Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
President to Declare End to Major Combat in Iraq
Aired May 01, 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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A tailhook landing at 150 miles an hour. The commander in chief in the co-pilot's seats.
Just moments away, we'll also ride shot gun in a Navy jet.
Tonight, from this same deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a major address to the nation on the war in Iraq.
This battle's over, but exclusive new video puts you in a friendly fire nightmare at Nasiriyah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BLITZER: Can a top gun defense attorney help Scott Peterson beat the odds?
ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Thursday, May 1, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
There was a riskier landing that the president wanted to make. The Secret Service, though, just wouldn't let the commander in chief ride in an FNA-18 strike fighter. But CNN's Kyra Phillips will be doing just that in a matter of only a few minutes. She's in the cockpit of this FNA-18 Hornet.
Right now, Navy jets like this one, of course, helped win the war in Iraq. Now, they're headed home. We'll talk with Kyra as soon as she catapults off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. That's coming up.
A little bit of history and a lot of drama today when President Bush became the first commander in chief to make a tailhook landing on an aircraft carrier. A one-time Fighter Dog himself in the Air National Guard, the president flew in the co-pilot seat with a trip to the USS Abraham Lincoln. And he then mingled with the pilots and the crew members of the carrier on its way back from a deployment which covered the war in Iraq and before that, the war in Afghanistan.
From that same deck tonight, the president will make more history. He'll deliver a major address to the nation.
We begin with CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley. He's aboard the carrier right now -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Bush is aboard USS Abraham Lincoln. He came aboard with Navy One, an S-3 Viking aircraft that was designated Navy One because the president was aboard. He sat in the co-pilot seat. Two other people aboard that aircraft in addition to the pilot. Skip Luscher, who is the XO of Squandron VS-35, the Blue Wolves, attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The president, with Skip Luscher, at the helm came in on final to the USS Abraham Lincoln and landed hitting the fore wire, a safe trap. One of 12,675 takeoffs and traps that have taken place aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during this 10-month long deployment, the longest deployment of an aircraft carrier in the U.S. since the Vietnam era.
After the president came aboard, he then spent a considerable amount of time talking to many of the young men and women on the flight deck, taking photographs with them, still wearing his flight suit throughout much of that period, talking to them. And again this evening, he will be issuing a major address to the American people regarding the end of major combat operation. White House aides calling it an important moment.
He -- after landing and taking a brief tour of part of the ship, he also went out on to the flight deck and observed some of the flight operations of some of the F-18 aircraft that are now leaving these aircraft, headed to Lamore after this 10-month long deployment -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank, most of the planes leave before the aircraft carrier actually gets to the port, gets to shore. That's not only a tradition, but it's essential that they have some opportunity to get off the plane. Talk a little bit about that.
BUCKLEY: Yes, in fact, Wolf most of the aircraft have already departed. These are the last three attack strike aircraft squadrons, attack squadron 113 the Stingers, the 115, the Eagles, that's the Super Hornet squadron and fighter attack squadron, the VFA-25, that's the fist of the fleet.
These attack aircraft are all going to Lamore, California, in central California. Tomorrow, the USS Abraham Lincoln will be pulling into San Diego where the rest of the air wing will leave the ship. They'll be reunited. It will be a, once again an emotional scene in San Diego with thousands of families reuniting.
The next day, Saturday, this aircraft carrier, with the rest of the ship's crew, will steam up the West Coast. We will be aboard as it heads to its home port in Everett, Washington, where early next week it will finally come home after this nearly 10-month long deployment for some incredibly happy reunion for family members of these sailors -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And a Navy deployment is only supposed to be six months. They've been away for 10 months, these sailors and these Marines.
Frank, stand by. We're going to be getting back to you shortly.
Here's some important information about the USS Abraham Lincoln. Its flight deck covers -- get this -- four and a half acres. It's capable of launching up to four aircraft each minute. It uses four large elevators to bring the planes up from the hangar bays that are below, and the crews from the Abraham Lincoln flew more than 1,600 sorties during the war in Iraq.
CNN's Kyra Phillips has had a pretty long deployment of her own aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. She is now about to be launched from the flight deck in one of those FNA-18 fighters.
Kyra is joining us now live. Kyra, talk to us a little bit. What's going through your mind right now? We're looking at live pictures.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you hear me OK, Wolf? Can you hear me OK, Wolf?
BLITZER: I hear you -- I hear you fine now, Kyra. Go ahead.
PHILLIPS: Excellent. I'll keep checking with you just to make sure. The audio is sort of like a two-way radio, so when I finish talking I'll just say Wolf and we'll kind of wing this.
Right now I'm in an F-18 with my pilot, Lieutenant Ken Rogers, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We're going to be the last ones off the deck here so that we are able to get airborne and be able to shoot video of the formation of all of the other jets. You've got the Stingers, the Eagles and the fifth of the fleet. I'm flying with the Stinger Squadron, and I'm going to be able to show you all three airborne.
You asked how I'm feeling. Well, I'm just hoping that the camera doesn't blow off. That's the only thing I'm concerned about right now.
BLITZER: Kyra, at some point, Kyra, when you -- when you take off, how have you prepared for this? Because you're going to be going very, very fast, very, very quickly.
PHILLIPS: That's true, Wolf.
The training that I've done for this goes back years, actually. It goes back eight years and I was able to go through sort of a declassified version of the Top Gun school in Fallon, Nevada and as the years went on and wartime scenarios that took place, those that trained me back at Top Gun ended up taking on key positions in the war on terrorism and also Operation Iraqi Freedom. So I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) my qualifications up, my water survival training and flying every now and then so I'm able to be real in a situation like this. And that is just a really unique opportunity. I never thought I'd be able to show you what it's like live. It's kind of hard to explain the feeling and how incredible the feeling is to launch off a carrier. Now you'll be able to feel it with me, Wolf. BLITZER: And Kyra, how much more time before you actually catapult off that deck?
PHILLIPS: I would say about 10 minutes. Were going to start to taxi up here and then we're going to come to a pause and then there will be about seven minutes and then you'll see the white shooter shoot us off the deck, Wolf.
BLITZER: Kyra, I've taken off aircraft carriers, but not in a fighter jet like you have in one of those cods (ph), which is obviously a lot different. But tell us the truth right now and I want you to be honest with our viewers -- are you scared?
PHILLIPS: Are you kidding me? I'm flying with Lieutenant Ken Rogers. He's an awesome pilot. He's got a great reputation. He's giving you the thumbs up right now.
You know what, Wolf? I'm not scared but I'd be lying if I didn't have tons of butterflies in my stomach. There's a lot of mental separation you have to do for something like that. I got to concentrate on my breathing and make sure that I don't pass out. But Skaterod (ph) said he's going to take good care of me. So I'm not concerned. I'm just excited, Wolf.
BLITZER: Kyra, give us a thumbs up because I think we're having live pictures of you. I want our viewers to see you --- see you wave. There you are -- and the pilot -- you're in the backseat. The pilot is in the front seat. He obviously -- have him give us a little -- there he is. He's waving as well.
Kyra, no matter how many times you've thought about this, it's about to happen. It's about to happen. I want you to stand by because CNN's Miles O'Brien, who knows a lot about aircraft and aviation himself, he's joining us as well.
Tell our viewers a little bit, Miles, what is about to happen as this jet fighter prepares to take off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you know, what happens when an aircraft leaves an aircraft carrier, even though it's four and a half acres, it's pretty tight confines. You know, they land in about 300 feet or so.
What they do is attach the aircraft to a catapult, which is a steam -- it's a huge steam piston beneath the deck there. It helps that it is nuclear powered because that has the -- creates the steam which powers that huge catapult which allows it to attain the speed that is required in the short distance that it occurs and in conjunction with that -- there you see Kyra. There she is right there in the back of the aircraft there. She's looking good there. Kyra, wave to us. Can you hear us OK? There you go.
All right. She's looking very good there. I assume she's got her camera on her lap. She's probably got a plastic bag just in case, nearby. Are you -- where are you right now on the deck, Kyra? PHILLIPS: We're right behind -- we're on the No. 3 position if you can see me right now giving you a thumbs-up for the camera up the on Bunker 12. Can you see and hear me OK?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Oh, yes. We see you great.
Hey, I've got a question. Can -- can Ken Rogers -- Lieutenant Ken Rogers -- can he hear us and talk to us? Does he have that capability?
LT. KEN ROGERS, AKA SKATE RAT, U.S. NAVY PILOT: That's affirmative. I do have the capability. I can talk to you through the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) shot if you'd like to. Over.
O'BRIEN: We'll ask you about Skate Rat later, I guess.
But I want to know what kind of a rod are you going to give Kyra? Are you going to give her the real demonstration, if you will with all of the G's and all the experiences?
ROGERS: She's already bet me 20 bucks that I couldn't make her throw up so I'm going to see what I can do.
O'BRIEN: We hope, Kyra, that you don't self select when you roll your camera. We want to make sure you get a full and comprehensive view of this and are honest with our viewers once you land at Lamore on exactly what happens up there.
How many G's do you pull on this catapult?
ROGERS: I can talk you through this about -- I don't know. Probably three or four G's here.
O'BRIEN: OK, and it's -- give us a sense of the acceleration. Zero to what in how much time?
PHILLIPS: I'm actually going to let Skater talk you through this launch once we get going. We're getting the thumbs up, getting everything good to go. We've got about three to four G's, Miles, as Skater was saying, taking off. Believe it or not that's the easy part. It's when he starts flying around he can take me up to seven to seven-and-a-half G's.
