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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Bush Calls on World Leaders to Stand Firm; Ohio Police Name Suspect in Highway Shootings

Aired March 16, 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): Anxious allies. With Spain shaken by terror, President Bush calls on world leaders to stand firm.

And questions John Kerry's comment that they stand behind him.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign you ought to back it up with facts.

BLITZER: Highway shootings. Ohio police name a suspect and warn he's still dangerous.

CHIEF DEPUTY STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Because we believe he bought another gun, that's why.

BLITZER: Losing their passion. Are a shock jock and moviemaker breaking ranks with President Bush?

It's not spring -- yet. From the Midwest to the Northeast, winter sends out a reminder.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 16, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Hello from a snowy New York City. We'll have details on that later this hour.

First, though, in the wake of a bloody terror attack, President Bush today scrambled to keep anxious allies in line. But whose allies are they? Democratic candidate John Kerry says he has the support of other leaders, a claim the Bush administration hotly disputes. Let's go live to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Bush refuses to connect Spain's worst terrorist attack in history to the ousting of the pro-Bush, pro-war Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. To do so, the Bush administration believes, would really give the terrorists a big win.

Now despite the loss in this key ally, the Bush administration insisting, the president saying, that they still have broad international support in the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Terrorists will kill innocent life in order to try to get the world to cower. I think -- these are cold blood killers, they'll kill innocent people to try to shake our will. That's what they want to do.

And they'll never shake the will of the United States. We understand the stakes. And we'll work with our friends to bring justice to the terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The president met with the prime minister of the Netherlands in the Oval Office today. And that prime minister helping President Bush make his case saying that yes, they'd stand by the United States and support them in the war on terror.

But at the same time wouldn't commit to allowing his troops, about 1,000 in number, the Dutch troops in Iraq to stay beyond six months. That is still in doubt -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne, the president also making it clear he wants John Kerry -- to show the evidence -- why John Kerry is suggesting other leaders around the world support him as opposed to the president. He had pointed comments on that earlier today.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely, Wolf. And this is something that the Bush campaign relations they're scoring big on, that people are watching and listening to this debate. Essentially they believe it goes to the credibility of Senator Kerry, they believe it goes to the question of whether or not he is a straight shooter. That is why it is no surprise that the president and the vice president both spoke on it today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the very least, we have a right to know what he's saying to foreign leaders that makes them so supportive of his candidacy.

We are the ones that get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And, Wolf, there are some polls that are already indicating that the Bush campaign strategy is working. A poll in "The New York Times" today showing that some voters have doubts about Kerry's convictions -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at White House. Thanks, Suzanne, very much.

The Kerry campaign says the president has squandered the good will of the world. But Kerry himself isn't reacting to the strong criticism from the White House today. Let's turn to our national correspondent Bob Franken -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you know how each campaign has the job of trying to define the other candidate in negative ways? And that's what's going on right now. John Kerry and his fellow Democrats have had months to do it, almost unimpeded during their primaries.

But now the White House is having some success in defining Kerry in a negative way. Particularly over Kerry's claim to a group of fund raisers that there were some leaders overseas who favored his election over George W. Bush. And the White House has scored some points by demanding that Kerry identify the leaders. Kerry repeatedly saying he couldn't do so because he would be violating confidences if he did so and disrupt diplomacy in the process.

Kerry was on the attack again today or tried to be when he went to West Virginia to speak before veteran's groups. He was met with an ad that the Bush campaign put out challenging Kerry's votes on the war in Iraq, challenges that Kerry said was just another case of distortions.

The point here is that a the beginning of this campaign, Wolf, we talked a lot of times how the campaign would very quickly -- talk would become a series of attacks and counterattacks. For once, we were right -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken in Washington. Bob, thank you very much.

In Madrid today, there was a memorial mass for the victims of Thursday's train bombings. Spain's Queen Sophia, government officials and diplomats were among the mourners.

Meantime, authorities have new leads and new suspects in the horrific train bombing. They may also have new links to other terror attacks. CNN's Al Goodman reports from Madrid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A Spanish investigator tells CNN police have identified at least six Moroccans who placed bombs on the Madrid commuter trains last Thursday in Spain's deadliest terrorist attack.

One suspect, Jamal Zougam, age 30, was arrested Saturday, but others remain at large.

Zougam owned a home here, modest apartments in eastern Madrid. Spanish court documents say police searched his home in August 2001, just before the September 11 attacks.

He was not arrested then, but police said he had the phone number of several men who have since been detained as al Qaeda suspects.

(on camera): Since before the September 11 attack, Spanish investigators have been trying to connect the dot among various suspected Islamic radicals or terrorists. Sometimes, as in the case of the man who lived here, the arrests have come months or years after the individual first came to the attention of the authorities.

(voice-over): Reports say Zougam was linked to a cell phone found with an unexploded bomb from last Thursday's attacks. A neighbor says he owned a small telephone business.

Court documents say Zougam was a follower of this man, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, in custody as the suspected head of al Qaeda in Spain.

Moroccan investigators tell CNN Zougam also has been linked to two brothers who are in custody in connection with the Casablanca bombings last May that killed several dozen people.

At least six men -- three Moroccans, two Indians and an Algerian -- are being held since the Madrid bombings. The latest arrest, Basque police in the northern city of San Sebastian detained an Algerian man.

An official told CNN police remembered threats he made two years ago that there would be deaths in Atocha. Police didn't give it much credence then, but after the bomb struck the Atocha train station, they went looking for him, too.

Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: French police opened an investigation after the government received a letter warning of attacks. The letter from a previously unknown Islamic group was addressed to the Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Authorities said it contained, quote, "menacing threats against the entire nation." The letter made reference to a Chechen rebel killed during a deadly raid on Moscow theater in 2002. The prime minister has called on the public not to panic.

Back now to the battle over allies between President Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry. Earlier today I spoke with the former diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke. The one-time ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration, is now a foreign policy adviser for the Kerry campaign. Richard Holbrooke joined me here in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ambassador Holbrooke, thanks very much for joining us. A little revised version of what John Kerry said. He said, "I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it all publicly, but boy, they look at you and say, you got to win. This you got to beat this guy, we need a new policy, things like that." So there is enormous energy out there. The president today said, if he makes an accusation, he has a responsibility to back it up. What do you say?

RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FRM. U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: John Kerry committed an unpardonable crime in Washington: he spoketh the truth. What he said is self-evidently true.

There's a new poll out today by the Pew Institute, a worldwide pool, which shows massive and growing anti-Americanism around the world. Now American voters need to make up their own mind who they prefer, George W. Bush or John Kerry. But they also ought to know this administration is isolating us in the world, weakening us. Recent events in Spain, this election are another example.

John Kerry said something everybody knows is true. And, Wolf, you know it's true.

And why don't I say just one other thing. Why don't you, instead of staging a silly he said/he said between the White House, which is throwing all this mud at John Kerry after he said something true. Why don't you poll your foreign correspondents on CNN. And ask them who the population and leaderships in the world would prefer to see elected? Very simple.

BLITZER: That may be for future course of action. But there's no doubt that when the president of the United States says to John Kerry, you make this charge, back it up, what's wrong with that? Why can't he say this leader said this to me, this leader said that to me. Why can't he just explain what he meant?

HOLBROOKE: I have been in the last six months in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. I have met with leaders and members of the leadership that lead in every one of those countries.

BLITZER: Be specific.

HOLBROOKE: Look, Wolf, if you want me to say that such and such a foreign minister...

BLITZER: I do, if that's what they said to you.

HOLBROOKE: Wolf, you've been a foreign correspondent for many years, you don't reveal your sources when they're said in confidence. And it would be inappropriate and wrong -- these foreign ministers -- and you know this perfectly well as a very distinguished foreign correspondent.

These foreign leaders say something to you in confidence. They have to work with the incumbent administration. The Bush administration knows that you as a journalist have protect sources. It is self-evident.

