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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Chirac Criticizes Iraq War; Fight for Falluja Continues; Interview With Carl Bernstein

Aired November 18, 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.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now. French President Jacques Chirac is in London after more blunt words challenging the decision by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to go to war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Mr. Chirac says that decision has increased rather than decreased terrorism. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Fight for Falluja. A U.S. commander has words for the insurgents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you're scattered. You're scattered. You've been flushed out from your hideout.

BLITZER: But you won't believe what they left behind.

Brothers in arms. One is badly wounded. What it takes to bring the other back from Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home.

BLITZER: Exclusive club.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A gift to the future by a man who always believed in the future.

BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The symbol of not only what I tried to do but what I want to do with the rest of my life. Building bridges from yesterday to tomorrow.

BLITZER: I'll speak about Bill Clinton, his library and his legacy with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Carl Bernstein.

Vioxx review. Are federal regulators at fault?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 100,000 Americans have paid dearly for this failure.

BLITZER: Are other quiet dangers still in your medicine cabinet?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday November 18, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The fight is not finished in Falluja. Another U.S. marine and an Iraqi soldier were killed today when insurgents attacked troops clearing a building. But the marine commander in Falluja says U.S. led forces have broken the back of the insurgency there while making some extraordinary discoveries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We have found a number of headquarters command and control cells. We found a number of ledgers which we're in the process of exploiting right now that list fighters from other countries and other parts of the globe. Not just us immediately surrounding the country of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But that's just the tip of the treasure-trove troops say turned up in Falluja. CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the U.S. army unit in that city and she filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. army troops going street by street, door to door in the southeast of Falluja have made some startling finds. One of them a house where 500-pound bombs were dropped where inside they say they have found evidence of lieutenants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and links to al Qaeda. They tell us that they have a letter from al-Zarqawi to the people in the house directing them as to what to do and other letters written to Zarqawi asking for money and asking for aid.

On the wall of the house that we were taken to is the symbol and writing of al Qaeda. Allegiance they say of the people inside there. It is not known whether they were killed or whether they escaped but near the site there are bodies of fighters who have not yet been identified.

In the industrial section as task force 22 from the first infantry division continues to break down door after door in that section, they have uncovered what appeared to be a suicide car bomb factory. Beyond these doors in an ordinary looking factory was an American suburban style vehicle brand new with a Texas registration sticker. No license plates. In a back room there were a variety of Iraqi license plates. Part of the vehicle had been dismantled and nearby were bags of chemicals that could be used for explosives. There were other car parts, as well. Doors taken off to put explosives into according to the U.S. soldiers.

And just next to that, anti-aircraft parts in the process of being assembled. They say it appeared to be an anti-aircraft battery repair shop which included a blackboard, chairs and instructions on how to shoot down a plane. They are still sifting through this but they continue to make these finds as they break down doors in southern Falluja. Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Fallujah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: While the U.S. military says Falluja has been secured, the city has paid a very heavy price. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Homes lie in ruins. Unidentified corpses rot under Falluja's rubble. The Iraqi government says it is victory.

THAIR AL-NAKIE, IRAQI PM SPOKESMAN: Falluja is no longer a stronghold or a haven for the terrorists. The battle has been won and we need only a few days to liquidate all the terrorists.

PENHAUL: That may be easier said than done. U.S. commanders say some insurgents escaped Falluja. It is not clear how many. Rebel violence has spiked in other cities. During Wednesday night and Thursday insurgents battled security forces in Ramadi. In Baghdad a car bomb exploded outside a police station killing and wounding civilians. And in Mosul the provincial governor's office was mortared. Though the Iraqi government seems unfazed.

AL-NAKIE: The attempts made by the terrorists to intimidate the people and to create a state of instability in Mosul has failed. The Iraqi security forces impose their control on the city.

PENHAUL: But Thursday morning insurgent gunmen could be still be seen freely roaming the streets. In the city of Falluja, the Iraqi government says it is offering food and a $100 subsidy to each family. The prime minister sending deputies to the city this weekend to assess damage and plan reconstruction. As yet there's no accurate independent assessment of the civilian casualty toll. Marines halted an offensive there in April partly because of a political backlash against civilian casualties. The U.S. military says it isn't responsible for counting this time referring all queries to the Iraqi government which last week said only 14 civilians had been injured.

AL-NAKIE: We give some numbers to the media and it wasn't a big number...

PENHAUL: The health ministry and hospital sources contradicted the prime minister's office telling CNN at least 119 wounded civilians were brought from Falluja to Baghdad for treatment. Sources said at least 14 other civilians died. Judging by Al-Nakie's response...

AL-NAKIE: I'm not going to get into numbers, sorry.

