when Kandahar went down, that he probably went into Pakistan or into Sudan or Somalia -- Somalia and I just think it would be the right thing if this man was caught and killed. And I say this, Larry -- Wolf because al Qaeda would fall without this guy and no matter what people say, when Hitler committed suicide in Germany, Germany became a Democratic society. When Mussolini was killed in Italy, Italy became the grand land of food and Armani suits.

You have to cut the head off of the snake and this Shaikh should be talking about Osama bin Laden. He should be bargaining his life for information about bin Laden, because I'll tell you what -- bin Laden's planning his next attack to this country.

BLITZER: And we're going to put up on the screen, John, the Indiana license plates that you were referring to earlier involving that 14-year-old missing girl, apparently lured away by this convicted killer. We're putting them up there right now on the screen. If any of our viewers recognize these plates or see them, these Indiana plates, you can see the numbers at the bottom of the screen. 403211A or 229929A. Get in touch. You can call John Walsh at his number.

What is that number again, John?

WALSH: 1-800-CRIME TV. I'm begging people. You can call anonymously. This guy is probably headed to the northwestern United States. We've got to get this girl back alive.

BLITZER: All right. Let me just repeat those numbers -- 406211A -- that's one of the license plates -- 229929a, the other Indiana plate.

When we come back -- thanks very much John.

WALSH: Thank you. BLITZER: John Walsh, the host of "America's Wanted" doing important work on his TV program.

When we come back, we'll have the results of our "Web Question of the Day." Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now? Log on to cnn.com/wolf. You'll have one last chance to vote. We'll have the results immediately when we coming come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now? Look at this: 35 percent of you say yes; 65 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

That's all of the time we today. Please join Aaron Brown and me at 7:45 p.m. Eastern for special coverage of the president's news conference on Iraq and the war on terror.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.

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 March 6, 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: In just three hours, President Bush will hold only his second prime time news conference since taking office. We'll set the stage.
And I'm standing by to speak live with one key Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, who's urged caution from day one.

These are critical days, and we'll have complete coverage starting right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Now, a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Showdown: Iraq.

BLITZER (voice-over): President Bush goes prime time. What he'll share with TV audiences tonight on Iraq, terror.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We feel good about the deterrent and the defensive capability that the United States has.

As diplomacy gets one more chance...

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The moment we find ourselves in is a critical moment.

BLITZER: Saddam Hussein is defiant. Are U.S. troops ready to face the worst case scenario?

She's back, a new warning from an FBI whistle-blower.

And missing in America: Lindsey, Laci and an LSU student. John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" speaks out on these troubling cases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Behind me, the White House where President Bush, just three hours from now, will hold a rare evening news conference, just two days after the capture of the top al Qaeda commander. At least one of them.

The president will offer encouraging words about the war against terrorism, but he'll also warn there are not many days left before he makes a critical decision about war with Iraq. The U.S. military is making final preparations. American pilots are flying more patrols over Iraq, taking advantage of every opportunity to take out Iraqi targets even before the battle begins. It's what they call softening up the battlefield.

And a day before the U.N. gets a make or break report on Iraqi weapons, America's staunchest ally, British foreign minister Jack Straw, is making a last ditch effort to find friends on the Security Council.

We'll go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, on the final troop movements and our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, on the last chance for some sort of diplomacy.

That's all coming up, but we begin with tonight's news conference. It's a way for the president to answer his critics and a way to keep the initiative on crucial issues. Right now nothing, nothing is more crucial than the issue of war or peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over_ White House officials reject criticism the president has been inaccessible to reporters' questioning during this buildup to a possible war.

In his speeches, the president has certainly been out in front on Iraq.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're dealing with Iraq because the dictator of Iraq has got weapons of mass destruction.

BLITZER: Tonight, Mr. Bush is expected to use the formal news conference setting to prepare the nation for the prospect of war, but his aides stress there will be no major announcements and no hard timetable for the president to make a decision on war. But aides say once that decision is made, the president will deliver a formal address to the nation from the Oval Office.

Two key members of his national security team have been pressing the case in recent days. During a town hall meeting at the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked if the U.S. could sustain a possible three-front war, Iraq, North Korea and the war on terrorism.