O'BRIEN: Up to seven-and-a-half G's. Now I have experienced 9 G's and I don't know how I lived through that, to be honest with you. I remember my head falling down. I was flying with the Thunderbirds and getting this case of whiplash. It was terrible.
Kyra, have you been -- have they gave you the training and everything so you know what to do through all of these maneuvers, right?
PHILLIPS: Miles, here we go. I'm going to bring it to you live. We'll juice it up. We'll give a one-hand salute and we're off. Here we go.
Oh, yes! How was that -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Wow! How did that feel?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes! Can you guys still get a picture of us? It was outstanding, very smooth.
O'BRIEN: We were watching you the whole way. We saw the afterburners and the bank as it went off. Have a good flight.
BLITZER: Kyra, let me butt in over here, Kyra talk to us -- Kyra, tell us where you're heading now when you're going to get there, what's next on this mission?
PHILLIPS: Squadron, once again, the VFA-113 Stinger, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 115 Eagle, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this is the fleet. We are going to give you a beautiful fly by.
BLITZER: That's Kyra Phillips, she's on board that -- she's on board that Hornet. They're going to do a fly-by around the aircraft carrier. We will try to catch that with our camera.
Miles, this was like a textbook takeoff aboard this carrier. No great surprise. These pilots are indeed top guns.
Tell our viewers a little bit about how much training goes into this kind of skill?
O'BRIEN: Well, obviously years and years of experience. Of course, it is absolutely the cream of the pilot core that ends up doing this because everybody wants to fly fighters when they go in to naval aviation. And there's a lot of other aircraft that are out there that are part of the support of an aircraft carrier. The F-18 and the F-14 being the big prize. And so these are the best of the best. The best sticks and rudders out there, And They make it look easy.
But I can tell you, Wolf, and I know you've had some experience in military aircraft, I'm always amazed at how they are able to do all that they can do under the physical stresses of all the g forces that they endure. You know, when you say nine g's, it's one thing. When you experience what it's like to have your body nine times its normal weight, and then consider the fact that they're keeping control of an aircraft and on top of that avoiding being hit and then what's more, putting a bomb on a target. It is pretty amazing stuff and stuff that I think sometimes we take for granted.
BLITZER: All right. Stand by Miles.
I want to bring Frank Buckley back. He's aboard the aircraft carrier. He is joining us now live.
Frank, these planes are heading to Lemoore. I know there are some family members over there getting ready to receive their loved ones after 6, 8, 10 months of duty abroad. Here are some live pictures of these family members getting ready to see some of their loved ones. They're going to be pretty excited. How excited are the crew members and the sailors and marines aboard the Abraham Lincoln right now?
Frank, can you hear me?
BUCKLEY: Yes. Can you hear me -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, Frank.
BUCKLEY: Wolf. OK. I was going to say the are people on this cruise in particular are especially excited. Remember, these are the people that went over and were taking place in Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf. They had completed five months, were coming back on their six months. They had left Australia and were headed home. January, they got the call, you need to go back to the Persian Gulf. You can imagine families were preparing for family events, waiting for their loved ones to come home. Waiting for that magical moment when families are reunited after so many months apart.
Everyone will tell you that morale took a major hit. They had to turn around. They did some maintenance in Australia, and then they went back in the Persian Gulf. There they were involved in launching many, sorties into Iraq. They dropped 1.6 million pounds of ordnance in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They steamed over 102,816 nautical miles by the time they got to Hawaii which was their last stop before coming into this area.
BLITZER: Stand by for a minute. We're looking at live pictures. As you can see Andy Card is in the foreground, he's the White House's Chief of Staff. Right be hind him the president of the United States. He landed a couple of hours or so ago aboard this aircraft carrier. There he is President Bush together with the Chief of Staff, Andy Card, Condoleezza Rice, the presidents national security adviser is on board the aircraft carrier, as well as some other presidential aides.
Kyra Phillips is on board that Hornet jet fighter.
Kyra, a tell us where you are and what's happening right now if you can hear me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: N as in Nancy, v as in vick, on, what does NV on mean?
BLITZER: Kyra, I don't know if you can hear me, but we do see the president of the United States. He's looking out there. There will be a fly by. Here it comes. These are the aircraft of the Abraham Lincoln flying by the commander-in-chief watching. Let's listen.
There you saw the president and there is some of the loved one, the family members at Lemoore in California. They're waiting to receive their pilots, the sailors, the Marines, they're all very obviously very excited. Kyra Phillips is aboard one of those jet fighters.
Kyra, if you could hear me, tell us where you were in that fly-by as it went over across the Abraham Lincoln.
PHILLIPS: We were off to the right side, shooting pictures of the fly-over, Wolf. Perfect formation. I mean, speed and accuracy. It's incredible how perfect that was. I mean, that's a tough thing to do. Those guys are concentrating really hard to stay exactly just far enough away (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We're coming close. We're catching up with them right now, actually.
BLITZER: Kyra, we didn't get your sense, before you were out of range.
How was the takeoff from the Abraham Lincoln? How did you cope?
PHILLIPS: Smooth as silk. Smooth as silk. It was perfect. And I'm kind of at a loss for words. It's the second time I've had a chance to do this. I'm so glad I got to do it for you live because now you see.
BLITZER: I think we're losing you, Kyra. The capability, the technical capability to be able to hear you is 45 miles or so from the aircraft carrier and then we're going to lose your sound. But our viewers, of course, very happy to know you and all those pilots are doing just fine having taken off from the Abraham Lincoln, heading to shore now to Lemoore, that air naval station in California.
A lot of excited people waiting to receive these pilots once the planes land. Which shouldn't be too long from now. I want to show our viewers a little animation of what's in store, what happens once these planes take off. The planes obviously take off from the airplane carrier, and they're headed off the coast of California, near San Diego.
That when they land on the ground at the Lemyoore Naval Air Station. And then it's all over for them. That means they can get off their planes there, Hornets, all of the other aircraft and begin to reunite with a lot of loved ones who are standing by watching all of this. Not only the loved ones at Lemoore, you are seeing live pictures waiting to receive these pilots. As they begin to move in they're looking obviously at CNN they are very excited to see themselves on it television.
Our senior White House correspondent John King, has been watching all of these dramatic developments from his post. John, give us a little preview while we watch these pictures. We are looking at the president now in the deck of the aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln. What we can expect to hear at about two and a half, actually, three and a half hours from now, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific when he addresses the nation from the deck of the aircraft carrier -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, significant theater if you would, at the moment. The president enjoying himself and his historic day aboard the Abraham Lincoln, including the first-ever landing, as Frank Buckley noted at the top of the show, by a president using the tailhook on the back of a Navy jet. Mr. Bush enjoying the theater for now, but there will be significant meaning when the president uses the deck of the Lincoln tonight to deliver a prime time address to the American people, and of course, to a global audience watching around the world.
The president will declare success in the military phase of the war in Iraq. And the president will say major combat operations are over. But the president will walk a careful line in the speech. He will say there are still dangerous days ahead for U.S. troops. And that the war itself is not over, major combat is over, but the president will say there is still an effort to win the peace, the security and reconstruction phase in Iraq.
One of the things the president will say in his address tonight according to the excerpts released by the White House is this. "We are pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime who will be held to account for their crimes. We have begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigator. We are helping to rebuild Iraq with the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools for the people."
Now there are both military legality issues and political reasons the president will stop short of declaring the war over. From a military standpoint, if the president says the war is over, the Pentagon is required to release all prisoners of war. The rules also change and it is much more difficult for the military if the president says the war is over to round up former members of the Saddam Hussein regime. So that is one reason the president will not say the war is over.
Another reason is he needs to make the case politically to the American people that U.S. troops must stay, perhaps for a year, perhaps two years, perhaps even longer to provide for security inside Iraq. So the president walking a very delicate line tonight, but they believe the platform is a major projection of force, if you will. The president will say this is all part of the global war on terrorism that will continue -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King, of course, the president is going to be walking that fine line. But he's obviously, obviously, very excited. Talk a little bit about what went into the making of this important speech tonight.
KING: Well, the White House did not want to deliver this from the Oval Office because the president is not saying the war is over. They were looking for a site somewhere in the country where it made sense for the president to deliver a major address and then they realized that the Abraham Lincoln was coming home. It is the carrier that's been deployed the longest, some ten months as out correspondents have noted. It had a major role in the war effort.
So you will have the president of the United States and being able to say firsthand, and we're seeing it this afternoon up close and personal, thank you to the U.S. men and women of the armed services. But you also will have what the White House believes is a powerful message. This president, who ran saying there would be a humble U.S. foreign policy, sitting on the deck of one of the weapons of war, one of the weapons United States can and has used twice now in Afghanistan and in Iraq to project military might around the world.
The president will say, yes, major combat in Iraq is over, but the war on terrorism begins. Doing that from the deck of an aircraft carrier the White House believes sends a very powerful message to countries around the world that this administration still accuses of financially or otherwise supporting terrorist groups -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And the president clearly pleased by his own landing aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. John, thanks. We're going to be coming back to you as well.
We want to remind our viewers that that presidential speech tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. On the West Coast. And as we mentioned, President Bush is no stranger to military aircraft. He flew F-102 fighter jets in the Texas Air National Guard. He joined at the height of the Vietnam War, but was never sent overseas and never saw combat. There's a picture of the young George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard.
We're going to stay with live coverage aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Much more coverage of that coming up.
