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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

U.S. Marines Arrive in Haiti; Iraqi Police Force Reviewed by Rumsfeld; Hunt for bin Laden

Aired February 23, 2004 - 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): Sending in the Marines. Can they keep Americans safe as Haiti sinks into gang warfare?

Up to the job? Iraq's new police force gets a review from Rumsfeld but suffers another staggering blow.

Hunt for bin Laden. A key ally joins an all-out pursuit of al Qaeda.

On the offensive.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue.

BLITZER: President Bush takes aim at opponents and opens up his $100 million war chest.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, February 23, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: As violence rules the streets in Haiti, U.S. Marines arrive to form a shield for Americans in harm's way. Just a short while ago, a combat unit of dozens of Marines landed with rifles at the ready in Port-Au-Prince. Their mission? To guard the U.S. embassy and staff.

A day after overrunning Haiti's second largest cities, the rivals have tightened their hold and threatened the capital.

There's been looting and reports of killings as some rebels vow to settle accounts with supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. With U.S. diplomats involved in an urgent effort to end the violence, our Lucia Newman is standing by now live in Port-Au-Prince. She's joining us on the phone with the latest -- Lucia.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm right here at Port- Au-Prince Airport, where literally another plane load of Marines has just landed. Fifty Marines at all sent to the U.S. embassy to reinforce the security there on the request of the U.S. ambassador to Haiti. Already all non-essential U.S. and Canadian personnel from both embassies has been sent home. Only the most essential U.S. diplomats are being kept behind in this country. Today the embassy is closed. They are at home waiting for these Marines to get to the embassy and secure the perimeter there.

The Marines as you mentioned are heavily armed. They are right now on the on the tarmac unloading a lot of the equipment that they brought with them. The situation here in Haiti obviously very, very tense indeed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The rebels, are they a threat? Are they anti-American in what their public statements have been?

NEWMAN: No, they have not been anti-American at all, Wolf. They've been, of course, very anti-President Aristide.

But remember, these rebels are now led by members of Haiti's disbanded military, the army and as well a very notorious ex- paramilitary leader. So these are the same people that the United States once sent 20,000 soldiers to this country get rid of to get in order to instate a democratic government.

So there's a lot of concern about what could happen if these people take power here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: So, Lucia, is it my impression that Americans who are in Haiti right now are primarily worried about potentially being caught in the crossfire of this war, if you can call it a war, of the fighting that's going on, as opposed to being directly targeted by either side?

NEWMAN: That's not quite true because there is a lot of just normal street violence. And remember that the pro-Aristide groups, and there are armed gangs of people that support Aristide, could take to the streets and they tend to be violent, too. The more the tension rises here these people could potentially target U.S. diplomats or U.S. citizens living here. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a lot of the people are hoodlums or thugs.

So there is a sense of lawlessness, of no law and order here, where anybody can be the victim. It's not just a matter of being caught in the crossfire -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Lucia, one final question. Is it your sense, based on everything you're hearing, that these rebels will make their move on the capital Port-Au-Prince in the next day or two or three?

NEWMAN: It isn't. They're threatening to come to the capital within the next two weeks is what Guy Philippe, the commander of the main rebel force that took the second largest city here, Cap Haitian yesterday.

Whether or not they have the true military might to come as far as the capital and confront what is left of the Haitian police force and the pro-Aristide gangs that are also armed is another matter, Wolf. We just don't know.

BLITZER: CNN's Lucia Newman right in the middle of things. Please be careful over there, Lucia. Thank you very much.

While U.S. Marines are now on the ground in Haiti, does that mean the United States military will come to the aide of the man that restored to power a decade ago? Sources suggest the answer is a clear cut no. Here's our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Americans heed the State Department's call to get out of Haiti before the violence worsens, the U.S. embassy in Port-Au-Prince has been shut down and reinforced with a Fleet Anti-Terrorism security team of 50 Marines.

So far, there's no order for diplomats to evacuate.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: The Fleet Security Team going down is there to maintain security, not pull people out. Although if it came to that, I suppose they would be part of that.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. hopes it will not come to that. But if the Haitian capital does fall, the big question is whether the U.S. will allow President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to be deposed, an outcome Secretary of State Colin Powell has called unacceptable.

But Powell has also said there is, quote, "no enthusiasm for another U.S. military intervention" like the one in 1994 that forced Haiti's military junta in exile and restored Aristide as the country's democratically elected president.

Pentagon sources insist there has been no serious planning for the U.S. military to ride to Aristide's rescue in part because of questions surrounding the legitimacy of his 2000 reelection and reports of corruption in the regime.

For now the U.S. is putting eggs in the diplomatic basket.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a political situation that requires a political solution. We've continued to deplore ongoing violence and we regret the loss of life in Haiti.

MCINTYRE: Unlike last time, the U.S. is not under pressure to stem a flood of refugees. And with 120,000 troops tied down in Iraq and another 11,00 or so in Afghanistan, it's not anxious for another open-ended mission of nation building.

(on camera): The bottom line, say U.S. officials, is that Aristide has ALREADY squandered the goodwill he enjoyed a decade ago. The U.S. has already cut off humanitarian aid to Haiti. And with no legitimate government in waiting standing by to replace him, the U.S. may be willing to take chance with Aristide's successor.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: CNN contributor Kelly McCann has been there, a former U.S. Marine counterterrorism officer. He's now a security consultant. A few years back, he was in Port-Au-Prince, running security details for U.S. officials and the Aristide Cabinet.

Kelly is joining us now live here in our Washington studio. What's the immediate mission for those Marines on the ground in Port- Au-Prince?

KELLY MCCANN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Secure the embassy and the embassy personnel. It's a Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, very experienced. They've had experience in Somalia and other places where these exercises, DefEx, defense exercises where they go into bolster and augment the existing security around the embassies.

BLITZER: Based on the time you spent in Haiti, and you spent quite a bit of time there, knowing the political situation, the policy issues involved, how dangerous is it for Americans in Haiti right now?

MCCANN: They are probably less at risk by the rebels than they're by the pro-Aristide contingent.

BLITZER: Why do you say that?

MCCANN: Because remember, Wolf, as soon as Aristide went back into power, first speeches were anti-American. We basically put him back in power because he'd been ousted by Raul Cedras who is not either anti-U.S. or pro-U.S.

And immediately Aristide came in, was fairly anti-U.S. And I think that to the chagrin of a lot of people who worked to get him there hurt his overall international play, if you will.

I think that the rebels basically are going to be more neutral about the U.S. than Aristide.

BLITZER: So Jamie McIntyre just reported that some U.S. officials say the United States should just take its chances with these rebels as opposed to the pro-Aristide forces. You accept that?

MCCANN: Well, I accept it in as far as the rebel leaders right now come from the criminal variety, up in Gonaives. The problem with that is in the existing space where no government is present, will there be more drug traffic? Will there be a greater security concern because there is no government entity to engage in discussion with?

So it's dangerous, it's one of -- this country's had 30 coup d'etats since it became an independent state.

BLITZER: You and I remember a decade ago. I went there I remember after President Clinton announced he was sending 20,000 U.S. troops to some restore semblance of stability in Haiti. What happened? Why did the situation fall apart? MCCANN: Well it fell apart the first time primarily because of the 40,000 or so people who went in exodus to the U.S. I don't think you're going to see that, at least initially here because before they wanted Aristide back in power. Now they want him to leave.

So if the rebels can throw him out, get him relieved, basically they won't have any reason to leave.

BLITZER: Militarily, does it make any sense whatsoever to send 20,000 or 10,000 or even 1,000 U.S. troops into Haiti right now?

MCCANN: Not right now, not with the competing concern of the largest post-World War II movement on material and people in Iraq.

BLITZER: Kelly McCann, thanks very much.