John Kerry simply said the truth. Everyone knows it. Look at...

BLITZER: Let me interrupt. When I interviewed Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary on Sunday, he pointed it out there's an unprecedented coalition of the willing. Ninety countries have backed the president in the war on terror. And there are 30 or 40 countries with the U.S. in Iraq right now.

HOLBROOKE: Mighty allies like Palau and the Marshall Islands. Let's get real. The United States did not forge a wide enough coalition.

Look, I supported the effort to overthrow Saddam. I'm glad he's is gone. So did John Kerry. But the fact is the way the administration did it fractured a lot of our traditional alliances. We have less support in the world today, Spain is exhibit A, than we've ever had before. And we need to rebuild it. That's what John Kerry will do.

BLITZER: Is the major lesson from the Spanish election that the people of Spain oppose the U.S. policy in the war against Iraq, in the war on terrorism? Or is it that the former Spanish government misled everyone by saying it was ETA, the Basque separatists movement, when it turns out, apparently, to have been some sort of Islamist group?

HOLBROOKE: It's clearly a combination of both those factors. And the real lesson here is that 90 percent of the Spanish people oppose the support of the United States. Aznar was brave and I admire him for supporting us, as has Tony Blair been, as Berlusconi in Italy been.

But the Spanish people decided that they wanted to change course and that was the issue that did it. I think it's extremely unfortunate that terrorism may have played a part in this. But the fact is the Spanish people and the new leader don't support the United States.

BLITZER: But isn't this a win for the terrorists that they managed to topple a government in the aftermath of a horrible terrorist strike?

HOLBROOKE: George Will wrote in today's column in "The Washington Post" that it is the biggest victory for terrorism that the most immediate consequences that he believes has happened in history.

I don't buy that. I think the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 which started World War I was a much bigger event.

I don't want to portray this as a triumph for terrorism. The terrorist who did this should not be encouraged. The American public will not react the same way the Spanish people did. I understand Will's point, but I'm not ready to share it.

BLITZER: I know you're a major supporter of John Kerry, you're a good Democrat. You want to be secretary of state?

HOLBROOKE: I am personally right now focused solely on assisting Senator Kerry, a long-term friend in achieving his goal and leading this country in a new direction which we desperately need. The American public seems to think while they favor Senator Kerry on every domestic issue, that this administration is stronger national defense and the war on terrorism.

My goal is to assist him in demonstrating clearly that this just isn't true. He has more experience in international affairs than the incumbent, he has traveled all over the world for years for years, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, service in Vietnam, father was a career diplomat. And that is my only goal right now.

BLITZER: Being the good diplomat that you are yourself. Thanks very much.

HOLBROOKE: Thank you, good journalist that you are yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And later this hour, we'll hear from the Bush administration, Terry Holt. He's a spokesman for the Bush/Cheney campaign, to be specific. He'll join us live here on this program.

Plus trying to influence the vote against President Bush. Hear what radio talk show host Howard Stern is now saying on the airwaves.

Pakistan border battle. Two dozen terrorist suspects arrested. What it means for the war on terror. We'll have a report from Pakistan. And a second report from Afghanistan.

An urgent search for the suspect now named in the Ohio highway shootings. We'll go live to Columbus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought this was over. We're supposed to get what? Six inches today?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Dreams of spring sunshine buried in the snow. A late winter storm has residents digging out right now, including not far from where you I am in New York City. More on the winter wallop. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a key development in the war on terror in Saudi Arabia. The official Saudi news agency reports the al Qaeda leader on the Arabian peninsula was killed in a shoot-out with police in Riyadh. An American counterterrorism official calls the death a major blow to al Qaeda.

Authorities say the Yemeni citizen nicknamed "The Poet" was killed yesterday after opening fire on police while trying to run a checkpoint. Pakistan says its forces have killed 24 suspected terrorists along the Pakistani/Afghan border. We have reports from both countries. Let's start with CNN's Ash-Har Quraishi in Islamabad, Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN ISLAMABAD BUREAU CHIEF: Pakistani paramilitary troops working on a tip-off and approached an area where they said suspected, quote, "miscreants" were hiding in an area known as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the northwest of Pakistan the tribal belt on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

Now when tribal elders tried to get suspects to surrender,they, did not. A gunfight ensued in which eight Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed. At the end of the day when this operation was completed, officials say 24 suspected terrorists were killed. Another 18 were apprehended.

This is part of an ongoing operation that the Pakistani military says they're carrying out, particularly in this area northwest Pakistan to root out what they call hundreds of suspected al Qaeda terrorists that may be hiding amidst the tribesmen in Pakistan.

Ash-Har Quraishi, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Ryan Chilcote in Kabul, Afghanistan. Things are definitely heating up on the Afghan side of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. It is springtime here, the snow is melting in the mountain passes. And that makes it easier for militants to move from one country to another.

The U.S. military reporting that it is seeing an increase in fire fights in the border region area, it is also saying very interestingly that it is seeing an increase in rocket attacks on its fire bases in eastern Afghanistan.

Now the U.S. military along with the government of Afghanistan has long maintained that there are still many Arab fighters, perhaps even Osama bin Laden himself in western Pakistan in the remote tribal region, and they say, they expect, if the Pakistanis keep up pressure on the tribal leaders in western Pakistan, that those forces will try and move out of that region, perhaps westward into Afghanistan. U.S. military says if that's the case, they'll be ready for them -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote reporting from Afghanistan. Ryan, thank you very much. Our thanks to Ash-Har Quraishi in Islamabad as well.

They answered a calling and paid with their lives. Four American missionaries among the latest casualties in Iraq. We'll hear from those who knew them.

Mel Gibson weighs in on the presidential campaign. Whose side is this conservative Catholic really taking?

Plus, one man's protest. An AWOL American soldier takes a defiant stand on the war in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: An American soldier who refuses to return to Iraq turned himself into military authorities today. Staff sergeant Camilo Mejia will seek conscientious objector status. CNN's John Zarrella is in Miami. He joins us live -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Camilo Mejia spent 2 1/2 hours today meeting with National Guard authorities here in Miami, which is where he is based. But he has to report now to active duty military in Fort Stewart, Georgia, that's because once his unit was originally called up to active duty, he now falls under the classification of active duty, thus Fort Stewart holds responsibility over his case.

Mejia saying at this press conference today, after his meeting that he does believe he should be granted conscientious objective status.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: At a news conference outside the Florida National Guard armory in north Miami, Sergeant Camilo Mejia held up religious articles. He said they were given to him by other soldiers who agree with his opposition to the war. Mejia, considered AWOL absent without leave since October, has agreed to report to military authorities Wednesday at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

SGT. CAMILO MEJIA, FLORIDA NATL. GUARD: I think I've show that I want to resolve this matter and there's no need to treat me as a fugitive or to keep me under surveillance. I will comply with military orders.

ZARRELLA: Mejia claims he is a conscientious objector who can no longer support the war. After serving in Iraq, the Florida National Guardsman came home on leave. He decided not to return to duty. Mejia went into hiding for five months and then decided to go public with his opposition, saying there is no reason for the war.

MEJIA: When you try to find the justification and you think about weapons of mass destruction, and you think about terrorism and things like that. All you find is lies and you have no justification, you need that justification to be able to live with yourself.

ZARRELLA: Military authorities say soldiers are given the opportunity to declare themselves conscientious objectors before being sent off to combat.

MAJ. KIP LASSNER, MILITARY ATTORNEY: It is not my experience that one waits until they're mobilized to an overseas deployment such as Iraq to make such a declaration and certainly not wait until one is at home on leave and then decide not to show up to the appointed place and time.

ZARRELLA: If the military brings formal charges against him, he could face jail time for being AWOL, and more time if he is charged and convicted with desertion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARELLA: Now Mejia was not arrested today. He was allowed to turn himself in voluntarily tomorrow at the headquarters building at Fort Stewart, Georgia at 3:00 p.m. Mejia says that in these last hours before he reports, he wants to spend time with his family, his mother down here, and in particular his 3 1/2-year-old daughter whom he has not seen, he says, for quite some time. And it's possible, Wolf, he may not be able to see her for quite some time in the future -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John Zarrella in Miami. John, thank you very much.