We also have some other news that we're following including the story, the dramatic story of that mystery boy in limbo, past and future unknown. He doesn't appear to be the boy kidnapped two years ago. So where is the little boy lost in the latest in the investigation.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE PETERSON, SCOTT PETERSON'S FATHER: You are speculating on these facts as much as I am...
NANCY GRACE, COURT TV: And you are believing what your son is telling you.
PETERSON: Please don't interrupt me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: On the defensive. Scott Peterson's father lashes out at Nancy Grace. We'll have analysis at what a new attorney in the case might mean for Scott Peterson.
And friendly fire in Iraq, the picture you didn't see during the war. A CNN exclusive. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Fly-by, here it comes. These are the aircraft of the Abraham Lincoln flying-by the commander in chief watching. Let's listen.
PHILLIPS: OK. Can you hear me, OK, Wolf? Do we have a good signal?
BLITZER: Kyra Phillips is aboard one of those fighter aircraft that just took off a few minutes ago from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. The president of the United States, the commander in chief watching all of this, dramatically. We're going to get back to Kyra as soon as we can. We'll get back to the aircraft carrier. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. It's accompanied by another war ship. You see it in the horizon right there. Another plane getting ready to take off to return to its home base on land in the United States.
We are watching what's happening aboard the Abraham Lincoln. The president of the United States is on board, together with some of his top advisers including White House chief of staff, the national security adviser, preparing in about three and a half hours from now to deliver a major speech to the American people, declaring major combat operations in Iraq.
Our rover will go back there shortly, but let's check out other important news happening right now including this. Initial DNA results for on a child abandoned in Chicago. And a North Carolina family is desperately hoping they're a match for the little boy who disappeared almost three years ago. Our Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock has been following this mystery this, dramatic story and he's here to tell us all the latest -- Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, desperately hoping but it's not looking good that the hour. As you report, preliminary DNA results are in and there's also other corroborating information that indicate that this boy, the one found in Chicago is not the kid missing from North Carolina, Buddy Myers.
Myers, on the left. That's, Eli Quick on the right hand side of your screen. Law enforcement sources being worked by CNN's Mike Brooks tell him that it looks like from the preliminary results that 90 percent certainty that Eli Quick is not fact Buddy Myers.
Second of all, the man, Ricky Quick, the man who brought that little boy on the right hand side of your screen into the hospital in suburban Chicago in February who claims he is the boy's father, that's him there. His name is Ricky Quick. He apparently told FBI officials in Chicago enough for them to believe that plausibly he may be either the father of Eli Quick or if not the biological father, at least has been caring for him for a long period of time.
And he also explained not only to FBI officials, but also to reporters about why he essentially disappeared from the hospital and abandoned the boy. He said he had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. He talked to reporters today. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICKY QUICK, QUESTIONED IN MISSING BOY CASE: No, I was very mentally disturbed. I didn't have anything else to live for. I lost my little boy, I lost my wife. So I didn't have nothing to live for. But now, the future if I could get my little boy back it's looking great. You know, we just want to live life again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: And lastly, Wolf. We have been working the neighborhood around Ricky Quick's home. We found at least one neighbor who says that that little boy Eli Quick has been in the neighborhood for years, long before that little boy Buddy Myers disappeared from North Carolina. So at this point although final DNA not in yet, it's looking pretty much like we don't have a match -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Looks like those hopes are going to be dashed in North Carolina. Disappointment there. They'll continue the search though for that little boy. Thanks very much, Jeff Flock, for that report.
Meanwhile, the high-profile defense attorney Mark Geragos says he'll decide today if he'll take on Scott Peterson's case. Geragos tells CNN he's met with Peterson and his parents and says he believes in Peterson.
He called into CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night and dramatically, poignantly criticized one of the panelists, Nancy Grace of Court TV, for what he described as a bias against his son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETERSON: Nancy, do you hear me?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Yes, she can hear you.
PETERSON: You are speculating on these facts as much as I am...
GRACE: And you are believing what your son is telling you.
PETERSON: Please don't interrupt me. You've had your say here for months, and you've crucified my son on national media. And he's a wonderful man. You have no idea of his background and what a wonderful son and wonderful man he is. You have no knowledge of that and you sit there as a judge and jury, I guess, and you're convicting him on the national media, and you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself.
GRACE: Sir, I think he should be ashamed of himself, as whoever is responsible for the death of Laci Peterson, and lashing out at me -- I completely understand where you're coming from.
PETERSON: Fine.
GRACE: I am simply stating what has been leaked or what has been put in formal documents, and if you find them disturbing, I suggest you ask your son about some of them, sir.
PETERSON: There you go, Nancy. Look at this look on Nancy's face. You absolutely hate my son. I don't know what it is.
GRACE: No, I don't hate your son. I don't know your son.
PETERSON: You don't know my son, that's exactly right.
GRACE: But I hate what happened to Laci.
PETERSON: You should be...
GRACE: I hate what's happened to Laci.
KING: I assume, Lee, you hate what happened to Laci, too, don't you? Don't you? You loved Laci, didn't you, Lee?
PETERSON: Oh, absolutely. Laci was like a daughter to us. When we lived near them, we saw her every day. We loved her deeply as any of our daughters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A dramatic exchange.
By the way if you want to find out the late of the developments in this case, what Mark Geragos is going to do, be sure to join Larry tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Larry always has all the late-breaking developments in this Laci Peterson/Scott Peterson case, 9:00 p.m. after the president speaks from the aircraft carrier. I'm sure Larry will follow up with the latest developments in this important case.
Joining me now though from Los Angeles with some expert analysis of the case against Scott Peterson is Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson. Laurie, thanks for joining us. I want to get to Mark Geragos in a second, but what did you make of that exchange we just saw between Nancy Grace and Scott Peterson's father?
LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW PROFESSOR: Well I think that's an issue that's been going to since the beginning of this which is that you have the media trial of Scott Peterson and then we're all awaiting what the real evidence will show. And some of the commentators have already committed themselves there.
Now, there is a lot of troubling evidence, but we really do have to wait and see what happens. I think when Mark Geragos, if he signs on to this case, he's going to be very fine at taking on people like Nancy Grace because that's how he knows how to do.
BLITZER: Lori, they say one lawyer can make a huge difference in the defense of an alleged criminal. Is Mark Geragos going to make a big difference in Scott Peterson's defense?
LEVENSON: He could, but we don't know for sure. And the reason I say he could is that he's very used to handling high-profile defendants. He got Susan McDougall off. He got a good result for Winona Ryder, even though she wasn't acquitted. He's on the news a lot. On the other hand, he can only work with the facts that he's given. So if it turns out that the police really do have a dead bang case against Scott Peterson, there's only so much Mark Geragos will be able to do that any lawyer could do.
BLITZER: What does he have to do immediately, assuming at the hearing that's scheduled tomorrow, he becomes the lawyer of record, the defense attorney for Scott Peterson?
LEVENSON: He has a huge amount of catching up to do because we know that the law enforcement has been busy working on this case for months. And we also know that the defense hasn't seen most of that evidence. He's got to keep his client quiet, he has to deal with the press. But most importantly, he has to find out what is the hard evidence against Scott Peterson?
BLITZER: And that hard evidence has not been released. And when will the prosecution release this evidence? At that preliminary hearing that's coming up?
LEVENSON: Well, it has to be before the preliminary hearing. At the preliminary hearing we will hear much of it, and assuming most of it will be public then we will learn. But the defense should get an opportunity to see discovery right away. Maybe not everything, but most of this case.
BLITZER: Laurie Levenson, thanks for your expert analysis. We'll be talking of course as this case proceeds. Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Laurie, thanks very much.
And here's your turn to weigh in on the story. "Our Web Question of the Day" is this, do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? 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 program. That's also where you can read the daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
Let's check all the latest headlines right now. For that, let's turn to Charles Molineaux. He's in the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta.
(NEWSBREAK)
BLITZER: Presidential jet landing. We'll take you back to the USS Abraham Lincoln where the president plans to address the nation in a few hours.
Plus an exclusive. Friendly fire in Iraq. The war pictures you haven't seen until now.
An F-18 jet ride. We're live with Kyra Phillips in the air back in San Diego.
First, today's "News Quiz." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): On U.S. aircraft carriers, what's the job of sailors who wear red shirts? Head cook, crew chief, munitions handler, firefighter? The answer coming up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. And we're going to go back now to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean. A pretty high-level visitor on board, none other than President Bush himself. He made a historic landing there just a couple or so hours ago in the co-pilot seat of the Navy S-3B Viking. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is also aboard the Abraham Lincoln. He's joining us now live.
Take us back to around 3:30 p.m. Eastern, about two hours or so ago, Frank, when the president made that historic landing.
BUCKLEY: An incredible moment here aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, Wolf, as the president arrived designated as Navy One because the president was aboard. It was an S-3 Viking piloted by Skip Luscher, the XO, that is the executive officer of VS-35, the Blue Wolves Squadron that is attached to the Abraham Lincoln. The president becoming, we believe, the first president, first sitting president to come aboard an aircraft carrier in a tactical aircraft and taking a trap. Recovering just like any other tactical aircraft.
Right now the president is touring parts of the ship. Then he'll have some speech prep time. Tonight the president to deliver a prime time address from the deck of this aircraft carrier to announce an end to major combat operations in Iraq, but stopping short of saying that the war is over -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank, normally there are 5,000, 6,000 sailors and Marines aboard a carrier. How many are left aboard this carrier, approximately?