MCCANN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Shocking remarks. The nation's education secretary calls the national teacher's group a terrorist organization, we'll tell you the latest. Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I enter the 2004 elections as an Independent candidate for the presidency of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Ralph Nader, the impact his run for the White House could have on this year's presidential election. Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why vandalize something as great as that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Defying the fist. A statue honoring boxing legend Joe Lewis vandalized. But there's no clean getaway for the men responsible. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: His aides say he's sick and tired of taking it. Now President Bush goes on the offensive. You'll hear about it. Our senior White House correspondent John King is standing by. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Hammered for months by his Democratic rivals, President Bush is getting ready to shift tactics. The president plans to go on the offensive tonight in a speech to Republican governors. And his first television ads will air just over a week from now. Let's get the details. Our senior White House correspondent John King is standing by -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a page-turning event, if you will, in the campaign for the presidency tonight. As you noted the president will give a speech to a Republican governors group in which he will be most aggressive as yet this year in making the case against the Democrats.

You see the president here this morning when all of the governors, the National Governor's Association made its annual visit to the White House, the president was in a bipartisan spirit during this speech although he did acknowledge we are in an election year, some sharp elbows, he said, would come out in the year ahead. The president will use sharp elbows of his own tonight in a speech to the Republican governors at a fund-raising dinner.

The president will say that he does not yet know who his Democratic opponent will be but he says he's been watching the Democratic race closely and he believes this is the choice voters will face in the fall. Every promise from the Democrats, the president will say, will increase the power of politicians and bureaucrats over your income, your retirement, your health care and your life. It's the same old Washington mind-set. They'll give the orders and you'll pay the bills. I've got some news for them, America has gone beyond that way of thinking and we're not going back.

As you noted, Wolf, the president also, about ten days from now, will launch the first television ads of his re-election campaign. Some Republicans have been very anxious for that to happen. They believe the president has waited too long, has let his poll numbers slip too low and it's time to fight back on the campaign. Campaign aides say the president now believes it is time to engage, he will start dipping into the $100 million war chest and start spending it on ads. The first ads will be positive in an effort to try to get the president's approval ratings back up. It has been hovering right around 50 percent in recent polls.

The Democrats view this step as the president as proof their campaign is working. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic front-runner claiming today that the Democrats have President Bush on the run. Senator John Edwards, of course, the other major Democrat still in the race says the president's speech tonight is a proof to him that the Republicans want to fight a negative campaign, Senator Edwards saying this campaign should be about the future but Wolf, mark the calendar, tonight the president, even though it's only late February will turn his most aggressive yet saying he wants to cut taxes, Democrats want to raise them, he will take the country into the war on terrorism with confidence, Democrats would be uncertain. The most partisan speech of the year from the president tonight.

BLITZER: And John, and Rodney Paige, the education secretary, normally has a rather modest low profile in Washington, doesn't cause a lot of waves but he's just caused major waves today. Tell our viewers what's going on?

KING: Secretary Paige was speaking to governors today here at the White House and he was talking about the National Education Association, it's the country's largest teacher's union that has fought the Bush administration almost every step of the way when it comes to education reform. In criticizing the union today, Secretary Paige called it a, quote, "terrorist organization."

Now many Democrats came out and said they were outraged. The NEA is one of the largest supporters of the Democratic party. Secretary Paige, a short time ago, issued a statement in which he did not back away at all of his criticism of the NEA and its Washington lobbyists but he said he should have known better and should have chosen his words better. Here at the White House, Wolf, they say the secretary has apologized and they hope this is put behind but the Democrats are criticizing Secretary Paige for this, again, calling the largest teacher's union a terrorist organization.

BLITZER: The DNC, the Democratic party chairman Terry McAuliffe calls it a hate speech, in his words. John King at the White House, thank you very much. We just got a statement in from the NEA, the NEA president Reg Weaver says it is morally repugnant to equate those who teach America's children with terrorists. He goes on to say the NEA is 2.7 million teachers and educators who are fighting for children and public education yet this is the kind of rhetoric we have come to expect from this administration whenever one challenges its world view. More on this flap. That will be coming up.

Palestinians stage mass protests. We'll tell you why when WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues.

Also there's word of a new search for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. We'll tell you who's looking and precisely where?

And some Democrats are angry but Ralph Nader says there's no need to worry. We'll have the latest on the consumer advocate's entry into the presidential race. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A day after a bloody bus bombing in Jerusalem, Israel's west bank security barrier was the focus of demonstrations and debate. Declaring a day of rage, Palestinians held mass protests saying the barricade which slices through a number of their communities is a thinly veiled land grab and a barrier to peace. Israelis also gathered at the barrier, they displayed a bus destroyed in an earlier bombing arguing that the dividing line is for now, at least, vital to their security.

Both sides also held mass demonstrations in The Netherlands where the divisive barrier has been taken up in a controversial session of the World Court. CNN's John Vause reports from The Hague.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are the faces of dead Israelis killed in more than three years of violence, 935 reasons Israel says why it needs to build a barrier to stop the suicide bombings and other attacks. RABBI VAI WEISS, ACTIVIST: When the whole world has the right to defend itself, Israel does not, that is anti-Semitism.

VAUSE: 11 of those faces died on this bus, number 19. Blown apart last month and shipped here by the Israeli rescue group ZAKA, the religious men charged with collecting body pieces after each and every suicide bombing. The shell of the bus was placed outside the gates of the International Court. They wanted the 15 judges inside, and the world to see the shocking aftermath of such an attack. The Israelis were allowed to protest in the morning. Palestinians in the afternoon. Farmers who could no longer reach their fields. Families divided from one another and hundreds of other supporters from around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war kills Palestine, the war is killing the idea of Palestinian state, a state which is able to live and feed its people.

VAUSE: Inside it was the Palestinians' day in court.

NASSER AL KIDWEH, PALESTINIAN OBSERVER TO U.N.: This war is not about security, it's about entrenching the occupation and the de facto annexation of large areas of Palestinian land.

VAUSE: It's not the purpose, they argued, but the route. If it's truly for security, they said, then build it in Israel. 13 countries, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference are here to make similar arguments. But with the support of U.S. and other allies, the Israelis have boycotted the hearing, because, they say, the issue is beyond the court's jurisdiction.

In this case the World Court will only deliver a nonbinding advisory judgment, still, its opinion is considered influential, and that's just what the Palestinians are counting on. A decision against the barrier could well be a blow against Israel in terms of world opinion. The court will sit for another two days. A decision is expected in months. John Vause, CNN, The Hague.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Beefing up security, the defense secretary gets another firsthand look at Iraq. But he's met with doubts about the country's readiness to take back control.

Looking for Osama bin Laden. Pakistani forces mobilize in the hunt for the al Qaeda leader. Could the noose be tightening right now?

And the ricin scare. The FBI releases evidence in a frightening case. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. The hunt for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan's army, right now, mobilized along the border with Afghanistan and ready to make a major move. We'll get to that, first a quick check of the latest headlines.

A key shipping lane in the lower Mississippi river remains closed while divers search for victims of a weekend ship collision. Five crew members are missing from a supply boat that sank Saturday after hitting a container ship.

Government sources tell CNN 14 people including 10 current and former American airlines employees face drug smuggling charges, stemming from a four-year spin operation at Miami International Airport. Arrests started at dawn this morning at the airport, scene of a similar drug sting operation in 1999.

On the stand at the Martha Stewart trial today, her business manager who backed up defense claims that Stewart and her broker had a deal to dump Imclone stock at a certain price. Meanwhile, no decision yet from the judge on a defense motion to dismiss charges.

At least eight people are dead and more than 30 injured in a car bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Most of the casualties were Iraqi policemen. The attack came as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

Arriving under tight security, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, today, made his fourth visit to Iraq since the American invasion last year, Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is traveling with the defense secretary and has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld receiving an enthusiastic welcome at a Baghdad police training academy, a firsthand look at Iraqi security force but the lack of reliable security in Baghdad is still such a concern, Rumsfeld was forced to leave his large entourage behind, only taking a few aides and a news crew. Improving Iraqi security forces now more urgent is the June 30 date for transferring sovereignty nears.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's very important that Iraqis assume responsibility for their own security. That's true of every country, each country eventually has to do that. Our task is to help train them, help equip them, help mentor them, and while we're here, work with them in joint patrols.