RUMSFELD: We are well arranged and we feel good about the deterrent and the defensive capability that the United States has.

BLITZER: And Secretary of State Colin Powell has again forcefully rejected any notion that the Iraqis are cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors.

POWELL: We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred by false claims that it's all OK, he is complying when he is not complying. BLITZER: The president is expected to give an upbeat report on the war on terror, encouraged by the weekend capture of al Qaeda operations chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but his every word on Iraq will be scrutinized for clues on when a war might begin.

The news conference comes one day after what may be the last face-to-face meeting before a war between the president and his top commander in the Gulf, general Tommy Franks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CNN, of course, will have special live coverage of the presidential news conference. That begins tonight at 7:45 p.m. eastern. Please join Aaron Brown and me for our coverage.

And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please 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 this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com/Wolf.

The Pentagon says it's ready for war as the U.S. military puts the final pieces in place for a possible invasion of Iraq as soon as mid-March. Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon says it's ready to go now, but we are still seeing some things moving around as those final preparations are made, every indication, though, is that the U.S. will be ready to go to war in a week or so.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) At the Bethesda Naval Medical Center the doctors and nurses who man the hospital ship Comfort are shipping out to the Persian Gulf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel a little bit sad, but I'm honored and it's a duty thing. So I'm glad that my country chose me to go.

McINTYRE: The Comfort is scheduled to pull into Bahrain this weekend to take the medical team onboard. Sources say staffing the hospital ship to deal with battlefield casualties is one of the final steps before war.

Other preparations include vastly increasing the number of patrols over southern Iraq, taking advantage of three aircraft carriers now in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. has tripled the number of sorties over the last days.

On a typical day, about 250 sorties are flown in support of no- fly zone patrols. Over the last ten days, the number of sorties have been as high as 750 and the latest plan called for 900 sorties in one day.

Pentagon sources say the idea is to orient pilots to the MiGs they will have to fly in the war, prepare the battlefield by bombing air defenses and other threatening targets and establish an unpredictable pattern of activity so it will be harder for Iraq to figure out when the war is actually starting.

Pentagon sources say there has been no decision about what to do with the army's 4th Infantry Division, which was scheduled to go to Turkey, but could well sit out the war in Texas.

And while Turkey reconsiders its refusal to allow U.S. troop deployments or over flight rights, the U.S. has not yet moved its two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean to their backup location in the Red Sea, where they could send planes over Saudi Arabia instead.

Even if Turkey says yes, the Pentagon may still go with plan B, which is to take northern Iraq with airborne troops from Kuwait. The 101st Airborne Division, which would get that assignment is still waiting for the rest of its helicopters and combat gear to arrive, something sources say should be in place by late next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And the latest charge from the Pentagon is that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is getting U.S. and British uniforms to give to some of his troops so that they can commit atrocities that will be blamed on the U.S. and Great Britain -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre with the latest at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

And while they get ready for war, are the United States and Britain also getting ready to give diplomacy yet another chance? There's talk of an evolution in the U.N. resolution.

Let's go live to our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, ten days after the U.S., U.K. and Spain introduced a short and simple draft resolution which implicitly authorizes military action against Iraq, it now appears some new language may be added to the text.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) British foreign secretary Jack Straw was careful not to use the word compromise, but he did signal one could be in the works.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the possibility of an amendment?

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: There's certainly a possibility of an amendment and that's something we are looking at.

KOPPEL: When asked if that included a firm deadline, Straw would not say, but U.S. officials tell CNN both Britain and the United States are currently considering tweaks to their draft U.N. resolution to give Saddam Hussein a deadline by which to disarm.

Privately, U.S. officials say the Bush administration might support another one or two weeks of inspections, enough time to allow undecided governments like Mexico and Chile, which suggested the extensions, to indicate they had gone the extra mile.

But Powell made clear the U.S. is determined to take military action if necessary.

POWELL: That's why the moment we find ourselves in now is a critical moment, where we are being tested and where the Security Council and the United Nations, the international community is being tested.