There was an ominous discovery in Iraq today. Police found and defused five explosive devices along a rail line connecting Baghdad to Basra. The line is frequently used to transport coalition supplies. A police officer says it's the first time he's aware of that explosives have been found on a rail line in the country.

The top American military commander in Iraq says insurgents are stepping up attacks against foreign civilians in a bid to divide the coalition. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez (ph) was referring to yesterday's ambush in the northern city of Mosul that killed four American missionaries. A fifth missionary is right now in critical condition. In the latest attacks against civilians, a German and a Dutch engineer were also killed.

The four American civilians killed in Mosul were Southern Baptist missionaries. So what were they doing in the mostly Muslim region to begin with? Some answers now from CNN's Jennifer Coggiola in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a calling few hear, a mission a select few respond to. Jonathan Frerichs was one of them in Iraq for the latter part of the war last March for three weeks.

JONATHAN FRERICHS, LUTHERAN WORLD BELIEF: It is a mission we took on while there was still peace through the war and now after the war, and it's a strategy that's held up throughout, that that is to go and help some of the neediest people in Iraq, the vulnerable children.

COGGIOLA: For missionaries often with humanitarian and evangelistic agendas, their journeys take them to dangerous areas like Iraq, where the risks are very real.

FRERICHS: Need is a very solid ground to go there, if you go without a double agenda, I think you can do as much as is possible to be done at the right time, and I think most Muslims in my experience and many countries, most Muslims have no trouble at all with that kind of religion coming there.

COGGIOLA: But the issue of safety while in Iraq, front and center this week. Larry and Jeanne Elliott were two of the four missionaries killed. A couple who committed their life to missionary work, first in Honduras and finally in Mosul where they met their fate. Friends remember their commitment and steadfast dedication.

TED KEITH, FRIEND: He was trying to get pure water to the Honduran people, and because the water systems down there were terrible.

CAROL KEITH, FRIEND: I think they felt like they were there for a purpose and they were just trying to do what they felt like God was leading them to do.

COGGIOLA: Today missionaries like Frerichs receive ample training prior to leaving. Learning everything from cultural issues and language to safety and health precautions all tailored to their mission and destination.

FRERICHS: If you put the needs of the people first and to work with Iraqi partners who also have the needs of the people at heart, I believe that's the best protection that you can have.

COGGIOLA: Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments in the presidential campaign. Is President Bush in danger of losing his lead among white males?

Ohio police identify a suspect. Will that help them put an end to the Columbus highway shootings?

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: March can be a tricky month, and I believe it came in like a lamb, so it's going out like a lion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And look out, New York and Boston. Spring is not here yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today from New York City.

Voicing his opinion about President Bush and possibly turning up the tide in the upcoming election. Hear what Howard Stern is saying right now. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

Palestinians say an Israeli military strike in Gaza today killed two more people and wounded more than a dozen others. The victims were in a house that was struck by missiles fired by an Apache attack helicopter. Israeli and Palestinian sources say the house was being used by Islamic Jihad activists.

Some high-tech aircraft will soon be put to use along a section of the U.S. border with Mexico as part of a bid to clamp down on illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and terrorists. Unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones are part of a new initiative in a troublesome border region in Arizona.

Sources tell CNN, child endangerment charges will be dropped against a Utah woman who's accused of killing her unborn child. A hearing was scheduled for today. Melissa Rowland faced those charges after one of her twins was born with what prosecutors say were traces of alcohol and cocaine in her system. Rowland was also charged with murder when the other twin was stillborn. Prosecutors say Rowland refused to have a C-section, which might have saved the child's life.

Just when you thought you've seen everything in the early stages of the battle for the White House, there's this, Howard Stern and Mel Gibson ganging up on President Bush.

Once again, here's our national correspondent, Bob Franken. He takes a look at what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Meet the latest potential political king makers. Nope, it's not the wrong video. Howard Stern and Mel Gibson could be turning the tide in a way the White House may not have anticipated.

HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The president saying, I'm against abortion personally, therefore, you cannot get an abortion, offends me.

FRANKEN: In recent weeks, the shock jock has been on the warpath against the president that he once at least moderately supported.

STERN: He offends me every way, and what mostly offends me about him is that big smirk he has on his face, the big smirk. He had that big smirk on his face when he was signing that bill for the drug companies to keep their prices high here. I don't think that this guy is a good guy. I think he's lazy and I don't think he should be in office anymore.

FRANKEN: Stern's comments can't be taken lightly. He has a weekly radio audience of roughly eight million listener, many of them white males, a significant demographic in the coming election, a constituency for President Bush that has apparently been shrinking.

CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup polls show the president's support among white men down 12 percentage points since January, the gap between Mr. Bush and John Kerry narrowing. Why has Stern turned, at least on the air? His office wouldn't return our calls. Observers believe some of this stems from last month's decision by Clear Channel Communications to drop Stern's program in six markets, under pressure from the federal government over decency standards.

Enter Mel Gibson, admired, observers say, by conservatives, now a hero to many Christians for his movie "The Passion of the Christ," another star who has influence over some of President Bush's most ardent supporters. In a taped radio interview scheduled to air Tuesday, Gibson said -- quote -- "I think a lot of what he does is good. I've been having my doubts of late and it's all to do with the weapons that we can't seem to find and, like, why did we go over there?"

How worried should Karl Rove and other White House strategists be over Howard Stern and a potentially shifting Mel Gibson?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they should begin to worry a little bit that something is happening out there in the culture.

FRANKEN: But cultures and constituencies can change, and there's still more than seven months before Election Day.

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The Bush campaign has a new TV ad attacking John Kerry. It's running in West Virginia, a potential swing state in the November election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

NARRATOR: Body armor for troops in combat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kerry.

NARRATOR: No. Higher combat pay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kerry.

NARRATOR: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And better health care for reservists and their families.

NARRATOR: Senator Kerry.

NARRATOR: No. Wrong on defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now to discuss the presidential race is Terry Holt. He's a spokesman for the Bush/Cheney campaign.

Terry, thanks very much for joining us.

TERRY HOLT, BUSH CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: Thanks, Wolf. BLITZER: I wonder if you would want to comment on Bob Franken's report we just heard on the potential loss of some white male voters out there as a result of what Mel Gibson and what Howard Stern is saying?

HOLT: Well, I would say that Mr. Gibson did a beautiful movie. "The Passion of the Christ" has inspired millions of Americans, and I think he has a right to his opinion. In our party, we obviously accept that kind of debate in.

In Howard Stern's case, I was just struck by the personal nature of the comments and I'm just not sure I want to go there, you know. I think that he's been under some scrutiny for profanity and vulgarity on his program. And he may be just a little bit bitter. And we'll let him cool down.

BLITZER: What about this whole feud that your campaign is having with the Kerry campaign over whether or not John Kerry did, in fact, hear from some world leaders that they would prefer him, as opposed to the president?

If, in fact, he did hear that, what's wrong with him telling the American people that's what he's hearing?

HOLT: Well, precisely.

He has talked about his European friends supporting his campaign, but steadfastly refuses to say who they are or what they're really saying. And it seems that he ought to come clean be and honest with the American people. We have strong friendships all over Europe. We have allies in the war on terror and frankly our relationships are improving across the board there. So, frankly, a lot of us are at a little bit of loss to understand what he's talking about.

BLITZER: Well, we heard from Richard Holbrooke, who is a Kerry adviser, earlier this hour, suggesting these are confidential conversations he's having and he's not at liberty to reveal the names. These are government leaders, world leaders that still, after all, have to deal with the president of the United States and the secretary of state. What do you make of that explanation?