STARR: One reason Iraqi security forces are so vital? They know the streets. The Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, the ICDC, may have the best understanding of the insurgency responsible for the attacks.

RUMSFELD: The Iraqis know the neighborhood. They know the people. They know the language. And they're increasingly recognizing that the terrorists are killing Iraqis.

STARR: As Iraqi forces take over, the hope now in Baghdad is to reduce the number of U.S. military troops to 24,000 in eight locations by May, from last year's high of 36,000 troops in 46 locations.

(on camera): Although there has been progress in getting Iraqi security forces trained and equipped, coalition officials here say that those forces are not yet ready to conduct the independent protection and defense of this country.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: While the U.S.-backed coalition in Iraq has a June 30 deadline to turn over sovereignty to Iraqi officials, it remains unclear how those officials would be selected. The United Nations reported today that elections will be impossible until at least the end of this year.

There's also news about the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda forces. Pakistani troops have been mobilized along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, where bin Laden is believed to be hiding. Sources tell CNN, Pakistan is planning a big operation against al Qaeda and Taliban elements in that area.

Reuel Marc Gerecht joins us now to discuss the situation. He's a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute here in Washington, formally a Middle Eastern specialist for the CIA.

Reuel, thanks very much for joining us.

REUEL GERECHT, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Pleasure.

BLITZER: Osama bin Laden, a lot of indications from here and there that U.S.-Pakistani coalition forces are getting closer and closer toward him. Do you accept that?

GERECHT: Well, I think that it is probably true.

It's very difficult, because that area is so isolated. And I think the information that we have and the Pakistanis have is sketchy at best. But, certainly, the reports seem to suggest that they have a general idea where the gentleman is located.

BLITZER: Is the U.S. getting all the help from the Pakistani military, President Pervez Musharraf and his associates that it needs?

GERECHT: Well, that's an excellent question. The Pakistanis have been very careful. They have both aided the Americans, but they have also been careful not to get too aggressive.

They arrest Islamic militants. Then they release them. They push in the Northwest Frontier Province, but then they pull back. So I think we're going to have to wait and see whether the Pakistanis have started this time to play hardball and play aggressively.

BLITZER: You worked to work in the CIA. You don't work there anymore. But based on what you know, which is considerable, how good is U.S. intelligence right now in the search for Osama bin Laden?

GERECHT: In that region, it's dependent upon the Pakistanis. If the Pakistanis do not play ball, the Pakistanis do not contribute, it's more or less impossible for the United States to do it on its own.

BLITZER: The $25 million bounty that's been on his head for so long, maybe more for all I know right now, doesn't seem to have much of an impact.

GERECHT: That's not terribly persuasive in Afghanistan or, say, the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, where just a few hundred dollars actually sometimes is beyond imagination.

And you have to imagine a scenario where someone could spend it. And that's rather difficult. You have to live and then you would have to spend it.

BLITZER: Let's switch gears from Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, to Iraq right now, al Qaeda. Is al Qaeda getting a foothold in Iraq?

GERECHT: Well, it would appear that it is certainly present. And if we assume that the letter that the Pentagon surfaced by Zarqawi, who has been associated with al Qaeda in Iraq, they certainly seem to be moving or trying to move more aggressively. They seem to be trying to bring greater violence into the Shiite regions to destabilize the American presence there.

BLITZER: That letter by from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, he's affiliated, of course, with Ansar al-Islam. Is it a done deal that Ansar al-Islam and al Qaeda are effectively linked?

GERECHT: I wouldn't describe it as a done deal. There certain appear to be overlaps. There appear to be linkage. But it is by no means clear that there is what you might call a command-and-control relationship.

BLITZER: One bottom-line question, U.S. intelligence overall in the war on terror still lacking?

GERECHT: Well, I would say that it is very difficult for American intelligence to operate against radical Islamic groups. I don't think the agency has changed its tactics since 9/11. And until they do so, I think we're going to have trouble.

BLITZER: Reuel Gerecht, thanks for joining us.

GERECHT: My pleasure.

BLITZER: In other military news, the U.S. Army will cancel its multibillion dollar Comanche helicopter program. The program was designed to build a new-generation helicopter for armed reconnaissance. Critics had complained about its high price, even though $8 billion has already been spent. Production wasn't slated to begin until 2006. That will not happen now.

The ricin investigation, details of a frightening letter that threatens to turn D.C. into a ghost town. We'll have details.

Plus, this: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: Our screeners go through a rigorous evaluation before they're even hired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Securing the skies. They admit to problems in the past. But the TSA says protecting the nation's airports is a work in progress.

And a remarkable, truly remarkable, session with Saddam Hussein. Delegates from the International Red Cross visit the ousted dictator in prison. Find out his request to them.

And Ralph Nader throws his hat into the ring again. Up next, we'll examine the Nader effect in this year's presidential contest.

We'll get to all of that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Uganda massacre. Reports say Ugandan rebels killed some 200 unarmed civilians at a refugee camp. Survivors say a shadowy rebel group that calls itself the Lord's Resistance Army attacked with automatic weapons and hand grenades and set fire to thatched huts.

Irate Iranians. Tensions boiled over in the Iranian Parliament following elections that allowed Islamic hard-liners to gain control. The first post-election parliamentary session turned into a shouting and shoving match, with reformists calling the election a sham.

Snow blow. A blizzard produced near whiteout conditions on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Winds blowing 70 miles an hour closed airports, canceling hundreds of flights.

Beaten to a pulp. Who needs a blender when you have got the annual Battle of the Oranges in Italy? Festival-goers reenact an ancient rebellion by throwing oranges at each other. In the end, the king's troops are defeated and the streets are flowing with orange juice.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're getting this just into CNN.

A State Department official tells us,the Bush administration is extending the deadline it set for Haiti's opposition. They've been given 24 more hours to accept an international power-sharing plan aimed at ending the violence in Haiti. As we've been reporting, the situation there has become very unstable, with rebels now in control of the country's second largest city.

Late this afternoon, a contingent of about 50 U.S. Marines arrived in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince to protect the United States Embassy. Once again, officials telling us the U.S. is giving Haitian rebels right now one more day to accept an international peace plan. We'll continue to monitor this story, critically important story unfolding in Haiti, get some more information for you. Stay with CNN, of course, for that.

Let's move on now to the race for the White House. With Super Tuesday just over a week away, President Bush's Democratic rivals are keying in on some of the country's biggest states. New York is one of the 10 states holding primaries or caucuses next Tuesday, and the Empire State getting a lot of attention today. Senator John Edwards held a rally today with textile workers in New York City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to strengthen and lift up working American middle-class families in this country. See, one thing that George Bush and I just completely disagree about is, he thinks if you put more money in the pocket of people who already have money, that somehow the whole country is going to do better. Well, he's just wrong about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Also stumping today in New York, Democratic front- runner, John Kerry. The senator from Massachusetts has won 16 of the 18 Democratic contests so far. At a campaign rally in New York City earlier today, he took a swipe at President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have George Bush on the run, because he's going to go out there and start this campaign officially tonight before we even have a nominee of the Democratic Party. And he's going to lay out what he calls his vision. And I think it's extraordinary that, four years into this administration, we're finally going to get what this president calls his vision for the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: President Bush and his Democratic rivals have a new concern to worry about. Ralph Nader has officially jumped into the race for the White House as an independent candidate. Some Democrats say that, as the Green Party's candidate four years ago, Nader kept Al Gore out of the Oval Office.

But was that really the case? And what will the Nader effect be this time around?

CNN's Jennifer Coggiola keeping track of this story for us. She's joining us now live -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, unlike in 2000, when Ralph Nader ran as the Green Party candidate and appeared on 44 state ballots, as an independent and doing it alone, he could face some new obstacle this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Relax. Rejoice.

COGGIOLA (voice-over): Call him a spoiler, call him what you will. Ralph Nader wants his name on those ballots just like everyone else. But out on his own, he could face an uphill battlement. The first hurdle, getting on the ballot. As an independent, Nader needs a total of 1.5 million signatures to get on the ballot in 48 states.