KOPPEL: Already tensions between the U.S. and many of its key allies seem to be increasing by the day. At last tally, there were only four declared yes votes, but U.S. officials believe the three African countries, Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, as well as Pakistan, can be counted on to vote yes, too.

That would leave the U.S., U.K. and Spain one vote shy of the nine out of 15 Security Council votes necessary to pass a second resolution.

Chile or Mexico could be the swing vote, but a resolution would not pass if permanent members France, Russia and China decided to use their veto. Britain's prime minister said even if that happened, London would stand by the U.S. and go into war without U.N. backing.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If there was a veto applied by one of the countries with a veto or by countries that I thought were applying the veto unreasonably, in those circumstances, we would.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: With or without the threat of a veto, the Bush administration has made it abundantly clear, Wolf, that it would introduce a resolution, perhaps as soon as next week if it thinks it has the votes.

And on a related note, just late yesterday, the Bush administration expelled two Iraqi diplomats at the U.N., accusing them essentially of spying -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Thanks very much.

Let's take a look at some of the other developments in the showdown with Iraq.

The ruling party officials in Turkey say parliament will not reconsider a plan to base 60,000 U.S. troops in the country until next week, if at all. The Bush administration wants the troops for an attack into northern Iraq if the U.S.-led invasion takes place. Parliament voted down the request narrowly last Saturday.

With the possibility of war growing every day, several hundred Russian workers pulled out of Iraq today. Dependents of Russian diplomats left the country over the weekend. Sources tell CNN there's also been a significant drop in the number of U.N. workers. But a U.N. official says about 600 are still in the country.

In Baghdad today President Saddam Hussein remains defiant as ever, again vowing to fight if President Bush orders an invasion. This as his government says civilians are being killed in allied air strikes in the southern part of the country.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in the Iraqi capitol with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to Iraq's news agency, overnight Wednesday night into Thursday morning three innocent Iraqi citizens, they say, were killed in a coalition strike in the province west of Baghdad.

Now coalition central command had said that overnight they had attacked a surface-to-air missile system, some 250 miles west of Baghdad.

Iraqi officials today and U.N. officials saying that Iraq has destroyed another six of its Al Samoud 2 missiles, bringing the total number destroyed to 34 roughly one-quarter of Iraq's declared arsenal of Al Samoud 2 missiles.

President Saddam Hussein met with his top military commanders. That was on Iraqi television Wednesday night. He told them, referring the first time to the Al Samoud 2 missiles, that this would not break the morale of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi military meeting Thursday with his top ministers, his council ministers.

President Saddam Hussein said that anyone who tried to attack Iraq it's not as simple as just striking the army and that would be it. He said the people would fight to defend their leadership and defend the country, saying that to attack Iraq was absolutely ridiculous.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Making the case for a war with Iraq, how will President Bush convince the critics? Senator Chuck Hagel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will join us live from Capitol Hill.

Plus, an FBI whistle blower is back in the spotlight with a warning about homeland security.

And we'll focus in on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack. Are U.S. troops ready to face the so-called worst-case scenarios?

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: He's voiced concern about the war with Iraq before, now Senator Chuck Hagel will joins live only hours before the president takes questions from reporters. That's coming up. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush faces reporters tonight in a prime time news conference. Officials say the president will once again explain why he thinks it may be necessary to go to war with Iraq, but will it be enough to win over his many critics on the issue?

Joining us now live from Capitol Hill to talk about this, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. He's a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Senator Hagel, as usual, thanks very much for joining us. You were one of the early critics who were wondering whether the Bush administration was going too quickly rushing toward war. Are you now confident that everything has been done that should be done on a diplomatic front before the president gives that order for war?

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: Well, the diplomatic channels have not yet been fully exhausted. Wolf, hence, Secretary Powell's appearance in New York today at the U.N., which is appropriate, it's responsible.

Obviously, the British are talking about the possibility of tinkering with that resolution language which I think would be wise if we can buy another week or two to bring on other allies, world opinion, before we undertake a military invasion of Iraq. That's responsible, because we have to understand something here. What begins in Baghdad will not end in Baghdad.

The next day will come and that next day is going to require an awful lot of focus and help and resources and commitment and that means a lot of allies and a lot of attention in a still very dangerous world.

