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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Interview With Madeleine Albright; Charity and Terrorism; Interview With Tim Russert
Aired June 02, 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): President Bush says there's a new world war, and Iraq in the central front.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the great challenge of our time.
BLITZER: Can he convince the allies? I'll ask former secretary of state Madeline Albright.
Charity and terrorism. Can the Saudis cut the purse strings?
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISER: We are determined to crush this evil, we are determined to go after those who finance it.
BLITZER: Rush Limbaugh. Why critics say American troops in Iraq are a captive audience.
The campaign. Who's up and who's down? I'll ask journalist and best-selling author Tim Russert.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, June 2, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We begin with a very ominous warning of al Qaeda's intentions. Today, President Bush compared the terrorist group to some of the most formidable enemies the United States has ever faced. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with details -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today President Bush making a comparison. Here's what he said. He likened al Qaeda's terrorism to what he called the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. He was talking about Nazi Germany and totalitarian regimes.
This speech was aimed the two audiences. A domestic audience, cadets who may be sent off to war. And also the international leaders who's trying to win support.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX (voice-over): At a commencement speech before the U.S. Air Force Academy, President Bush previewed the message he'll deliver at the 60th D-Day anniversary in Normandy later this week, likening the ideology that fueled Nazi Germany and Stalin's reign to that of al Qaeda's brand of terror.
BUSH: Like other totalitarian movements, the terrorists seek to impose a grim vision in which the scent is crush and every man and woman must think and live in colorless conformity.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush, intent to convincing world leaders and these military ones, his preemptive policy is the right one, offered this justification.
BUSH: If America were not fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, what would these thousands of killers do? Suddenly begin leading protective lives of service and charity?
MALVEAUX: Thursday, Mr. Bush will leave for Italy and France where he will meet with key allies to seek support for the Iraq mission. And next week he'll host the annual G-8 summit in Georgia where he will push his Middle East initiative to Western and Arab leaders.
BUSH: In the short tern we will work with every government in the Middle East dedicated to destroying the terrorist networks. In the longer term, we will expect a higher standard of reform and democracy from our friends in the region.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Wolf, today's speech was the second in a series of addresses the president's going to make before the June 30 deadline for Iraq sovereignty.
But officials who I spoke with say that really these next couple of days are really critical, even more important than that June 30 deadline. That is when they believe Iraq's leaders have to prove that they are legitimate to their own people, that those Iraq leaders are not targeted for assassination. And that the U.S. tries to win this U.N. Security Council resolution -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks very much.
In every major presidential speech, the world looks for signs, for clues as to whether a president intends to stay the course or change course. When it comes to the very sensitive subject of the role of the United Nations, perhaps the best way to figure out where President Bush is heading right now is to look back. CNN's Michael Schulder explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL SCHULDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before the war in Iraq, this is an image President Bush wanted the United Nations to think about, the image of the U.N.'s the failed predecessor, the League of Nations.
Listen to the president in September 2002 appealing to the U.N. to support military action against Saddam Hussein.
BUSH: We created a United Nations Security Council so that unlike the League of Nations our deliberations would be more than talk, our resolutions would be more than wishes.
SCHULDER: It's a theme President Bush and his advisers would repeat again and again before the war.
BUSH: See I believe when it's all said and done, free nations will not allow the United Nations to fade into history as an infective, irrelevant, debating society.
SCHULDER: What a stark contrast to the president's tone this week as he repeatedly gave credit for forming a new Iraqi government to Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi.
BUSH: Earlier today I spoke to Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I congratulated him on the U.N.'s role in forming this new government.
Kofi and I talked today. And he want to hear from the new Iraqi government. And I don't blame him.
Mr. Brahimi made the decisions and brought their names to the governing council.
Time will tell whether or not the leaders turn out to be as capable and strong as Mr. Brahimi thinks they will be.
SCHULDER: Does this apparent, new deference to the United Nations represent a shift in the Bush administration's approach to the world?
We asked Walter Russell Mead with the Counsel on Foreign Relations.
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think the Bush administration understands that unilateralism is a very expensive option. It's a resort, but it's a last resort. And if they didn't understand it before going into Iraq without the second Secretary Council resolution, I'm sure they understand it now.
BUSH: You have the power to make that stand as well.
SCHULDER: And so nearly two years after President Bush first warned the U.N. it risk it becoming irrelevant, no more comparisons to the League of Nations.
Michael Schulder, CNN Center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: U.S. and U.N. officials are urging Iraqis to give the newly-selected Iraqi interim cabinet a chance to govern, but some factions are turning a deaf ear already. There was more violence earlier today. CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports on todays development in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraq's new interim cabinet meets as a quasi-governing body for the first time. The focus remains security and stability.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said his government would relay on a multinational force in Iraq under control of the United Nations, but the force may be headed by a U.S. commander.
Another bomb exploded in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad Wednesday. At least five people died and 37 wounded.
And in Kufa, near the holy city of Najaf, more skirmishes between U.S. forces and militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Mortars were fired at U.S. troops in the city and at their base nearby.
U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in a news conference carried on Iraqi TV said that if security doesn't improve in the next six months, there will be a problem. Then he asked the Iraqi people to support the new government.
LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO IRAQ: I would appeal to the Iraqi people, as I said yesterday, to give this government a chance. That is -- there is a lot of talent in the cabinet.
WHITBECK: Iraqis have said they will support their new government if they feel it is truly in control.
(on camera): But many Iraqis question how sovereign the new interim government really will be. The U.S. has said it will grant full sovereignty on June 30. But with tens of thousands of U.S. troops on Iraqi soil and not under direct Iraqi control, the meaning of full sovereignty remains an open question.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Senator John Kerry is again calling on President Bush to do more to get U.S. troops home from Iraq. The Democratic presidential candidate said he's glad to see that Bush is now working with the United Nations and that he'll be talking with European leader this is weekend.
But he says it's imperative that those meetings produce more than just talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is vital that the president, who is going to Europe this weekend, exercise the statesmanship necessary to bring other countries to the table financially and physically in order to help get our troops home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Senator Kerry's remarks came while during a campaign stop in Tampa, Florida.
How President Bush's Iraq policy differs from John Kerry's. I'll ask the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright. She'll join me. That's coming up.
Intelligence secrets revealed. New details about of what Ahmed Chalabi allegedly told Iranian officials about the United States.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-JUBEIR: We are determined to crush this evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Saudi Arabia announces new steps to block terrorist financing. Find out how the kingdom will deal with terrorism and the rising oil price.
And presidential politics. "Meet The Press" host Tim Russert joins me live. We'll talk about the upcoming election and much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He was once an influential exile that was backed by key members of the Bush administration but they are now giving Iraq's Ahmad Chalabi the cold shoulder following allegations he gave a U.S. secret, not only any secret, but a very, very top secret to Iran. Let's get some details from our national security correspondent David Ensor is standing by.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, knowledgeable sources say that Ahmed Chalabi gave Iran a key piece of intelligence. The fact that the U.S. had cracked the codes used by Iranian intelligence. That revelation could close down a critical security asset for the United States, a window into what Iranian intelligence is up to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. JANE HARMAN (D-CA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: The fact that we broke the Iranian code was communicated by him to the Iranians. That's as bad as it gets. That is absolute Class-A treachery.
ENSOR (voice-over): Sources say an Iranian official in Baghdad sent a cable to Tehran about a conversation he'd had with Chalabi who has been open about his efforts to build ties in Iran. The cable quoted Chalabi warning that the Americans knew Iran's secret code. According to the "New York Times" it even quoted Chalabi saying the American official who told him this was, quote, "drunk." KEN POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: These charges are pouring out what seems to have happened is that someone got a little bit too chummy with Chalabi and forgot that he was someone who really wasn't an American or working for the United States. He was someone who was working for himself and would use whatever information we passed him for whatever purpose would serve his interest not necessarily ours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: An urgent FBI investigation into who could have leaked the information to Chalabi will focus on officials he's been in contact with including top Pentagon officials like Douglas Feith and Paul Wolfowitz. But officials say it will also cover many more like the staff in Baghdad who worked for the National Security Agency, the nation's codebreakers and eavesdroppers -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Just want to be clear. At the top of your piece, Congresswoman Jane Harman, she said if he passed. I'm not sure we heard the beginning part of that sound byte.