And each is different. Only two, Colorado and Louisiana, require just a fee. But election analyst Richard Winger doesn't think it will be as hard as it was four years ago.

RICHARD WINGER, POLITICAL ANALYST: I think he was depending a little bit too much on the Green Party to get him on the ballot. He may not have realized how weak they were organizationally in some parts of the country, especially the Great Plains states and the Mountain states. This time, he's taking full responsibility for getting on the ballot by himself.

COGGIOLA: A clear disadvantage, the debates. Unless Nader meets the current poll number criteria, 15 percent, he won't be invited.

WINGER: That's a huge problem for him.

COGGIOLA: Lastly, a lack of support from independent voters, who once supported Howard Dean, could hit the hardest.

In a statement this morning, Dean urged his supporters not to be tempted by Nader -- quote -- "I said I would support the nominee of the Democratic Party, because the bottom line is that we must defeat George W. Bush in November, whatever it takes."

WINGER: They have such a strong attachment to Dean as an individual, that it's hard to predict, but I think it matters a great deal what Dean says.

COGGIOLA: But, despite the upcoming struggle, Nader says he's up for the challenge.

NADER: Do not deny millions of voters the opportunity to vote for this candidacy. Everyone should have a chance. Everyone should argue on the merits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA: The Green Party has welcomed Nader into the race, but added that they'll not back an independent at their June convention in Missouri. However, some state units do have the option of nominating Nader themselves -- Wolf.

BLITZER: When will be the first real test for Nader in this independent run for the president?

COGGIOLA: May 13. And this is in none other than Bush's home state of Texas. Nader has to get about 64,000 ballot votes in order to be on that state's ballot.

BLITZER: Well, we'll see if he can those 64,000 signatures.

COGGIOLA: Yes.

BLITZER: OK, Jennifer Coggiola, thanks very much.

Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Do you think Ralph Nader will pull votes from the Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential election? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

The memory of a hometown hero desecrated. Who vandalized this statue honoring a boxing legend, and why? How police caught the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can say very flatly that we've cleaned house and gotten caught up on those background checks that had been done improperly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Airport security under scrutiny, concerns over the people in charge of screening, now the TSA firing right back. We'll get to that.

First, though, a look at some stories you may have missed this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Visiting Saddam. Two International Red Cross delegates visited Saddam Hussein. The meeting happened at an undisclosed location where the former Iraqi leader is being held as a prisoner of war by coalition forces. Few details were released, but the delegates say Saddam did give them a letter to be delivered to his family.

Trains collide. Two railroad workers were killed in a wreck in south central New Mexico. Investigators are trying to figure out why one freight train sideswiped another as it was moving to a sidetrack. Both trains belong to Union Pacific.

The president's pet. The first family had to put down their 15- year-old English springer spaniel, Spot, who suffered a series of strokes. A White House statement said the Bushes were deeply saddened. Spot was the offspring of another White House pet, Millie, who belonged to the president's mother.

Party in Rio. Dancers and floats fill the city's famous Samba Drome, home to the famous Carnival parade. In all, the five-day celebration is expected to bring $141 million to the city.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Today, the FBI is going public with additional evidence in a frightening case. Investigators are hoping for new leads as they try to find out who's responsible for two poison-laced letters, one addressed to the White House.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is joining us now with an update.

This is an amazing letter, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that letter that was sent to the White House was sent in a package that not only contained ricin, but a very serious threat.

The writer warned authorities not to change trucking regulations or -- quote -- "I will turn D.C. into a ghost town." The letter was one of two intercepted last year, both signed "Fallen Angel." Now, investigators say they have not developed any strong leads in the case and are hoping the posting of the letter on the Web site, along with a copy of the hand-addressed envelope will provide new information in the case.

They are trying to determine whether the letters are connected to a small amount ricin that was found earlier this month on a mail- opening machine in a Senate office building. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information. And the investigation has been quiet quietly proceeding for months. As part of its ongoing investigation, government sources confirm that a federal grand jury in November subpoenaed records from a company that transports mail for the U.S. Postal Service, and, of course, that investigation is ongoing, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, maybe somebody will recognize the handwriting on the envelope.

ARENA: That's what they're hoping.

BLITZER: Let's hope. Thanks very much, Kelli, for that.

For millions of us, the Transportation Security Administration has been the most visible result of the September 11 terror attacks. But the TSA has also been one of the most widely criticized agencies since 9/11.

CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air tight security at your airport, a constant concern since September 11, a debate that puts the Transportation Security Administration under constant scrutiny.

CHARLES SLEPIAN, AVIATION SECURITY ANALYST: Unfortunately, our security is far from competent.

TODD: Charles Slepian, a security expert who once briefed the transportation committee on airport security, went on the offensive recently on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, saying recent cancellations of flights into and out of United States are emblematic of a system failure.

SLEPIAN: It's when we cannot rely on our screening that we cancel flights.

TODD: The TSA counters, saying most of the canceled flights were leaving from airports overseas, where there are no U.S. federal screeners. Spokesman Mark Hatfield defends the TSA screeners.

HATFIELD: Our screeners go through a rigorous evaluation before they're even hired. Once they're hired, they go through an extraordinary amount training.

TODD: TSA officials admit to problems over the past two years, conducting background checks of screeners, some discovered to have criminal records. A recent internal report by the Department of Homeland Security said, "TSA allowed some screeners to work without first completing a criminal history records check and retained others with adverse background checks for weeks or months."

HATFIELD: I can very flatly that we've cleaned house and gotten caught up on those background checks that had been done improperly.

TODD (on camera): And there's the controversy over this area at several airports, the tarmac, where many mechanics, baggage handlers and caterers don't have to go through metal detectors. One critics calls it the gaping hole in airport security.

SLEPIAN: The pilot is searched. The cabin crew is searched. The passengers are searched; 900,000 workers are not searched. And we are not dealing with that. And TSA refuses to tell us why.

HATFIELD: The area that you're referring to, where technicians, mechanics, maintenance people have tool belts and have screwdrivers and hammers, what are you going to search them, the tools of the trade? It starts with doing a thorough background check on these employees. After 9/11, we, TSA, oversaw the fingerprinting of 1.3 million people in the first 12 months.

TODD: Now, nearly 30 months after September 11, the improved airport security is still a work in progress.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The TSA also defends the besieged CAPPS-2 system, the plan for computerized background screening of passengers that's behind schedule. Officials say the system won't pushed through until privacy concerns addressed.

In a moment, the Brown Bomber, disrespected. We'll have details, what's happening in Detroit right now.

Also, restoring a river. It's a blast to the past in Virginia -- that and the results our "Web Question of the Day" when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, this is not -- repeat, not -- a scientific poll.

Police in suburban Detroit have arrested two people suspected of vandalizing a sculpture honoring a hometown hero, the boxing great, Joe Louis.

CNN's Michael Schulder has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL SCHULDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This must be what his fists look like for those on the receiving end of one of his punches. When Joe Louis was heavyweight champion, his jab was so powerful, some said it only needed to travel six inches to leave his opponents on the mat. In his professional bouts, the Brown Bomber, as he was called, left 54 of his opponents on the mat. But Louis had more than a powerful punch.

ANNOUNCER: The heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Joe Louis.

SCHULDER: He had a great reputation. Detroit, the city where he grew up, loved him. He earned the admiration of blacks and whites for his skills in the ring, for his charitable acts out of the ring, for his military service. The list goes on.

And so, when the statue that hovers down the street from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, "The Fist," was vandalized with white paint early today, many wondered, what kind of people would do such a thing? The answer may be, the kind of people who police say were covered in white paint when their car was pulled over.

Michael Schulder, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Glad they caught them.

And in our picture of the day, an explosive -- literally, an explosive -- moment in Virginia. Look at this. The Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg is on its way back to its natural state. Part of the dam that spans the river was blown up this morning. The dam's removal will be completed in two years. The project will allow fish to swim upstream to spawn and it will open up the river to canoeists and kayakers.

