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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Arnold Palmer Awarded Medal Of Freedom; Saudi Government Gives 30 Days To Terrorist To Turn Themselves In; Iraqi Insurgents Post Internet Death Threat To Iraq's Prime Minister
Aired June 23, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Anonymous: he hunted bin Laden, and he's still a top CIA officer. And his new book claims the U.S. is losing the war against terrorism.
Repent or else: Saudi rulers give terrorists 30 days to return to righteousness and turn themselves in.
Death threat: a blood curdling communique aimed at Iraq's prime minister.
Medal of Freedom: he's won 92 championships, and now his nation's highest civilian honor. I'll speak with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, June 23, 2004.
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BLITZER: We begin with stunning accusations from an extremely surprising source. He's a senior CIA officer who once stalked Osama bin Laden. And he's also an author, who pulls no punches about the war against al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It's not every day that a top CIA counterterrorism official still serving in the government is allowed to publish a book that blasts the White House, but that's precisely what has now happened.
The book is entitled "Imperial Hubris." The author, a veteran of the CIA for more than two decades, is identified only as "Anonymous."
Sources say he ran the hunt for Osama bin Laden between 1996 and 1999. Among his charges, that Saddam Hussein posed no immediate threat to the United States, that the war in Iraq undermined the overall war against terror and actually played into bin Laden's hands, and that the U.S. is now losing that war on terror.
Anonymous also predicts that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States and that it will be even more damaging than 9/11. He says the biggest mistake made after 9/11 was that top intelligence community leaders were not fired.
Senator Bill Nelson serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FL), ARMED SERVICE CMTE.: Well, I would agree with him. I think, as we try to prepare ourselves in this new era of terrorism, that we have to just assume that we're going to have an attack, and the only way that we can prevent it is to have accurate and timely intelligence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Later this hour, for the first time on television, you will hear what Anonymous has to say. He will be appearing this hour here on CNN.
Let's move on to some other news we're following today. With their kingdom rocked by terrorism, the rulers of Saudi Arabia gave al Qaeda supporters a last chance to repent and give up or else. Let's go live to our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's joining us from Riyadh -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the offer of that deal came in an unprecedented television statement, four-minute address by Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto ruler of the country, speaking on behalf of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
In that deal, he said that essentially anyone who hadn't committed a crime would get amnesty and those with blood on their hands would face an Islamic criminal court. And the deal was for one month only.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH, SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): Everyone who belongs to the group that did itself such a disservice, including those who are not arrested during recent terrorist attacks, will have a chance to go back to God and review themselves.
Whoever admits of guilt and gives themself in willingly during a period of one month from the date of this speech, that person is safe and will be treated based on God's law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: The government threatens a tough crackdown on anyone that doesn't accept this deal.
We're told that the government sees this timing now as an opportunity to appeal to younger al Qaeda members who perhaps haven't fallen in behind the new al Qaeda leadership. The government thinks the killing of al Qaeda leader Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin last week has created a power vacuum at the top of al Qaeda. And this is the time to reach out to those younger members -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dramatic developments in Saudi Arabia today. Thanks, Nic, very much.
He's represented his country at the United Nations and in several hot spots elsewhere around the world. But John Negroponte's latest challenge is a daunting one. A week ahead of the planned handover of power in Baghdad, Negroponte was today sworn in as the new United States ambassador to Iraq. Leading what's expected to be the largest U.S. embassy in the world, Negroponte vows to help Iraqis fight terror and try to build democracy.
Joining us now from the State Department is the State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher. He served five secretaries of state as spokesman or as deputy. He's a career diplomat. He's also served as an ambassador and a chief of mission overseas.
Mr. Boucher, welcome to our program. Thanks very much for joining us.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Thank you very much for having me.
BLITZER: A quick -- if you want to react to what this CIA officer is alleging in this new book. He's only known as Anonymous, but he's basically saying that the war in Iraq undermined the war against Osama bin Laden. What do you say?
BOUCHER: Wolf, I have not read the book or heard the man's statements or arguments, but I've heard some of these ideas before. And let's remember a couple basic things.
First, we've drained the swamps. We've taken away the places where the terrorists used to hide, where they used to go hatch their plots. And so places like Afghanistan and Iraq have been taken out by the use of force. Places like Yemen and Sudan and some other places, no longer places where terrorists can hide, where they can plot their evil.
That's a very important development. It's not the end of the story. There's a lot of danger out there. But we've got to pursue terrorism in every way we can and everywhere we can.
But I think that in itself was a pretty significant basis for going forward.
BLITZER: The other argument that many critics -- and forget about Anonymous for now -- many critics have made is that Iraq really wasn't so much of a hotbed or training ground for terrorists before -- while Saddam Hussein was in power as it has become since. What do you say about that?
BOUCHER: Well, there are foreign terrorists, there are people who are attracted to the fight who look for places where mischief can be made and are happy to come and participate. And those are some of the elements that we have to deal with. They're very dangerous people.
But you have to remember as well that Saddam, we didn't say he had operational collaboration with terrorists. We made clear, though, that there were terrorists who operated in Iraq. Zarqawi, the guy we're dealing with now. He ran a cell that murdered our diplomat Laurence Foley in Jordan. And those people after that murder, they took refuge back in Iraq.
We had Ansar al Islam operating in northern Iraq. Another terrorist group associated with al Qaeda.
So the fact is that there were safe havens there, there were places for terrorists to operate that had to be taken away. That was part of the danger of Saddam. It wasn't certainly the only danger from Saddam, but it was certainly part of the danger of Saddam.
BLITZER: John Negroponte was sworn in today as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq. I take it this is going to be the largest U.S. embassy in the world, the one in Baghdad. Is that right?
BOUCHER: This is going to be a remarkable embassy in many ways, but led by a remarkable man and a remarkable team. They're going to have as many as 1,000 Americans working there, maybe 600 or 700 Iraqis.
Every -- I think all but one of the senior members of Ambassador Negroponte's staff have themselves been ambassadors in other places. So he's got an ambassador as his deputy, as head of the economic section, political section and the administrative section.
So it's a really -- it's a high powered team he's going to have out there because they're going to have a big job. It's a different job than Jerry Bremer's. They're not going out there to run Iraq. They're going out there to advance U.S. interests and represent the United States...
BOUCHER: And the big difference, though, one of the big differences, not only that Iraqis will have sovereignty, but that Ambassador Bremer reported through the Pentagon to Washington whereas John Negroponte the ambassador will be reporting through Secretary of State Colin Powell and the State Department which supposedly will now take the lead in dealing with Iraq.
BOUCHER: That's right. Like all our other ambassadors, he'll report through the secretary to the president. He's president's representative out there. And he's going to have authority over all the civilian elements of U.S. presence in the country.
That means we've got to run the big aid program. We've got to support the government, the Iraqi government with advisers. We've got to be the one that have our relationships, ongoing relationships with people in the government there.
That's something that we know how to do. It's just we're going to have to do it bigger and better than we ever have before.
BLITZER: What do you make of the announcement by Crown Prince Abdullah today in Saudi Arabia that terrorists in Saudi Arabia effectively have 30 days to give up, to surrender. Otherwise, they'll be hunted down. If they surrender now, they'll have amnesty, in his words. Is this good or bad?
BOUCHER: I think we'll have to see how it works. So it's not -- I can't give you a clear judgment right now.
What is clear is the Saudis have been very active and very determined in their pursuit of terrorists recently. They've picked up I think 16 -- picked up or killed 16 out of 26 on their most wanted list. They themselves have lost dozens of officers and policemen in these raids that they've conducted. You've seen sort of fire fights and things like that.