ENSOR: She's not sure yet whether this is true but if it is true, it's very serious.
BLITZER: What is Chalabi saying to this latest very, very serious allegation?
ENSOR: He called it, quote, "stupid and false."
BLITZER: He's totally denying anything along those lines as he has been over the past several weeks since all these allegations started. David, thanks very much.
And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. The web question of the day is this. "Should the United States have relied on Ahmed Chalabi as an intelligence source in Iraq?" You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in the broadcast.
Bush and Kerry, are they really polls apart when it comes to Iraq? I'll ask the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: And I think that a lot of the things that are now happening are the kinds of things that Senator Kerry had suggested, the importance of internationalization of this, getting NATO involved, getting security on the ground, getting the United Nations more in terms of running a civilian authority in support of an Iraqi group of people. So I think what's happening is that President Bush...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The troops are tuning in to Rush Limbaugh but can they listen to other voices as well? We'll have a report.
And they're breathing a little bit easier along the border right now. But is there a disaster waiting to happen?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: With a new interim Iraqi government in place, the Bush administration is now counting down the days until a handover of sovereignty. Earlier today I discussed the situation in Iraq with the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright, who is now an adviser to the John Kerry campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Madam Secretary, thanks for joining us. Let's get to the main foreign policy issue at hand right now, namely, Iraq. Are you confident now that the president has a plan to deal with Iraq?
ALBRIGHT: No, I'm not confident but I think that what we're seeing is a dynamic situation in which the Iraqis, in many ways, have taken things into their own hands, and I hope very much that in fact, on June 30, that the Iraqi government will be in place and able to take over. So far, all we know is that something is going to be turned over to some of these people. So we have to see.
BLITZER: The president says full sovereignty will be handed over to the Iraqis. What does that mean to you?
ALBRIGHT: Well, that should mean that they are in complete control of what is happening in their country, but it is still unclear as to how that -- how the American forces will relate to that sovereign government. Usually you have some kind of an agreement when you have a sovereign government. You work out an armed forces agreement with them. We don't know how that's going to work. I think the United Nations resolution will help to resolve that. I think it's moving forward. I'm glad that there has been this kind of movement but...
BLITZER: There seems to be a little optimism right now that this new interim government might, in fact, be able to get this process going.
ALBRIGHT: Well, that's the plan. You asked me whether I was confident. The fact that the plans have changed every few minutes doesn't make me fully confident. But I am glad that this is moving forward and we're going to have to watch it and see how the new people get along with each other, how they are able to deal with the problems of the militias, and the main issue, which still continues to be the security on the ground, so that, in fact, plans can be made for an election in January.
BLITZER: As we speak, the president is preparing to head over to Europe for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy invasion. He will meet with the leaders of France and Germany and Russia and Britain. It looks like he's got a chance now to bring the alliance, the old traditional Atlantic alliance, as we used to call it, back together.
ALBRIGHT: I hope he does that because he should be talking to them. It is fortuitous that these meetings are happening. He has the G-8 here and then he's going to Istanbul for the NATO summit. He's going to be meeting a lot of these people and I think the question is how persuasive he can be about whether this is really going to be internationalized and in order to have that be so, he has to show that this government will be sovereign and that the international aspect of this in terms of assistance will be genuine. So he has got a lot of work to do.
BLITZER: Some of the European allies on this security council want a date certain when this U.S.-led military presence in Iraq basically will be terminated. Is that a good idea?
ALBRIGHT: I'm not so big on a date certain. I think more important is whether certain tasks will have been fulfilled. Sometimes a date certain is an ultimatum to yourself, when, in fact, what you need to see is whether there are certain aspects of a full sovereignty and security and preparations for democracy and how many other countries have come in to help. I hope that there is a security council push in order to get other countries to help because we can't leave this in a chaotic vacuum. Everybody wants this is to succeed. I think there isn't anyone who wants to see a failure. I've said before that this was a war of choice, not of necessity. But getting this resolved is a matter of necessity, not of choice.
BLITZER: I don't, right now, correct me if I'm wrong, see a lot of daylight in differences between the president's stance on Iraq and John Kerry's position on Iraq. You're an adviser to John Kerry. Do you see a lot of differences right now?
ALBRIGHT: The difference is John Kerry suggested all these things almost two years ago now, 600 days ago. I think that a lot of the things that are now happening are the kinds of things that Senator Kerry had suggested, the importance of internationalization, getting NATO involved, getting security on the ground, getting the United Nations more in terms of running a civilian authority in support of an Iraqi group of people. So I think what's happening is that President Bush has finally figured out that some of the ideas that Senator Kerry had are the most legitimate ones.
BLITZER: The greater internationalization, the greater role for the U.N., working closer with the allies but the bottom line is, you don't see a lot of differences right now between Kerry and Bush as far as Iraq is concerned?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that what Senator Kerry is talking about are more specific aspects in terms of trying to make this work. I think the important point is to realize that Senator Kerry saw this coming a long time ago.
BLITZER: You worked with Ahmed Chalabi when you were the secretary of state. What was your sense of him then because, obviously, he's in the news right now?
ALBRIGHT: Worked is kind of the wrong term. What happened was, I met Mr. Chalabi when I was U.N. ambassador. He was presented as somebody who was working on behalf of an exile movement. Then as a result of a law passed by Congress, the Iraqi Liberation Act, we followed the law in terms of trying to get the various aspects of the Iraqi exile group together, and Mr. Chalabi was one of those.
BLITZER: When I say you worked I meant you gave tens of millions of dollars through the state department to Chalabi's group.
ALBRIGHT: It was mandated by law that we do that. I tried to make the best of it by getting a very fine person to have contact, Frank Richardoni (ph) was the person that I named in order to try to develop relationships with this group so that they could be useful if indeed there were regime change. There were always, I think, some question about Mr. Chalabi but he was part of the Iraqi National Congress grouping that we were trying to get to operate together. But they were a very -- are still a very disparate group. We're seeing that with a lot of the arguments. What we were doing, Wolf, was following the law. The Iraqi Liberation Act had been passed by a Republican Congress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Madeline Albright speaking with me earlier today here in Washington.
There was an attack on two U.S. soldiers in Saudi Arabia today. Is al Qaeda growing bolder?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The actions of al Qaeda that we see in the kingdom have grown more desperate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Coming up, what the Saudi government is now doing to try to stop the flow of money to terrorists.
Liberals say armed forces radio is beaming the wrong message to U.S. troops in Iraq. Is it a rush to judgment or a judgment of Rush?
Look at this. When WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues, I'll tell you -- we'll take you behind the scenes for this dramatic picture.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. One conservative voice heard over the airwaves in Iraq. Now some liberals are calling for a balance to Rush Limbaugh overseas. We'll get to all of that. First though, a quick check of the latest headlines.
Florida firefighters have their hands full with multiple blazes throughout the state. This one in south Florida's Broward county closed a portion of I-75 known as Alligator Alley overnight. Officials say shifting winds are complicating the situation there.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is flowing again with lava reaching the Pacific Ocean for the first time in almost a year. It's the latest spectacle in the current eruption which started in 1983. Since then the lava flow has added more than 500 acres of new land to the island.
An eye witness reports an explosion and fire at a U.S. military base in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The witness says the blast happened in a weapons depot and the fire has engulfed surrounding residential areas. American forces are warning residents to stay inside while they sweep the area looking for whomever might be behind the blast.
Saudi Arabia today announced the major crackdown on the financing of terrorism. Working with the United States, the Saudis are now moving to block assets of a charity believed to funnel money to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. And a national commission will now oversee all charitable work abroad. The steps follow terror attacks in the kingdom, including the weekend assault in Khobar, which killed 22 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, ADVISER TO SAUDI CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH: Our work is not done. It is ongoing. We are determined to crush this evil. We are determined to go after those who finance it or those who condone it or justify it in any way, shape, or form.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining us now is the Saudi ambassador in London, the kingdom's former intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal.
Prince Turki, thanks so much for joining us.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: When the U.S. government speaks about terror organizations, as you well know, the State Department includes organizations like the Palestinian groups, Hezbollah, or Hamas. Does Saudi Arabia agree with the Bush administration that those are terror organizations?
PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL, SAUDI ARABIA: Well, as far as Hamas is concerned, we believe that there are people in Hamas who use terrorist methods. And we have done whatever we can to try to stop them from doing that by convincing them and telling them that that is the worst thing they can do if they want to help the Palestinian people.
But Hamas also does some charitable work in Palestine.
BLITZER: So will Saudi charity -- Saudi money continue to go to Hamas and Hezbollah?
AL-FAISAL: Saudi money has never gone to Hamas. Saudi money has always gone to the Palestine liberation organization regularly and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza.
And also, all the contribution that we've made directly to the Palestinian people have gone through the apparatus of the United Nations. We have never given direct money to Hamas or even indirect money to Hamas.
BLITZER: Because a lot of our viewers, and I'm sure you will remember, Prince Turki, that famous telethon in Saudi Arabia which raised a lot of money for Palestinians. But the U.S. and others later suggested some of that money was winding its way to various groups the U.S. government would label as terror organization, like Hamas. You're saying none of that money from that telethon went to those groups?
AL-FAISAL: Absolutely none in of it, because, as I told you, they went through either the United Nations or to the Palestinian Authority directly.
BLITZER: How do you make sure now, Prince Turki, that none of the Saudi money winds up in al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related hands?
AL-FAISAL: Well, this organization that Mr. Al-Jubeir was talking about, this overseeing umbrella organization, has been set up several months ago.
And its procedures are that all money contributed to charity will have to be done through banks and through bank accounts, where tracing can be easily followed of any amount. No cash will be allowed to be transferred for those operations. Everything will have to be done either through money orders or through checks. And that way, we hope that there will be a curtailment of any quotation or possible leaks that may happen from here and there.
BLITZER: Well, let's switch gears for a second, Prince Turki, and talk about Saudi oil. Can you clarify to our viewers here in North America what Saudi policy will be going into this OPEC meeting in Beirut as far as increasing output, so that perhaps the price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States might go down?
AL-FAISAL: We have already increased output. And we're asking OPEC to increase the quota of each country until the total will be an increase of two million barrels a day over the established quota today. And we hope that countries even outside OPEC, like Russia and Norway and even Britain and Egypt and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) etcetera, will help in that matter.
But the crunch on the prices is not just a supply situation. It has to do with -- particularly in the United States, with refining capacity, which is now very limited in the United States and is not producing as much gasoline as the U.S. market requires. So there are other reasons why the prices are going up than simply supply. In Europe, for example, the taxes that governments in Europe impose on oil and oil products, in Britain, they reach 70 percent of what the Britain individual -- the British individual pays at the petrol pump. So you can see that it is not just a matter of supply.
BLITZER: Prince Turki, as usual, thanks so much for joining us for a few minutes. We'll continue this conversation down the road.
AL-FAISAL: Thank you, Mr. Blitzer. BLITZER: And controversy and talk radio often go hand in hand, both this time, both message and messenger are under fire. At issue, Rush Limbaugh's comments carried on Armed Forces Radio comparing the prisoner abuse scandal to what he suggested was fraternity hazing.
CNN's Tom Foreman is joining us with a little bit more.
This is a very perplexing, sort of interesting kind of story.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a bit of tempest in a teapot, but one that the sides are taking very seriously.
This controversy over Rush Limbaugh's role in Iraq has been simmering for weeks and now it seems to be coming to a boil. The folks in charge of the military radio service responded today to an angry senator.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Over the thunder of the machinery and the rattle of the rifles, one voice is heard in Baghdad for an hour each evening Monday through Friday.
ANNOUNCER: We're always ready. So bring it on. Rush.
FOREMAN: Rush Limbaugh's conservative talk show has been a staple of American Forces Radio for a decade. And when the Iraqi prison abuse scandal broke, he compared it to a fraternity prank.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Exactly my point. This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation. And we're going to ruin people's lives and we're going to hamper our military effort.
SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: This sends all the wrong signals to our troops.
FOREMAN: Such talk infuriated Limbaugh's critics, including U.S. Senator Tom Harkin.
HARKIN: Rush Limbaugh has a point of view, a dedicated right- ring point of view. That's fine. That's fine. But you should balance it on the other side also, especially when it's being funded by taxpayers' money.
FOREMAN: American forces radio began in World War II to tell far-flunk troops about the war's progress and boost morale.
NARRATOR: ... a kind of orchestrated hell.
FOREMAN: American Forces Radio began in World War II to tell far-flung troops about the war's progress and boost morale.
BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: This is Bob "Command Performance" Hope.
FOREMAN: Today, the Department of Defense says it provides a touch of home to soldiers with sports, financial reports, science shows, 1,200 radio programs, including National Public Radio, which some people consider liberal. There is no direct liberal show counterpart to Limbaugh. But, they point out, no liberal broadcaster has built such a huge audience at home.
ALLISON BARBER, DEPUTY ASST. DEFENSE SECRETARY OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: It is not about conservative or liberal. It is about the full selection of radio programming, which is based on popularity here in the states.
FOREMAN: Still, Howard Stern has millions of fans and his show is not sent to the troops.
BARBER: Well, his issue is one of content. That's not appropriate.
FOREMAN: So, noted liberals such as Al Franken, who also has a talk show, keep talking louder.
AL FRANKEN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: If you hear day after day that liberals are rooting against armed forces, that is eventually going to have an effect on soldiers, who are going to actually -- and troops -- who are going to believe that. And so it's wrong. It's just -- it's wrong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Of course, we tried to talk to Rush Limbaugh's folks. And they don't want to talk about this right now.
It is a tempest in a teapot. Nonetheless, worth remembering, one of the reason he is on Armed Services Radio is because congressional members pushed for this 10 years ago because they liked having this conservative voice out there. Now the tide may be turning, at least a bit.
BLITZER: Well, there's no doubt he is No. 1 when it comes to talk radio.
FOREMAN: A lot of fans out there, a lot of support to this day.
BLITZER: All right, Tom Foreman, thanks very much.
Covering the conflict. I'll speak with Tim Russert, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and the author of the new best-seller "Big Russ and Me." It's a memoir about the bonds between a father and son. He'll join me live.
Is there enough evidence to convict Scott Peterson? The attorney Mark Geragos says no and begins to lay out his case in court.
Lax security, how two tanker trucks filled with propane were stolen. We'll get to all of that.
First, some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Israeli troops backed by tanks and bulldozers reentered the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. Witnesses say several homes were destroyed. The Israeli army says Palestinian gunmen fired at them from nearby homes and tanks returned fire.
Anti-war protests. Italian opponents of the war in Iraq took to the streets of Rome and other cities two days before President Bush's scheduled visit. The demonstration took place as thousands of spectators turned out for the annual Republic Day military parade.
Olympic journey. A ceremony in Greece kicked off the Olympic flame's around the world journey in advance of the Summer Games in Athens. The flame will visit 33 cities on six continents before returning for the opening ceremonies.
Crowning achievement. A 20-year-old Australian who loves surfing is the new Miss Universe. Jennifer Hawkins was crowned in a two-hour pageant held in Ecuador. Miss USA was first runner-up.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: They're breathing easier along the border after the recovery of a pair of missing propane tankers, but the security scare is raising fresh questions about the next time.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sigh of relief in southern Texas. Two propane trucks stolen over the weekend from a Ferrellgas facility in San Antonio are spotted by a passing driver Wednesday just north of the Mexican border.
San Antonio police tell CNN the trucks appeared to have their roughly 5,000 gallons combined still inside them. But police say the trucks were abandoned and they have made no arrests. Earlier, authorities spoke of a sophisticated heist.
ALBERT ORTIZ, SAN ANTONIO POLICE CHIEF: It was a very professional job, from the way they broke in to the way they broke out and how they concealed and took perhaps some of the evidence that normally would have been left behind.
TODD: Police and FBI officials tell CNN there is a demand in Mexico for propane gas and there have been cross-border thefts in recent years. They've also established no link to terrorist groups with this crime.
But story exposes a security lapse at many truck terminals and gas facilities in the U.S. At the Ferrellgas compound, the thieves got to the trucks simply by cutting through a chain-link fence and busting a lock. A Ferrellgas official tells CNN thefts are not uncommon in the industry. This is the first time Ferrellgas has been breached in at least six years. But, he says, at the 600 retail outlets the company has in 45 states, there are no security guards, day, night, or on weekends, and no surveillance cameras.