HOLT: Well, I don't know. It's important to remember and -- for everybody watching us out, the American people are going to decide who the president is of the United States, not a bunch of European leaders, and I think we need to keep our focus back on the really important questions, like keeping the economy going and winning the global war on terror. And I think Kerry ought to move to the real issues that face the country.

BLITZER: The Kerry people are pointing out and his supporters are pointing out that the whole issue of body armor, troops going to Iraq without adequate body armor, this is an issue that Kerry has been hammering the president over, because the president, after all, long before the appropriation bill that came up last year, the president is the one who sent them into battle without the necessary body armor to begin with, and that the president should be criticized, as opposed to John Kerry.

What do you make of that Kerry charge?

HOLT: Well, this is John Kerry living in a parallel universe. And his days of living in that parallel universe are over.

John Kerry last year voted against sending body armor to the troops. That is a fact. It is obviously so. The $87 billion bill last year gave the troops in the field higher pay, higher combat pay. It gave the troops in the field the highest technical body armor that we had available. And John Kerry voted no on it. Today, he said he voted no because he opposed the president's tax policies? So he's going to take that out on the men and women in uniform?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But before that vote even occurred, there were tens of thousands, more than 100,000 troops, U.S. troops in Iraq, some of whom didn't have adequate body armor. And the point that they're making is that the president sent them into battle without adequate body armor.

HOLT: Well, let me just tell you that the troops in the field, there were two kinds of body armor. And what we needed to do, because of the size of the force necessary, was bring the latest technology onto the battlefield, and that's the vote that John Kerry voted no for.

He simply voted, no, we're not going to send that latest technology. Now, as for the types of body armor that are out there, I'm no expert. But the fact of the matter is, and our ad says, John Kerry voted no on sending body armor the troops, voted no on combat pay, and, frankly, that's taking it out on the troops. And I don't think the American people -- I think they want their troops adequately funded and protected.

BLITZER: We're out of time, but I'll just read to you from a letter that former President Clinton put out today, saying that he's going to get involved in trying to help John Kerry. "We're not going to yield an inch to the Republican attack machine," that warning coming from Bill Clinton. We'll get more on that in the coming days and weeks, to be sure.

Terry Holt, thanks very much for joining us.

HOLT: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Armed, dangerous and apparently on the run. Police in Ohio searching for a sniper suspect they've now named. We'll have a live report.

And March madness of a different kind, a late winter storm hitting the Northeast right now, including right here in New York City. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news make headlines around the world. At least 24 people were killed when an explosion ripped through an apartment building in northern Russia. Officials say the blast was likely caused by a natural gas leak. Police are searching for two homeless men who allegedly removed bronze fittings from gas pipes to sell them.

Detainees free; 23 Taliban and suspected Taliban are back in Afghanistan after being released from U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. All the Pentagon says about the move is that each detainee was evaluated for his intelligence value and risk; 119 former terror suspects have now been freed from Guantanamo. About 610 remain in detention there.

Fighting terror. The leaders of France and Germany are calling for a joint European plan to fight terrorism. After holding talks in Paris with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac said nations must rally together to fight terrorism with all their strength. The meetings come after Thursday's deadly train bombings in Madrid.

Cricket diplomacy. Under extremely tight security, Pakistan beat India in their second cricket match. It's the first time India has played cricket in Pakistan in 14 years. Both teams have won one game each in the five-match series.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There is a new urgency for police looking into the string of highway shootings in Columbus, Ohio. They now have a suspect, but they can't find him. And they say he's suicidal, homicidal and carrying a gun.

CNN's Sean Callebs is in Columbus. He's joining us now live with more -- Sean?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you are exactly right.

It is a very dangerous equation there. And tonight, an intensive manhunt is under way for the suspect in a series of highway shootings that has terrorized residents in Ohio's capital city for the past 10 months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): This is the suspect a decade ago, a high school back on a break toward the goal line. Today, he is a man on the run from the law; 28-year-old Charles McCoy has his face plastered on newspapers and his family pleading for McCoy to contact them.

AMY WALTON, SISTER OF MCCOY: Mom and I need to you call us. We'll arrange for you to come home. CALLEBS: McCoy is wanted in connection with the highway shootings that have terrorized this area. Officially, he's charged with felonious assault. Sheriff's officers say McCoy fired two rounds from a .9-millimeter handgun into an occupied residence. Investigators won't say exactly how, but maintain ballistic evidence shows a bullet fragment removed from that house matches bullets from at least eight separate shootings near I-270, south of Columbus.

STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The investigation conducted has identified McCoy as a suspect in these I- 270 cases.

CALLEBS: Authorities had McCoy under surveillance, but lost him Friday. That is also the last day McCoy's mother saw him. She filed a missing-persons report. She contends he was upset they were moving and took $600 from the bank. McCoy looks different too, she says. He's grown a goatee.

Sheriff's officers say McCoy is dangerous and probably carrying a weapon. They also say he's mentally unbalanced, with suicidal and potentially homicidal tendencies. Neighbors say McCoy showed no outward signs of pent-up anger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shy guy. Never really talked to nobody. Kept to himself.

CALLEBS: McCoy has a history of driving infractions going back nearly 10 years, including driving under the influence in '94. After the charge, McCoy wrote -- quoting here -- "I promise never to consume alcoholic beverages and drive a vehicle."

If McCoy is the shooter, police had at least two opportunities to apprehend him. Twice in the 10-month span of shootings, McCoy was caught speeding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: There have been 24 shootings since last May. Windows, cars, trucks, buildings have all been peppered with gunshots. And there's been one fatality, a 62-year-old woman shot on November 25. And she died the following day -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Let's hope, Sean, they find him soon. Thanks very much, Sean Callebs, in Columbus.

Spring is just around the corner, but you might find that hard to believe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's March the 16th. Yes, so it's too late to have all this. Winter needs to be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Scenes from the late winter storm that's hitting the Midwest and the Northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Winter is clearly not ready to pack it in, not yet. Who got hit hardest and where is the storm going next? All of that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: New York and Boston and other parts of the country, don't put away your snow gear, at least not yet.

Winter is making what is probably its last stand over the Northeast this afternoon and tonight. The Big Apple could see up to six inches of snow before it's all over. Upstate, up to a foot is forecast for some areas of New York state. And here's Boston. Look at this. Across Massachusetts, five to 10 inches of snow is likely. A winter storm warning is in effect for much of southern New England, the latest area to see dreams of spring, at least temporarily, buried under snow.

CNN's Kyra Phillips has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate it. I hate it. I was hoping that this was going to be the end of it a long time ago.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the plains to New England, a different kind of March madness, snow, in some cases, record amounts, as winter makes a last stand just days before the official start of spring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, March can be a tricky month, and I believe it came in like a lamb, so it's going out like a lion.

PHILLIPS: Up to a foot of snow is forecast for the mountains of Pennsylvania, anywhere from a dusting to several inches elsewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday was beautiful. We were out almost in shorts yesterday. And here we are, it's snowing.

PHILLIPS: To the west, more than a half a foot of snow fell by mid-morning in parts of Ohio, with up to 10 inches possible before the storm moves out. It was a messy and slow-going commute for some drivers. And hundreds of schools across the state canceled classes for the day.

In Iowa, it's a day for digging out. The same storm dumped a foot and a half of snow on Sioux City yesterday, while Des Moines saw almost 14 inches. State officials say at least one person died in a weather-related traffic accident. Snow also made roads slick and dangerous in Nebraska. The weather prompted some schools in the Northeast part of the state to close schools for the day.

Kyra Phillips, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up, words I never wanted to hear from Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A reminder, you always can catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Coming up Thursday, by the way:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER/BUSINESSMAN: Wolf, I don't like the job you're doing. You are fired.

BLITZER: You're fired!

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: My interview with the real estate developer and mogul Donald Trump on his show "The Apprentice" and much more.

I'll see you again tomorrow. My special guest tomorrow, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT," with John King filling in, 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





Name Suspect in Highway Shootings>


Aired March 16, 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): Anxious allies. With Spain shaken by terror, President Bush calls on world leaders to stand firm.