A reminder. We're here every day, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. See you tomorrow.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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





by Rumsfeld; Hunt for bin Laden>


Aired February 23, 2004 - 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): Sending in the Marines. Can they keep Americans safe as Haiti sinks into gang warfare?

Up to the job? Iraq's new police force gets a review from Rumsfeld but suffers another staggering blow.

Hunt for bin Laden. A key ally joins an all-out pursuit of al Qaeda.

On the offensive.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue.

BLITZER: President Bush takes aim at opponents and opens up his $100 million war chest.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, February 23, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: As violence rules the streets in Haiti, U.S. Marines arrive to form a shield for Americans in harm's way. Just a short while ago, a combat unit of dozens of Marines landed with rifles at the ready in Port-Au-Prince. Their mission? To guard the U.S. embassy and staff.

A day after overrunning Haiti's second largest cities, the rivals have tightened their hold and threatened the capital.

There's been looting and reports of killings as some rebels vow to settle accounts with supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. With U.S. diplomats involved in an urgent effort to end the violence, our Lucia Newman is standing by now live in Port-Au-Prince. She's joining us on the phone with the latest -- Lucia.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm right here at Port- Au-Prince Airport, where literally another plane load of Marines has just landed. Fifty Marines at all sent to the U.S. embassy to reinforce the security there on the request of the U.S. ambassador to Haiti. Already all non-essential U.S. and Canadian personnel from both embassies has been sent home. Only the most essential U.S. diplomats are being kept behind in this country. Today the embassy is closed. They are at home waiting for these Marines to get to the embassy and secure the perimeter there.

The Marines as you mentioned are heavily armed. They are right now on the on the tarmac unloading a lot of the equipment that they brought with them. The situation here in Haiti obviously very, very tense indeed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The rebels, are they a threat? Are they anti-American in what their public statements have been?

NEWMAN: No, they have not been anti-American at all, Wolf. They've been, of course, very anti-President Aristide.

But remember, these rebels are now led by members of Haiti's disbanded military, the army and as well a very notorious ex- paramilitary leader. So these are the same people that the United States once sent 20,000 soldiers to this country get rid of to get in order to instate a democratic government.

So there's a lot of concern about what could happen if these people take power here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: So, Lucia, is it my impression that Americans who are in Haiti right now are primarily worried about potentially being caught in the crossfire of this war, if you can call it a war, of the fighting that's going on, as opposed to being directly targeted by either side?

NEWMAN: That's not quite true because there is a lot of just normal street violence. And remember that the pro-Aristide groups, and there are armed gangs of people that support Aristide, could take to the streets and they tend to be violent, too. The more the tension rises here these people could potentially target U.S. diplomats or U.S. citizens living here. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a lot of the people are hoodlums or thugs.

So there is a sense of lawlessness, of no law and order here, where anybody can be the victim. It's not just a matter of being caught in the crossfire -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Lucia, one final question. Is it your sense, based on everything you're hearing, that these rebels will make their move on the capital Port-Au-Prince in the next day or two or three?

NEWMAN: It isn't. They're threatening to come to the capital within the next two weeks is what Guy Philippe, the commander of the main rebel force that took the second largest city here, Cap Haitian yesterday.

Whether or not they have the true military might to come as far as the capital and confront what is left of the Haitian police force and the pro-Aristide gangs that are also armed is another matter, Wolf. We just don't know.

BLITZER: CNN's Lucia Newman right in the middle of things. Please be careful over there, Lucia. Thank you very much.

While U.S. Marines are now on the ground in Haiti, does that mean the United States military will come to the aide of the man that restored to power a decade ago? Sources suggest the answer is a clear cut no. Here's our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Americans heed the State Department's call to get out of Haiti before the violence worsens, the U.S. embassy in Port-Au-Prince has been shut down and reinforced with a Fleet Anti-Terrorism security team of 50 Marines.

So far, there's no order for diplomats to evacuate.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: The Fleet Security Team going down is there to maintain security, not pull people out. Although if it came to that, I suppose they would be part of that.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. hopes it will not come to that. But if the Haitian capital does fall, the big question is whether the U.S. will allow President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to be deposed, an outcome Secretary of State Colin Powell has called unacceptable.

But Powell has also said there is, quote, "no enthusiasm for another U.S. military intervention" like the one in 1994 that forced Haiti's military junta in exile and restored Aristide as the country's democratically elected president.

Pentagon sources insist there has been no serious planning for the U.S. military to ride to Aristide's rescue in part because of questions surrounding the legitimacy of his 2000 reelection and reports of corruption in the regime.

For now the U.S. is putting eggs in the diplomatic basket.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a political situation that requires a political solution. We've continued to deplore ongoing violence and we regret the loss of life in Haiti.

MCINTYRE: Unlike last time, the U.S. is not under pressure to stem a flood of refugees. And with 120,000 troops tied down in Iraq and another 11,00 or so in Afghanistan, it's not anxious for another open-ended mission of nation building.

(on camera): The bottom line, say U.S. officials, is that Aristide has ALREADY squandered the goodwill he enjoyed a decade ago. The U.S. has already cut off humanitarian aid to Haiti. And with no legitimate government in waiting standing by to replace him, the U.S. may be willing to take chance with Aristide's successor.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: CNN contributor Kelly McCann has been there, a former U.S. Marine counterterrorism officer. He's now a security consultant. A few years back, he was in Port-Au-Prince, running security details for U.S. officials and the Aristide Cabinet.

Kelly is joining us now live here in our Washington studio. What's the immediate mission for those Marines on the ground in Port- Au-Prince?

KELLY MCCANN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Secure the embassy and the embassy personnel. It's a Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, very experienced. They've had experience in Somalia and other places where these exercises, DefEx, defense exercises where they go into bolster and augment the existing security around the embassies.

BLITZER: Based on the time you spent in Haiti, and you spent quite a bit of time there, knowing the political situation, the policy issues involved, how dangerous is it for Americans in Haiti right now?

MCCANN: They are probably less at risk by the rebels than they're by the pro-Aristide contingent.

BLITZER: Why do you say that?

MCCANN: Because remember, Wolf, as soon as Aristide went back into power, first speeches were anti-American. We basically put him back in power because he'd been ousted by Raul Cedras who is not either anti-U.S. or pro-U.S.

And immediately Aristide came in, was fairly anti-U.S. And I think that to the chagrin of a lot of people who worked to get him there hurt his overall international play, if you will.

I think that the rebels basically are going to be more neutral about the U.S. than Aristide.

BLITZER: So Jamie McIntyre just reported that some U.S. officials say the United States should just take its chances with these rebels as opposed to the pro-Aristide forces. You accept that?

MCCANN: Well, I accept it in as far as the rebel leaders right now come from the criminal variety, up in Gonaives. The problem with that is in the existing space where no government is present, will there be more drug traffic? Will there be a greater security concern because there is no government entity to engage in discussion with?

So it's dangerous, it's one of -- this country's had 30 coup d'etats since it became an independent state.

BLITZER: You and I remember a decade ago. I went there I remember after President Clinton announced he was sending 20,000 U.S. troops to some restore semblance of stability in Haiti. What happened? Why did the situation fall apart? MCCANN: Well it fell apart the first time primarily because of the 40,000 or so people who went in exodus to the U.S. I don't think you're going to see that, at least initially here because before they wanted Aristide back in power. Now they want him to leave.

So if the rebels can throw him out, get him relieved, basically they won't have any reason to leave.

BLITZER: Militarily, does it make any sense whatsoever to send 20,000 or 10,000 or even 1,000 U.S. troops into Haiti right now?

MCCANN: Not right now, not with the competing concern of the largest post-World War II movement on material and people in Iraq.

BLITZER: Kelly McCann, thanks very much.