Randall Larsen, an expert who has briefed members of Congress and the Bush administration on security issues, says this is a disaster waiting to happen.
RANDALL LARSEN, HOMELAND SECURITY ASSOCIATES: The type of security that they have in these normal places are not the type that would keep a determined terrorist away from them. If you know what you're doing and create called a BLEVE, a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, then, in some cases, it can be a considerable explosion.
TODD: We got no response from federal security officials to these allegations. But groups representing the propane and trucking industries tell CNN their members are complying with guidelines from the government, including driver background checks and security intelligence gathering.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: The official with Ferrellgas we spoke to says this is not a financial issue. But he admits this incident will probably make the company look at security more closely.
And we have this from law enforcement and trucking industry sources. There is one remaining alert for a missing tanker truck out of New Jersey that has been unaccounted for, for about a month. From all indications, it is does not belong to Ferrellgas -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.
It's Scott Peterson's turn. His defense lawyers are making their opening statement today in his murder trial. Attorney Mark Geragos called the prosecution's case weak and told jurors that investigators ignored information that would have led to the real killers. Peterson is charged with the deaths of his wife, Laci, and their unborn child. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Inside the race for the White House. I'll go one on one with the veteran journalist and author. Tim Russert, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press, he joins me live. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He's best known as the host of "Meet the Press." But NBC's Tim Russert is also now a huge, best-selling author. He's written an important memoir called "Big Russ and Me: Lessons of Life," in important book, especially as we get ahead looking towards Father's Day.
Tim Russert is joining us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta to talk about the book and more.
We'll talk about the book. Tim, let's talk politics right now. Still a long way between now and November 2. If the election were today, the polls suggest Kerry would win. Is that right?
TIM RUSSERT, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": I will tell you, Wolf, it is dead even. I have been to Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania all in the last couple weeks. And I'm amazed how tight this race is. They are true battleground states. And you cannot watch local news programming in those states without seeing a political piece or a political commercial. I just think it is too close to call.
BLITZER: Are you among those who thinks that there are really only 18 states where the race is going to be competitive, based on what happened in 2000? Because some pundits, now some experts are suggesting this could be wide open in a lot more than those 18 states.
RUSSERT: No. I think there's about 18, 20 battlegrounds at the most.
Most of the country, at least 30 states know how they're going to vote. But in those battleground states, it's 45 Bush, 45 Kerry, 10 percent undecided. So you're going to have the two major political candidates and the major political parties and all the independent groups spending about a billion dollars trying to find, motivate and convince 10 percent of the voters in 18 states.
But you know the interesting thing about incumbent reelections, Wolf, from Eisenhower to Nixon to Reagan to Clinton, they all won big. Former President Carter, former President Bush lost pretty considerably. In the end, when there's an incumbent's name on the ballot, the races generally are not that close.
BLITZER: What about the Ralph Nader factor this time? How worried should John Kerry be about that?
RUSSERT: I think worried, not only because of the final vote tab, but the debate leading up to November.
If Nader emerges as the pure peace candidate, differentiating himself from the Kerry position on Iraq and the Bush position on Iraq and suggesting to the voting public and the undecided voters there is very little difference between Kerry and Bush on Iraq, he could be a real factor in framing and shaping the debate.
BLITZER: The whole notion of Florida, for example, what happened in 2000, do you see a prospect of a similar kind of cliffhanger unfolding this time around?
RUSSERT: Well, I was in Ohio. And several months ago, I said Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, which is always risky in our business. But I believe it very deeply. George Bush won Ohio by 180,000 votes.
There was a net job loss of close to 300,000 in Ohio, another closing in Canton, Ohio, northeastern Ohio, just the other day. And it is really hurting George Bush in Ohio. Republicans win Ohio, they win the presidency. No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio. And if John Kerry could ever win Ohio, my sense is that that would be a domino to Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri and that would get him the White House.
BLITZER: Does all this have an impact on who John Kerry will select as his vice presidential running mate?
RUSSERT: What I'm hearing and what I'm trying to report, Wolf, like you, is just where that search is going.
The sense I'm getting is that Dick Gephardt is the true and tested candidate, someone who may help in Missouri, his home state, may help with blue-collar voters in Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, someone that Kerry would feel comfortable governing with as vice president, Gephardt knowing the Hill, but that also John Edwards, someone who probably couldn't bring his home state of North Carolina, but could lend excitement and, in his trial lawyer ability, be able to frame the debate, frame the issue, take on George W. Bush, take on Dick Cheney.
I don't think Kerry is as close personally to Edwards as he is to Gephardt. But as someone who is -- I'm watching very carefully as Edwards travels the state and tries to excite and electrify the Democratic base.
BLITZER: What about the wild, wild, wild card, John McCain, a Republican? I think that's been -- John McCain, I don't know how many times he can say no, no, no.
RUSSERT: Yes. He says, can you take no for an answer?
I don't think he's going to do it based on what he has said so emphatically, Shermanesque-like statements. It's still a dream of many people in the Democratic Party, because they think they could lock up those swing independent voters almost overnight if they could convince McCain to run with Kerry.
The betting obviously inside the Kerry campaign is, it's not going to happen.
BLITZER: Your book "Big Russ and Me" about your dad and the lessons you have learned from your dad, what is it, No. 2 now on the "New York Times" best-sellers list. Why has this book resonated so powerfully with the American public right now?
RUSSERT: You know, Wolf, it is amazing.
As I've gone around the country, people will mention politics quickly or Iraq quickly, but then they want to talk about their dads. And I'm signing books to big Mike, big al, big Frank, big Marty. Everybody has a big guy in their life, a dad, a coach, a mentor. And this Father's Day, they want to thank them for all the sacrifices they have made. I haven't signed one yet to big Wolf yet. I'm looking forward to that sometime.
BLITZER: Big Wolf, he's a big guy.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: A lot of our viewers -- a lot of our viewers know that both of us are originally from Buffalo, New York.
Growing up in Buffalo, talk a little bit about how significant that was, the south side of Buffalo, to be specific?
RUSSERT: It's not a geographic location, Wolf. As you know, it is a way of life. My dad used to say, keep your nose to the grindstone and hope for the best, hard-work ethic and optimism. That's what being from Buffalo is all about.
And because of my dad, who went to World War II in 10th grade, badly hurt in the war, two full-time jobs for 30 years, I'm the first person to go to college. I stand on my dad's shoulders. It is that kind of can-do attitude, preparation, discipline, accountability. It is what I try to bring to "Meet the Press," what you bring to "LATE EDITION." It is part of being the fabric of Buffalo.
BLITZER: I learned those lessons from my dad, the same lessons that you learned from your dad. But what about our kids right now? Is your son Luke learning those same lessons from you?
RUSSERT: That's my biggest challenge.
After I wrote the book, I reread it and realized I had written it as much for my son as for my dad. I added another chapter, an open letter to my son, which says that you are always, always loved, but you're never, never entitled. And that's my biggest challenge as a father in 2004 to a son who has grown up in Washington with privilege and opportunity, so he is convinced that hard work, discipline, preparation, accountability -- there's no substitute, no matter what walk of life you want to pursue.
Those lessons that big Russ taught me in Buffalo are applicable to my son in Washington, D.C.
Tim Russert, a great Buffalo Bills fan, he has an important and good book out right now, "Big Russ and Me," No. 2 on the "New York Times" best-sellers list. Maybe it will -- after Father's Day, it will be No. 1. Let's wait and see. Tim Russert is the NBC News Washington bureau chief and the host of "Meet the Press."
Thanks, Tim, very much.
RUSSERT: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: And the results of our "Web Question of the Day," that is coming up just ahead.
Plus, horse and hound go head to head on the race track. Can you predict the winner?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Take a look at this. Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Forget the tortoise and the hare. The hound and the horse are our picture of the day. Six-year-old racehorse Tiny Tim took on an 8- year-old greyhound named Simply Fabulous in a contest to determine who is the fastest animal. They raced two furlongs at Kempton Park in Middlesex, England, today. The result, the hound beat the horse by a hair, 1.3 seconds.
Join me tomorrow. I'll speak, among others, with others, Tom Friedman of "The New York Times."