So I think the president stays on the course he's on. It's a responsible course. Powell is up there now working it. Let's see what Blix has to say tomorrow and then we go from there.

BLITZER: Are you convinced that the day after a war -- a lot of experts think the war might be the easy part. What follows could be painfully difficult for the U.S. troops in that part of the world and elsewhere given the anger, the terrorism that may develop. Are you convinced enough has been done looking down the road?

HAGEL: Wolf, we all understand that this is an imperfect process. We can't figure out every angle and give every answer and every solution to every question or problem.

However, if we go into Iraq with a military incursion with, maybe the way it looks now, very few allies, we will need to remain in Iraq. And that is going to be a complicated, dangerous task in a very, very complicated part of the world.

We don't understand that part of the world. Yes, we could -- we hope, make a more stable and just world, but this is going to take time and the unintended consequences that may well come from this. And if we don't do this, with the legitimacy of the United Nations, with Arab allies, with Islamic allies, with allies all over the world, it's going to be even more difficult to do this.

It's important that we learn something from 1990 and '91. We did this with the legitimacy of the United Nations and most Arab nations as our allies.

BLITZER: Senator Hagel, what does the president need to say tonight to convince his critics, his American critics, and there are plenty of them out there, that there may be no alternative but to go to war against Iraq?

HAGEL: Wolf, there may not be any alternative other than the military alternative. And if that is the way it turns out, it turns out. But that should be the last resort.

And the people of the world, who are looking at this scenario, as it unfolds, the people of America should have some confidence that America is going to use military force as the last resort, if we must.

And I think the president needs to talk about that. I think the president needs to talk about his efforts at the United Nations. His efforts in league with our allies, trying to find language and if it's another week or two to let this go forward, that's a smarter, wiser way to do this.

America must be seen as a just and careful and wise leader. If we are able to project that image, then I think nations will come with us, even if we have to use a military option.

BLITZER: We only have a few seconds left, Senator Hagel, but you say one or two or maybe three weeks, but if Hans Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei tomorrow say we need a few more months to see if the Iraqis are fully disarming, what's wrong with giving those inspectors three or four more months?

HAGEL: I think it depends on what substance they would bring forward to justify another two months or three months to go through the inspections process.

Remember, inspections were never meant to be indefinite. They were never meant to be a policy. They were and are a process to get us to the objective to disarm Saddam and have him fully comply with the 17 U.N. resolutions.

BLITZER: Senator Chuck Hagel of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thanks to you and thanks very much for joining us.

HAGEL: Thanks Wolf.

BLITZER: Once again, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now?" We'll have the results later in the broadcast. Please vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

She blew the whistle on the FBI for missing key September 11 clues. Now she's calling the agency to task over what might happen here if -- if the U.S. attacks Iraq.

Also, what will Saddam Hussein do if the bombs start to fall? We'll talk about some worst case scenarios for allied troops with our military analyst.

Plus, the Taliban American fighter John Walker Lindh tacked in prison. Find out what happened to him.

Our special coverage will continue in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's new information on Osama bin Laden. Reports from Pakistan indicate the al Qaeda leader is alive.

In an interview with CNN, the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, said captured al Qaeda official Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gave conflicting information about bin Laden, saying he was alive and later saying he was dead. Asked what he thought, the Pakistani leader said bin Laden should be presumed to be alive.

Meantime, U.S. intelligence officials today refused to confirm or deny a report in "The New York Times" suggesting that bin Laden was in Pakistan last month and actually met with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

An outspoken FBI agent has fired another salvo, suggesting that the agency is unprepared for a new wave of terrorism. CNN's Jeanne Meserve has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Colleen Rowley is going public again, this time about possible war with Iraq and its impact on the war on terror.

In a letter to her boss, FBI director Robert Mueller, she wrote: "We should be deluding neither ourselves nor the American people that there is any way the FBI... will be able to stem the flood of terrorism that will likely head our way in the wake of an attack on Iraq."