Still more elements to deal with in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They still have a job before them. And I think they decided that offering this period for people to turn themselves in is one way of dealing with it and maybe stemming whatever growth it might have. We'll see how it works. But I think where we have excellent cooperation with them. And really no doubts about their determination at this point.
BLITZER: Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman. Thanks for spending a few moments with us.
BOUCHER: OK, nice to be with you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much. Richard Boucher at the State Department. And to our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our Web question of the day is this. "Do you think Saudi Arabia's amnesty offer to terrorists will be effective?" You can vote right now, go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results for you later in this broadcast.
A senior CIA intelligence officer speaking out anonymously on the war on terror. We expect to hear from him on this program this hour. Stand by for that.
Plus, death threats from a most wanted terrorist. The man blamed for the beheading of an American names his next victim. Chilling words delivered by Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
A letter from Saddam Hussein, words from the former Iraqi dictator to his daughter. The first letter he has sent home since his capture, and new accusations of abuse.
John Kerry's running mate, a top Democrat now says the field is narrowed to two candidates. We've got the names for you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. With only one week to go until the scheduled handover of Iraqi sovereignty, there's a death threat against the man scheduled to take over as the interim prime minister. A recording believed to have been made by the insurgent leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, threatens the life of Iyad Allawi and promises to fight Americans and their allies until Islamic rule is back on Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): From the moment Iyad Allawi was chosen to be Iraq's prime minister, he was an obvious target for insurgents. Still, the death threat that surfaced on an Islamist Web site was vivid and ominous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've prepared a special poison for you and a sharp sword, and we filled a glass for you, filled it with death, especially for you.
BLITZER: While the voice on the tape has not yet been authenticated by the CIA, it's believed to be that of Abu Musab al Zarqawi. The threat against Allawi includes a reference to last month's assassination of Izzedine Salim, then the head of the Iraqi governing council.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We will not stop until we make you drink from the same glass as Izzedine Salim drank from or until we die.
BLITZER: Al Zarqawi supporters are blamed for Salim's death. They are also suspected in the death this week of a South Korean civilian who was working in Iraq and the death last month of American Nicholas Berg.
Al Zarqawi also is believed to be behind many other deadly attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. And the new message says attacks will continue.
Coalition forces have been targeting al Zarqawi supporters, most recently with a pair of air strikes against what the coalition says were safe houses in Fallujah. U.S. officials say the latest attack killed about 20 people. A similar strike Saturday killed 18.
Responding to the death threat, Prime Minister Allawi was quoted at saying al Zarqawi is not only his enemy, but the enemy of all Iraqis. But despite his attempt to shrug off the threat, it was hard to ignore the fanatic determination and its grim vow of continuing terror.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You don't even know that you have repeatedly escaped from our attempts, but we promise you, we'll continue the match with you until the end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: CNN's Anderson Cooper has been traveling in Iraq to get a sense of what conditions are like leading up to the handover of sovereignty. He's joining us now from Baghdad. Anderson, I know you've been out and about in various parts of the country. Give us your sense what's going on a week before the handover.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I think there's a lot of trepidation, Wolf. I've traveled to Tikrit, to Mosul up north, to Kurdish areas and now back in Baghdad. Wherever you go, you hear trepidation amongst Iraqis, even amongst American civilians and military personnel here on the ground. So many questions remain unanswered. What is going to happen right before June 30 and right after June 30?
Will insurgents, will terrorists like Abu Musab al Zarqawi try to make some sort of bold move as the world's media is focused on this story? We know these terrorists, insurgents as well, very media savvy. A lot of these improvise explosive devices, like the one that went off this morning in Baghdad, are timed to go off at 8:00 a.m., right at the height of rush hour for maximum damage and maximum impact.
The other big question is what is the new Iraqi interim government going to do? Are they going to try to make some sort of a bold move, some sort of a strong handed move to show that they are in control, they are in power and they know how to deal with insurgents? A lot of questions remain unanswered, Wolf.
BLITZER: And in terms of security out there, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense told Congress, he suggested yesterday it was bad in Baghdad, but if you get out -- and he criticized reporters for not getting out, you clearly are getting out, he suggested you see the real country, and you see a lot of positive things developing. Did you see that outside of Baghdad?
COOPER: Yes. It's frustrating, I think, for a lot of reporters who are here and traveling. Brent Sadler which is down south in Basra. As I said, I was just up north in...
BLITZER: Unfortunately, we just lost that connection. There he is.
COOPER: Wherever you go, there are different -- so many different reactions. Up north, in some Kurdish areas, the violence is much, much less. A whole different atmosphere. A whole different vibe. Brent Sadler down in Basra for CNN, just up for the last several days was able to travel much more freely, able to go out to videotape to tell stories.
Travel in Baghdad is much more restricted. It's much more dangerous here. But we are out, we are traveling and we're trying to get as many different angles on the story as possible.
BLITZER: Anderson Cooper, thanks very much. Anderson reporting from Baghdad. This reminder to our viewers. Anderson will be anchoring his program live from Baghdad tonight. That's "ANDERSON COOPER 360." It airs 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific. You'll want to stick around and watch Anderson's report tonight from Iraq.
The CIA's so-called anonymous official speaking out. More on a senior U.S. intelligence official and what he's saying about how the west supposedly is losing the war against al Qaeda.
Declaring martial law. Can strict restrictions help restore security on the streets of Iraq?
Plus, he helped secure golf's place in the mainstream of American sport. Now Arnold Palmer is awarded America's highest civilian honor at the White House. He'll join us live. This hour, Arnold Palmer. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's get back to our top story now. The claim by an active CIA official writing anonymously that the U.S. and the west are losing the war against al Qaeda. Steve Coll does not write anonymously. His latest book is called "Ghost Wars." It's also about the CIA and the war on terror. Steve Coll's day job is the managing editor of the "Washington Post." He's joining us now live from there. Steve, I know you have spoken to this CIA official. What's your sense of these accusations, these allegations, which are quite startling, that he's making?
STEVE COLL, MANAGING EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, I wrote about him in the book as you say. He has been an analyst of al Qaeda for many years. He was focused on bin Laden and the threat that bin Laden posed to the United States between 1996 and 1999. He warned his colleagues and the government repeatedly that al Qaeda was capable of carrying out massive attacks against the United States. So he's certainly a credible professional in the terrorism area particularly expert on bin Laden and al Qaeda.
His argument in the book, I haven't read every word of it, I've skimmed it, is eclectic. It covers a lot of different concerns. One of them is that we've got bad allies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Another is that we're making more enemies by fighting the wrong wars the wrong way. At the same time, he sometimes strikes an even more militant tone than hawkish Bush administration officials when he argues for total war against Islamist terrorists even if that means high body counts.
BLITZER: This is the official that you referred to only as Mike in your book, is that right?
COLL: That's correct.
BLITZER: And we don't know if that's his real first name or a fictitious name either, is that right?
COLL: My impression is that that's an accurate first name, but I couldn't vouch for it.
BLITZER: I know that oftentimes the CIA just simply calls officials they don't want to identify Mike but we can just move on from there. Let me read a passage from the book and we'll put it up on the screen. He says this, "I write this book then with a pressing certainty that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States again, that its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 September, 2001, and could include use of weapons of mass destruction." Based on your experience, how much credibility do you believe this guy has?
COLL: I think on that point he's quite credible. This is a guy who studied bin Laden and al Qaeda and the threat they pose for many years. In an important sense that you just cited, it's not terribly controversial. Bin Laden himself has said openly that this is his ambition. Mike goes further and makes the point that he expects this to actually unfold, and not everybody is as certain as he is that that's going to occur any time soon. But it's obviously a serious possibility.