BUCKLEY: Well, they're still pretty close to that 5,000 number. Possibly slightly less than that because you now have all of the aircraft pilots themselves, the air crews themselves, have left. But we're talking about 70 aircraft, so you still have the air wings that are attached still aboard and all of those folks are eagerly awaiting arriving in San Diego tomorrow when they will get their reunions with their families. Right now in Lamore, California, many families are waiting because the aircraft that left just a few moments ago from the deck of this aircraft carrier are flying in that direction right now and, soon, those families will have a chance for a long-deserved reunion with their air crew family members who have been away for nearly 10 months -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And we're showing our viewers. Frank, some live pictures, Lamore, the air naval air station, where those aircraft are heading together with our own Kyra Phillips. She's in one of those Hornets and she'll be landing as well. We're going to touch base with her. That's going to be coming up soon to see how she's doing aboard that FNA-18.
But I want to move on and talk about something else right now. An important development. Only a few weeks ago, as all of our viewers will remember, Marines were engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. One in five coalition casualties died in Nasiriyah where enemy and friendly fire combined in a nightmarish scenario.
CNN's Art Harris was embedded with the second Marines. Here's his exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bloody Nasiriyah. A city that saw a lot of fighting and a lot of dying. A pivotal battle in the war and one of the toughest battles in the Iraq campaign.
Nine Marines died when this armored vehicle was ambushed March 23. Then the enforcements came to town. But so-called friendly fire took a toll. Marine officers told me this convoy also came under deadly attack by an Air Force A-10, an incident still under investigation. Later, Marines I was riding with were confused and frightened during a firefight in the dark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can hear that we're getting shot at? Everybody is! But guess what? If you get up with that gun and you don't shoot back, we all (EXPLETIVE DELETED) going to die.
HARRIS: Later that morning, we drove by these dazed marines, Humvees and trucks destroyed. Not by Iraqis who fired first, but by my Marine unit.
No one died, but 20 Marines were wound in the friendly crossfire, including a very lucky Corporal Ray Narvas (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It broke the steering wheel. .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. The steering wheel caught the round.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It blew glass in my face and plastic in between my eye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get glass in the eye?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me -- Jesus.
HARRIS: Both units later joked it showed just how tough Marines were, that no one blinked.
Then, redemption. After running the gauntlet (sic) called Ambush Alley, Charlie Company dodged withering fire and took out sniper after sniper along the Euphrates River. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Across the river I could see a building burning where the Marines had returned fire against the sniper, who apparently had taken that shot.
HARRIS: Marines also destroyed the Ba'ath Party command post, brick by brick.
Then, Cobra helicopters swooped in to keep the pressure on and took out the machine gun nest inside this mosque.
After the battle, a morale boost for the Marines. A pup of war, orphaned, then rescued from the rubble and adopted as a mascot named Nas, after Nasiriyah. He saw combat, dined on MRES and learned to growl like the top dogs of war.
Art Harris, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Good work to Art Harris, all of our embedded reporters who did a remarkable job for all of us.
President Bush makes a splash in the Pacific figuratively speaking, of course. We're live aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where the president is spending time with the crew, important time as he prepares for his address to the nation tonight.
And she did it last fall. She's doing again right now. CNN's Kyra Phillips hitches a ride on an FNA-18. We'll plug in for an inflight report. We'll try to get connect with Kyra once again as she heads towards land.
First, the answer to today's "News Quiz."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked: On U.S. aircraft carriers what's the job of sailors wearing red shirts? The answer: munitions handler. The green shirts do launch and recovery. The blue and brown shirts tie down the aircraft and the yellow shirt do the directing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The USS Abraham Lincoln. You're looking at live pictures of this aircraft carrier on its last leg of its journey back to the United States after almost 10 months at sea. Three squadrons of FNA-18 pilots got a jump on the rest of the crew. They're flying into their families -- see their families after 10 months. They're going to the naval air station in Lamore, California.
Here you see a live picture of the loved ones. They're waiting. They're standing by. There's going to be a lot of hugging and kissing within only a few minutes. You'll see had it here on CNN. CNN's Rusty Dornin is there as well for this welcome, homecoming with the wives, the children, the parents, so many other relatives of these pilots.
Set the scene a little bit for us, Rusty. Tell us what the mood is there now.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I've actually been covering fly-ins here, because I used to work at a local news for more than 15 years, but I tell you, the air here is more electrified than I have ever seen or felt. You can watch it on TV, but to feel the anticipation and the excitement of the folks here who, as you said, have not seen their loved ones mostly since July 20. It's pretty amazing.
Now, here to talk with us is one family who's invited the extended family for the homecoming here. Kristin Braswell, her husband is the executive officer for BFA 25. Now, this has been one highly-anticipated day.
KRISTIN BRASWELL, WIFE OF FIGHTER PILOT: Oh, heavens to Betsy. It's been a long time, doubted, no date. This date, that date. So I didn't believe it until I saw it.
DORNIN: Kristin, you said that they thought they were going to come home in January, but you didn't believe it.
BRASWELL: No, they were in Australia, and any time they extend their visit to a port, you just kind of start to think, and then it was two days, and then it was three days, and I said you guys are not coming hope. Oh, yes, we'll be home. No you won't.
DORNIN: You have Hanna here, age 5 and Rebecca, age 6. And I know that, of course, everybody -- you wanted to come home, watch the war on television, that sort of thing. How difficult was it with them this age?
BRASWELL: It's hard to say. I think they probably were overexposed to it, which I wish had not been the case, but you get addicted. It's hard.
DORNIN: All right, thanks a lot. We're going to give you just a quick look around here to see high anticipation. We are expecting many the time from 10 to 15 minutes. You can see all the ground crews out here ready for 35 F/A-18s to scream overhead and land here for a long-awaited homecoming -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Rusty, I am going to get back to you in a minute, but I think we have Kyra Phillips on the line now. She's in one of those planes. We saw her take off with her pilot just a little while ago from the Abraham Lincoln. Kyra, how far away are you from Lemoore?
I guess we don't have Kyra Phillips. We are trying to work that out.
Rusty, let me bring you back in as we try to fix that little technical problem with Kyra. She's in the cockpit of one of those F/A-18s, she's coming back. There she is.
PHILLIPS: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they're all together and we're pretty excited to see it land, I can tell you that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Kyra, I think I missed the top of what you said. How far away are you from landing at Lemoore?
PHILLIPS: About 30 minutes, Wolf, 30 minutes from the landing. We are flying over Bakersfield right now. Can you hear me OK? About 30 minutes away. Flying over Bakersfield right now.
BLITZER: You realize, Kyra, that when you and your pilot took off in that plane, not only were all of our viewers watching, everybody onboard the Abraham Lincoln, but the president of the United States as well. Did that add to some of the excitement for you?
PHILLIPS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) got to make this a good one. The president's watching. Like clockwork. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I tried to see the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but I knew they were watching, and, I don't know, it's just been a whole experience. It's just pretty amazing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Operation Iraqi Freedom, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Kyra, you're bricking up a little bit. We are going to be getting back to you as you get closer to Lemoore. Rusty Dornin is still over there. Rusty, she said about 30 minutes or so, maybe a little bit more, maybe a little bit less. I guess after nine, 10 months of these families waiting, they can wait a few more minutes.
DORNIN: It's been tough, Wolf. You know, they've been watching the video, of course, of the planes taking off, and people would recognize somebody in a cockpit. You'd hear these just wales of cheers going up as they watched their loved ones taking off the deck of the Abraham Lincoln.
Now, one other reason is it takes a little longer to get here is you have got 35 planes and they do line up in formation before they get here to Lemoore, and they as -- then they come and they fly in formation directly towards the hangar here, directly towards the few thousand people that are gathered here, waiting for their loved ones.
Now, this is three squadrons. One of them is a Super Hornet squadron. They are part of a team that flew more than 1,600 sorties during the war. But as we said, these folks were supposed to come home in January, and it wasn't until just January 1 that they were told no. They were in Australia. You can't go home. You do have to go back. And we don't know when you're coming home. So there have been a lot of people here very anxious for the last few months -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Rusty, we're going to be watching together with you, we'll be coming back to you. Stay with CNN, of course, for live coverage. Rusty Dornin at Lemoore Naval air station. A lot of happy people waiting to meet some other happy people.
Our Web question of the day, by the way, is this: Do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? You can still vote. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, onboard the Abraham Lincoln. Other White House officials as well, including Andy Card, the chief of staff. We saw the president in about three hours. Of course, the president will be addressing the nation from onboard the national -- onboard the aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln.
Let's get some results of our Web question of the day. Here's how you're weighing in. Remember, we've been asking you this: Do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? Look at these results; 36 percent of you say yes, 64 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
There it is. Let's get to some of your e-mails. We have a few e-mails. Paul writes this: "Both the Israelis and the Palestinians have engaged in barbaric behavior over the years. The extreme factions on both sides will never gives peace a chance.
Joe sends us this: "There has to be a reason that the citizens of Fallujah in Iraq are so upset that American troops are in town. Could it be that they are trying to protect a former leader, like Saddam Hussein, or have the Americans simply overstayed their welcome?"
Finally, this from Charlie: "President Bush will announce the end of combat in Iraq today. When will he able to announce the beginning of peace?"
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS each day 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I am also on the air each day, weekday, that is, noon Eastern. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks very much for watching. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up right after this short break.