MCCANN: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Shocking remarks. The nation's education secretary calls the national teacher's group a terrorist organization, we'll tell you the latest. Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I enter the 2004 elections as an Independent candidate for the presidency of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Ralph Nader, the impact his run for the White House could have on this year's presidential election. Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why vandalize something as great as that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Defying the fist. A statue honoring boxing legend Joe Lewis vandalized. But there's no clean getaway for the men responsible. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: His aides say he's sick and tired of taking it. Now President Bush goes on the offensive. You'll hear about it. Our senior White House correspondent John King is standing by. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Hammered for months by his Democratic rivals, President Bush is getting ready to shift tactics. The president plans to go on the offensive tonight in a speech to Republican governors. And his first television ads will air just over a week from now. Let's get the details. Our senior White House correspondent John King is standing by -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a page-turning event, if you will, in the campaign for the presidency tonight. As you noted the president will give a speech to a Republican governors group in which he will be most aggressive as yet this year in making the case against the Democrats.

You see the president here this morning when all of the governors, the National Governor's Association made its annual visit to the White House, the president was in a bipartisan spirit during this speech although he did acknowledge we are in an election year, some sharp elbows, he said, would come out in the year ahead. The president will use sharp elbows of his own tonight in a speech to the Republican governors at a fund-raising dinner.

The president will say that he does not yet know who his Democratic opponent will be but he says he's been watching the Democratic race closely and he believes this is the choice voters will face in the fall. Every promise from the Democrats, the president will say, will increase the power of politicians and bureaucrats over your income, your retirement, your health care and your life. It's the same old Washington mind-set. They'll give the orders and you'll pay the bills. I've got some news for them, America has gone beyond that way of thinking and we're not going back.

As you noted, Wolf, the president also, about ten days from now, will launch the first television ads of his re-election campaign. Some Republicans have been very anxious for that to happen. They believe the president has waited too long, has let his poll numbers slip too low and it's time to fight back on the campaign. Campaign aides say the president now believes it is time to engage, he will start dipping into the $100 million war chest and start spending it on ads. The first ads will be positive in an effort to try to get the president's approval ratings back up. It has been hovering right around 50 percent in recent polls.

The Democrats view this step as the president as proof their campaign is working. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic front-runner claiming today that the Democrats have President Bush on the run. Senator John Edwards, of course, the other major Democrat still in the race says the president's speech tonight is a proof to him that the Republicans want to fight a negative campaign, Senator Edwards saying this campaign should be about the future but Wolf, mark the calendar, tonight the president, even though it's only late February will turn his most aggressive yet saying he wants to cut taxes, Democrats want to raise them, he will take the country into the war on terrorism with confidence, Democrats would be uncertain. The most partisan speech of the year from the president tonight.

BLITZER: And John, and Rodney Paige, the education secretary, normally has a rather modest low profile in Washington, doesn't cause a lot of waves but he's just caused major waves today. Tell our viewers what's going on?

KING: Secretary Paige was speaking to governors today here at the White House and he was talking about the National Education Association, it's the country's largest teacher's union that has fought the Bush administration almost every step of the way when it comes to education reform. In criticizing the union today, Secretary Paige called it a, quote, "terrorist organization."

Now many Democrats came out and said they were outraged. The NEA is one of the largest supporters of the Democratic party. Secretary Paige, a short time ago, issued a statement in which he did not back away at all of his criticism of the NEA and its Washington lobbyists but he said he should have known better and should have chosen his words better. Here at the White House, Wolf, they say the secretary has apologized and they hope this is put behind but the Democrats are criticizing Secretary Paige for this, again, calling the largest teacher's union a terrorist organization.

BLITZER: The DNC, the Democratic party chairman Terry McAuliffe calls it a hate speech, in his words. John King at the White House, thank you very much. We just got a statement in from the NEA, the NEA president Reg Weaver says it is morally repugnant to equate those who teach America's children with terrorists. He goes on to say the NEA is 2.7 million teachers and educators who are fighting for children and public education yet this is the kind of rhetoric we have come to expect from this administration whenever one challenges its world view. More on this flap. That will be coming up.

Palestinians stage mass protests. We'll tell you why when WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues.

Also there's word of a new search for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. We'll tell you who's looking and precisely where?

And some Democrats are angry but Ralph Nader says there's no need to worry. We'll have the latest on the consumer advocate's entry into the presidential race. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A day after a bloody bus bombing in Jerusalem, Israel's west bank security barrier was the focus of demonstrations and debate. Declaring a day of rage, Palestinians held mass protests saying the barricade which slices through a number of their communities is a thinly veiled land grab and a barrier to peace. Israelis also gathered at the barrier, they displayed a bus destroyed in an earlier bombing arguing that the dividing line is for now, at least, vital to their security.

Both sides also held mass demonstrations in The Netherlands where the divisive barrier has been taken up in a controversial session of the World Court. CNN's John Vause reports from The Hague.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are the faces of dead Israelis killed in more than three years of violence, 935 reasons Israel says why it needs to build a barrier to stop the suicide bombings and other attacks. RABBI VAI WEISS, ACTIVIST: When the whole world has the right to defend itself, Israel does not, that is anti-Semitism.

VAUSE: 11 of those faces died on this bus, number 19. Blown apart last month and shipped here by the Israeli rescue group ZAKA, the religious men charged with collecting body pieces after each and every suicide bombing. The shell of the bus was placed outside the gates of the International Court. They wanted the 15 judges inside, and the world to see the shocking aftermath of such an attack. The Israelis were allowed to protest in the morning. Palestinians in the afternoon. Farmers who could no longer reach their fields. Families divided from one another and hundreds of other supporters from around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war kills Palestine, the war is killing the idea of Palestinian state, a state which is able to live and feed its people.

VAUSE: Inside it was the Palestinians' day in court.

NASSER AL KIDWEH, PALESTINIAN OBSERVER TO U.N.: This war is not about security, it's about entrenching the occupation and the de facto annexation of large areas of Palestinian land.

VAUSE: It's not the purpose, they argued, but the route. If it's truly for security, they said, then build it in Israel. 13 countries, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference are here to make similar arguments. But with the support of U.S. and other allies, the Israelis have boycotted the hearing, because, they say, the issue is beyond the court's jurisdiction.

In this case the World Court will only deliver a nonbinding advisory judgment, still, its opinion is considered influential, and that's just what the Palestinians are counting on. A decision against the barrier could well be a blow against Israel in terms of world opinion. The court will sit for another two days. A decision is expected in months. John Vause, CNN, The Hague.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Beefing up security, the defense secretary gets another firsthand look at Iraq. But he's met with doubts about the country's readiness to take back control.

Looking for Osama bin Laden. Pakistani forces mobilize in the hunt for the al Qaeda leader. Could the noose be tightening right now?

And the ricin scare. The FBI releases evidence in a frightening case. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. The hunt for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan's army, right now, mobilized along the border with Afghanistan and ready to make a major move. We'll get to that, first a quick check of the latest headlines.

A key shipping lane in the lower Mississippi river remains closed while divers search for victims of a weekend ship collision. Five crew members are missing from a supply boat that sank Saturday after hitting a container ship.

Government sources tell CNN 14 people including 10 current and former American airlines employees face drug smuggling charges, stemming from a four-year spin operation at Miami International Airport. Arrests started at dawn this morning at the airport, scene of a similar drug sting operation in 1999.

On the stand at the Martha Stewart trial today, her business manager who backed up defense claims that Stewart and her broker had a deal to dump Imclone stock at a certain price. Meanwhile, no decision yet from the judge on a defense motion to dismiss charges.

At least eight people are dead and more than 30 injured in a car bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Most of the casualties were Iraqi policemen. The attack came as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraqi security forces in Baghdad.

Arriving under tight security, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, today, made his fourth visit to Iraq since the American invasion last year, Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is traveling with the defense secretary and has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld receiving an enthusiastic welcome at a Baghdad police training academy, a firsthand look at Iraqi security force but the lack of reliable security in Baghdad is still such a concern, Rumsfeld was forced to leave his large entourage behind, only taking a few aides and a news crew. Improving Iraqi security forces now more urgent is the June 30 date for transferring sovereignty nears.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's very important that Iraqis assume responsibility for their own security. That's true of every country, each country eventually has to do that. Our task is to help train them, help equip them, help mentor them, and while we're here, work with them in joint patrols.