BLITZER: Another quote and I'll read this one from the book. "There is not now and never has been a shortage of knowledge about the nature of the bin Laden threat, but only a lack of courage to tell the truth about it." He sounds pretty forceful on that nature.
COLL: He's a blunt man. His colleagues at the time that he was studying bin Laden closely in the late 1990s found him very forceful in speech at that time, not afraid to ruffle his colleagues with direct accusations that they weren't paying close enough attention to the problem. In the portions of the book that I've read, you hear that same voice coming through. Direct, blunt, sometimes a little over the top, but very straightforward in his concern that al Qaeda's being underestimated by the United States.
BLITZER: I think the most surprising thing for me was that here is a sitting CIA official, a high ranking official working in the federal government who takes on the White House, who takes on the centerpiece of the White House policy, namely the war against Saddam Hussein, and says this U.S. invasion of Iraq is Osama bin Laden's gift from America, saying that this has totally set back the war against terror. How unusual, in your experience, is it for the CIA to allow someone like this, a sitting official, to go ahead and blast the White House?
COLL: I think they feel like they're stuck here. If they suppressed his unclassified opinions, they'd be accused of stifling dissent. And indeed this was an accusation that Mike and some of his colleagues made themselves in the late 1990s after he was transferred away from the bin Laden subject, at least in the view of some of his colleagues, because he spoke too forcefully about it. So they don't want to be seen as stifling dissent on the one hand.
On the other hand, they know that they're going to be seen by the White House perhaps, at least some people there, as having deliberately allowed this view to come forward as a backhanded way of criticizing the Bush administration. So I think they're sort of damned if they do and damned if they don't.
BLITZER: One thing for sure, this book is going to cause a lot of stir. Steve Coll, whose own book, "Ghost Wars," one of the best written on this subject, joining us from the "Washington Post." Thanks, Steve, very much.
With the sovereignty handover just a week from now, Iraq looks to the future. Is martial law on the horizon after the June 30 handover?
And some surprising new claims about Saddam Hussein and the way he's being treated by the U.S.-led coalition.
Plus, we'll tell you about a letter the former Iraqi leader has written to his daughter.
Also, there's a brand new twist in the Scott Peterson murder trial involving a juror who's been receiving a lot of attention. We'll have that for you as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Accusations made on behalf of Saddam Hussein, why one of his attorneys is now claiming the former dictator is being abused while in custody. We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick check of some other headlines we're watching right now.
U.S. airports that want to switch from federal security screeners to private ones are getting to see some of the new rules they will have to comply with to make that switch. The rules have not been made public yet. The Transportation Security Administration took over passenger screening in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. Some airports and members of Congress have complained about TSA's performances.
In California, the judge in the Scott Peterson murder trial has removed one of the 12 jurors and replaced him with an alternate. The reason for the dismissal has not been announced. The juror who was kicked off the panel was caught on videotape last week having a brief conversation with Laci Peterson's brother.
A major drug bust will stop 10 percent of the cocaine headed to the United States from reaching the country, that word today from the attorney general, John Ashcroft, and other U.S. officials. The U.S. and five other countries teamed up over the last two days to arrest what they said were 50 high-level drug traffickers. Authorities say the traffickers moved cocaine, marijuana, and cash between Colombia and the United States through the Caribbean.
A lawyer for Saddam Hussein is making a startling claim about the former Iraqi dictator's time in detention.
CNN's Brian Todd has been looking into this story. He's joining us now live with more -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that lawyer, Mohammed Rashdan, is one of several attorneys retained by Saddam Hussein. He's in the U.S. this week, the attorney, doing media interviews. And he's stirring up controversy about how Saddam has been treated by his U.S. captors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Saddam Hussein has not yet been charged with a crime, his future custody still being worked out. But one of his attorneys accuses the U.S.-led coalition of abusing Saddam in detention. The lawyer, Mohammed Rashdan, has shown CNN a document completed by coalition officials in January, more than a month after Saddam's capture. The document is a form from the International Committee of the Red Cross. It's been authenticated by the ICRC and includes details of Saddam's physical condition. The box labeled good health is checked, but so is one labeled slightly wounded. The ICRC says it doesn't know what injuries are referred to or whether they were sustained at the time of Saddam's arrest or later.
But Saddam attorney, Mohammed Rashdan, asks, why would he be slightly wounded a month after his arrest, and continues -- quote -- "He is being abused, just like the prisoners of Abu Ghraib were abused." But Mohammed Rashdan offers no proof of mistreatment and he has never met with Saddam in person or even spoken to him. Coalition officials issued this rebuttal.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: Saddam Hussein is being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. He's being treated with dignity and respect by the coalition forces, and we will continue to do that, even though there's a tremendous irony. This is a man who was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of his own countrymen.
TODD: The attorney also showed CNN a portion of the Red Cross form labeled "family message," in this section, a letter from Saddam to his daughter, Raghad. Most of the text is blacked out. It's unclear if that was done before or after the letter was sent.
Saddam writes: "As far as my soul and my morale, they are twinkling in the great lord's blessing. My regards to everybody," signed "Saddam Hussein." And on the part of the form asking the detainee to list his occupation, Saddam writes, "republic's president."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Now, a possible hint at Saddam's future legal strategy. In the view of this one attorney, Mohammed Rashdan, the American invasion of Iraq was illegal. Rashdan tells CNN, everything that came after the invasion is -- quote -- "null and void" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.
As next week's handover of sovereignty approaches, leaders of Iraq's new interim government has already declared they may impose martial law in some areas.
CNN's Zain Verjee, has been looking into that possibly. She's discovered there may be some significant problems with that approach.
She's joining us now live from the CNN Center -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, imagine your first day in charge of the country in the middle of a war. In a week, the Iraqi interim government will have the toughest of tasks, bringing security to Iraq. So is imposing martial law one method of gaining control? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): Suicide bombs, assassinations, ambushes. The Iraqi insurgency shows no sign of abating. The U.S. military expects attacks to increase. New Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says the dire situation may call for drastic measures.
IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE (through translator): Thinking about declaring some type of emergency rule in some regions.
VERJEE: Since then, Mr. Allawi has preferred to talk about a new public safety law, but the effect might be much the same. Many civil liberties would be suspended, curfews imposed. Opinion polls suggest Iraqis are in favor of martial law if it brings security. Analysts also see benefits.
KEN ROBINSON, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Martial law will contribute toward preventing abductions and attacks, in that it will get innocent personnel off of the streets. And those who are moving around, in accordance with violation of the martial law, will be fair game.
VERJEE: But what's Washington's view? A clue from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: It might actually be something that we might mutually agree was necessary to bring order in a particularly difficult place. But, as in Afghanistan, we will -- we're certainly under no obligation to enforce edicts or decrees of the Iraqi government that we don't agree with.
VERJEE: Does the Iraqi government even have the right to declare martial law? The transitional law guarantees individual rights that would have to be suspended.
SCOTT SILLIMAN, DUKE UNIVERSITY: The interim constitution, the transition constitution, actually calls for civil rights and the respect for human rights. And so they could not do it without a specific legislative procedure, and that in and of itself would be quite difficult to pass.
VERJEE: And even if these hurdles were overcome, declaring martial law is one thing, enforcing it, another.
ROBINSON: The real issue is going to be the coordination between the United States military on the ground in Iraq and the government to determine who will be the face that enforces this to the population.
VERJEE: And whether the Iraqi defense forces are up to the task is an open question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: A declaration of martial law, Wolf, also has political consequences. Operation Iraqi Freedom was about bringing democracy to Iraq. So, if the first thing a new Iraqi government does is to declare martial law, the irony won't be wasted on the Bush administration's critics -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee reporting from the CNN Center -- Zain, thanks very much.