COLLEEN ROWLEY, FBI AGENT: You look out and you say I should try, even though I don't have little or no chance to have a slight impact. I think it's -- it's something I just felt I had to do. MESERVE: Rowley was named one of "TIME" magazine's persons of the year in 2002 for detailing how FBI headquarters had stopped the Minneapolis field office from aggressively investigating Zacarias Moussaoui before the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui was later charged as a co-conspirator.

Rowley is chief counsel in the Minneapolis field office, and some feel she's going way beyond her area of expertise.

BUCK REVELL, FORMER FBI OFFICIAL: She's mixing foreign policy issues with criminal justice issues, of which she is very much ill informed. So I find this to be an exercise in egotism rather than professionalism.

MESERVE: FBI director Robert Mueller has acknowledged hostilities with Iraq are likely to increase the risk of terrorist attack, and his organization has taken some preventive steps, like keeping suspected Iraqi agents under surveillance.

Rowley told CNN in an interview the bureau has come a long way, but in her letter, there is criticism and that it has not done enough.

(on camera) Rowley made the letter public after Mueller didn't answer. There is still no direct reply, but senior FBI officials say the bureau has a comprehensive way to act against possible attacks in the event of a war with Iraq.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: If American forces attack Iraq what does Saddam Hussein have up his sleeve? Will there be another inferno on the oilfields? I'll ask our military analyst, retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.

They left home long ago, leaving behind torture and murder. Why do these Iraqi exiles still live in fear?

And allegedly lured away by a convicted killer. Now a new sighting of the missing Michigan teenager. The latest on the case from "America's Most Wanted" host, John Walsh. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Coming up, we'll focus on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack.

(NEWS ALERT)

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. Army General Tommy Franks says the American military is ready for war with Iraq. Franks will command American troops if President Bush orders an invasion to disarm Saddam Hussein and remove him from power. Tens of thousands of those troops are in Kuwait right now waiting for their orders.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in Kuwait City with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is a line from Julius Caesar which goes "Cry havoc, let's slip the dogs of war." That pretty much describes the attitude and state of morale of the officers and men of the U.S. army and Marines here in the Kuwait theater of operations. Now, the latest additions to the task force in this region is the U.S. 101st airborne division, 20,000 strong. They're here, they're ready, but their helicopters are not here. They will come in the next few days.

Over the course of the past several months, at least since last November, the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division has been operating within sight of the Iraqi border, training, training, training. And the reason training is so important according to the officers and men, and particularly the officers here is, they say it keeps the mind of the men off of what is waiting for them when these military units get to the gates of Baghdad.

The officers say they don't want their men to think about Saddam Hussein's possible use of chemical and biological weapons. Consequently, there is constant training and training so that no one gets bored. The soldiers and Marines have not lost their edge according to what we're being told. The only shortages, we understand, they're encountering at least according to one of the Kuwaiti I papers, the 52,000 rolls of toilet paper short, other than that, nearly everyone here says they're ready to go or soon will be.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We've talked a lot about how the U.S. Military would invade Iraq. Now we'll focus on how Iraq might respond to a U.S.-led attack.

Joining us to talk about this, our military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.

General, first of all, what are the chances that Iraq will wind up using chemical or biological weapons?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN ANALYST: We don't know, Wolf, is the bottom line answer. On the other hand we have to be prepared for it. Our troops are well qualified and well trained in biological warfare. We know how to protect ourselves. We know how to decontaminate. It will be ugly if it happens and it will slow us down, but we know how to operate there.

BLITZER: General, there's been one defensive tactic that's been widely mentioned, perhaps Saddam Hussein pulling the plug on his own electrical power in Baghdad. What presumably would that do?

SHEPPERD: Yes, that's a bad problem if that happens and if you see the electricity go down in Baghdad, it will likely be Saddam that does it, not us. Because electricity key to pumping water and of course sewage. If you don't have water, and you don't have sewage handling, you have a real humanitarian mess over time. You need clean water to survive and electricity is the key to that. So, we won't take it down. Its infrastructure that we need and also infrastructure we would have to repair, Wolf. So, that's a serious problem if it happens.

BLITZER: General as you and I remember during the Gulf War a dozen years ago, Saddam Hussein set fire to Kuwait's oil fields.