STARR: One reason Iraqi security forces are so vital? They know the streets. The Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, the ICDC, may have the best understanding of the insurgency responsible for the attacks.

RUMSFELD: The Iraqis know the neighborhood. They know the people. They know the language. And they're increasingly recognizing that the terrorists are killing Iraqis.

STARR: As Iraqi forces take over, the hope now in Baghdad is to reduce the number of U.S. military troops to 24,000 in eight locations by May, from last year's high of 36,000 troops in 46 locations.

(on camera): Although there has been progress in getting Iraqi security forces trained and equipped, coalition officials here say that those forces are not yet ready to conduct the independent protection and defense of this country.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: While the U.S.-backed coalition in Iraq has a June 30 deadline to turn over sovereignty to Iraqi officials, it remains unclear how those officials would be selected. The United Nations reported today that elections will be impossible until at least the end of this year.

There's also news about the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda forces. Pakistani troops have been mobilized along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, where bin Laden is believed to be hiding. Sources tell CNN, Pakistan is planning a big operation against al Qaeda and Taliban elements in that area.

Reuel Marc Gerecht joins us now to discuss the situation. He's a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute here in Washington, formally a Middle Eastern specialist for the CIA.

Reuel, thanks very much for joining us.

REUEL GERECHT, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Pleasure.

BLITZER: Osama bin Laden, a lot of indications from here and there that U.S.-Pakistani coalition forces are getting closer and closer toward him. Do you accept that?

GERECHT: Well, I think that it is probably true.

It's very difficult, because that area is so isolated. And I think the information that we have and the Pakistanis have is sketchy at best. But, certainly, the reports seem to suggest that they have a general idea where the gentleman is located.

BLITZER: Is the U.S. getting all the help from the Pakistani military, President Pervez Musharraf and his associates that it needs?

GERECHT: Well, that's an excellent question. The Pakistanis have been very careful. They have both aided the Americans, but they have also been careful not to get too aggressive.

They arrest Islamic militants. Then they release them. They push in the Northwest Frontier Province, but then they pull back. So I think we're going to have to wait and see whether the Pakistanis have started this time to play hardball and play aggressively.

BLITZER: You worked to work in the CIA. You don't work there anymore. But based on what you know, which is considerable, how good is U.S. intelligence right now in the search for Osama bin Laden?

GERECHT: In that region, it's dependent upon the Pakistanis. If the Pakistanis do not play ball, the Pakistanis do not contribute, it's more or less impossible for the United States to do it on its own.

BLITZER: The $25 million bounty that's been on his head for so long, maybe more for all I know right now, doesn't seem to have much of an impact.

GERECHT: That's not terribly persuasive in Afghanistan or, say, the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, where just a few hundred dollars actually sometimes is beyond imagination.

And you have to imagine a scenario where someone could spend it. And that's rather difficult. You have to live and then you would have to spend it.

BLITZER: Let's switch gears from Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden, to Iraq right now, al Qaeda. Is al Qaeda getting a foothold in Iraq?

GERECHT: Well, it would appear that it is certainly present. And if we assume that the letter that the Pentagon surfaced by Zarqawi, who has been associated with al Qaeda in Iraq, they certainly seem to be moving or trying to move more aggressively. They seem to be trying to bring greater violence into the Shiite regions to destabilize the American presence there.

BLITZER: That letter by from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, he's affiliated, of course, with Ansar al-Islam. Is it a done deal that Ansar al-Islam and al Qaeda are effectively linked?

GERECHT: I wouldn't describe it as a done deal. There certain appear to be overlaps. There appear to be linkage. But it is by no means clear that there is what you might call a command-and-control relationship.

BLITZER: One bottom-line question, U.S. intelligence overall in the war on terror still lacking?

GERECHT: Well, I would say that it is very difficult for American intelligence to operate against radical Islamic groups. I don't think the agency has changed its tactics since 9/11. And until they do so, I think we're going to have trouble.

BLITZER: Reuel Gerecht, thanks for joining us.

GERECHT: My pleasure.

BLITZER: In other military news, the U.S. Army will cancel its multibillion dollar Comanche helicopter program. The program was designed to build a new-generation helicopter for armed reconnaissance. Critics had complained about its high price, even though $8 billion has already been spent. Production wasn't slated to begin until 2006. That will not happen now.

The ricin investigation, details of a frightening letter that threatens to turn D.C. into a ghost town. We'll have details.

Plus, this: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: Our screeners go through a rigorous evaluation before they're even hired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Securing the skies. They admit to problems in the past. But the TSA says protecting the nation's airports is a work in progress.

And a remarkable, truly remarkable, session with Saddam Hussein. Delegates from the International Red Cross visit the ousted dictator in prison. Find out his request to them.

And Ralph Nader throws his hat into the ring again. Up next, we'll examine the Nader effect in this year's presidential contest.

We'll get to all of that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Uganda massacre. Reports say Ugandan rebels killed some 200 unarmed civilians at a refugee camp. Survivors say a shadowy rebel group that calls itself the Lord's Resistance Army attacked with automatic weapons and hand grenades and set fire to thatched huts.

Irate Iranians. Tensions boiled over in the Iranian Parliament following elections that allowed Islamic hard-liners to gain control. The first post-election parliamentary session turned into a shouting and shoving match, with reformists calling the election a sham.

Snow blow. A blizzard produced near whiteout conditions on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Winds blowing 70 miles an hour closed airports, canceling hundreds of flights.

Beaten to a pulp. Who needs a blender when you have got the annual Battle of the Oranges in Italy? Festival-goers reenact an ancient rebellion by throwing oranges at each other. In the end, the king's troops are defeated and the streets are flowing with orange juice.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're getting this just into CNN.

A State Department official tells us,the Bush administration is extending the deadline it set for Haiti's opposition. They've been given 24 more hours to accept an international power-sharing plan aimed at ending the violence in Haiti. As we've been reporting, the situation there has become very unstable, with rebels now in control of the country's second largest city.

Late this afternoon, a contingent of about 50 U.S. Marines arrived in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince to protect the United States Embassy. Once again, officials telling us the U.S. is giving Haitian rebels right now one more day to accept an international peace plan. We'll continue to monitor this story, critically important story unfolding in Haiti, get some more information for you. Stay with CNN, of course, for that.

Let's move on now to the race for the White House. With Super Tuesday just over a week away, President Bush's Democratic rivals are keying in on some of the country's biggest states. New York is one of the 10 states holding primaries or caucuses next Tuesday, and the Empire State getting a lot of attention today. Senator John Edwards held a rally today with textile workers in New York City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to strengthen and lift up working American middle-class families in this country. See, one thing that George Bush and I just completely disagree about is, he thinks if you put more money in the pocket of people who already have money, that somehow the whole country is going to do better. Well, he's just wrong about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Also stumping today in New York, Democratic front- runner, John Kerry. The senator from Massachusetts has won 16 of the 18 Democratic contests so far. At a campaign rally in New York City earlier today, he took a swipe at President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have George Bush on the run, because he's going to go out there and start this campaign officially tonight before we even have a nominee of the Democratic Party. And he's going to lay out what he calls his vision. And I think it's extraordinary that, four years into this administration, we're finally going to get what this president calls his vision for the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: President Bush and his Democratic rivals have a new concern to worry about. Ralph Nader has officially jumped into the race for the White House as an independent candidate. Some Democrats say that, as the Green Party's candidate four years ago, Nader kept Al Gore out of the Oval Office.

But was that really the case? And what will the Nader effect be this time around?

CNN's Jennifer Coggiola keeping track of this story for us. She's joining us now live -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, unlike in 2000, when Ralph Nader ran as the Green Party candidate and appeared on 44 state ballots, as an independent and doing it alone, he could face some new obstacle this time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Relax. Rejoice.

COGGIOLA (voice-over): Call him a spoiler, call him what you will. Ralph Nader wants his name on those ballots just like everyone else. But out on his own, he could face an uphill battlement. The first hurdle, getting on the ballot. As an independent, Nader needs a total of 1.5 million signatures to get on the ballot in 48 states.