And questions John Kerry's comment that they stand behind him.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign you ought to back it up with facts.

BLITZER: Highway shootings. Ohio police name a suspect and warn he's still dangerous.

CHIEF DEPUTY STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Because we believe he bought another gun, that's why.

BLITZER: Losing their passion. Are a shock jock and moviemaker breaking ranks with President Bush?

It's not spring -- yet. From the Midwest to the Northeast, winter sends out a reminder.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 16, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Hello from a snowy New York City. We'll have details on that later this hour.

First, though, in the wake of a bloody terror attack, President Bush today scrambled to keep anxious allies in line. But whose allies are they? Democratic candidate John Kerry says he has the support of other leaders, a claim the Bush administration hotly disputes. Let's go live to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, President Bush refuses to connect Spain's worst terrorist attack in history to the ousting of the pro-Bush, pro-war Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. To do so, the Bush administration believes, would really give the terrorists a big win.

Now despite the loss in this key ally, the Bush administration insisting, the president saying, that they still have broad international support in the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Terrorists will kill innocent life in order to try to get the world to cower. I think -- these are cold blood killers, they'll kill innocent people to try to shake our will. That's what they want to do.

And they'll never shake the will of the United States. We understand the stakes. And we'll work with our friends to bring justice to the terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The president met with the prime minister of the Netherlands in the Oval Office today. And that prime minister helping President Bush make his case saying that yes, they'd stand by the United States and support them in the war on terror.

But at the same time wouldn't commit to allowing his troops, about 1,000 in number, the Dutch troops in Iraq to stay beyond six months. That is still in doubt -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne, the president also making it clear he wants John Kerry -- to show the evidence -- why John Kerry is suggesting other leaders around the world support him as opposed to the president. He had pointed comments on that earlier today.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely, Wolf. And this is something that the Bush campaign relations they're scoring big on, that people are watching and listening to this debate. Essentially they believe it goes to the credibility of Senator Kerry, they believe it goes to the question of whether or not he is a straight shooter. That is why it is no surprise that the president and the vice president both spoke on it today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If you're going to make an accusation in the course of a presidential campaign, you ought to back it up with facts.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the very least, we have a right to know what he's saying to foreign leaders that makes them so supportive of his candidacy.

We are the ones that get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And, Wolf, there are some polls that are already indicating that the Bush campaign strategy is working. A poll in "The New York Times" today showing that some voters have doubts about Kerry's convictions -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at White House. Thanks, Suzanne, very much.

The Kerry campaign says the president has squandered the good will of the world. But Kerry himself isn't reacting to the strong criticism from the White House today. Let's turn to our national correspondent Bob Franken -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you know how each campaign has the job of trying to define the other candidate in negative ways? And that's what's going on right now. John Kerry and his fellow Democrats have had months to do it, almost unimpeded during their primaries.

But now the White House is having some success in defining Kerry in a negative way. Particularly over Kerry's claim to a group of fund raisers that there were some leaders overseas who favored his election over George W. Bush. And the White House has scored some points by demanding that Kerry identify the leaders. Kerry repeatedly saying he couldn't do so because he would be violating confidences if he did so and disrupt diplomacy in the process.

Kerry was on the attack again today or tried to be when he went to West Virginia to speak before veteran's groups. He was met with an ad that the Bush campaign put out challenging Kerry's votes on the war in Iraq, challenges that Kerry said was just another case of distortions.

The point here is that a the beginning of this campaign, Wolf, we talked a lot of times how the campaign would very quickly -- talk would become a series of attacks and counterattacks. For once, we were right -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken in Washington. Bob, thank you very much.

In Madrid today, there was a memorial mass for the victims of Thursday's train bombings. Spain's Queen Sophia, government officials and diplomats were among the mourners.

Meantime, authorities have new leads and new suspects in the horrific train bombing. They may also have new links to other terror attacks. CNN's Al Goodman reports from Madrid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): A Spanish investigator tells CNN police have identified at least six Moroccans who placed bombs on the Madrid commuter trains last Thursday in Spain's deadliest terrorist attack.

One suspect, Jamal Zougam, age 30, was arrested Saturday, but others remain at large.

Zougam owned a home here, modest apartments in eastern Madrid. Spanish court documents say police searched his home in August 2001, just before the September 11 attacks.

He was not arrested then, but police said he had the phone number of several men who have since been detained as al Qaeda suspects.

(on camera): Since before the September 11 attack, Spanish investigators have been trying to connect the dot among various suspected Islamic radicals or terrorists. Sometimes, as in the case of the man who lived here, the arrests have come months or years after the individual first came to the attention of the authorities.

(voice-over): Reports say Zougam was linked to a cell phone found with an unexploded bomb from last Thursday's attacks. A neighbor says he owned a small telephone business.

Court documents say Zougam was a follower of this man, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, in custody as the suspected head of al Qaeda in Spain.

Moroccan investigators tell CNN Zougam also has been linked to two brothers who are in custody in connection with the Casablanca bombings last May that killed several dozen people.

At least six men -- three Moroccans, two Indians and an Algerian -- are being held since the Madrid bombings. The latest arrest, Basque police in the northern city of San Sebastian detained an Algerian man.

An official told CNN police remembered threats he made two years ago that there would be deaths in Atocha. Police didn't give it much credence then, but after the bomb struck the Atocha train station, they went looking for him, too.

Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: French police opened an investigation after the government received a letter warning of attacks. The letter from a previously unknown Islamic group was addressed to the Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Authorities said it contained, quote, "menacing threats against the entire nation." The letter made reference to a Chechen rebel killed during a deadly raid on Moscow theater in 2002. The prime minister has called on the public not to panic.

Back now to the battle over allies between President Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry. Earlier today I spoke with the former diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke. The one-time ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration, is now a foreign policy adviser for the Kerry campaign. Richard Holbrooke joined me here in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ambassador Holbrooke, thanks very much for joining us. A little revised version of what John Kerry said. He said, "I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it all publicly, but boy, they look at you and say, you got to win. This you got to beat this guy, we need a new policy, things like that." So there is enormous energy out there. The president today said, if he makes an accusation, he has a responsibility to back it up. What do you say?

RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FRM. U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: John Kerry committed an unpardonable crime in Washington: he spoketh the truth. What he said is self-evidently true.

There's a new poll out today by the Pew Institute, a worldwide pool, which shows massive and growing anti-Americanism around the world. Now American voters need to make up their own mind who they prefer, George W. Bush or John Kerry. But they also ought to know this administration is isolating us in the world, weakening us. Recent events in Spain, this election are another example.

John Kerry said something everybody knows is true. And, Wolf, you know it's true.

And why don't I say just one other thing. Why don't you, instead of staging a silly he said/he said between the White House, which is throwing all this mud at John Kerry after he said something true. Why don't you poll your foreign correspondents on CNN. And ask them who the population and leaderships in the world would prefer to see elected? Very simple.

BLITZER: That may be for future course of action. But there's no doubt that when the president of the United States says to John Kerry, you make this charge, back it up, what's wrong with that? Why can't he say this leader said this to me, this leader said that to me. Why can't he just explain what he meant?

HOLBROOKE: I have been in the last six months in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. I have met with leaders and members of the leadership that lead in every one of those countries.

BLITZER: Be specific.

HOLBROOKE: Look, Wolf, if you want me to say that such and such a foreign minister...

BLITZER: I do, if that's what they said to you.

HOLBROOKE: Wolf, you've been a foreign correspondent for many years, you don't reveal your sources when they're said in confidence. And it would be inappropriate and wrong -- these foreign ministers -- and you know this perfectly well as a very distinguished foreign correspondent.

These foreign leaders say something to you in confidence. They have to work with the incumbent administration. The Bush administration knows that you as a journalist have protect sources. It is self-evident.

John Kerry simply said the truth. Everyone knows it. Look at...