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS ORa USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 2, 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): President Bush says there's a new world war, and Iraq in the central front.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the great challenge of our time.
BLITZER: Can he convince the allies? I'll ask former secretary of state Madeline Albright.
Charity and terrorism. Can the Saudis cut the purse strings?
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN AFFAIRS ADVISER: We are determined to crush this evil, we are determined to go after those who finance it.
BLITZER: Rush Limbaugh. Why critics say American troops in Iraq are a captive audience.
The campaign. Who's up and who's down? I'll ask journalist and best-selling author Tim Russert.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, June 2, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We begin with a very ominous warning of al Qaeda's intentions. Today, President Bush compared the terrorist group to some of the most formidable enemies the United States has ever faced. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with details -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, today President Bush making a comparison. Here's what he said. He likened al Qaeda's terrorism to what he called the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. He was talking about Nazi Germany and totalitarian regimes.
This speech was aimed the two audiences. A domestic audience, cadets who may be sent off to war. And also the international leaders who's trying to win support.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX (voice-over): At a commencement speech before the U.S. Air Force Academy, President Bush previewed the message he'll deliver at the 60th D-Day anniversary in Normandy later this week, likening the ideology that fueled Nazi Germany and Stalin's reign to that of al Qaeda's brand of terror.
BUSH: Like other totalitarian movements, the terrorists seek to impose a grim vision in which the scent is crush and every man and woman must think and live in colorless conformity.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush, intent to convincing world leaders and these military ones, his preemptive policy is the right one, offered this justification.
BUSH: If America were not fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, what would these thousands of killers do? Suddenly begin leading protective lives of service and charity?
MALVEAUX: Thursday, Mr. Bush will leave for Italy and France where he will meet with key allies to seek support for the Iraq mission. And next week he'll host the annual G-8 summit in Georgia where he will push his Middle East initiative to Western and Arab leaders.
BUSH: In the short tern we will work with every government in the Middle East dedicated to destroying the terrorist networks. In the longer term, we will expect a higher standard of reform and democracy from our friends in the region.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Wolf, today's speech was the second in a series of addresses the president's going to make before the June 30 deadline for Iraq sovereignty.
But officials who I spoke with say that really these next couple of days are really critical, even more important than that June 30 deadline. That is when they believe Iraq's leaders have to prove that they are legitimate to their own people, that those Iraq leaders are not targeted for assassination. And that the U.S. tries to win this U.N. Security Council resolution -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks very much.
In every major presidential speech, the world looks for signs, for clues as to whether a president intends to stay the course or change course. When it comes to the very sensitive subject of the role of the United Nations, perhaps the best way to figure out where President Bush is heading right now is to look back. CNN's Michael Schulder explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL SCHULDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before the war in Iraq, this is an image President Bush wanted the United Nations to think about, the image of the U.N.'s the failed predecessor, the League of Nations.
Listen to the president in September 2002 appealing to the U.N. to support military action against Saddam Hussein.
BUSH: We created a United Nations Security Council so that unlike the League of Nations our deliberations would be more than talk, our resolutions would be more than wishes.
SCHULDER: It's a theme President Bush and his advisers would repeat again and again before the war.
BUSH: See I believe when it's all said and done, free nations will not allow the United Nations to fade into history as an infective, irrelevant, debating society.
SCHULDER: What a stark contrast to the president's tone this week as he repeatedly gave credit for forming a new Iraqi government to Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi.
BUSH: Earlier today I spoke to Secretary-General Kofi Annan. I congratulated him on the U.N.'s role in forming this new government.
Kofi and I talked today. And he want to hear from the new Iraqi government. And I don't blame him.
Mr. Brahimi made the decisions and brought their names to the governing council.
Time will tell whether or not the leaders turn out to be as capable and strong as Mr. Brahimi thinks they will be.
SCHULDER: Does this apparent, new deference to the United Nations represent a shift in the Bush administration's approach to the world?
We asked Walter Russell Mead with the Counsel on Foreign Relations.
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think the Bush administration understands that unilateralism is a very expensive option. It's a resort, but it's a last resort. And if they didn't understand it before going into Iraq without the second Secretary Council resolution, I'm sure they understand it now.
BUSH: You have the power to make that stand as well.
SCHULDER: And so nearly two years after President Bush first warned the U.N. it risk it becoming irrelevant, no more comparisons to the League of Nations.
Michael Schulder, CNN Center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: U.S. and U.N. officials are urging Iraqis to give the newly-selected Iraqi interim cabinet a chance to govern, but some factions are turning a deaf ear already. There was more violence earlier today. CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports on todays development in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraq's new interim cabinet meets as a quasi-governing body for the first time. The focus remains security and stability.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said his government would relay on a multinational force in Iraq under control of the United Nations, but the force may be headed by a U.S. commander.
Another bomb exploded in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad Wednesday. At least five people died and 37 wounded.
And in Kufa, near the holy city of Najaf, more skirmishes between U.S. forces and militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Mortars were fired at U.S. troops in the city and at their base nearby.
U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in a news conference carried on Iraqi TV said that if security doesn't improve in the next six months, there will be a problem. Then he asked the Iraqi people to support the new government.
LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO IRAQ: I would appeal to the Iraqi people, as I said yesterday, to give this government a chance. That is -- there is a lot of talent in the cabinet.
WHITBECK: Iraqis have said they will support their new government if they feel it is truly in control.
(on camera): But many Iraqis question how sovereign the new interim government really will be. The U.S. has said it will grant full sovereignty on June 30. But with tens of thousands of U.S. troops on Iraqi soil and not under direct Iraqi control, the meaning of full sovereignty remains an open question.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Senator John Kerry is again calling on President Bush to do more to get U.S. troops home from Iraq. The Democratic presidential candidate said he's glad to see that Bush is now working with the United Nations and that he'll be talking with European leader this is weekend.
But he says it's imperative that those meetings produce more than just talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is vital that the president, who is going to Europe this weekend, exercise the statesmanship necessary to bring other countries to the table financially and physically in order to help get our troops home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Senator Kerry's remarks came while during a campaign stop in Tampa, Florida.
How President Bush's Iraq policy differs from John Kerry's. I'll ask the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright. She'll join me. That's coming up.
Intelligence secrets revealed. New details about of what Ahmed Chalabi allegedly told Iranian officials about the United States.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-JUBEIR: We are determined to crush this evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Saudi Arabia announces new steps to block terrorist financing. Find out how the kingdom will deal with terrorism and the rising oil price.
And presidential politics. "Meet The Press" host Tim Russert joins me live. We'll talk about the upcoming election and much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He was once an influential exile that was backed by key members of the Bush administration but they are now giving Iraq's Ahmad Chalabi the cold shoulder following allegations he gave a U.S. secret, not only any secret, but a very, very top secret to Iran. Let's get some details from our national security correspondent David Ensor is standing by.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, knowledgeable sources say that Ahmed Chalabi gave Iran a key piece of intelligence. The fact that the U.S. had cracked the codes used by Iranian intelligence. That revelation could close down a critical security asset for the United States, a window into what Iranian intelligence is up to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. JANE HARMAN (D-CA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: The fact that we broke the Iranian code was communicated by him to the Iranians. That's as bad as it gets. That is absolute Class-A treachery.
ENSOR (voice-over): Sources say an Iranian official in Baghdad sent a cable to Tehran about a conversation he'd had with Chalabi who has been open about his efforts to build ties in Iran. The cable quoted Chalabi warning that the Americans knew Iran's secret code. According to the "New York Times" it even quoted Chalabi saying the American official who told him this was, quote, "drunk." KEN POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: These charges are pouring out what seems to have happened is that someone got a little bit too chummy with Chalabi and forgot that he was someone who really wasn't an American or working for the United States. He was someone who was working for himself and would use whatever information we passed him for whatever purpose would serve his interest not necessarily ours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ENSOR: An urgent FBI investigation into who could have leaked the information to Chalabi will focus on officials he's been in contact with including top Pentagon officials like Douglas Feith and Paul Wolfowitz. But officials say it will also cover many more like the staff in Baghdad who worked for the National Security Agency, the nation's codebreakers and eavesdroppers -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Just want to be clear. At the top of your piece, Congresswoman Jane Harman, she said if he passed. I'm not sure we heard the beginning part of that sound byte.