And each is different. Only two, Colorado and Louisiana, require just a fee. But election analyst Richard Winger doesn't think it will be as hard as it was four years ago.

RICHARD WINGER, POLITICAL ANALYST: I think he was depending a little bit too much on the Green Party to get him on the ballot. He may not have realized how weak they were organizationally in some parts of the country, especially the Great Plains states and the Mountain states. This time, he's taking full responsibility for getting on the ballot by himself.

COGGIOLA: A clear disadvantage, the debates. Unless Nader meets the current poll number criteria, 15 percent, he won't be invited.

WINGER: That's a huge problem for him.

COGGIOLA: Lastly, a lack of support from independent voters, who once supported Howard Dean, could hit the hardest.

In a statement this morning, Dean urged his supporters not to be tempted by Nader -- quote -- "I said I would support the nominee of the Democratic Party, because the bottom line is that we must defeat George W. Bush in November, whatever it takes."

WINGER: They have such a strong attachment to Dean as an individual, that it's hard to predict, but I think it matters a great deal what Dean says.

COGGIOLA: But, despite the upcoming struggle, Nader says he's up for the challenge.

NADER: Do not deny millions of voters the opportunity to vote for this candidacy. Everyone should have a chance. Everyone should argue on the merits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA: The Green Party has welcomed Nader into the race, but added that they'll not back an independent at their June convention in Missouri. However, some state units do have the option of nominating Nader themselves -- Wolf.

BLITZER: When will be the first real test for Nader in this independent run for the president?

COGGIOLA: May 13. And this is in none other than Bush's home state of Texas. Nader has to get about 64,000 ballot votes in order to be on that state's ballot.

BLITZER: Well, we'll see if he can those 64,000 signatures.

COGGIOLA: Yes.

BLITZER: OK, Jennifer Coggiola, thanks very much.

Here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: Do you think Ralph Nader will pull votes from the Democratic candidate in the 2004 presidential election? You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/Wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

The memory of a hometown hero desecrated. Who vandalized this statue honoring a boxing legend, and why? How police caught the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can say very flatly that we've cleaned house and gotten caught up on those background checks that had been done improperly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Airport security under scrutiny, concerns over the people in charge of screening, now the TSA firing right back. We'll get to that.

First, though, a look at some stories you may have missed this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Visiting Saddam. Two International Red Cross delegates visited Saddam Hussein. The meeting happened at an undisclosed location where the former Iraqi leader is being held as a prisoner of war by coalition forces. Few details were released, but the delegates say Saddam did give them a letter to be delivered to his family.

Trains collide. Two railroad workers were killed in a wreck in south central New Mexico. Investigators are trying to figure out why one freight train sideswiped another as it was moving to a sidetrack. Both trains belong to Union Pacific.

The president's pet. The first family had to put down their 15- year-old English springer spaniel, Spot, who suffered a series of strokes. A White House statement said the Bushes were deeply saddened. Spot was the offspring of another White House pet, Millie, who belonged to the president's mother.

Party in Rio. Dancers and floats fill the city's famous Samba Drome, home to the famous Carnival parade. In all, the five-day celebration is expected to bring $141 million to the city.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Today, the FBI is going public with additional evidence in a frightening case. Investigators are hoping for new leads as they try to find out who's responsible for two poison-laced letters, one addressed to the White House.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena is joining us now with an update.

This is an amazing letter, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that letter that was sent to the White House was sent in a package that not only contained ricin, but a very serious threat.

The writer warned authorities not to change trucking regulations or -- quote -- "I will turn D.C. into a ghost town." The letter was one of two intercepted last year, both signed "Fallen Angel." Now, investigators say they have not developed any strong leads in the case and are hoping the posting of the letter on the Web site, along with a copy of the hand-addressed envelope will provide new information in the case.

They are trying to determine whether the letters are connected to a small amount ricin that was found earlier this month on a mail- opening machine in a Senate office building. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information. And the investigation has been quiet quietly proceeding for months. As part of its ongoing investigation, government sources confirm that a federal grand jury in November subpoenaed records from a company that transports mail for the U.S. Postal Service, and, of course, that investigation is ongoing, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, maybe somebody will recognize the handwriting on the envelope.

ARENA: That's what they're hoping.

BLITZER: Let's hope. Thanks very much, Kelli, for that.

For millions of us, the Transportation Security Administration has been the most visible result of the September 11 terror attacks. But the TSA has also been one of the most widely criticized agencies since 9/11.

CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air tight security at your airport, a constant concern since September 11, a debate that puts the Transportation Security Administration under constant scrutiny.

CHARLES SLEPIAN, AVIATION SECURITY ANALYST: Unfortunately, our security is far from competent.

TODD: Charles Slepian, a security expert who once briefed the transportation committee on airport security, went on the offensive recently on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, saying recent cancellations of flights into and out of United States are emblematic of a system failure.

SLEPIAN: It's when we cannot rely on our screening that we cancel flights.

TODD: The TSA counters, saying most of the canceled flights were leaving from airports overseas, where there are no U.S. federal screeners. Spokesman Mark Hatfield defends the TSA screeners.

HATFIELD: Our screeners go through a rigorous evaluation before they're even hired. Once they're hired, they go through an extraordinary amount training.

TODD: TSA officials admit to problems over the past two years, conducting background checks of screeners, some discovered to have criminal records. A recent internal report by the Department of Homeland Security said, "TSA allowed some screeners to work without first completing a criminal history records check and retained others with adverse background checks for weeks or months."

HATFIELD: I can very flatly that we've cleaned house and gotten caught up on those background checks that had been done improperly.

TODD (on camera): And there's the controversy over this area at several airports, the tarmac, where many mechanics, baggage handlers and caterers don't have to go through metal detectors. One critics calls it the gaping hole in airport security.

SLEPIAN: The pilot is searched. The cabin crew is searched. The passengers are searched; 900,000 workers are not searched. And we are not dealing with that. And TSA refuses to tell us why.

HATFIELD: The area that you're referring to, where technicians, mechanics, maintenance people have tool belts and have screwdrivers and hammers, what are you going to search them, the tools of the trade? It starts with doing a thorough background check on these employees. After 9/11, we, TSA, oversaw the fingerprinting of 1.3 million people in the first 12 months.

TODD: Now, nearly 30 months after September 11, the improved airport security is still a work in progress.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The TSA also defends the besieged CAPPS-2 system, the plan for computerized background screening of passengers that's behind schedule. Officials say the system won't pushed through until privacy concerns addressed.

In a moment, the Brown Bomber, disrespected. We'll have details, what's happening in Detroit right now.

Also, restoring a river. It's a blast to the past in Virginia -- that and the results our "Web Question of the Day" when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, this is not -- repeat, not -- a scientific poll.

Police in suburban Detroit have arrested two people suspected of vandalizing a sculpture honoring a hometown hero, the boxing great, Joe Louis.

CNN's Michael Schulder has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL SCHULDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This must be what his fists look like for those on the receiving end of one of his punches. When Joe Louis was heavyweight champion, his jab was so powerful, some said it only needed to travel six inches to leave his opponents on the mat. In his professional bouts, the Brown Bomber, as he was called, left 54 of his opponents on the mat. But Louis had more than a powerful punch.

ANNOUNCER: The heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Joe Louis.

SCHULDER: He had a great reputation. Detroit, the city where he grew up, loved him. He earned the admiration of blacks and whites for his skills in the ring, for his charitable acts out of the ring, for his military service. The list goes on.

And so, when the statue that hovers down the street from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, "The Fist," was vandalized with white paint early today, many wondered, what kind of people would do such a thing? The answer may be, the kind of people who police say were covered in white paint when their car was pulled over.

Michael Schulder, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Glad they caught them.

And in our picture of the day, an explosive -- literally, an explosive -- moment in Virginia. Look at this. The Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg is on its way back to its natural state. Part of the dam that spans the river was blown up this morning. The dam's removal will be completed in two years. The project will allow fish to swim upstream to spawn and it will open up the river to canoeists and kayakers.

A reminder. We're here every day, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. See you tomorrow.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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