A senior CIA intelligence officer speaking out anonymously on the war on terror. We'll be hearing from him soon right here on CNN for the first time.
And Senator John Kerry still tight-lipped, but there's word from a top Democrat that his list of possible running mates is down to two men. We'll have details. That's just ahead.
Plus, the golfing legend Arnold Palmer goes to the White House to pick up a national honor. He'll join us live.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Still to come, we're waiting to hear from the CIA official who's speaking out on the war on terror. We'll get to the man known as "Anonymous," and his new book. That's coming up shortly.
But let's get to politics right now. Will he or won't he? All political eyes are on John Kerry right now, waiting to see who he'll tap to be his running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): For the first time, a top Democrat says it's come down to two candidates.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Well, I think you're going to see it probably come down to between Congressman Gephardt and Senator Edwards.
BLITZER: Kerry, though, is keeping tight-lipped, today talking health care with a service workers union in San Francisco.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you help me become president of the United States, you're going to give me a veto pen. And with that veto pen, we're going to stand up for the rights of Americans to vote, the rights of Americans to have health care.
BLITZER: But a union official tells CNN its executive board voted overwhelmingly for John Edwards as Kerry's running mate. For now, though, she's his running mate. Teresa Heinz Kerry continues her campaign swing through the South today, meeting with women's groups in Orlando and New Orleans.
The campaign trail took President Bush to the showdown state of Pennsylvania today. Addressing a largely black congregation in Philadelphia, he announced plans to spend more money fighting HIV and AIDS.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: HIV/AIDS, we see as a challenge, a direct challenge, to the compassion of our country and to the welfare of not only our nation, but nations all across the globe.
BLITZER: Ralph Nader offered his advice on a running mate for Kerry today. In a letter to the senator, the independent candidate urged him to pick John Edwards.
And this note, Al Gore is set to deliver another fiery speech Thursday in Washington. He'll accuse the Bush administration of misleading the nation to war.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How dare they!
BLITZER: If his last speech is any indication, the sparks are sure to fly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And from politics, now back to our top story, the world of intelligence, the world of fighting terror. For the first time right now, we're about to hear from the man called "Anonymous," the CIA veteran who spoke with our national security correspondent David Ensor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Anonymous, in your book, you write -- quote -- "I write with pressing certainty that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States again, that its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 September, 2001, and could include the use of weapons of mass destruction."
Why are you so certain of that?
"ANONYMOUS," CIA OFFICIAL: Because I'm pretty certain, sir, that the message has not been delivered to our senior most elected officials of the extraordinarily large dimensions of al Qaeda's organization, the durability of it in terms of being able to absorb attacks and replace fallen leaders with great rapidity.
Last week, the man who was responsible for capturing and beheading Mr. Johnson was killed in a shoot-out, and, within hours, al Qaeda had announced his successor. Most of all, we have failed to factor in -- we have failed to appreciate the nature of religion, the role religion is playing in this war, and the determination of our enemies to attack us in order to protect their religion.
In many ways, the primary goal of bin Laden is neither to destroy the United States or destroy our liberties or our freedoms. It's simply to get us out of the Muslim world. And until we come to grips with that, we are going to be defeated regularly by Osama bin Laden, who is a much more patient opponent and a much more powerful opponent than we've yet recognized.
ENSOR: President Bush says that they hate us for our freedom. You say he's wrong.
ANONYMOUS: I say that perhaps he is being ill-served by his briefers, his senior bureaucrats.
There is no indication in the corpus of bin Laden's work, of his statements or the nature of his attacks that indicates he hates us for what we are. The Ayatollah Khomeini hated us for what we are, and he ranted about elections and women in politics and women going to school and our movies. Very few people died for that issue.
Bin Laden hates us for what we do in terms of our foreign policy, our presence on the Arabian Peninsula, our support for Muslim tyrannies, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, our support for Russia, China, Uzbekistan and India in their efforts to suppress Muslim populations. He's focused the Muslim world on very tangible, visual activities by the United States. And Islamic resentment of those activities is what powers bin Laden, not hatred of our system of government or our voting or anything of that nature.
At least that's this particular individual's view. I think we make a great mistake by thinking he's some unspecific ranting mullah. He's a very calculating, very specific individual, whose genius lies in focusing the Muslim world on actions of the United States, not words, not behaviors, not political systems.
ENSOR: Why do you have to be in silhouette?
ANONYMOUS: It's a condition that my employer has imposed on interviews and publishing the book, anonymity for myself and my employer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And there it is, David Ensor speaking with a man who wants to go only by the name of "Anonymous." He's written a new book that blasts the Bush administration for going to war against Saddam Hussein, squandering opportunities, in his words, to go after what he considers the real threat to the United States, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, the war on terror.
More of David's interview with the man called "Anonymous" coming up here on CNN throughout the night.
Let's switch gears now dramatically. He's won 92 golf championships, including four Masters. Today, the PGA legend Arnold Palmer received an honor of a different kind over at the White House. Arnold Palmer, fresh from receiving this medal of honor, he'll join us live.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The highest honors at the White House today, where President Bush has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's top civilian award. Among the 13 people singled out this year, the golf legend Arnold Palmer.
Arnold Palmer is joining us now live.
Congratulations, Mr. Palmer, on this great award. You've won so many awards over the years. This must rank among the highest, I assume.
ARNOLD PALMER, PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM RECIPIENT: Well, I guess it is certainly, the highest. It's great. It's great to be here with the other recipients of this award, and certainly I feel very humbled in their presence. But I am also very happy to be here.
BLITZER: What was it like when the president of the United States gave you that award and singled out your accomplishments over your career?
PALMER: Well, it's hard to say. It's just -- it's a great thrill. It's probably the greatest thrill in my life.
And, well, the whole ceremony, the president, who I know and have known, was great. And he did a fantastic job. He made me feel good, as he did all the recipients of this award. And to receive an award like this is something that, when you're raised on a golf course in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, you never thought would happen.
BLITZER: Do you ever look back on your career and pinch yourself and say to yourself, is this real? Has all this really occurred and having reached the White House today?
PALMER: Well, I do pinch myself. I've pinched myself numerous times today, just to think about what has happened and the people that I've been associated with here today and particularly the president of the United States, and to receive an award that is important for golf, too, not just Arnold Palmer, but for golf and the game and what it will, I hope, mean to the game in the years to come.
BLITZER: Do you realize that this honor that you've received today, this Presidential Medal of Freedom, represents your contribution to America, what you have done for America, in effect, as a professional golfer?
PALMER: Well, that is what I'm talking about and the fact that, I hope, that I have done my part in making America a better country.
And to have had the pleasure to be here and to have thought that I might have helped is very important to me. And receiving this is just fantastic. And, you know, as they say, it can only happen in America.
BLITZER: Only in America. You're absolutely right.
Now, let's wrap it up with a thought about golf today. How has it changed over these past decades? What's the single biggest change, if there has been a change?
PALMER: Well, there are a lot of changes. And, of course, the golf has just made rapid progress over the years. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about golf equipment or tournaments or all the things that have happened. The players, players have come a long, long way over the last 30, 40 years. And they will continue to. And they're getting better and better all the time. And we hope that that will happen and we hope the word will spread that it's a pretty good game.
BLITZER: Arnold Palmer today becomes a Medal of Freedom recipient.
Once again, Mr. Palmer, congratulations. Well done. Well deserved.
PALMER: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: And we'll take a quick break. But we'll have the results of our Web question of the day, plus, proof the times, they are a-changing, why you can now call this legendary folk rock singer, yes, doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Our picture of the day, the musician Bob Dylan receiving an honorary doctorate of music degree, compliments of Scotland's University of Saint Andrews. Dylan has accepted only one other honorary degree, from Princeton.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 23, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Anonymous: he hunted bin Laden, and he's still a top CIA officer. And his new book claims the U.S. is losing the war against terrorism.