BLITZER: Let me interrupt. When I interviewed Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary on Sunday, he pointed it out there's an unprecedented coalition of the willing. Ninety countries have backed the president in the war on terror. And there are 30 or 40 countries with the U.S. in Iraq right now.

HOLBROOKE: Mighty allies like Palau and the Marshall Islands. Let's get real. The United States did not forge a wide enough coalition.

Look, I supported the effort to overthrow Saddam. I'm glad he's is gone. So did John Kerry. But the fact is the way the administration did it fractured a lot of our traditional alliances. We have less support in the world today, Spain is exhibit A, than we've ever had before. And we need to rebuild it. That's what John Kerry will do.

BLITZER: Is the major lesson from the Spanish election that the people of Spain oppose the U.S. policy in the war against Iraq, in the war on terrorism? Or is it that the former Spanish government misled everyone by saying it was ETA, the Basque separatists movement, when it turns out, apparently, to have been some sort of Islamist group?

HOLBROOKE: It's clearly a combination of both those factors. And the real lesson here is that 90 percent of the Spanish people oppose the support of the United States. Aznar was brave and I admire him for supporting us, as has Tony Blair been, as Berlusconi in Italy been.

But the Spanish people decided that they wanted to change course and that was the issue that did it. I think it's extremely unfortunate that terrorism may have played a part in this. But the fact is the Spanish people and the new leader don't support the United States.

BLITZER: But isn't this a win for the terrorists that they managed to topple a government in the aftermath of a horrible terrorist strike?

HOLBROOKE: George Will wrote in today's column in "The Washington Post" that it is the biggest victory for terrorism that the most immediate consequences that he believes has happened in history.

I don't buy that. I think the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 which started World War I was a much bigger event.

I don't want to portray this as a triumph for terrorism. The terrorist who did this should not be encouraged. The American public will not react the same way the Spanish people did. I understand Will's point, but I'm not ready to share it.

BLITZER: I know you're a major supporter of John Kerry, you're a good Democrat. You want to be secretary of state?

HOLBROOKE: I am personally right now focused solely on assisting Senator Kerry, a long-term friend in achieving his goal and leading this country in a new direction which we desperately need. The American public seems to think while they favor Senator Kerry on every domestic issue, that this administration is stronger national defense and the war on terrorism.

My goal is to assist him in demonstrating clearly that this just isn't true. He has more experience in international affairs than the incumbent, he has traveled all over the world for years for years, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, service in Vietnam, father was a career diplomat. And that is my only goal right now.

BLITZER: Being the good diplomat that you are yourself. Thanks very much.

HOLBROOKE: Thank you, good journalist that you are yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And later this hour, we'll hear from the Bush administration, Terry Holt. He's a spokesman for the Bush/Cheney campaign, to be specific. He'll join us live here on this program.

Plus trying to influence the vote against President Bush. Hear what radio talk show host Howard Stern is now saying on the airwaves.

Pakistan border battle. Two dozen terrorist suspects arrested. What it means for the war on terror. We'll have a report from Pakistan. And a second report from Afghanistan.

An urgent search for the suspect now named in the Ohio highway shootings. We'll go live to Columbus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought this was over. We're supposed to get what? Six inches today?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Dreams of spring sunshine buried in the snow. A late winter storm has residents digging out right now, including not far from where you I am in New York City. More on the winter wallop. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a key development in the war on terror in Saudi Arabia. The official Saudi news agency reports the al Qaeda leader on the Arabian peninsula was killed in a shoot-out with police in Riyadh. An American counterterrorism official calls the death a major blow to al Qaeda.

Authorities say the Yemeni citizen nicknamed "The Poet" was killed yesterday after opening fire on police while trying to run a checkpoint. Pakistan says its forces have killed 24 suspected terrorists along the Pakistani/Afghan border. We have reports from both countries. Let's start with CNN's Ash-Har Quraishi in Islamabad, Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN ISLAMABAD BUREAU CHIEF: Pakistani paramilitary troops working on a tip-off and approached an area where they said suspected, quote, "miscreants" were hiding in an area known as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the northwest of Pakistan the tribal belt on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

Now when tribal elders tried to get suspects to surrender,they, did not. A gunfight ensued in which eight Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed. At the end of the day when this operation was completed, officials say 24 suspected terrorists were killed. Another 18 were apprehended.

This is part of an ongoing operation that the Pakistani military says they're carrying out, particularly in this area northwest Pakistan to root out what they call hundreds of suspected al Qaeda terrorists that may be hiding amidst the tribesmen in Pakistan.

Ash-Har Quraishi, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Ryan Chilcote in Kabul, Afghanistan. Things are definitely heating up on the Afghan side of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. It is springtime here, the snow is melting in the mountain passes. And that makes it easier for militants to move from one country to another.

The U.S. military reporting that it is seeing an increase in fire fights in the border region area, it is also saying very interestingly that it is seeing an increase in rocket attacks on its fire bases in eastern Afghanistan.

Now the U.S. military along with the government of Afghanistan has long maintained that there are still many Arab fighters, perhaps even Osama bin Laden himself in western Pakistan in the remote tribal region, and they say, they expect, if the Pakistanis keep up pressure on the tribal leaders in western Pakistan, that those forces will try and move out of that region, perhaps westward into Afghanistan. U.S. military says if that's the case, they'll be ready for them -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote reporting from Afghanistan. Ryan, thank you very much. Our thanks to Ash-Har Quraishi in Islamabad as well.

They answered a calling and paid with their lives. Four American missionaries among the latest casualties in Iraq. We'll hear from those who knew them.

Mel Gibson weighs in on the presidential campaign. Whose side is this conservative Catholic really taking?

Plus, one man's protest. An AWOL American soldier takes a defiant stand on the war in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: An American soldier who refuses to return to Iraq turned himself into military authorities today. Staff sergeant Camilo Mejia will seek conscientious objector status. CNN's John Zarrella is in Miami. He joins us live -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Camilo Mejia spent 2 1/2 hours today meeting with National Guard authorities here in Miami, which is where he is based. But he has to report now to active duty military in Fort Stewart, Georgia, that's because once his unit was originally called up to active duty, he now falls under the classification of active duty, thus Fort Stewart holds responsibility over his case.

Mejia saying at this press conference today, after his meeting that he does believe he should be granted conscientious objective status.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: At a news conference outside the Florida National Guard armory in north Miami, Sergeant Camilo Mejia held up religious articles. He said they were given to him by other soldiers who agree with his opposition to the war. Mejia, considered AWOL absent without leave since October, has agreed to report to military authorities Wednesday at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

SGT. CAMILO MEJIA, FLORIDA NATL. GUARD: I think I've show that I want to resolve this matter and there's no need to treat me as a fugitive or to keep me under surveillance. I will comply with military orders.

ZARRELLA: Mejia claims he is a conscientious objector who can no longer support the war. After serving in Iraq, the Florida National Guardsman came home on leave. He decided not to return to duty. Mejia went into hiding for five months and then decided to go public with his opposition, saying there is no reason for the war.

MEJIA: When you try to find the justification and you think about weapons of mass destruction, and you think about terrorism and things like that. All you find is lies and you have no justification, you need that justification to be able to live with yourself.

ZARRELLA: Military authorities say soldiers are given the opportunity to declare themselves conscientious objectors before being sent off to combat.

MAJ. KIP LASSNER, MILITARY ATTORNEY: It is not my experience that one waits until they're mobilized to an overseas deployment such as Iraq to make such a declaration and certainly not wait until one is at home on leave and then decide not to show up to the appointed place and time.

ZARRELLA: If the military brings formal charges against him, he could face jail time for being AWOL, and more time if he is charged and convicted with desertion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARELLA: Now Mejia was not arrested today. He was allowed to turn himself in voluntarily tomorrow at the headquarters building at Fort Stewart, Georgia at 3:00 p.m. Mejia says that in these last hours before he reports, he wants to spend time with his family, his mother down here, and in particular his 3 1/2-year-old daughter whom he has not seen, he says, for quite some time. And it's possible, Wolf, he may not be able to see her for quite some time in the future -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John Zarrella in Miami. John, thank you very much.