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 May 1, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A tailhook landing at 150 miles an hour. The commander in chief in the co-pilot's seats.
Just moments away, we'll also ride shot gun in a Navy jet.
Tonight, from this same deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a major address to the nation on the war in Iraq.
This battle's over, but exclusive new video puts you in a friendly fire nightmare at Nasiriyah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BLITZER: Can a top gun defense attorney help Scott Peterson beat the odds?
ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's Thursday, May 1, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
There was a riskier landing that the president wanted to make. The Secret Service, though, just wouldn't let the commander in chief ride in an FNA-18 strike fighter. But CNN's Kyra Phillips will be doing just that in a matter of only a few minutes. She's in the cockpit of this FNA-18 Hornet.
Right now, Navy jets like this one, of course, helped win the war in Iraq. Now, they're headed home. We'll talk with Kyra as soon as she catapults off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. That's coming up.
A little bit of history and a lot of drama today when President Bush became the first commander in chief to make a tailhook landing on an aircraft carrier. A one-time Fighter Dog himself in the Air National Guard, the president flew in the co-pilot seat with a trip to the USS Abraham Lincoln. And he then mingled with the pilots and the crew members of the carrier on its way back from a deployment which covered the war in Iraq and before that, the war in Afghanistan.
From that same deck tonight, the president will make more history. He'll deliver a major address to the nation.
We begin with CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley. He's aboard the carrier right now -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Bush is aboard USS Abraham Lincoln. He came aboard with Navy One, an S-3 Viking aircraft that was designated Navy One because the president was aboard. He sat in the co-pilot seat. Two other people aboard that aircraft in addition to the pilot. Skip Luscher, who is the XO of Squandron VS-35, the Blue Wolves, attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The president, with Skip Luscher, at the helm came in on final to the USS Abraham Lincoln and landed hitting the fore wire, a safe trap. One of 12,675 takeoffs and traps that have taken place aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during this 10-month long deployment, the longest deployment of an aircraft carrier in the U.S. since the Vietnam era.
After the president came aboard, he then spent a considerable amount of time talking to many of the young men and women on the flight deck, taking photographs with them, still wearing his flight suit throughout much of that period, talking to them. And again this evening, he will be issuing a major address to the American people regarding the end of major combat operation. White House aides calling it an important moment.
He -- after landing and taking a brief tour of part of the ship, he also went out on to the flight deck and observed some of the flight operations of some of the F-18 aircraft that are now leaving these aircraft, headed to Lamore after this 10-month long deployment -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank, most of the planes leave before the aircraft carrier actually gets to the port, gets to shore. That's not only a tradition, but it's essential that they have some opportunity to get off the plane. Talk a little bit about that.
BUCKLEY: Yes, in fact, Wolf most of the aircraft have already departed. These are the last three attack strike aircraft squadrons, attack squadron 113 the Stingers, the 115, the Eagles, that's the Super Hornet squadron and fighter attack squadron, the VFA-25, that's the fist of the fleet.
These attack aircraft are all going to Lamore, California, in central California. Tomorrow, the USS Abraham Lincoln will be pulling into San Diego where the rest of the air wing will leave the ship. They'll be reunited. It will be a, once again an emotional scene in San Diego with thousands of families reuniting.
The next day, Saturday, this aircraft carrier, with the rest of the ship's crew, will steam up the West Coast. We will be aboard as it heads to its home port in Everett, Washington, where early next week it will finally come home after this nearly 10-month long deployment for some incredibly happy reunion for family members of these sailors -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And a Navy deployment is only supposed to be six months. They've been away for 10 months, these sailors and these Marines.
Frank, stand by. We're going to be getting back to you shortly.
Here's some important information about the USS Abraham Lincoln. Its flight deck covers -- get this -- four and a half acres. It's capable of launching up to four aircraft each minute. It uses four large elevators to bring the planes up from the hangar bays that are below, and the crews from the Abraham Lincoln flew more than 1,600 sorties during the war in Iraq.
CNN's Kyra Phillips has had a pretty long deployment of her own aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. She is now about to be launched from the flight deck in one of those FNA-18 fighters.
Kyra is joining us now live. Kyra, talk to us a little bit. What's going through your mind right now? We're looking at live pictures.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you hear me OK, Wolf? Can you hear me OK, Wolf?
BLITZER: I hear you -- I hear you fine now, Kyra. Go ahead.
PHILLIPS: Excellent. I'll keep checking with you just to make sure. The audio is sort of like a two-way radio, so when I finish talking I'll just say Wolf and we'll kind of wing this.
Right now I'm in an F-18 with my pilot, Lieutenant Ken Rogers, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We're going to be the last ones off the deck here so that we are able to get airborne and be able to shoot video of the formation of all of the other jets. You've got the Stingers, the Eagles and the fifth of the fleet. I'm flying with the Stinger Squadron, and I'm going to be able to show you all three airborne.
You asked how I'm feeling. Well, I'm just hoping that the camera doesn't blow off. That's the only thing I'm concerned about right now.
BLITZER: Kyra, at some point, Kyra, when you -- when you take off, how have you prepared for this? Because you're going to be going very, very fast, very, very quickly.
PHILLIPS: That's true, Wolf.
The training that I've done for this goes back years, actually. It goes back eight years and I was able to go through sort of a declassified version of the Top Gun school in Fallon, Nevada and as the years went on and wartime scenarios that took place, those that trained me back at Top Gun ended up taking on key positions in the war on terrorism and also Operation Iraqi Freedom. So I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) my qualifications up, my water survival training and flying every now and then so I'm able to be real in a situation like this. And that is just a really unique opportunity. I never thought I'd be able to show you what it's like live. It's kind of hard to explain the feeling and how incredible the feeling is to launch off a carrier. Now you'll be able to feel it with me, Wolf. BLITZER: And Kyra, how much more time before you actually catapult off that deck?
PHILLIPS: I would say about 10 minutes. Were going to start to taxi up here and then we're going to come to a pause and then there will be about seven minutes and then you'll see the white shooter shoot us off the deck, Wolf.
BLITZER: Kyra, I've taken off aircraft carriers, but not in a fighter jet like you have in one of those cods (ph), which is obviously a lot different. But tell us the truth right now and I want you to be honest with our viewers -- are you scared?
PHILLIPS: Are you kidding me? I'm flying with Lieutenant Ken Rogers. He's an awesome pilot. He's got a great reputation. He's giving you the thumbs up right now.
You know what, Wolf? I'm not scared but I'd be lying if I didn't have tons of butterflies in my stomach. There's a lot of mental separation you have to do for something like that. I got to concentrate on my breathing and make sure that I don't pass out. But Skaterod (ph) said he's going to take good care of me. So I'm not concerned. I'm just excited, Wolf.
BLITZER: Kyra, give us a thumbs up because I think we're having live pictures of you. I want our viewers to see you --- see you wave. There you are -- and the pilot -- you're in the backseat. The pilot is in the front seat. He obviously -- have him give us a little -- there he is. He's waving as well.
Kyra, no matter how many times you've thought about this, it's about to happen. It's about to happen. I want you to stand by because CNN's Miles O'Brien, who knows a lot about aircraft and aviation himself, he's joining us as well.
Tell our viewers a little bit, Miles, what is about to happen as this jet fighter prepares to take off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you know, what happens when an aircraft leaves an aircraft carrier, even though it's four and a half acres, it's pretty tight confines. You know, they land in about 300 feet or so.
What they do is attach the aircraft to a catapult, which is a steam -- it's a huge steam piston beneath the deck there. It helps that it is nuclear powered because that has the -- creates the steam which powers that huge catapult which allows it to attain the speed that is required in the short distance that it occurs and in conjunction with that -- there you see Kyra. There she is right there in the back of the aircraft there. She's looking good there. Kyra, wave to us. Can you hear us OK? There you go.
All right. She's looking very good there. I assume she's got her camera on her lap. She's probably got a plastic bag just in case, nearby. Are you -- where are you right now on the deck, Kyra? PHILLIPS: We're right behind -- we're on the No. 3 position if you can see me right now giving you a thumbs-up for the camera up the on Bunker 12. Can you see and hear me OK?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Oh, yes. We see you great.
Hey, I've got a question. Can -- can Ken Rogers -- Lieutenant Ken Rogers -- can he hear us and talk to us? Does he have that capability?
LT. KEN ROGERS, AKA SKATE RAT, U.S. NAVY PILOT: That's affirmative. I do have the capability. I can talk to you through the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) shot if you'd like to. Over.
O'BRIEN: We'll ask you about Skate Rat later, I guess.
But I want to know what kind of a rod are you going to give Kyra? Are you going to give her the real demonstration, if you will with all of the G's and all the experiences?
ROGERS: She's already bet me 20 bucks that I couldn't make her throw up so I'm going to see what I can do.
O'BRIEN: We hope, Kyra, that you don't self select when you roll your camera. We want to make sure you get a full and comprehensive view of this and are honest with our viewers once you land at Lamore on exactly what happens up there.
How many G's do you pull on this catapult?
ROGERS: I can talk you through this about -- I don't know. Probably three or four G's here.
O'BRIEN: OK, and it's -- give us a sense of the acceleration. Zero to what in how much time?
PHILLIPS: I'm actually going to let Skater talk you through this launch once we get going. We're getting the thumbs up, getting everything good to go. We've got about three to four G's, Miles, as Skater was saying, taking off. Believe it or not that's the easy part. It's when he starts flying around he can take me up to seven to seven-and-a-half G's.