ENSOR: She's not sure yet whether this is true but if it is true, it's very serious.
BLITZER: What is Chalabi saying to this latest very, very serious allegation?
ENSOR: He called it, quote, "stupid and false."
BLITZER: He's totally denying anything along those lines as he has been over the past several weeks since all these allegations started. David, thanks very much.
And here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. The web question of the day is this. "Should the United States have relied on Ahmed Chalabi as an intelligence source in Iraq?" You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in the broadcast.
Bush and Kerry, are they really polls apart when it comes to Iraq? I'll ask the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: And I think that a lot of the things that are now happening are the kinds of things that Senator Kerry had suggested, the importance of internationalization of this, getting NATO involved, getting security on the ground, getting the United Nations more in terms of running a civilian authority in support of an Iraqi group of people. So I think what's happening is that President Bush...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The troops are tuning in to Rush Limbaugh but can they listen to other voices as well? We'll have a report.
And they're breathing a little bit easier along the border right now. But is there a disaster waiting to happen?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: With a new interim Iraqi government in place, the Bush administration is now counting down the days until a handover of sovereignty. Earlier today I discussed the situation in Iraq with the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright, who is now an adviser to the John Kerry campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Madam Secretary, thanks for joining us. Let's get to the main foreign policy issue at hand right now, namely, Iraq. Are you confident now that the president has a plan to deal with Iraq?
ALBRIGHT: No, I'm not confident but I think that what we're seeing is a dynamic situation in which the Iraqis, in many ways, have taken things into their own hands, and I hope very much that in fact, on June 30, that the Iraqi government will be in place and able to take over. So far, all we know is that something is going to be turned over to some of these people. So we have to see.
BLITZER: The president says full sovereignty will be handed over to the Iraqis. What does that mean to you?
ALBRIGHT: Well, that should mean that they are in complete control of what is happening in their country, but it is still unclear as to how that -- how the American forces will relate to that sovereign government. Usually you have some kind of an agreement when you have a sovereign government. You work out an armed forces agreement with them. We don't know how that's going to work. I think the United Nations resolution will help to resolve that. I think it's moving forward. I'm glad that there has been this kind of movement but...
BLITZER: There seems to be a little optimism right now that this new interim government might, in fact, be able to get this process going.
ALBRIGHT: Well, that's the plan. You asked me whether I was confident. The fact that the plans have changed every few minutes doesn't make me fully confident. But I am glad that this is moving forward and we're going to have to watch it and see how the new people get along with each other, how they are able to deal with the problems of the militias, and the main issue, which still continues to be the security on the ground, so that, in fact, plans can be made for an election in January.
BLITZER: As we speak, the president is preparing to head over to Europe for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy invasion. He will meet with the leaders of France and Germany and Russia and Britain. It looks like he's got a chance now to bring the alliance, the old traditional Atlantic alliance, as we used to call it, back together.
ALBRIGHT: I hope he does that because he should be talking to them. It is fortuitous that these meetings are happening. He has the G-8 here and then he's going to Istanbul for the NATO summit. He's going to be meeting a lot of these people and I think the question is how persuasive he can be about whether this is really going to be internationalized and in order to have that be so, he has to show that this government will be sovereign and that the international aspect of this in terms of assistance will be genuine. So he has got a lot of work to do.
BLITZER: Some of the European allies on this security council want a date certain when this U.S.-led military presence in Iraq basically will be terminated. Is that a good idea?
ALBRIGHT: I'm not so big on a date certain. I think more important is whether certain tasks will have been fulfilled. Sometimes a date certain is an ultimatum to yourself, when, in fact, what you need to see is whether there are certain aspects of a full sovereignty and security and preparations for democracy and how many other countries have come in to help. I hope that there is a security council push in order to get other countries to help because we can't leave this in a chaotic vacuum. Everybody wants this is to succeed. I think there isn't anyone who wants to see a failure. I've said before that this was a war of choice, not of necessity. But getting this resolved is a matter of necessity, not of choice.
BLITZER: I don't, right now, correct me if I'm wrong, see a lot of daylight in differences between the president's stance on Iraq and John Kerry's position on Iraq. You're an adviser to John Kerry. Do you see a lot of differences right now?
ALBRIGHT: The difference is John Kerry suggested all these things almost two years ago now, 600 days ago. I think that a lot of the things that are now happening are the kinds of things that Senator Kerry had suggested, the importance of internationalization, getting NATO involved, getting security on the ground, getting the United Nations more in terms of running a civilian authority in support of an Iraqi group of people. So I think what's happening is that President Bush has finally figured out that some of the ideas that Senator Kerry had are the most legitimate ones.
BLITZER: The greater internationalization, the greater role for the U.N., working closer with the allies but the bottom line is, you don't see a lot of differences right now between Kerry and Bush as far as Iraq is concerned?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that what Senator Kerry is talking about are more specific aspects in terms of trying to make this work. I think the important point is to realize that Senator Kerry saw this coming a long time ago.
BLITZER: You worked with Ahmed Chalabi when you were the secretary of state. What was your sense of him then because, obviously, he's in the news right now?
ALBRIGHT: Worked is kind of the wrong term. What happened was, I met Mr. Chalabi when I was U.N. ambassador. He was presented as somebody who was working on behalf of an exile movement. Then as a result of a law passed by Congress, the Iraqi Liberation Act, we followed the law in terms of trying to get the various aspects of the Iraqi exile group together, and Mr. Chalabi was one of those.
BLITZER: When I say you worked I meant you gave tens of millions of dollars through the state department to Chalabi's group.
ALBRIGHT: It was mandated by law that we do that. I tried to make the best of it by getting a very fine person to have contact, Frank Richardoni (ph) was the person that I named in order to try to develop relationships with this group so that they could be useful if indeed there were regime change. There were always, I think, some question about Mr. Chalabi but he was part of the Iraqi National Congress grouping that we were trying to get to operate together. But they were a very -- are still a very disparate group. We're seeing that with a lot of the arguments. What we were doing, Wolf, was following the law. The Iraqi Liberation Act had been passed by a Republican Congress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Madeline Albright speaking with me earlier today here in Washington.
There was an attack on two U.S. soldiers in Saudi Arabia today. Is al Qaeda growing bolder?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The actions of al Qaeda that we see in the kingdom have grown more desperate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Coming up, what the Saudi government is now doing to try to stop the flow of money to terrorists.
Liberals say armed forces radio is beaming the wrong message to U.S. troops in Iraq. Is it a rush to judgment or a judgment of Rush?
Look at this. When WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues, I'll tell you -- we'll take you behind the scenes for this dramatic picture.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. One conservative voice heard over the airwaves in Iraq. Now some liberals are calling for a balance to Rush Limbaugh overseas. We'll get to all of that. First though, a quick check of the latest headlines.
Florida firefighters have their hands full with multiple blazes throughout the state. This one in south Florida's Broward county closed a portion of I-75 known as Alligator Alley overnight. Officials say shifting winds are complicating the situation there.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is flowing again with lava reaching the Pacific Ocean for the first time in almost a year. It's the latest spectacle in the current eruption which started in 1983. Since then the lava flow has added more than 500 acres of new land to the island.
An eye witness reports an explosion and fire at a U.S. military base in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The witness says the blast happened in a weapons depot and the fire has engulfed surrounding residential areas. American forces are warning residents to stay inside while they sweep the area looking for whomever might be behind the blast.
Saudi Arabia today announced the major crackdown on the financing of terrorism. Working with the United States, the Saudis are now moving to block assets of a charity believed to funnel money to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. And a national commission will now oversee all charitable work abroad. The steps follow terror attacks in the kingdom, including the weekend assault in Khobar, which killed 22 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, ADVISER TO SAUDI CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH: Our work is not done. It is ongoing. We are determined to crush this evil. We are determined to go after those who finance it or those who condone it or justify it in any way, shape, or form.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining us now is the Saudi ambassador in London, the kingdom's former intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal.
Prince Turki, thanks so much for joining us.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: When the U.S. government speaks about terror organizations, as you well know, the State Department includes organizations like the Palestinian groups, Hezbollah, or Hamas. Does Saudi Arabia agree with the Bush administration that those are terror organizations?