There was an ominous discovery in Iraq today. Police found and defused five explosive devices along a rail line connecting Baghdad to Basra. The line is frequently used to transport coalition supplies. A police officer says it's the first time he's aware of that explosives have been found on a rail line in the country.

The top American military commander in Iraq says insurgents are stepping up attacks against foreign civilians in a bid to divide the coalition. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez (ph) was referring to yesterday's ambush in the northern city of Mosul that killed four American missionaries. A fifth missionary is right now in critical condition. In the latest attacks against civilians, a German and a Dutch engineer were also killed.

The four American civilians killed in Mosul were Southern Baptist missionaries. So what were they doing in the mostly Muslim region to begin with? Some answers now from CNN's Jennifer Coggiola in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a calling few hear, a mission a select few respond to. Jonathan Frerichs was one of them in Iraq for the latter part of the war last March for three weeks.

JONATHAN FRERICHS, LUTHERAN WORLD BELIEF: It is a mission we took on while there was still peace through the war and now after the war, and it's a strategy that's held up throughout, that that is to go and help some of the neediest people in Iraq, the vulnerable children.

COGGIOLA: For missionaries often with humanitarian and evangelistic agendas, their journeys take them to dangerous areas like Iraq, where the risks are very real.

FRERICHS: Need is a very solid ground to go there, if you go without a double agenda, I think you can do as much as is possible to be done at the right time, and I think most Muslims in my experience and many countries, most Muslims have no trouble at all with that kind of religion coming there.

COGGIOLA: But the issue of safety while in Iraq, front and center this week. Larry and Jeanne Elliott were two of the four missionaries killed. A couple who committed their life to missionary work, first in Honduras and finally in Mosul where they met their fate. Friends remember their commitment and steadfast dedication.

TED KEITH, FRIEND: He was trying to get pure water to the Honduran people, and because the water systems down there were terrible.

CAROL KEITH, FRIEND: I think they felt like they were there for a purpose and they were just trying to do what they felt like God was leading them to do.

COGGIOLA: Today missionaries like Frerichs receive ample training prior to leaving. Learning everything from cultural issues and language to safety and health precautions all tailored to their mission and destination.

FRERICHS: If you put the needs of the people first and to work with Iraqi partners who also have the needs of the people at heart, I believe that's the best protection that you can have.

COGGIOLA: Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments in the presidential campaign. Is President Bush in danger of losing his lead among white males?

Ohio police identify a suspect. Will that help them put an end to the Columbus highway shootings?

Plus, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: March can be a tricky month, and I believe it came in like a lamb, so it's going out like a lion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And look out, New York and Boston. Spring is not here yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today from New York City.

Voicing his opinion about President Bush and possibly turning up the tide in the upcoming election. Hear what Howard Stern is saying right now. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick check of the latest headlines.

Palestinians say an Israeli military strike in Gaza today killed two more people and wounded more than a dozen others. The victims were in a house that was struck by missiles fired by an Apache attack helicopter. Israeli and Palestinian sources say the house was being used by Islamic Jihad activists.

Some high-tech aircraft will soon be put to use along a section of the U.S. border with Mexico as part of a bid to clamp down on illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and terrorists. Unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones are part of a new initiative in a troublesome border region in Arizona.

Sources tell CNN, child endangerment charges will be dropped against a Utah woman who's accused of killing her unborn child. A hearing was scheduled for today. Melissa Rowland faced those charges after one of her twins was born with what prosecutors say were traces of alcohol and cocaine in her system. Rowland was also charged with murder when the other twin was stillborn. Prosecutors say Rowland refused to have a C-section, which might have saved the child's life.

Just when you thought you've seen everything in the early stages of the battle for the White House, there's this, Howard Stern and Mel Gibson ganging up on President Bush.

Once again, here's our national correspondent, Bob Franken. He takes a look at what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Meet the latest potential political king makers. Nope, it's not the wrong video. Howard Stern and Mel Gibson could be turning the tide in a way the White House may not have anticipated.

HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The president saying, I'm against abortion personally, therefore, you cannot get an abortion, offends me.

FRANKEN: In recent weeks, the shock jock has been on the warpath against the president that he once at least moderately supported.

STERN: He offends me every way, and what mostly offends me about him is that big smirk he has on his face, the big smirk. He had that big smirk on his face when he was signing that bill for the drug companies to keep their prices high here. I don't think that this guy is a good guy. I think he's lazy and I don't think he should be in office anymore.

FRANKEN: Stern's comments can't be taken lightly. He has a weekly radio audience of roughly eight million listener, many of them white males, a significant demographic in the coming election, a constituency for President Bush that has apparently been shrinking.

CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup polls show the president's support among white men down 12 percentage points since January, the gap between Mr. Bush and John Kerry narrowing. Why has Stern turned, at least on the air? His office wouldn't return our calls. Observers believe some of this stems from last month's decision by Clear Channel Communications to drop Stern's program in six markets, under pressure from the federal government over decency standards.

Enter Mel Gibson, admired, observers say, by conservatives, now a hero to many Christians for his movie "The Passion of the Christ," another star who has influence over some of President Bush's most ardent supporters. In a taped radio interview scheduled to air Tuesday, Gibson said -- quote -- "I think a lot of what he does is good. I've been having my doubts of late and it's all to do with the weapons that we can't seem to find and, like, why did we go over there?"

How worried should Karl Rove and other White House strategists be over Howard Stern and a potentially shifting Mel Gibson?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they should begin to worry a little bit that something is happening out there in the culture.

FRANKEN: But cultures and constituencies can change, and there's still more than seven months before Election Day.

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The Bush campaign has a new TV ad attacking John Kerry. It's running in West Virginia, a potential swing state in the November election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

NARRATOR: Body armor for troops in combat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kerry.

NARRATOR: No. Higher combat pay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Kerry.

NARRATOR: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And better health care for reservists and their families.

NARRATOR: Senator Kerry.

NARRATOR: No. Wrong on defense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining us now to discuss the presidential race is Terry Holt. He's a spokesman for the Bush/Cheney campaign.

Terry, thanks very much for joining us.

TERRY HOLT, BUSH CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: Thanks, Wolf. BLITZER: I wonder if you would want to comment on Bob Franken's report we just heard on the potential loss of some white male voters out there as a result of what Mel Gibson and what Howard Stern is saying?

HOLT: Well, I would say that Mr. Gibson did a beautiful movie. "The Passion of the Christ" has inspired millions of Americans, and I think he has a right to his opinion. In our party, we obviously accept that kind of debate in.

In Howard Stern's case, I was just struck by the personal nature of the comments and I'm just not sure I want to go there, you know. I think that he's been under some scrutiny for profanity and vulgarity on his program. And he may be just a little bit bitter. And we'll let him cool down.

BLITZER: What about this whole feud that your campaign is having with the Kerry campaign over whether or not John Kerry did, in fact, hear from some world leaders that they would prefer him, as opposed to the president?

If, in fact, he did hear that, what's wrong with him telling the American people that's what he's hearing?

HOLT: Well, precisely.

He has talked about his European friends supporting his campaign, but steadfastly refuses to say who they are or what they're really saying. And it seems that he ought to come clean be and honest with the American people. We have strong friendships all over Europe. We have allies in the war on terror and frankly our relationships are improving across the board there. So, frankly, a lot of us are at a little bit of loss to understand what he's talking about.

BLITZER: Well, we heard from Richard Holbrooke, who is a Kerry adviser, earlier this hour, suggesting these are confidential conversations he's having and he's not at liberty to reveal the names. These are government leaders, world leaders that still, after all, have to deal with the president of the United States and the secretary of state. What do you make of that explanation?