O'BRIEN: Up to seven-and-a-half G's. Now I have experienced 9 G's and I don't know how I lived through that, to be honest with you. I remember my head falling down. I was flying with the Thunderbirds and getting this case of whiplash. It was terrible.
Kyra, have you been -- have they gave you the training and everything so you know what to do through all of these maneuvers, right?
PHILLIPS: Miles, here we go. I'm going to bring it to you live. We'll juice it up. We'll give a one-hand salute and we're off. Here we go.
Oh, yes! How was that -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Wow! How did that feel?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes! Can you guys still get a picture of us? It was outstanding, very smooth.
O'BRIEN: We were watching you the whole way. We saw the afterburners and the bank as it went off. Have a good flight.
BLITZER: Kyra, let me butt in over here, Kyra talk to us -- Kyra, tell us where you're heading now when you're going to get there, what's next on this mission?
PHILLIPS: Squadron, once again, the VFA-113 Stinger, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 115 Eagle, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this is the fleet. We are going to give you a beautiful fly by.
BLITZER: That's Kyra Phillips, she's on board that -- she's on board that Hornet. They're going to do a fly-by around the aircraft carrier. We will try to catch that with our camera.
Miles, this was like a textbook takeoff aboard this carrier. No great surprise. These pilots are indeed top guns.
Tell our viewers a little bit about how much training goes into this kind of skill?
O'BRIEN: Well, obviously years and years of experience. Of course, it is absolutely the cream of the pilot core that ends up doing this because everybody wants to fly fighters when they go in to naval aviation. And there's a lot of other aircraft that are out there that are part of the support of an aircraft carrier. The F-18 and the F-14 being the big prize. And so these are the best of the best. The best sticks and rudders out there, And They make it look easy.
But I can tell you, Wolf, and I know you've had some experience in military aircraft, I'm always amazed at how they are able to do all that they can do under the physical stresses of all the g forces that they endure. You know, when you say nine g's, it's one thing. When you experience what it's like to have your body nine times its normal weight, and then consider the fact that they're keeping control of an aircraft and on top of that avoiding being hit and then what's more, putting a bomb on a target. It is pretty amazing stuff and stuff that I think sometimes we take for granted.
BLITZER: All right. Stand by Miles.
I want to bring Frank Buckley back. He's aboard the aircraft carrier. He is joining us now live.
Frank, these planes are heading to Lemoore. I know there are some family members over there getting ready to receive their loved ones after 6, 8, 10 months of duty abroad. Here are some live pictures of these family members getting ready to see some of their loved ones. They're going to be pretty excited. How excited are the crew members and the sailors and marines aboard the Abraham Lincoln right now?
Frank, can you hear me?
BUCKLEY: Yes. Can you hear me -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, Frank.
BUCKLEY: Wolf. OK. I was going to say the are people on this cruise in particular are especially excited. Remember, these are the people that went over and were taking place in Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf. They had completed five months, were coming back on their six months. They had left Australia and were headed home. January, they got the call, you need to go back to the Persian Gulf. You can imagine families were preparing for family events, waiting for their loved ones to come home. Waiting for that magical moment when families are reunited after so many months apart.
Everyone will tell you that morale took a major hit. They had to turn around. They did some maintenance in Australia, and then they went back in the Persian Gulf. There they were involved in launching many, sorties into Iraq. They dropped 1.6 million pounds of ordnance in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They steamed over 102,816 nautical miles by the time they got to Hawaii which was their last stop before coming into this area.
BLITZER: Stand by for a minute. We're looking at live pictures. As you can see Andy Card is in the foreground, he's the White House's Chief of Staff. Right be hind him the president of the United States. He landed a couple of hours or so ago aboard this aircraft carrier. There he is President Bush together with the Chief of Staff, Andy Card, Condoleezza Rice, the presidents national security adviser is on board the aircraft carrier, as well as some other presidential aides.
Kyra Phillips is on board that Hornet jet fighter.
Kyra, a tell us where you are and what's happening right now if you can hear me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: N as in Nancy, v as in vick, on, what does NV on mean?
BLITZER: Kyra, I don't know if you can hear me, but we do see the president of the United States. He's looking out there. There will be a fly by. Here it comes. These are the aircraft of the Abraham Lincoln flying by the commander-in-chief watching. Let's listen.
There you saw the president and there is some of the loved one, the family members at Lemoore in California. They're waiting to receive their pilots, the sailors, the Marines, they're all very obviously very excited. Kyra Phillips is aboard one of those jet fighters.
Kyra, if you could hear me, tell us where you were in that fly-by as it went over across the Abraham Lincoln.
PHILLIPS: We were off to the right side, shooting pictures of the fly-over, Wolf. Perfect formation. I mean, speed and accuracy. It's incredible how perfect that was. I mean, that's a tough thing to do. Those guys are concentrating really hard to stay exactly just far enough away (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We're coming close. We're catching up with them right now, actually.
BLITZER: Kyra, we didn't get your sense, before you were out of range.
How was the takeoff from the Abraham Lincoln? How did you cope?
PHILLIPS: Smooth as silk. Smooth as silk. It was perfect. And I'm kind of at a loss for words. It's the second time I've had a chance to do this. I'm so glad I got to do it for you live because now you see.
BLITZER: I think we're losing you, Kyra. The capability, the technical capability to be able to hear you is 45 miles or so from the aircraft carrier and then we're going to lose your sound. But our viewers, of course, very happy to know you and all those pilots are doing just fine having taken off from the Abraham Lincoln, heading to shore now to Lemoore, that air naval station in California.
A lot of excited people waiting to receive these pilots once the planes land. Which shouldn't be too long from now. I want to show our viewers a little animation of what's in store, what happens once these planes take off. The planes obviously take off from the airplane carrier, and they're headed off the coast of California, near San Diego.
That when they land on the ground at the Lemyoore Naval Air Station. And then it's all over for them. That means they can get off their planes there, Hornets, all of the other aircraft and begin to reunite with a lot of loved ones who are standing by watching all of this. Not only the loved ones at Lemoore, you are seeing live pictures waiting to receive these pilots. As they begin to move in they're looking obviously at CNN they are very excited to see themselves on it television.
Our senior White House correspondent John King, has been watching all of these dramatic developments from his post. John, give us a little preview while we watch these pictures. We are looking at the president now in the deck of the aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln. What we can expect to hear at about two and a half, actually, three and a half hours from now, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific when he addresses the nation from the deck of the aircraft carrier -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, significant theater if you would, at the moment. The president enjoying himself and his historic day aboard the Abraham Lincoln, including the first-ever landing, as Frank Buckley noted at the top of the show, by a president using the tailhook on the back of a Navy jet. Mr. Bush enjoying the theater for now, but there will be significant meaning when the president uses the deck of the Lincoln tonight to deliver a prime time address to the American people, and of course, to a global audience watching around the world.
The president will declare success in the military phase of the war in Iraq. And the president will say major combat operations are over. But the president will walk a careful line in the speech. He will say there are still dangerous days ahead for U.S. troops. And that the war itself is not over, major combat is over, but the president will say there is still an effort to win the peace, the security and reconstruction phase in Iraq.
One of the things the president will say in his address tonight according to the excerpts released by the White House is this. "We are pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime who will be held to account for their crimes. We have begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigator. We are helping to rebuild Iraq with the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools for the people."
Now there are both military legality issues and political reasons the president will stop short of declaring the war over. From a military standpoint, if the president says the war is over, the Pentagon is required to release all prisoners of war. The rules also change and it is much more difficult for the military if the president says the war is over to round up former members of the Saddam Hussein regime. So that is one reason the president will not say the war is over.
Another reason is he needs to make the case politically to the American people that U.S. troops must stay, perhaps for a year, perhaps two years, perhaps even longer to provide for security inside Iraq. So the president walking a very delicate line tonight, but they believe the platform is a major projection of force, if you will. The president will say this is all part of the global war on terrorism that will continue -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John King, of course, the president is going to be walking that fine line. But he's obviously, obviously, very excited. Talk a little bit about what went into the making of this important speech tonight.
KING: Well, the White House did not want to deliver this from the Oval Office because the president is not saying the war is over. They were looking for a site somewhere in the country where it made sense for the president to deliver a major address and then they realized that the Abraham Lincoln was coming home. It is the carrier that's been deployed the longest, some ten months as out correspondents have noted. It had a major role in the war effort.
So you will have the president of the United States and being able to say firsthand, and we're seeing it this afternoon up close and personal, thank you to the U.S. men and women of the armed services. But you also will have what the White House believes is a powerful message. This president, who ran saying there would be a humble U.S. foreign policy, sitting on the deck of one of the weapons of war, one of the weapons United States can and has used twice now in Afghanistan and in Iraq to project military might around the world.
The president will say, yes, major combat in Iraq is over, but the war on terrorism begins. Doing that from the deck of an aircraft carrier the White House believes sends a very powerful message to countries around the world that this administration still accuses of financially or otherwise supporting terrorist groups -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And the president clearly pleased by his own landing aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. John, thanks. We're going to be coming back to you as well.
We want to remind our viewers that that presidential speech tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. On the West Coast. And as we mentioned, President Bush is no stranger to military aircraft. He flew F-102 fighter jets in the Texas Air National Guard. He joined at the height of the Vietnam War, but was never sent overseas and never saw combat. There's a picture of the young George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard.
We're going to stay with live coverage aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Much more coverage of that coming up.