PRINCE TURKI AL-FAISAL, SAUDI ARABIA: Well, as far as Hamas is concerned, we believe that there are people in Hamas who use terrorist methods. And we have done whatever we can to try to stop them from doing that by convincing them and telling them that that is the worst thing they can do if they want to help the Palestinian people.
But Hamas also does some charitable work in Palestine.
BLITZER: So will Saudi charity -- Saudi money continue to go to Hamas and Hezbollah?
AL-FAISAL: Saudi money has never gone to Hamas. Saudi money has always gone to the Palestine liberation organization regularly and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza.
And also, all the contribution that we've made directly to the Palestinian people have gone through the apparatus of the United Nations. We have never given direct money to Hamas or even indirect money to Hamas.
BLITZER: Because a lot of our viewers, and I'm sure you will remember, Prince Turki, that famous telethon in Saudi Arabia which raised a lot of money for Palestinians. But the U.S. and others later suggested some of that money was winding its way to various groups the U.S. government would label as terror organization, like Hamas. You're saying none of that money from that telethon went to those groups?
AL-FAISAL: Absolutely none in of it, because, as I told you, they went through either the United Nations or to the Palestinian Authority directly.
BLITZER: How do you make sure now, Prince Turki, that none of the Saudi money winds up in al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related hands?
AL-FAISAL: Well, this organization that Mr. Al-Jubeir was talking about, this overseeing umbrella organization, has been set up several months ago.
And its procedures are that all money contributed to charity will have to be done through banks and through bank accounts, where tracing can be easily followed of any amount. No cash will be allowed to be transferred for those operations. Everything will have to be done either through money orders or through checks. And that way, we hope that there will be a curtailment of any quotation or possible leaks that may happen from here and there.
BLITZER: Well, let's switch gears for a second, Prince Turki, and talk about Saudi oil. Can you clarify to our viewers here in North America what Saudi policy will be going into this OPEC meeting in Beirut as far as increasing output, so that perhaps the price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States might go down?
AL-FAISAL: We have already increased output. And we're asking OPEC to increase the quota of each country until the total will be an increase of two million barrels a day over the established quota today. And we hope that countries even outside OPEC, like Russia and Norway and even Britain and Egypt and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) etcetera, will help in that matter.
But the crunch on the prices is not just a supply situation. It has to do with -- particularly in the United States, with refining capacity, which is now very limited in the United States and is not producing as much gasoline as the U.S. market requires. So there are other reasons why the prices are going up than simply supply. In Europe, for example, the taxes that governments in Europe impose on oil and oil products, in Britain, they reach 70 percent of what the Britain individual -- the British individual pays at the petrol pump. So you can see that it is not just a matter of supply.
BLITZER: Prince Turki, as usual, thanks so much for joining us for a few minutes. We'll continue this conversation down the road.
AL-FAISAL: Thank you, Mr. Blitzer. BLITZER: And controversy and talk radio often go hand in hand, both this time, both message and messenger are under fire. At issue, Rush Limbaugh's comments carried on Armed Forces Radio comparing the prisoner abuse scandal to what he suggested was fraternity hazing.
CNN's Tom Foreman is joining us with a little bit more.
This is a very perplexing, sort of interesting kind of story.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a bit of tempest in a teapot, but one that the sides are taking very seriously.
This controversy over Rush Limbaugh's role in Iraq has been simmering for weeks and now it seems to be coming to a boil. The folks in charge of the military radio service responded today to an angry senator.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Over the thunder of the machinery and the rattle of the rifles, one voice is heard in Baghdad for an hour each evening Monday through Friday.
ANNOUNCER: We're always ready. So bring it on. Rush.
FOREMAN: Rush Limbaugh's conservative talk show has been a staple of American Forces Radio for a decade. And when the Iraqi prison abuse scandal broke, he compared it to a fraternity prank.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Exactly my point. This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation. And we're going to ruin people's lives and we're going to hamper our military effort.
SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: This sends all the wrong signals to our troops.
FOREMAN: Such talk infuriated Limbaugh's critics, including U.S. Senator Tom Harkin.
HARKIN: Rush Limbaugh has a point of view, a dedicated right- ring point of view. That's fine. That's fine. But you should balance it on the other side also, especially when it's being funded by taxpayers' money.
FOREMAN: American forces radio began in World War II to tell far-flunk troops about the war's progress and boost morale.
NARRATOR: ... a kind of orchestrated hell.
FOREMAN: American Forces Radio began in World War II to tell far-flung troops about the war's progress and boost morale.
BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: This is Bob "Command Performance" Hope.
FOREMAN: Today, the Department of Defense says it provides a touch of home to soldiers with sports, financial reports, science shows, 1,200 radio programs, including National Public Radio, which some people consider liberal. There is no direct liberal show counterpart to Limbaugh. But, they point out, no liberal broadcaster has built such a huge audience at home.
ALLISON BARBER, DEPUTY ASST. DEFENSE SECRETARY OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: It is not about conservative or liberal. It is about the full selection of radio programming, which is based on popularity here in the states.
FOREMAN: Still, Howard Stern has millions of fans and his show is not sent to the troops.
BARBER: Well, his issue is one of content. That's not appropriate.
FOREMAN: So, noted liberals such as Al Franken, who also has a talk show, keep talking louder.
AL FRANKEN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: If you hear day after day that liberals are rooting against armed forces, that is eventually going to have an effect on soldiers, who are going to actually -- and troops -- who are going to believe that. And so it's wrong. It's just -- it's wrong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Of course, we tried to talk to Rush Limbaugh's folks. And they don't want to talk about this right now.
It is a tempest in a teapot. Nonetheless, worth remembering, one of the reason he is on Armed Services Radio is because congressional members pushed for this 10 years ago because they liked having this conservative voice out there. Now the tide may be turning, at least a bit.
BLITZER: Well, there's no doubt he is No. 1 when it comes to talk radio.
FOREMAN: A lot of fans out there, a lot of support to this day.
BLITZER: All right, Tom Foreman, thanks very much.
Covering the conflict. I'll speak with Tim Russert, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" and the author of the new best-seller "Big Russ and Me." It's a memoir about the bonds between a father and son. He'll join me live.
Is there enough evidence to convict Scott Peterson? The attorney Mark Geragos says no and begins to lay out his case in court.
Lax security, how two tanker trucks filled with propane were stolen. We'll get to all of that.
First, some other news making headlines around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): Israeli troops backed by tanks and bulldozers reentered the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. Witnesses say several homes were destroyed. The Israeli army says Palestinian gunmen fired at them from nearby homes and tanks returned fire.
Anti-war protests. Italian opponents of the war in Iraq took to the streets of Rome and other cities two days before President Bush's scheduled visit. The demonstration took place as thousands of spectators turned out for the annual Republic Day military parade.
Olympic journey. A ceremony in Greece kicked off the Olympic flame's around the world journey in advance of the Summer Games in Athens. The flame will visit 33 cities on six continents before returning for the opening ceremonies.
Crowning achievement. A 20-year-old Australian who loves surfing is the new Miss Universe. Jennifer Hawkins was crowned in a two-hour pageant held in Ecuador. Miss USA was first runner-up.
And that's our look around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: They're breathing easier along the border after the recovery of a pair of missing propane tankers, but the security scare is raising fresh questions about the next time.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sigh of relief in southern Texas. Two propane trucks stolen over the weekend from a Ferrellgas facility in San Antonio are spotted by a passing driver Wednesday just north of the Mexican border.
San Antonio police tell CNN the trucks appeared to have their roughly 5,000 gallons combined still inside them. But police say the trucks were abandoned and they have made no arrests. Earlier, authorities spoke of a sophisticated heist.
ALBERT ORTIZ, SAN ANTONIO POLICE CHIEF: It was a very professional job, from the way they broke in to the way they broke out and how they concealed and took perhaps some of the evidence that normally would have been left behind.
TODD: Police and FBI officials tell CNN there is a demand in Mexico for propane gas and there have been cross-border thefts in recent years. They've also established no link to terrorist groups with this crime.
But story exposes a security lapse at many truck terminals and gas facilities in the U.S. At the Ferrellgas compound, the thieves got to the trucks simply by cutting through a chain-link fence and busting a lock. A Ferrellgas official tells CNN thefts are not uncommon in the industry. This is the first time Ferrellgas has been breached in at least six years. But, he says, at the 600 retail outlets the company has in 45 states, there are no security guards, day, night, or on weekends, and no surveillance cameras.