Will he do that to his own oil fields?

What will be the impact of that?

SHEPPERD: The impact will be -- it will slow us down because we'll try to peel off troops to guard the other oil wells that we don't want him to set fire to. Because that's the key to the recovery of the Iraqi economy that needs to happen after the war. So again, all of these things are they could happen. You don't know. So, you have to be prepared to them. That's why going to war is so serious -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The other nightmare scenario you've heard about, I've heard about from U.S. military planners. They have to worry about these worst case scenarios. What if he blows up the country's dams and winds up flooding the countryside?

What will be the impact of that?

SHEPPERD: Unlike many other countries, rack is rich in water and dams are the key to keeping it in the right places. If he blows the dams, it will flood area, make the travel more difficult. Make the movement of troops more difficult. And also it has a big impact on what you're able to do agriculturally during the recovery phase.

So, all of the things we talked about are big deals and ugly things. You have had to think through them and we hope that we have and we think we have -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What about eventually if it does come down to capturing Saddam Hussein, will he hide in those underground bunkers?

Does the U.S. military have a plan to catch Saddam Hussein?

SHEPPERD: I'm sure we have all sorts of plans to catch him, if we can. If he goes down deep in the bunkers, we have penetrator bombs that will go down very deep. Even if they don't go as deep as he is, they certainly will are you ruin his day and make it difficult for him to get out. It could also be at end of the war, that we don't know whether we killed him or not. He could disappear just like bin Laden has disappeared. So it's It's one of those unknown things. We'd like to get him. And we'd like have him got by other people before we get there. We're working out all those things, Wolf. We'll just have to wait and see.

BLITZER: Do you really believe, knowing what you know about Saddam Hussein he'll be there when the U.S. troops arrive in Baghdad.

SHEPPERD: I think it will be very, very difficult to find him. And as wily as he is I think he has escape mechanisms set up and thought out. But, wherever he goes, he can be sure that the United States' Coalition will be after him forever.

BLITZER: General Don Shepard, thanks very much, good to speak with you as usual.

They fled Saddam Hussein's rule, now exiles say they are two ways to stop them. God is one, hear the other side coming up.

And fear in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a missing Louisiana college student, only the latest victim of a serial killer. I'll ask the host of "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh. He'll join me live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: One group that doesn't need to be convinced of the necessity of regime change in Iraq is the estimated 300,000 Iraqi exiles living right here in the United States. But while their hatred of Saddam Hussein is total, their trust in the United States is not. Here's CNN's John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to decide what is most upsetting about Yaseem Al Habib's story. That he says his two brothers and cousin were first tortured and then executed by Iraq's secret police, or that he had to pay officials more than $2,000 U.S. to get their bodies back.

YASEEM AL HABIB, IRAQI EXILE (through translator): This was to cover the cost partly for killing them and partly the electricity for keeping them in the freezer.

VAUSE: Or perhaps, worst of all, that his story is not unique. So many others who fled Iraq say they have similar memories of life under Saddam Hussein.

Spend some time with Iraqi exiles in El Cojon in Southern California, they'll tell you they still fear Saddam, that somehow, even here, they are still not safe.

Salah Daly fled his country 27 years ago.

SALAH DALY, IRAQI EXILE: When we were there we have this fear and we bring this fear with us where still we have it.

VAUSE: John Kalabat is looked upon as an elder statesman, helping new arrivals to adjust.

JOHN KALABAT, IRAQI EXILE: He looks left and right and we tell him where -- you are not in Iraq. You are -- nobody's watching you. Here nobody will report you.

VAUSE: Walk into any mom and pop grocery store in El Cajon and chances are it's owned by an Iraqi family. John Mansour works for his parents part-time while going to college.

JOHN MANSOUR, IRAQI EXILE: A lot of people are just scared because they still have a lot of families back there.

VAUSE: Which is why when the Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz called on American Iraqis to stand up and tell their stories, few have been keen to speak out. But they have been working behind the scenes.

Convincing anti-war protesters to carry anti-Saddam signs because they say the Iraqi regime used recent peace demonstrations as propaganda, claiming worldwide support.