We also have some other news that we're following including the story, the dramatic story of that mystery boy in limbo, past and future unknown. He doesn't appear to be the boy kidnapped two years ago. So where is the little boy lost in the latest in the investigation.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE PETERSON, SCOTT PETERSON'S FATHER: You are speculating on these facts as much as I am...
NANCY GRACE, COURT TV: And you are believing what your son is telling you.
PETERSON: Please don't interrupt me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: On the defensive. Scott Peterson's father lashes out at Nancy Grace. We'll have analysis at what a new attorney in the case might mean for Scott Peterson.
And friendly fire in Iraq, the picture you didn't see during the war. A CNN exclusive. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Fly-by, here it comes. These are the aircraft of the Abraham Lincoln flying-by the commander in chief watching. Let's listen.
PHILLIPS: OK. Can you hear me, OK, Wolf? Do we have a good signal?
BLITZER: Kyra Phillips is aboard one of those fighter aircraft that just took off a few minutes ago from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. The president of the United States, the commander in chief watching all of this, dramatically. We're going to get back to Kyra as soon as we can. We'll get back to the aircraft carrier. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. It's accompanied by another war ship. You see it in the horizon right there. Another plane getting ready to take off to return to its home base on land in the United States.
We are watching what's happening aboard the Abraham Lincoln. The president of the United States is on board, together with some of his top advisers including White House chief of staff, the national security adviser, preparing in about three and a half hours from now to deliver a major speech to the American people, declaring major combat operations in Iraq.
Our rover will go back there shortly, but let's check out other important news happening right now including this. Initial DNA results for on a child abandoned in Chicago. And a North Carolina family is desperately hoping they're a match for the little boy who disappeared almost three years ago. Our Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock has been following this mystery this, dramatic story and he's here to tell us all the latest -- Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, desperately hoping but it's not looking good that the hour. As you report, preliminary DNA results are in and there's also other corroborating information that indicate that this boy, the one found in Chicago is not the kid missing from North Carolina, Buddy Myers.
Myers, on the left. That's, Eli Quick on the right hand side of your screen. Law enforcement sources being worked by CNN's Mike Brooks tell him that it looks like from the preliminary results that 90 percent certainty that Eli Quick is not fact Buddy Myers.
Second of all, the man, Ricky Quick, the man who brought that little boy on the right hand side of your screen into the hospital in suburban Chicago in February who claims he is the boy's father, that's him there. His name is Ricky Quick. He apparently told FBI officials in Chicago enough for them to believe that plausibly he may be either the father of Eli Quick or if not the biological father, at least has been caring for him for a long period of time.
And he also explained not only to FBI officials, but also to reporters about why he essentially disappeared from the hospital and abandoned the boy. He said he had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. He talked to reporters today. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICKY QUICK, QUESTIONED IN MISSING BOY CASE: No, I was very mentally disturbed. I didn't have anything else to live for. I lost my little boy, I lost my wife. So I didn't have nothing to live for. But now, the future if I could get my little boy back it's looking great. You know, we just want to live life again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: And lastly, Wolf. We have been working the neighborhood around Ricky Quick's home. We found at least one neighbor who says that that little boy Eli Quick has been in the neighborhood for years, long before that little boy Buddy Myers disappeared from North Carolina. So at this point although final DNA not in yet, it's looking pretty much like we don't have a match -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Looks like those hopes are going to be dashed in North Carolina. Disappointment there. They'll continue the search though for that little boy. Thanks very much, Jeff Flock, for that report.
Meanwhile, the high-profile defense attorney Mark Geragos says he'll decide today if he'll take on Scott Peterson's case. Geragos tells CNN he's met with Peterson and his parents and says he believes in Peterson.
He called into CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night and dramatically, poignantly criticized one of the panelists, Nancy Grace of Court TV, for what he described as a bias against his son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETERSON: Nancy, do you hear me?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Yes, she can hear you.
PETERSON: You are speculating on these facts as much as I am...
GRACE: And you are believing what your son is telling you.
PETERSON: Please don't interrupt me. You've had your say here for months, and you've crucified my son on national media. And he's a wonderful man. You have no idea of his background and what a wonderful son and wonderful man he is. You have no knowledge of that and you sit there as a judge and jury, I guess, and you're convicting him on the national media, and you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself.
GRACE: Sir, I think he should be ashamed of himself, as whoever is responsible for the death of Laci Peterson, and lashing out at me -- I completely understand where you're coming from.
PETERSON: Fine.
GRACE: I am simply stating what has been leaked or what has been put in formal documents, and if you find them disturbing, I suggest you ask your son about some of them, sir.
PETERSON: There you go, Nancy. Look at this look on Nancy's face. You absolutely hate my son. I don't know what it is.
GRACE: No, I don't hate your son. I don't know your son.
PETERSON: You don't know my son, that's exactly right.
GRACE: But I hate what happened to Laci.
PETERSON: You should be...
GRACE: I hate what's happened to Laci.
KING: I assume, Lee, you hate what happened to Laci, too, don't you? Don't you? You loved Laci, didn't you, Lee?
PETERSON: Oh, absolutely. Laci was like a daughter to us. When we lived near them, we saw her every day. We loved her deeply as any of our daughters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A dramatic exchange.
By the way if you want to find out the late of the developments in this case, what Mark Geragos is going to do, be sure to join Larry tonight 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Larry always has all the late-breaking developments in this Laci Peterson/Scott Peterson case, 9:00 p.m. after the president speaks from the aircraft carrier. I'm sure Larry will follow up with the latest developments in this important case.
Joining me now though from Los Angeles with some expert analysis of the case against Scott Peterson is Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson. Laurie, thanks for joining us. I want to get to Mark Geragos in a second, but what did you make of that exchange we just saw between Nancy Grace and Scott Peterson's father?
LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW PROFESSOR: Well I think that's an issue that's been going to since the beginning of this which is that you have the media trial of Scott Peterson and then we're all awaiting what the real evidence will show. And some of the commentators have already committed themselves there.
Now, there is a lot of troubling evidence, but we really do have to wait and see what happens. I think when Mark Geragos, if he signs on to this case, he's going to be very fine at taking on people like Nancy Grace because that's how he knows how to do.
BLITZER: Lori, they say one lawyer can make a huge difference in the defense of an alleged criminal. Is Mark Geragos going to make a big difference in Scott Peterson's defense?
LEVENSON: He could, but we don't know for sure. And the reason I say he could is that he's very used to handling high-profile defendants. He got Susan McDougall off. He got a good result for Winona Ryder, even though she wasn't acquitted. He's on the news a lot. On the other hand, he can only work with the facts that he's given. So if it turns out that the police really do have a dead bang case against Scott Peterson, there's only so much Mark Geragos will be able to do that any lawyer could do.
BLITZER: What does he have to do immediately, assuming at the hearing that's scheduled tomorrow, he becomes the lawyer of record, the defense attorney for Scott Peterson?
LEVENSON: He has a huge amount of catching up to do because we know that the law enforcement has been busy working on this case for months. And we also know that the defense hasn't seen most of that evidence. He's got to keep his client quiet, he has to deal with the press. But most importantly, he has to find out what is the hard evidence against Scott Peterson?
BLITZER: And that hard evidence has not been released. And when will the prosecution release this evidence? At that preliminary hearing that's coming up?
LEVENSON: Well, it has to be before the preliminary hearing. At the preliminary hearing we will hear much of it, and assuming most of it will be public then we will learn. But the defense should get an opportunity to see discovery right away. Maybe not everything, but most of this case.
BLITZER: Laurie Levenson, thanks for your expert analysis. We'll be talking of course as this case proceeds. Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Laurie, thanks very much.
And here's your turn to weigh in on the story. "Our Web Question of the Day" is this, do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? 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 program. That's also where you can read the daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
Let's check all the latest headlines right now. For that, let's turn to Charles Molineaux. He's in the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta.
(NEWSBREAK)
BLITZER: Presidential jet landing. We'll take you back to the USS Abraham Lincoln where the president plans to address the nation in a few hours.
Plus an exclusive. Friendly fire in Iraq. The war pictures you haven't seen until now.
An F-18 jet ride. We're live with Kyra Phillips in the air back in San Diego.
First, today's "News Quiz." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): On U.S. aircraft carriers, what's the job of sailors who wear red shirts? Head cook, crew chief, munitions handler, firefighter? The answer coming up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. And we're going to go back now to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Pacific Ocean. A pretty high-level visitor on board, none other than President Bush himself. He made a historic landing there just a couple or so hours ago in the co-pilot seat of the Navy S-3B Viking. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is also aboard the Abraham Lincoln. He's joining us now live.
Take us back to around 3:30 p.m. Eastern, about two hours or so ago, Frank, when the president made that historic landing.
BUCKLEY: An incredible moment here aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, Wolf, as the president arrived designated as Navy One because the president was aboard. It was an S-3 Viking piloted by Skip Luscher, the XO, that is the executive officer of VS-35, the Blue Wolves Squadron that is attached to the Abraham Lincoln. The president becoming, we believe, the first president, first sitting president to come aboard an aircraft carrier in a tactical aircraft and taking a trap. Recovering just like any other tactical aircraft.
Right now the president is touring parts of the ship. Then he'll have some speech prep time. Tonight the president to deliver a prime time address from the deck of this aircraft carrier to announce an end to major combat operations in Iraq, but stopping short of saying that the war is over -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Frank, normally there are 5,000, 6,000 sailors and Marines aboard a carrier. How many are left aboard this carrier, approximately?