HOLT: Well, I don't know. It's important to remember and -- for everybody watching us out, the American people are going to decide who the president is of the United States, not a bunch of European leaders, and I think we need to keep our focus back on the really important questions, like keeping the economy going and winning the global war on terror. And I think Kerry ought to move to the real issues that face the country.

BLITZER: The Kerry people are pointing out and his supporters are pointing out that the whole issue of body armor, troops going to Iraq without adequate body armor, this is an issue that Kerry has been hammering the president over, because the president, after all, long before the appropriation bill that came up last year, the president is the one who sent them into battle without the necessary body armor to begin with, and that the president should be criticized, as opposed to John Kerry.

What do you make of that Kerry charge?

HOLT: Well, this is John Kerry living in a parallel universe. And his days of living in that parallel universe are over.

John Kerry last year voted against sending body armor to the troops. That is a fact. It is obviously so. The $87 billion bill last year gave the troops in the field higher pay, higher combat pay. It gave the troops in the field the highest technical body armor that we had available. And John Kerry voted no on it. Today, he said he voted no because he opposed the president's tax policies? So he's going to take that out on the men and women in uniform?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But before that vote even occurred, there were tens of thousands, more than 100,000 troops, U.S. troops in Iraq, some of whom didn't have adequate body armor. And the point that they're making is that the president sent them into battle without adequate body armor.

HOLT: Well, let me just tell you that the troops in the field, there were two kinds of body armor. And what we needed to do, because of the size of the force necessary, was bring the latest technology onto the battlefield, and that's the vote that John Kerry voted no for.

He simply voted, no, we're not going to send that latest technology. Now, as for the types of body armor that are out there, I'm no expert. But the fact of the matter is, and our ad says, John Kerry voted no on sending body armor the troops, voted no on combat pay, and, frankly, that's taking it out on the troops. And I don't think the American people -- I think they want their troops adequately funded and protected.

BLITZER: We're out of time, but I'll just read to you from a letter that former President Clinton put out today, saying that he's going to get involved in trying to help John Kerry. "We're not going to yield an inch to the Republican attack machine," that warning coming from Bill Clinton. We'll get more on that in the coming days and weeks, to be sure.

Terry Holt, thanks very much for joining us.

HOLT: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Armed, dangerous and apparently on the run. Police in Ohio searching for a sniper suspect they've now named. We'll have a live report.

And March madness of a different kind, a late winter storm hitting the Northeast right now, including right here in New York City. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick look at some other news make headlines around the world. At least 24 people were killed when an explosion ripped through an apartment building in northern Russia. Officials say the blast was likely caused by a natural gas leak. Police are searching for two homeless men who allegedly removed bronze fittings from gas pipes to sell them.

Detainees free; 23 Taliban and suspected Taliban are back in Afghanistan after being released from U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. All the Pentagon says about the move is that each detainee was evaluated for his intelligence value and risk; 119 former terror suspects have now been freed from Guantanamo. About 610 remain in detention there.

Fighting terror. The leaders of France and Germany are calling for a joint European plan to fight terrorism. After holding talks in Paris with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac said nations must rally together to fight terrorism with all their strength. The meetings come after Thursday's deadly train bombings in Madrid.

Cricket diplomacy. Under extremely tight security, Pakistan beat India in their second cricket match. It's the first time India has played cricket in Pakistan in 14 years. Both teams have won one game each in the five-match series.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There is a new urgency for police looking into the string of highway shootings in Columbus, Ohio. They now have a suspect, but they can't find him. And they say he's suicidal, homicidal and carrying a gun.

CNN's Sean Callebs is in Columbus. He's joining us now live with more -- Sean?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you are exactly right.

It is a very dangerous equation there. And tonight, an intensive manhunt is under way for the suspect in a series of highway shootings that has terrorized residents in Ohio's capital city for the past 10 months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): This is the suspect a decade ago, a high school back on a break toward the goal line. Today, he is a man on the run from the law; 28-year-old Charles McCoy has his face plastered on newspapers and his family pleading for McCoy to contact them.

AMY WALTON, SISTER OF MCCOY: Mom and I need to you call us. We'll arrange for you to come home. CALLEBS: McCoy is wanted in connection with the highway shootings that have terrorized this area. Officially, he's charged with felonious assault. Sheriff's officers say McCoy fired two rounds from a .9-millimeter handgun into an occupied residence. Investigators won't say exactly how, but maintain ballistic evidence shows a bullet fragment removed from that house matches bullets from at least eight separate shootings near I-270, south of Columbus.

STEVE MARTIN, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The investigation conducted has identified McCoy as a suspect in these I- 270 cases.

CALLEBS: Authorities had McCoy under surveillance, but lost him Friday. That is also the last day McCoy's mother saw him. She filed a missing-persons report. She contends he was upset they were moving and took $600 from the bank. McCoy looks different too, she says. He's grown a goatee.

Sheriff's officers say McCoy is dangerous and probably carrying a weapon. They also say he's mentally unbalanced, with suicidal and potentially homicidal tendencies. Neighbors say McCoy showed no outward signs of pent-up anger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shy guy. Never really talked to nobody. Kept to himself.

CALLEBS: McCoy has a history of driving infractions going back nearly 10 years, including driving under the influence in '94. After the charge, McCoy wrote -- quoting here -- "I promise never to consume alcoholic beverages and drive a vehicle."

If McCoy is the shooter, police had at least two opportunities to apprehend him. Twice in the 10-month span of shootings, McCoy was caught speeding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: There have been 24 shootings since last May. Windows, cars, trucks, buildings have all been peppered with gunshots. And there's been one fatality, a 62-year-old woman shot on November 25. And she died the following day -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Let's hope, Sean, they find him soon. Thanks very much, Sean Callebs, in Columbus.

Spring is just around the corner, but you might find that hard to believe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's March the 16th. Yes, so it's too late to have all this. Winter needs to be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Scenes from the late winter storm that's hitting the Midwest and the Northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Winter is clearly not ready to pack it in, not yet. Who got hit hardest and where is the storm going next? All of that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: New York and Boston and other parts of the country, don't put away your snow gear, at least not yet.

Winter is making what is probably its last stand over the Northeast this afternoon and tonight. The Big Apple could see up to six inches of snow before it's all over. Upstate, up to a foot is forecast for some areas of New York state. And here's Boston. Look at this. Across Massachusetts, five to 10 inches of snow is likely. A winter storm warning is in effect for much of southern New England, the latest area to see dreams of spring, at least temporarily, buried under snow.

CNN's Kyra Phillips has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate it. I hate it. I was hoping that this was going to be the end of it a long time ago.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the plains to New England, a different kind of March madness, snow, in some cases, record amounts, as winter makes a last stand just days before the official start of spring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, March can be a tricky month, and I believe it came in like a lamb, so it's going out like a lion.

PHILLIPS: Up to a foot of snow is forecast for the mountains of Pennsylvania, anywhere from a dusting to several inches elsewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday was beautiful. We were out almost in shorts yesterday. And here we are, it's snowing.

PHILLIPS: To the west, more than a half a foot of snow fell by mid-morning in parts of Ohio, with up to 10 inches possible before the storm moves out. It was a messy and slow-going commute for some drivers. And hundreds of schools across the state canceled classes for the day.

In Iowa, it's a day for digging out. The same storm dumped a foot and a half of snow on Sioux City yesterday, while Des Moines saw almost 14 inches. State officials say at least one person died in a weather-related traffic accident. Snow also made roads slick and dangerous in Nebraska. The weather prompted some schools in the Northeast part of the state to close schools for the day.

Kyra Phillips, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up, words I never wanted to hear from Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A reminder, you always can catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Coming up Thursday, by the way:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER/BUSINESSMAN: Wolf, I don't like the job you're doing. You are fired.

BLITZER: You're fired!

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: My interview with the real estate developer and mogul Donald Trump on his show "The Apprentice" and much more.

I'll see you again tomorrow. My special guest tomorrow, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT," with John King filling in, 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





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