But those demonstrations angered Yaseem Al Habib.

AL HABIB (through translator): In my opinion, these people are wrong. Iraq is our Iraq. If there are to be protests, it should be us who are protesting because we are suffering from Saddam's regime.

VAUSE: And as war looms ever closer, some Iraqis believe it is the only way Saddam will ever be forced from power.

KALABAT: There are two powers only in the world that can remove Saddam. God and America. And there's no other way.

VAUSE (on camera): And right now it seems almost all of the 30,000 exiled Iraqis who are living here in El Cajon are looking to America to answer their prayers so that one day they may go back to Iraq and that one day they will no longer live in fear.

John Vause, CNN, El Cajon, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Is a missing Louisiana college student the latest victim of a serial killer? Coming up, a special task force (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the latest case to strike fear in Baton Rouge.

And a missing Michigan teenager spotted in California with a man the FBI says kidnapped her. John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted" will join me live to talk about that and other cases.

But first a look at some other news making "Headlines Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Desert disaster. More than one hundred people have died in the crash of an Air Algerie jet. The Boeing 737 was taking off from a town in the Algerian desert on a flight to Algiers. The airline blames a mechanical problem.

Israel strikes back. One day after a deadly bus bombing in Haifa, Israeli troops raided a refugee camp in Gaza. Reports say 11 Palestinians are dead and a man described as a senior Hamas activist is under arrest.

Show of strength. U.S. warplanes have started to arrive in Guam. The Pentagon dispatched two dozen long-range bombers to the Pacific island base in response to rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear program. Guam is 2,000 miles from Korea.

Poetic pope. A new poetry book released today is drawing special attention because the author is Pope John Paul II. John Paul was a prolific writer as a younger man, but this is the first time he's published poetry since becoming pope almost 25 years ago.

Masked merriment. Buddhist monks performed masked dances to celebrate the end of winter in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The colorful annual festival draws both worshipers and tourists.

Russian to enlist? Forget those old stereo types about beefy guys named Boris. Meet the girls of the Russian army. The military force that once inspired Cold War nightmares is holding a beauty contest with the winner to be named on International Women's Day. The competition is aimed at making the army more attractive to recruits. Specifically, we assume, male recruits.

And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We have updates now on several unsolved cases we've been following. A serial killer task force has joined the case of a missing Louisiana college student. Investigators want to know if Carrie Lynn Yoder is the latest victim of a serial killer who's blamed for four murders in the Baton Rouge area. Yoder hasn't been seen since Monday.

An AMBER Alert is out in California for a missing Michigan teenager. A witness reported seeing 14-year-old Lindsey Ryan with 56- year-old convicted killer Terry Drake. The witness told police the girl's hair had been dyed from blond to black. Initially it wasn't clear whether Lindsey was kidnapped or ran away, but the FBI now says she was abducted.

And investigators have reclassified the case of Laci Peterson from missing person to homicide. They say they now believe the Modesto, California woman was the victim of a violent crime, but they aren't saying why. Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared Christmas Eve. Police say they don't consider her husband Scott a suspect, but they have not ruled him out. Joining me from New York to talk about all of these cases is John Walsh. He's the host of "America's Most Wanted." John, thanks very much for joining us. Let's talk about the 14-year-old girl from Michigan, apparently lured away by this convicted killer. I know you've been digging into this case. What have you learned?

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, I just talked to the Command Center in Cass County, Michigan that is looking long and hard for this young lady. They're very worried that Terry Drake may do something dramatically stupid and horrible to this young lady.

He's a convicted rapist and murderer who murdered his best friend's wife years ago and was released from prison for good behavior, which I'll never understand, in 1996, and he worked his way into this family and was able to get this young lady. She's only 14- years-old. We had a sighting in California yesterday, but, wolf, we're very, very afraid that this guy may dot same thing he did to the last woman that he kidnapped and that is murder this young lady.

So we're begging people. We have a description of the truck. We have a couple of license plates now and we're begging people. They've been spotted three times in the last three days. We are begging people to make that call. They can call "America's Most Wanted," 1- 800-CRIME-TV. Remain anonymous. We've got to get this girl back alive before this creep does something to her.