Repent or else: Saudi rulers give terrorists 30 days to return to righteousness and turn themselves in.
Death threat: a blood curdling communique aimed at Iraq's prime minister.
Medal of Freedom: he's won 92 championships, and now his nation's highest civilian honor. I'll speak with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, June 23, 2004.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: We begin with stunning accusations from an extremely surprising source. He's a senior CIA officer who once stalked Osama bin Laden. And he's also an author, who pulls no punches about the war against al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): It's not every day that a top CIA counterterrorism official still serving in the government is allowed to publish a book that blasts the White House, but that's precisely what has now happened.
The book is entitled "Imperial Hubris." The author, a veteran of the CIA for more than two decades, is identified only as "Anonymous."
Sources say he ran the hunt for Osama bin Laden between 1996 and 1999. Among his charges, that Saddam Hussein posed no immediate threat to the United States, that the war in Iraq undermined the overall war against terror and actually played into bin Laden's hands, and that the U.S. is now losing that war on terror.
Anonymous also predicts that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States and that it will be even more damaging than 9/11. He says the biggest mistake made after 9/11 was that top intelligence community leaders were not fired.
Senator Bill Nelson serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FL), ARMED SERVICE CMTE.: Well, I would agree with him. I think, as we try to prepare ourselves in this new era of terrorism, that we have to just assume that we're going to have an attack, and the only way that we can prevent it is to have accurate and timely intelligence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Later this hour, for the first time on television, you will hear what Anonymous has to say. He will be appearing this hour here on CNN.
Let's move on to some other news we're following today. With their kingdom rocked by terrorism, the rulers of Saudi Arabia gave al Qaeda supporters a last chance to repent and give up or else. Let's go live to our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's joining us from Riyadh -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the offer of that deal came in an unprecedented television statement, four-minute address by Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto ruler of the country, speaking on behalf of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
In that deal, he said that essentially anyone who hadn't committed a crime would get amnesty and those with blood on their hands would face an Islamic criminal court. And the deal was for one month only.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH, SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): Everyone who belongs to the group that did itself such a disservice, including those who are not arrested during recent terrorist attacks, will have a chance to go back to God and review themselves.
Whoever admits of guilt and gives themself in willingly during a period of one month from the date of this speech, that person is safe and will be treated based on God's law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: The government threatens a tough crackdown on anyone that doesn't accept this deal.
We're told that the government sees this timing now as an opportunity to appeal to younger al Qaeda members who perhaps haven't fallen in behind the new al Qaeda leadership. The government thinks the killing of al Qaeda leader Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin last week has created a power vacuum at the top of al Qaeda. And this is the time to reach out to those younger members -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dramatic developments in Saudi Arabia today. Thanks, Nic, very much.
He's represented his country at the United Nations and in several hot spots elsewhere around the world. But John Negroponte's latest challenge is a daunting one. A week ahead of the planned handover of power in Baghdad, Negroponte was today sworn in as the new United States ambassador to Iraq. Leading what's expected to be the largest U.S. embassy in the world, Negroponte vows to help Iraqis fight terror and try to build democracy.
Joining us now from the State Department is the State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher. He served five secretaries of state as spokesman or as deputy. He's a career diplomat. He's also served as an ambassador and a chief of mission overseas.
Mr. Boucher, welcome to our program. Thanks very much for joining us.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Thank you very much for having me.
BLITZER: A quick -- if you want to react to what this CIA officer is alleging in this new book. He's only known as Anonymous, but he's basically saying that the war in Iraq undermined the war against Osama bin Laden. What do you say?
BOUCHER: Wolf, I have not read the book or heard the man's statements or arguments, but I've heard some of these ideas before. And let's remember a couple basic things.
First, we've drained the swamps. We've taken away the places where the terrorists used to hide, where they used to go hatch their plots. And so places like Afghanistan and Iraq have been taken out by the use of force. Places like Yemen and Sudan and some other places, no longer places where terrorists can hide, where they can plot their evil.
That's a very important development. It's not the end of the story. There's a lot of danger out there. But we've got to pursue terrorism in every way we can and everywhere we can.
But I think that in itself was a pretty significant basis for going forward.
BLITZER: The other argument that many critics -- and forget about Anonymous for now -- many critics have made is that Iraq really wasn't so much of a hotbed or training ground for terrorists before -- while Saddam Hussein was in power as it has become since. What do you say about that?
BOUCHER: Well, there are foreign terrorists, there are people who are attracted to the fight who look for places where mischief can be made and are happy to come and participate. And those are some of the elements that we have to deal with. They're very dangerous people.
But you have to remember as well that Saddam, we didn't say he had operational collaboration with terrorists. We made clear, though, that there were terrorists who operated in Iraq. Zarqawi, the guy we're dealing with now. He ran a cell that murdered our diplomat Laurence Foley in Jordan. And those people after that murder, they took refuge back in Iraq.
We had Ansar al Islam operating in northern Iraq. Another terrorist group associated with al Qaeda.
So the fact is that there were safe havens there, there were places for terrorists to operate that had to be taken away. That was part of the danger of Saddam. It wasn't certainly the only danger from Saddam, but it was certainly part of the danger of Saddam.
BLITZER: John Negroponte was sworn in today as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq. I take it this is going to be the largest U.S. embassy in the world, the one in Baghdad. Is that right?
BOUCHER: This is going to be a remarkable embassy in many ways, but led by a remarkable man and a remarkable team. They're going to have as many as 1,000 Americans working there, maybe 600 or 700 Iraqis.
Every -- I think all but one of the senior members of Ambassador Negroponte's staff have themselves been ambassadors in other places. So he's got an ambassador as his deputy, as head of the economic section, political section and the administrative section.
So it's a really -- it's a high powered team he's going to have out there because they're going to have a big job. It's a different job than Jerry Bremer's. They're not going out there to run Iraq. They're going out there to advance U.S. interests and represent the United States...
BOUCHER: And the big difference, though, one of the big differences, not only that Iraqis will have sovereignty, but that Ambassador Bremer reported through the Pentagon to Washington whereas John Negroponte the ambassador will be reporting through Secretary of State Colin Powell and the State Department which supposedly will now take the lead in dealing with Iraq.
BOUCHER: That's right. Like all our other ambassadors, he'll report through the secretary to the president. He's president's representative out there. And he's going to have authority over all the civilian elements of U.S. presence in the country.
That means we've got to run the big aid program. We've got to support the government, the Iraqi government with advisers. We've got to be the one that have our relationships, ongoing relationships with people in the government there.
That's something that we know how to do. It's just we're going to have to do it bigger and better than we ever have before.
BLITZER: What do you make of the announcement by Crown Prince Abdullah today in Saudi Arabia that terrorists in Saudi Arabia effectively have 30 days to give up, to surrender. Otherwise, they'll be hunted down. If they surrender now, they'll have amnesty, in his words. Is this good or bad?
BOUCHER: I think we'll have to see how it works. So it's not -- I can't give you a clear judgment right now.
What is clear is the Saudis have been very active and very determined in their pursuit of terrorists recently. They've picked up I think 16 -- picked up or killed 16 out of 26 on their most wanted list. They themselves have lost dozens of officers and policemen in these raids that they've conducted. You've seen sort of fire fights and things like that.
Still more elements to deal with in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They still have a job before them. And I think they decided that offering this period for people to turn themselves in is one way of dealing with it and maybe stemming whatever growth it might have. We'll see how it works. But I think where we have excellent cooperation with them. And really no doubts about their determination at this point.