Randall Larsen, an expert who has briefed members of Congress and the Bush administration on security issues, says this is a disaster waiting to happen.
RANDALL LARSEN, HOMELAND SECURITY ASSOCIATES: The type of security that they have in these normal places are not the type that would keep a determined terrorist away from them. If you know what you're doing and create called a BLEVE, a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion, then, in some cases, it can be a considerable explosion.
TODD: We got no response from federal security officials to these allegations. But groups representing the propane and trucking industries tell CNN their members are complying with guidelines from the government, including driver background checks and security intelligence gathering.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: The official with Ferrellgas we spoke to says this is not a financial issue. But he admits this incident will probably make the company look at security more closely.
And we have this from law enforcement and trucking industry sources. There is one remaining alert for a missing tanker truck out of New Jersey that has been unaccounted for, for about a month. From all indications, it is does not belong to Ferrellgas -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.
It's Scott Peterson's turn. His defense lawyers are making their opening statement today in his murder trial. Attorney Mark Geragos called the prosecution's case weak and told jurors that investigators ignored information that would have led to the real killers. Peterson is charged with the deaths of his wife, Laci, and their unborn child. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Inside the race for the White House. I'll go one on one with the veteran journalist and author. Tim Russert, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press, he joins me live. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: He's best known as the host of "Meet the Press." But NBC's Tim Russert is also now a huge, best-selling author. He's written an important memoir called "Big Russ and Me: Lessons of Life," in important book, especially as we get ahead looking towards Father's Day.
Tim Russert is joining us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta to talk about the book and more.
We'll talk about the book. Tim, let's talk politics right now. Still a long way between now and November 2. If the election were today, the polls suggest Kerry would win. Is that right?
TIM RUSSERT, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": I will tell you, Wolf, it is dead even. I have been to Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania all in the last couple weeks. And I'm amazed how tight this race is. They are true battleground states. And you cannot watch local news programming in those states without seeing a political piece or a political commercial. I just think it is too close to call.
BLITZER: Are you among those who thinks that there are really only 18 states where the race is going to be competitive, based on what happened in 2000? Because some pundits, now some experts are suggesting this could be wide open in a lot more than those 18 states.
RUSSERT: No. I think there's about 18, 20 battlegrounds at the most.
Most of the country, at least 30 states know how they're going to vote. But in those battleground states, it's 45 Bush, 45 Kerry, 10 percent undecided. So you're going to have the two major political candidates and the major political parties and all the independent groups spending about a billion dollars trying to find, motivate and convince 10 percent of the voters in 18 states.
But you know the interesting thing about incumbent reelections, Wolf, from Eisenhower to Nixon to Reagan to Clinton, they all won big. Former President Carter, former President Bush lost pretty considerably. In the end, when there's an incumbent's name on the ballot, the races generally are not that close.
BLITZER: What about the Ralph Nader factor this time? How worried should John Kerry be about that?
RUSSERT: I think worried, not only because of the final vote tab, but the debate leading up to November.
If Nader emerges as the pure peace candidate, differentiating himself from the Kerry position on Iraq and the Bush position on Iraq and suggesting to the voting public and the undecided voters there is very little difference between Kerry and Bush on Iraq, he could be a real factor in framing and shaping the debate.
BLITZER: The whole notion of Florida, for example, what happened in 2000, do you see a prospect of a similar kind of cliffhanger unfolding this time around?
RUSSERT: Well, I was in Ohio. And several months ago, I said Ohio, Ohio, Ohio, which is always risky in our business. But I believe it very deeply. George Bush won Ohio by 180,000 votes.
There was a net job loss of close to 300,000 in Ohio, another closing in Canton, Ohio, northeastern Ohio, just the other day. And it is really hurting George Bush in Ohio. Republicans win Ohio, they win the presidency. No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio. And if John Kerry could ever win Ohio, my sense is that that would be a domino to Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri and that would get him the White House.
BLITZER: Does all this have an impact on who John Kerry will select as his vice presidential running mate?
RUSSERT: What I'm hearing and what I'm trying to report, Wolf, like you, is just where that search is going.
The sense I'm getting is that Dick Gephardt is the true and tested candidate, someone who may help in Missouri, his home state, may help with blue-collar voters in Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, someone that Kerry would feel comfortable governing with as vice president, Gephardt knowing the Hill, but that also John Edwards, someone who probably couldn't bring his home state of North Carolina, but could lend excitement and, in his trial lawyer ability, be able to frame the debate, frame the issue, take on George W. Bush, take on Dick Cheney.
I don't think Kerry is as close personally to Edwards as he is to Gephardt. But as someone who is -- I'm watching very carefully as Edwards travels the state and tries to excite and electrify the Democratic base.
BLITZER: What about the wild, wild, wild card, John McCain, a Republican? I think that's been -- John McCain, I don't know how many times he can say no, no, no.
RUSSERT: Yes. He says, can you take no for an answer?
I don't think he's going to do it based on what he has said so emphatically, Shermanesque-like statements. It's still a dream of many people in the Democratic Party, because they think they could lock up those swing independent voters almost overnight if they could convince McCain to run with Kerry.
The betting obviously inside the Kerry campaign is, it's not going to happen.
BLITZER: Your book "Big Russ and Me" about your dad and the lessons you have learned from your dad, what is it, No. 2 now on the "New York Times" best-sellers list. Why has this book resonated so powerfully with the American public right now?
RUSSERT: You know, Wolf, it is amazing.
As I've gone around the country, people will mention politics quickly or Iraq quickly, but then they want to talk about their dads. And I'm signing books to big Mike, big al, big Frank, big Marty. Everybody has a big guy in their life, a dad, a coach, a mentor. And this Father's Day, they want to thank them for all the sacrifices they have made. I haven't signed one yet to big Wolf yet. I'm looking forward to that sometime.
BLITZER: Big Wolf, he's a big guy.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: A lot of our viewers -- a lot of our viewers know that both of us are originally from Buffalo, New York.
Growing up in Buffalo, talk a little bit about how significant that was, the south side of Buffalo, to be specific?
RUSSERT: It's not a geographic location, Wolf. As you know, it is a way of life. My dad used to say, keep your nose to the grindstone and hope for the best, hard-work ethic and optimism. That's what being from Buffalo is all about.
And because of my dad, who went to World War II in 10th grade, badly hurt in the war, two full-time jobs for 30 years, I'm the first person to go to college. I stand on my dad's shoulders. It is that kind of can-do attitude, preparation, discipline, accountability. It is what I try to bring to "Meet the Press," what you bring to "LATE EDITION." It is part of being the fabric of Buffalo.
BLITZER: I learned those lessons from my dad, the same lessons that you learned from your dad. But what about our kids right now? Is your son Luke learning those same lessons from you?
RUSSERT: That's my biggest challenge.
After I wrote the book, I reread it and realized I had written it as much for my son as for my dad. I added another chapter, an open letter to my son, which says that you are always, always loved, but you're never, never entitled. And that's my biggest challenge as a father in 2004 to a son who has grown up in Washington with privilege and opportunity, so he is convinced that hard work, discipline, preparation, accountability -- there's no substitute, no matter what walk of life you want to pursue.
Those lessons that big Russ taught me in Buffalo are applicable to my son in Washington, D.C.
Tim Russert, a great Buffalo Bills fan, he has an important and good book out right now, "Big Russ and Me," No. 2 on the "New York Times" best-sellers list. Maybe it will -- after Father's Day, it will be No. 1. Let's wait and see. Tim Russert is the NBC News Washington bureau chief and the host of "Meet the Press."
Thanks, Tim, very much.
RUSSERT: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: And the results of our "Web Question of the Day," that is coming up just ahead.
Plus, horse and hound go head to head on the race track. Can you predict the winner?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Take a look at this. Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
Forget the tortoise and the hare. The hound and the horse are our picture of the day. Six-year-old racehorse Tiny Tim took on an 8- year-old greyhound named Simply Fabulous in a contest to determine who is the fastest animal. They raced two furlongs at Kempton Park in Middlesex, England, today. The result, the hound beat the horse by a hair, 1.3 seconds.
Join me tomorrow. I'll speak, among others, with others, Tom Friedman of "The New York Times."
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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