BLITZER: Now what do you make of the latest development in Louisiana? I know that you've been looking into the serial killer case as well.

WALSH: Well, I was down there in Baton Rouge. We featured this serial killer on "America's Most Wanted" about a month and a half ago. I went down there with the taskforce. This guy kills about every four to six months. There are actually 30 unsolved homicides in the last 10 years in the Baton Rouge area. The last four have been linked together with DNA. You know, I had this terrible gut feeling that this is his fifth victim in the last year and a half and police have no clues whatsoever other than the DNA who this guy is.

BLITZER: Sad story.

I know you've also been looking into the whole story of Laci Peterson, the pregnant woman missing since Christmas Eve. They now suspect ,the police in Modesto, California -- they suspect homicide. What are you hearing on this front?

WALSH: Well, I went out there, Wolf, as you know, and did a special on that. I had Laci Peterson's family on "America's Most Wanted and "The John Walsh Show," my talk show. I had Scott Peterson on "America's Most Wanted," although he wouldn't sit down with me. I talked to him on the phone for 45 minutes.

Nobody keeps a nine-month pregnant woman for two and a half months. Police suspected that she might have been a victim of foul play a month and a half ago. But what still bothers me is the fact that Scott Peterson will not cooperate fully, will not go in and take a polygraph test. This is something that really bothers me.

I said it to Scott Peterson over the phone -- I said, Scott, when my son was kidnapped 21 years ago, I would have stood in Times Square and let people shoot at me if I could have got my son back alive. My wife and I had to take polygraph tests. I don't understand your behavior. You need to help the police because this -- your wife and your son that you were hoping to be born and now it's way past the due date, they desperately need your cooperation in this case. But I don't think she's alive. I didn't think so a month and a half ago.

BLITZER: By my count, John, I think you nabbed more than 700 of America's most wanted over the years, thanks to your TV program. The FBI has asked for your help in dealing with the al Qaeda suspects, including Osama bin Laden. What do you make of the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed? Is he going to lead authorities to Osama bin Laden?

WALSH: I certainly hope so. I went to the Persian Gulf after 9/11 last year to look for some of bin Laden's moneymen that were hiding out in Kuwait. I hope that he makes a bargain for his life or gives some information.

I've always thought bin Laden left Afghanistan when Kandahar went down, that he probably went into Pakistan or into Sudan or Somalia -- Somalia and I just think it would be the right thing if this man was caught and killed. And I say this, Larry -- Wolf because al Qaeda would fall without this guy and no matter what people say, when Hitler committed suicide in Germany, Germany became a Democratic society. When Mussolini was killed in Italy, Italy became the grand land of food and Armani suits.

You have to cut the head off of the snake and this Shaikh should be talking about Osama bin Laden. He should be bargaining his life for information about bin Laden, because I'll tell you what -- bin Laden's planning his next attack to this country.

BLITZER: And we're going to put up on the screen, John, the Indiana license plates that you were referring to earlier involving that 14-year-old missing girl, apparently lured away by this convicted killer. We're putting them up there right now on the screen. If any of our viewers recognize these plates or see them, these Indiana plates, you can see the numbers at the bottom of the screen. 403211A or 229929A. Get in touch. You can call John Walsh at his number.

What is that number again, John?

WALSH: 1-800-CRIME TV. I'm begging people. You can call anonymously. This guy is probably headed to the northwestern United States. We've got to get this girl back alive.

BLITZER: All right. Let me just repeat those numbers -- 406211A -- that's one of the license plates -- 229929a, the other Indiana plate.

When we come back -- thanks very much John.

WALSH: Thank you. BLITZER: John Walsh, the host of "America's Wanted" doing important work on his TV program.

When we come back, we'll have the results of our "Web Question of the Day." Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now? Log on to cnn.com/wolf. You'll have one last chance to vote. We'll have the results immediately when we coming come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Has President Bush convinced you the time for war against Iraq is now? Look at this: 35 percent of you say yes; 65 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

That's all of the time we today. Please join Aaron Brown and me at 7:45 p.m. Eastern for special coverage of the president's news conference on Iraq and the war on terror.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.

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