BLITZER: Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman. Thanks for spending a few moments with us.
BOUCHER: OK, nice to be with you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much. Richard Boucher at the State Department. And to our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this important story. Our Web question of the day is this. "Do you think Saudi Arabia's amnesty offer to terrorists will be effective?" You can vote right now, go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results for you later in this broadcast.
A senior CIA intelligence officer speaking out anonymously on the war on terror. We expect to hear from him on this program this hour. Stand by for that.
Plus, death threats from a most wanted terrorist. The man blamed for the beheading of an American names his next victim. Chilling words delivered by Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
A letter from Saddam Hussein, words from the former Iraqi dictator to his daughter. The first letter he has sent home since his capture, and new accusations of abuse.
John Kerry's running mate, a top Democrat now says the field is narrowed to two candidates. We've got the names for you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. With only one week to go until the scheduled handover of Iraqi sovereignty, there's a death threat against the man scheduled to take over as the interim prime minister. A recording believed to have been made by the insurgent leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, threatens the life of Iyad Allawi and promises to fight Americans and their allies until Islamic rule is back on Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): From the moment Iyad Allawi was chosen to be Iraq's prime minister, he was an obvious target for insurgents. Still, the death threat that surfaced on an Islamist Web site was vivid and ominous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've prepared a special poison for you and a sharp sword, and we filled a glass for you, filled it with death, especially for you.
BLITZER: While the voice on the tape has not yet been authenticated by the CIA, it's believed to be that of Abu Musab al Zarqawi. The threat against Allawi includes a reference to last month's assassination of Izzedine Salim, then the head of the Iraqi governing council.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We will not stop until we make you drink from the same glass as Izzedine Salim drank from or until we die.
BLITZER: Al Zarqawi supporters are blamed for Salim's death. They are also suspected in the death this week of a South Korean civilian who was working in Iraq and the death last month of American Nicholas Berg.
Al Zarqawi also is believed to be behind many other deadly attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. And the new message says attacks will continue.
Coalition forces have been targeting al Zarqawi supporters, most recently with a pair of air strikes against what the coalition says were safe houses in Fallujah. U.S. officials say the latest attack killed about 20 people. A similar strike Saturday killed 18.
Responding to the death threat, Prime Minister Allawi was quoted at saying al Zarqawi is not only his enemy, but the enemy of all Iraqis. But despite his attempt to shrug off the threat, it was hard to ignore the fanatic determination and its grim vow of continuing terror.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You don't even know that you have repeatedly escaped from our attempts, but we promise you, we'll continue the match with you until the end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: CNN's Anderson Cooper has been traveling in Iraq to get a sense of what conditions are like leading up to the handover of sovereignty. He's joining us now from Baghdad. Anderson, I know you've been out and about in various parts of the country. Give us your sense what's going on a week before the handover.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I think there's a lot of trepidation, Wolf. I've traveled to Tikrit, to Mosul up north, to Kurdish areas and now back in Baghdad. Wherever you go, you hear trepidation amongst Iraqis, even amongst American civilians and military personnel here on the ground. So many questions remain unanswered. What is going to happen right before June 30 and right after June 30?
Will insurgents, will terrorists like Abu Musab al Zarqawi try to make some sort of bold move as the world's media is focused on this story? We know these terrorists, insurgents as well, very media savvy. A lot of these improvise explosive devices, like the one that went off this morning in Baghdad, are timed to go off at 8:00 a.m., right at the height of rush hour for maximum damage and maximum impact.
The other big question is what is the new Iraqi interim government going to do? Are they going to try to make some sort of a bold move, some sort of a strong handed move to show that they are in control, they are in power and they know how to deal with insurgents? A lot of questions remain unanswered, Wolf.
BLITZER: And in terms of security out there, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense told Congress, he suggested yesterday it was bad in Baghdad, but if you get out -- and he criticized reporters for not getting out, you clearly are getting out, he suggested you see the real country, and you see a lot of positive things developing. Did you see that outside of Baghdad?
COOPER: Yes. It's frustrating, I think, for a lot of reporters who are here and traveling. Brent Sadler which is down south in Basra. As I said, I was just up north in...
BLITZER: Unfortunately, we just lost that connection. There he is.
COOPER: Wherever you go, there are different -- so many different reactions. Up north, in some Kurdish areas, the violence is much, much less. A whole different atmosphere. A whole different vibe. Brent Sadler down in Basra for CNN, just up for the last several days was able to travel much more freely, able to go out to videotape to tell stories.
Travel in Baghdad is much more restricted. It's much more dangerous here. But we are out, we are traveling and we're trying to get as many different angles on the story as possible.
BLITZER: Anderson Cooper, thanks very much. Anderson reporting from Baghdad. This reminder to our viewers. Anderson will be anchoring his program live from Baghdad tonight. That's "ANDERSON COOPER 360." It airs 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific. You'll want to stick around and watch Anderson's report tonight from Iraq.
The CIA's so-called anonymous official speaking out. More on a senior U.S. intelligence official and what he's saying about how the west supposedly is losing the war against al Qaeda.
Declaring martial law. Can strict restrictions help restore security on the streets of Iraq?
Plus, he helped secure golf's place in the mainstream of American sport. Now Arnold Palmer is awarded America's highest civilian honor at the White House. He'll join us live. This hour, Arnold Palmer. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's get back to our top story now. The claim by an active CIA official writing anonymously that the U.S. and the west are losing the war against al Qaeda. Steve Coll does not write anonymously. His latest book is called "Ghost Wars." It's also about the CIA and the war on terror. Steve Coll's day job is the managing editor of the "Washington Post." He's joining us now live from there. Steve, I know you have spoken to this CIA official. What's your sense of these accusations, these allegations, which are quite startling, that he's making?
STEVE COLL, MANAGING EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, I wrote about him in the book as you say. He has been an analyst of al Qaeda for many years. He was focused on bin Laden and the threat that bin Laden posed to the United States between 1996 and 1999. He warned his colleagues and the government repeatedly that al Qaeda was capable of carrying out massive attacks against the United States. So he's certainly a credible professional in the terrorism area particularly expert on bin Laden and al Qaeda.
His argument in the book, I haven't read every word of it, I've skimmed it, is eclectic. It covers a lot of different concerns. One of them is that we've got bad allies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Another is that we're making more enemies by fighting the wrong wars the wrong way. At the same time, he sometimes strikes an even more militant tone than hawkish Bush administration officials when he argues for total war against Islamist terrorists even if that means high body counts.
BLITZER: This is the official that you referred to only as Mike in your book, is that right?
COLL: That's correct.
BLITZER: And we don't know if that's his real first name or a fictitious name either, is that right?
COLL: My impression is that that's an accurate first name, but I couldn't vouch for it.
BLITZER: I know that oftentimes the CIA just simply calls officials they don't want to identify Mike but we can just move on from there. Let me read a passage from the book and we'll put it up on the screen. He says this, "I write this book then with a pressing certainty that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States again, that its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 September, 2001, and could include use of weapons of mass destruction." Based on your experience, how much credibility do you believe this guy has?
COLL: I think on that point he's quite credible. This is a guy who studied bin Laden and al Qaeda and the threat they pose for many years. In an important sense that you just cited, it's not terribly controversial. Bin Laden himself has said openly that this is his ambition. Mike goes further and makes the point that he expects this to actually unfold, and not everybody is as certain as he is that that's going to occur any time soon. But it's obviously a serious possibility.
BLITZER: Another quote and I'll read this one from the book. "There is not now and never has been a shortage of knowledge about the nature of the bin Laden threat, but only a lack of courage to tell the truth about it." He sounds pretty forceful on that nature.