BUCKLEY: Well, they're still pretty close to that 5,000 number. Possibly slightly less than that because you now have all of the aircraft pilots themselves, the air crews themselves, have left. But we're talking about 70 aircraft, so you still have the air wings that are attached still aboard and all of those folks are eagerly awaiting arriving in San Diego tomorrow when they will get their reunions with their families. Right now in Lamore, California, many families are waiting because the aircraft that left just a few moments ago from the deck of this aircraft carrier are flying in that direction right now and, soon, those families will have a chance for a long-deserved reunion with their air crew family members who have been away for nearly 10 months -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And we're showing our viewers. Frank, some live pictures, Lamore, the air naval air station, where those aircraft are heading together with our own Kyra Phillips. She's in one of those Hornets and she'll be landing as well. We're going to touch base with her. That's going to be coming up soon to see how she's doing aboard that FNA-18.
But I want to move on and talk about something else right now. An important development. Only a few weeks ago, as all of our viewers will remember, Marines were engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. One in five coalition casualties died in Nasiriyah where enemy and friendly fire combined in a nightmarish scenario.
CNN's Art Harris was embedded with the second Marines. Here's his exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bloody Nasiriyah. A city that saw a lot of fighting and a lot of dying. A pivotal battle in the war and one of the toughest battles in the Iraq campaign.
Nine Marines died when this armored vehicle was ambushed March 23. Then the enforcements came to town. But so-called friendly fire took a toll. Marine officers told me this convoy also came under deadly attack by an Air Force A-10, an incident still under investigation. Later, Marines I was riding with were confused and frightened during a firefight in the dark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can hear that we're getting shot at? Everybody is! But guess what? If you get up with that gun and you don't shoot back, we all (EXPLETIVE DELETED) going to die.
HARRIS: Later that morning, we drove by these dazed marines, Humvees and trucks destroyed. Not by Iraqis who fired first, but by my Marine unit.
No one died, but 20 Marines were wound in the friendly crossfire, including a very lucky Corporal Ray Narvas (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It broke the steering wheel. .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. The steering wheel caught the round.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It blew glass in my face and plastic in between my eye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get glass in the eye?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me -- Jesus.
HARRIS: Both units later joked it showed just how tough Marines were, that no one blinked.
Then, redemption. After running the gauntlet (sic) called Ambush Alley, Charlie Company dodged withering fire and took out sniper after sniper along the Euphrates River. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Across the river I could see a building burning where the Marines had returned fire against the sniper, who apparently had taken that shot.
HARRIS: Marines also destroyed the Ba'ath Party command post, brick by brick.
Then, Cobra helicopters swooped in to keep the pressure on and took out the machine gun nest inside this mosque.
After the battle, a morale boost for the Marines. A pup of war, orphaned, then rescued from the rubble and adopted as a mascot named Nas, after Nasiriyah. He saw combat, dined on MRES and learned to growl like the top dogs of war.
Art Harris, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Good work to Art Harris, all of our embedded reporters who did a remarkable job for all of us.
President Bush makes a splash in the Pacific figuratively speaking, of course. We're live aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where the president is spending time with the crew, important time as he prepares for his address to the nation tonight.
And she did it last fall. She's doing again right now. CNN's Kyra Phillips hitches a ride on an FNA-18. We'll plug in for an inflight report. We'll try to get connect with Kyra once again as she heads towards land.
First, the answer to today's "News Quiz."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked: On U.S. aircraft carriers what's the job of sailors wearing red shirts? The answer: munitions handler. The green shirts do launch and recovery. The blue and brown shirts tie down the aircraft and the yellow shirt do the directing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The USS Abraham Lincoln. You're looking at live pictures of this aircraft carrier on its last leg of its journey back to the United States after almost 10 months at sea. Three squadrons of FNA-18 pilots got a jump on the rest of the crew. They're flying into their families -- see their families after 10 months. They're going to the naval air station in Lamore, California.
Here you see a live picture of the loved ones. They're waiting. They're standing by. There's going to be a lot of hugging and kissing within only a few minutes. You'll see had it here on CNN. CNN's Rusty Dornin is there as well for this welcome, homecoming with the wives, the children, the parents, so many other relatives of these pilots.
Set the scene a little bit for us, Rusty. Tell us what the mood is there now.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I've actually been covering fly-ins here, because I used to work at a local news for more than 15 years, but I tell you, the air here is more electrified than I have ever seen or felt. You can watch it on TV, but to feel the anticipation and the excitement of the folks here who, as you said, have not seen their loved ones mostly since July 20. It's pretty amazing.
Now, here to talk with us is one family who's invited the extended family for the homecoming here. Kristin Braswell, her husband is the executive officer for BFA 25. Now, this has been one highly-anticipated day.
KRISTIN BRASWELL, WIFE OF FIGHTER PILOT: Oh, heavens to Betsy. It's been a long time, doubted, no date. This date, that date. So I didn't believe it until I saw it.
DORNIN: Kristin, you said that they thought they were going to come home in January, but you didn't believe it.
BRASWELL: No, they were in Australia, and any time they extend their visit to a port, you just kind of start to think, and then it was two days, and then it was three days, and I said you guys are not coming hope. Oh, yes, we'll be home. No you won't.
DORNIN: You have Hanna here, age 5 and Rebecca, age 6. And I know that, of course, everybody -- you wanted to come home, watch the war on television, that sort of thing. How difficult was it with them this age?
BRASWELL: It's hard to say. I think they probably were overexposed to it, which I wish had not been the case, but you get addicted. It's hard.
DORNIN: All right, thanks a lot. We're going to give you just a quick look around here to see high anticipation. We are expecting many the time from 10 to 15 minutes. You can see all the ground crews out here ready for 35 F/A-18s to scream overhead and land here for a long-awaited homecoming -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Rusty, I am going to get back to you in a minute, but I think we have Kyra Phillips on the line now. She's in one of those planes. We saw her take off with her pilot just a little while ago from the Abraham Lincoln. Kyra, how far away are you from Lemoore?
I guess we don't have Kyra Phillips. We are trying to work that out.
Rusty, let me bring you back in as we try to fix that little technical problem with Kyra. She's in the cockpit of one of those F/A-18s, she's coming back. There she is.
PHILLIPS: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they're all together and we're pretty excited to see it land, I can tell you that. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BLITZER: Kyra, I think I missed the top of what you said. How far away are you from landing at Lemoore?
PHILLIPS: About 30 minutes, Wolf, 30 minutes from the landing. We are flying over Bakersfield right now. Can you hear me OK? About 30 minutes away. Flying over Bakersfield right now.
BLITZER: You realize, Kyra, that when you and your pilot took off in that plane, not only were all of our viewers watching, everybody onboard the Abraham Lincoln, but the president of the United States as well. Did that add to some of the excitement for you?
PHILLIPS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) got to make this a good one. The president's watching. Like clockwork. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I tried to see the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but I knew they were watching, and, I don't know, it's just been a whole experience. It's just pretty amazing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Operation Iraqi Freedom, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Kyra, you're bricking up a little bit. We are going to be getting back to you as you get closer to Lemoore. Rusty Dornin is still over there. Rusty, she said about 30 minutes or so, maybe a little bit more, maybe a little bit less. I guess after nine, 10 months of these families waiting, they can wait a few more minutes.
DORNIN: It's been tough, Wolf. You know, they've been watching the video, of course, of the planes taking off, and people would recognize somebody in a cockpit. You'd hear these just wales of cheers going up as they watched their loved ones taking off the deck of the Abraham Lincoln.
Now, one other reason is it takes a little longer to get here is you have got 35 planes and they do line up in formation before they get here to Lemoore, and they as -- then they come and they fly in formation directly towards the hangar here, directly towards the few thousand people that are gathered here, waiting for their loved ones.
Now, this is three squadrons. One of them is a Super Hornet squadron. They are part of a team that flew more than 1,600 sorties during the war. But as we said, these folks were supposed to come home in January, and it wasn't until just January 1 that they were told no. They were in Australia. You can't go home. You do have to go back. And we don't know when you're coming home. So there have been a lot of people here very anxious for the last few months -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Rusty, we're going to be watching together with you, we'll be coming back to you. Stay with CNN, of course, for live coverage. Rusty Dornin at Lemoore Naval air station. A lot of happy people waiting to meet some other happy people.
Our Web question of the day, by the way, is this: Do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? You can still vote. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, onboard the Abraham Lincoln. Other White House officials as well, including Andy Card, the chief of staff. We saw the president in about three hours. Of course, the president will be addressing the nation from onboard the national -- onboard the aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln.
Let's get some results of our Web question of the day. Here's how you're weighing in. Remember, we've been asking you this: Do you think the media are treating Scott Peterson fairly? Look at these results; 36 percent of you say yes, 64 percent of you say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
There it is. Let's get to some of your e-mails. We have a few e-mails. Paul writes this: "Both the Israelis and the Palestinians have engaged in barbaric behavior over the years. The extreme factions on both sides will never gives peace a chance.
Joe sends us this: "There has to be a reason that the citizens of Fallujah in Iraq are so upset that American troops are in town. Could it be that they are trying to protect a former leader, like Saddam Hussein, or have the Americans simply overstayed their welcome?"
Finally, this from Charlie: "President Bush will announce the end of combat in Iraq today. When will he able to announce the beginning of peace?"
A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS each day 5:00 p.m. Eastern. I am also on the air each day, weekday, that is, noon Eastern. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks very much for watching. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up right after this short break.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