COLL: He's a blunt man. His colleagues at the time that he was studying bin Laden closely in the late 1990s found him very forceful in speech at that time, not afraid to ruffle his colleagues with direct accusations that they weren't paying close enough attention to the problem. In the portions of the book that I've read, you hear that same voice coming through. Direct, blunt, sometimes a little over the top, but very straightforward in his concern that al Qaeda's being underestimated by the United States.
BLITZER: I think the most surprising thing for me was that here is a sitting CIA official, a high ranking official working in the federal government who takes on the White House, who takes on the centerpiece of the White House policy, namely the war against Saddam Hussein, and says this U.S. invasion of Iraq is Osama bin Laden's gift from America, saying that this has totally set back the war against terror. How unusual, in your experience, is it for the CIA to allow someone like this, a sitting official, to go ahead and blast the White House?
COLL: I think they feel like they're stuck here. If they suppressed his unclassified opinions, they'd be accused of stifling dissent. And indeed this was an accusation that Mike and some of his colleagues made themselves in the late 1990s after he was transferred away from the bin Laden subject, at least in the view of some of his colleagues, because he spoke too forcefully about it. So they don't want to be seen as stifling dissent on the one hand.
On the other hand, they know that they're going to be seen by the White House perhaps, at least some people there, as having deliberately allowed this view to come forward as a backhanded way of criticizing the Bush administration. So I think they're sort of damned if they do and damned if they don't.
BLITZER: One thing for sure, this book is going to cause a lot of stir. Steve Coll, whose own book, "Ghost Wars," one of the best written on this subject, joining us from the "Washington Post." Thanks, Steve, very much.
With the sovereignty handover just a week from now, Iraq looks to the future. Is martial law on the horizon after the June 30 handover?
And some surprising new claims about Saddam Hussein and the way he's being treated by the U.S.-led coalition.
Plus, we'll tell you about a letter the former Iraqi leader has written to his daughter.
Also, there's a brand new twist in the Scott Peterson murder trial involving a juror who's been receiving a lot of attention. We'll have that for you as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Accusations made on behalf of Saddam Hussein, why one of his attorneys is now claiming the former dictator is being abused while in custody. We'll get to that.
First, though, a quick check of some other headlines we're watching right now.
U.S. airports that want to switch from federal security screeners to private ones are getting to see some of the new rules they will have to comply with to make that switch. The rules have not been made public yet. The Transportation Security Administration took over passenger screening in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. Some airports and members of Congress have complained about TSA's performances.
In California, the judge in the Scott Peterson murder trial has removed one of the 12 jurors and replaced him with an alternate. The reason for the dismissal has not been announced. The juror who was kicked off the panel was caught on videotape last week having a brief conversation with Laci Peterson's brother.
A major drug bust will stop 10 percent of the cocaine headed to the United States from reaching the country, that word today from the attorney general, John Ashcroft, and other U.S. officials. The U.S. and five other countries teamed up over the last two days to arrest what they said were 50 high-level drug traffickers. Authorities say the traffickers moved cocaine, marijuana, and cash between Colombia and the United States through the Caribbean.
A lawyer for Saddam Hussein is making a startling claim about the former Iraqi dictator's time in detention.
CNN's Brian Todd has been looking into this story. He's joining us now live with more -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that lawyer, Mohammed Rashdan, is one of several attorneys retained by Saddam Hussein. He's in the U.S. this week, the attorney, doing media interviews. And he's stirring up controversy about how Saddam has been treated by his U.S. captors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): Saddam Hussein has not yet been charged with a crime, his future custody still being worked out. But one of his attorneys accuses the U.S.-led coalition of abusing Saddam in detention. The lawyer, Mohammed Rashdan, has shown CNN a document completed by coalition officials in January, more than a month after Saddam's capture. The document is a form from the International Committee of the Red Cross. It's been authenticated by the ICRC and includes details of Saddam's physical condition. The box labeled good health is checked, but so is one labeled slightly wounded. The ICRC says it doesn't know what injuries are referred to or whether they were sustained at the time of Saddam's arrest or later.
But Saddam attorney, Mohammed Rashdan, asks, why would he be slightly wounded a month after his arrest, and continues -- quote -- "He is being abused, just like the prisoners of Abu Ghraib were abused." But Mohammed Rashdan offers no proof of mistreatment and he has never met with Saddam in person or even spoken to him. Coalition officials issued this rebuttal.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: Saddam Hussein is being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. He's being treated with dignity and respect by the coalition forces, and we will continue to do that, even though there's a tremendous irony. This is a man who was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of his own countrymen.
TODD: The attorney also showed CNN a portion of the Red Cross form labeled "family message," in this section, a letter from Saddam to his daughter, Raghad. Most of the text is blacked out. It's unclear if that was done before or after the letter was sent.
Saddam writes: "As far as my soul and my morale, they are twinkling in the great lord's blessing. My regards to everybody," signed "Saddam Hussein." And on the part of the form asking the detainee to list his occupation, Saddam writes, "republic's president."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: Now, a possible hint at Saddam's future legal strategy. In the view of this one attorney, Mohammed Rashdan, the American invasion of Iraq was illegal. Rashdan tells CNN, everything that came after the invasion is -- quote -- "null and void" -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.
As next week's handover of sovereignty approaches, leaders of Iraq's new interim government has already declared they may impose martial law in some areas.
CNN's Zain Verjee, has been looking into that possibly. She's discovered there may be some significant problems with that approach.
She's joining us now live from the CNN Center -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, imagine your first day in charge of the country in the middle of a war. In a week, the Iraqi interim government will have the toughest of tasks, bringing security to Iraq. So is imposing martial law one method of gaining control? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): Suicide bombs, assassinations, ambushes. The Iraqi insurgency shows no sign of abating. The U.S. military expects attacks to increase. New Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says the dire situation may call for drastic measures.
IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE (through translator): Thinking about declaring some type of emergency rule in some regions.
VERJEE: Since then, Mr. Allawi has preferred to talk about a new public safety law, but the effect might be much the same. Many civil liberties would be suspended, curfews imposed. Opinion polls suggest Iraqis are in favor of martial law if it brings security. Analysts also see benefits.
KEN ROBINSON, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Martial law will contribute toward preventing abductions and attacks, in that it will get innocent personnel off of the streets. And those who are moving around, in accordance with violation of the martial law, will be fair game.
VERJEE: But what's Washington's view? A clue from Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: It might actually be something that we might mutually agree was necessary to bring order in a particularly difficult place. But, as in Afghanistan, we will -- we're certainly under no obligation to enforce edicts or decrees of the Iraqi government that we don't agree with.
VERJEE: Does the Iraqi government even have the right to declare martial law? The transitional law guarantees individual rights that would have to be suspended.
SCOTT SILLIMAN, DUKE UNIVERSITY: The interim constitution, the transition constitution, actually calls for civil rights and the respect for human rights. And so they could not do it without a specific legislative procedure, and that in and of itself would be quite difficult to pass.
VERJEE: And even if these hurdles were overcome, declaring martial law is one thing, enforcing it, another.
ROBINSON: The real issue is going to be the coordination between the United States military on the ground in Iraq and the government to determine who will be the face that enforces this to the population.
VERJEE: And whether the Iraqi defense forces are up to the task is an open question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: A declaration of martial law, Wolf, also has political consequences. Operation Iraqi Freedom was about bringing democracy to Iraq. So, if the first thing a new Iraqi government does is to declare martial law, the irony won't be wasted on the Bush administration's critics -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain Verjee reporting from the CNN Center -- Zain, thanks very much.
A senior CIA intelligence officer speaking out anonymously on the war on terror. We'll be hearing from him soon right here on CNN for the first time.
And Senator John Kerry still tight-lipped, but there's word from a top Democrat that his list of possible running mates is down to two men. We'll have details. That's just ahead.
Plus, the golfing legend Arnold Palmer goes to the White House to pick up a national honor. He'll join us live.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Still to come, we're waiting to hear from the CIA official who's speaking out on the war on terror. We'll get to the man known as "Anonymous," and his new book. That's coming up shortly.
But let's get to politics right now. Will he or won't he? All political eyes are on John Kerry right now, waiting to see who he'll tap to be his running mate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (voice-over): For the first time, a top Democrat says it's come down to two candidates.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Well, I think you're going to see it probably come down to between Congressman Gephardt and Senator Edwards.
BLITZER: Kerry, though, is keeping tight-lipped, today talking health care with a service workers union in San Francisco.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you help me become president of the United States, you're going to give me a veto pen. And with that veto pen, we're going to stand up for the rights of Americans to vote, the rights of Americans to have health care.
BLITZER: But a union official tells CNN its executive board voted overwhelmingly for John Edwards as Kerry's running mate. For now, though, she's his running mate. Teresa Heinz Kerry continues her campaign swing through the South today, meeting with women's groups in Orlando and New Orleans.
The campaign trail took President Bush to the showdown state of Pennsylvania today. Addressing a largely black congregation in Philadelphia, he announced plans to spend more money fighting HIV and AIDS.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: HIV/AIDS, we see as a challenge, a direct challenge, to the compassion of our country and to the welfare of not only our nation, but nations all across the globe.
BLITZER: Ralph Nader offered his advice on a running mate for Kerry today. In a letter to the senator, the independent candidate urged him to pick John Edwards.
And this note, Al Gore is set to deliver another fiery speech Thursday in Washington. He'll accuse the Bush administration of misleading the nation to war.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How dare they!
BLITZER: If his last speech is any indication, the sparks are sure to fly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And from politics, now back to our top story, the world of intelligence, the world of fighting terror. For the first time right now, we're about to hear from the man called "Anonymous," the CIA veteran who spoke with our national security correspondent David Ensor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Anonymous, in your book, you write -- quote -- "I write with pressing certainty that al Qaeda will attack the continental United States again, that its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 September, 2001, and could include the use of weapons of mass destruction."
Why are you so certain of that?
"ANONYMOUS," CIA OFFICIAL: Because I'm pretty certain, sir, that the message has not been delivered to our senior most elected officials of the extraordinarily large dimensions of al Qaeda's organization, the durability of it in terms of being able to absorb attacks and replace fallen leaders with great rapidity.
Last week, the man who was responsible for capturing and beheading Mr. Johnson was killed in a shoot-out, and, within hours, al Qaeda had announced his successor. Most of all, we have failed to factor in -- we have failed to appreciate the nature of religion, the role religion is playing in this war, and the determination of our enemies to attack us in order to protect their religion.
In many ways, the primary goal of bin Laden is neither to destroy the United States or destroy our liberties or our freedoms. It's simply to get us out of the Muslim world. And until we come to grips with that, we are going to be defeated regularly by Osama bin Laden, who is a much more patient opponent and a much more powerful opponent than we've yet recognized.
ENSOR: President Bush says that they hate us for our freedom. You say he's wrong.
ANONYMOUS: I say that perhaps he is being ill-served by his briefers, his senior bureaucrats.
There is no indication in the corpus of bin Laden's work, of his statements or the nature of his attacks that indicates he hates us for what we are. The Ayatollah Khomeini hated us for what we are, and he ranted about elections and women in politics and women going to school and our movies. Very few people died for that issue.
Bin Laden hates us for what we do in terms of our foreign policy, our presence on the Arabian Peninsula, our support for Muslim tyrannies, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, our support for Russia, China, Uzbekistan and India in their efforts to suppress Muslim populations. He's focused the Muslim world on very tangible, visual activities by the United States. And Islamic resentment of those activities is what powers bin Laden, not hatred of our system of government or our voting or anything of that nature.
At least that's this particular individual's view. I think we make a great mistake by thinking he's some unspecific ranting mullah. He's a very calculating, very specific individual, whose genius lies in focusing the Muslim world on actions of the United States, not words, not behaviors, not political systems.
ENSOR: Why do you have to be in silhouette?
ANONYMOUS: It's a condition that my employer has imposed on interviews and publishing the book, anonymity for myself and my employer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And there it is, David Ensor speaking with a man who wants to go only by the name of "Anonymous." He's written a new book that blasts the Bush administration for going to war against Saddam Hussein, squandering opportunities, in his words, to go after what he considers the real threat to the United States, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, the war on terror.
More of David's interview with the man called "Anonymous" coming up here on CNN throughout the night.
Let's switch gears now dramatically. He's won 92 golf championships, including four Masters. Today, the PGA legend Arnold Palmer received an honor of a different kind over at the White House. Arnold Palmer, fresh from receiving this medal of honor, he'll join us live.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The highest honors at the White House today, where President Bush has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's top civilian award. Among the 13 people singled out this year, the golf legend Arnold Palmer.
Arnold Palmer is joining us now live.
Congratulations, Mr. Palmer, on this great award. You've won so many awards over the years. This must rank among the highest, I assume.
ARNOLD PALMER, PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM RECIPIENT: Well, I guess it is certainly, the highest. It's great. It's great to be here with the other recipients of this award, and certainly I feel very humbled in their presence. But I am also very happy to be here.
BLITZER: What was it like when the president of the United States gave you that award and singled out your accomplishments over your career?
PALMER: Well, it's hard to say. It's just -- it's a great thrill. It's probably the greatest thrill in my life.
And, well, the whole ceremony, the president, who I know and have known, was great. And he did a fantastic job. He made me feel good, as he did all the recipients of this award. And to receive an award like this is something that, when you're raised on a golf course in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, you never thought would happen.
BLITZER: Do you ever look back on your career and pinch yourself and say to yourself, is this real? Has all this really occurred and having reached the White House today?
PALMER: Well, I do pinch myself. I've pinched myself numerous times today, just to think about what has happened and the people that I've been associated with here today and particularly the president of the United States, and to receive an award that is important for golf, too, not just Arnold Palmer, but for golf and the game and what it will, I hope, mean to the game in the years to come.
BLITZER: Do you realize that this honor that you've received today, this Presidential Medal of Freedom, represents your contribution to America, what you have done for America, in effect, as a professional golfer?
PALMER: Well, that is what I'm talking about and the fact that, I hope, that I have done my part in making America a better country.
And to have had the pleasure to be here and to have thought that I might have helped is very important to me. And receiving this is just fantastic. And, you know, as they say, it can only happen in America.
BLITZER: Only in America. You're absolutely right.
Now, let's wrap it up with a thought about golf today. How has it changed over these past decades? What's the single biggest change, if there has been a change?
PALMER: Well, there are a lot of changes. And, of course, the golf has just made rapid progress over the years. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about golf equipment or tournaments or all the things that have happened. The players, players have come a long, long way over the last 30, 40 years. And they will continue to. And they're getting better and better all the time. And we hope that that will happen and we hope the word will spread that it's a pretty good game.
BLITZER: Arnold Palmer today becomes a Medal of Freedom recipient.
Once again, Mr. Palmer, congratulations. Well done. Well deserved.
PALMER: Thank you very much.
BLITZER: And we'll take a quick break. But we'll have the results of our Web question of the day, plus, proof the times, they are a-changing, why you can now call this legendary folk rock singer, yes, doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Our picture of the day, the musician Bob Dylan receiving an honorary doctorate of music degree, compliments of Scotland's University of Saint Andrews. Dylan has accepted only one other honorary degree, from Princeton.
"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.
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