PENHAUL: The Iraqi government seems to be tired of answering questions about the human cost of its victory in Falluja. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Britain and France have agreed to disagree on Iraq but they haven't put their differences to rest as French President Jacques Chirac makes a state visit to the UK. CNN European political editor Robin Oakley reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: President Chirac got the grand welcome. Britain and France were after all celebrating 100 years of peace under the Entente Cordiale after centuries of fighting each other. Many had wondered how cordial it would be between two leaders that have been sharply divided over the Iraq war. But it turned out to be glassy smiles and glossover time.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the differences at the time of the conflict were well known but both of us in our working under U.N. Resolution 1546 and both of us want to see a stable and democratic Iraq. And both of us will do what we can to ensure that that happens.

OAKLEY: Well, yes but France still won't send troops to help. Not even as part of the NATO contingent now heading for Baghdad to train Iraqi forces even if the quarrels are now in the past.

PRES. JACQUES CHIRAC, FRANCE (through translator): We have a different analysis. We address things differently and we draw different conclusions as to who is right or wrong in this. History will tell.

OAKLEY: But did Mr. Chirac believe the war had increased rather than diminished terrorism?

CHIRAC: You cannot say and be credible that the situation has significantly improved.

OAKLEY: Both were keen to accentuate the positive. Iraq said Mr. Blair was the only issue on which they disagreed.

BLAIR: On the questions of Iran, of Afghanistan, of the Balkans, on the question of Africa, on the question of climate change, we are working very closely together.

OAKLEY: Mr. Chirac who had lately been suggesting Mr. Blair got nothing from being Mr. Bush's loyal ally told a questioner it was useful for Europe that the U.S. and U.K. had such close historic and linguistic ties. And the words didn't seem to stick in his throat. Later the president was to be entertained for dinner by the queen of Windsor Castle. Analysts were assuming there was nothing significant in the choice of theatrical performance afterwards in "Les Miserables." Mr. Chirac and Mr. Blair were careful not to inflame their differences over Iraq. Both made plain their eagerness to do anything they could to move on the Middle East peace process.

As for the love-hate relationship that constitutes the Entente Cordiale, both nations will now go back with relief to bashing the hell out of each other. Those strictly these days on the sporting field. Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: A who's who of American and international politics sat in the rain for hours today in Little Rock, Arkansas. The occasion, the dedication of Bill Clinton's presidential library. CNN national correspondent Kelly Wallace is there. She is joining us now live with an assessment. What happened, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you know former President Bill Clinton so well, and he managed to stay as positive as he could despite the rain. He joked that if his mom were still alive she would say it was liquid sunshine that was needed. It was one of those rare occasions where you have past presidents, the current one, Democrats and Republicans joining together.

In fact, former President Jimmy Carter remarked how great it was for Democrats and Republicans to be together just weeks after the election to celebrate a president and the opening of his new presidential library.

Bill Clinton talked about what he hopes to achieve with this new $165 million center and the 43rd president, President Bush heaped enormous praise on the man who beat his father in 1992.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM CLINTON, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The thing I what I want is people to come to this library, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, liberal or conservative, to see that public service is noble and important. That the choices and decisions leaders make affect the lives of millions of Americans and people all across the world. I want young people to want to see not only what I did with my life, but to see what they could do with their lives.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the White House the whole nation witnessed his brilliance and his mastery of detail his persuasive power and his persistence. The president is not the kind to give up a fight. His staffers were known to say if Clinton were the Titanic, the iceberg would sink.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And now this library open to the public and to historians. 80 million pages of presidential documents, more than any other presidential museum. And Mr. Clinton is making some of those documents available now, and earlier than required by law.

Wolf, Hillary Clinton says this is a sign of how he wants to have this an open, transparent and accessible building to the public and, yes, to historians -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelly Wallace, glad to see you're dry. Thanks very much, Kelly Wallace, reporting for us from Little Rock. To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this, "have you ever visited, or would you like to visit a presidential library?"

You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast

The Clinton legacy, more on that coming up. How history will view the former president. I'll speak live with the veteran journalist, Carl Bernstein. He's standing by to join us next.

Putting patient safety first, a critical look at drug risks and recent mistakes involving a popular pain medication.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice's health. Just nominated to become the next secretary of state. Why she will undergo surgery tomorrow.

Also ahead:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just broke down. I couldn't believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One son critically injured in Iraq. A family fights to bring second son home from the war. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Like all presidential libraries, the Clinton Library that opened up in Little Rock, Arkansas today, will be a permanent home of records of the Clinton administration. Records that will be reviewed by scholars for generations to come as they consider the Clinton legacy.

Journalist Carl Bernstein has been writing about the occupants of the White House going back to the Nixon administration. He's joining us now live from New York. Carl, thanks very much for joining us.

You saw those 4 presidents walking in around the Clinton Library today. What was going through your mind as someone, as all of our viewers remember, who contributed I guess to is certain degree, to bring down one former president, that would be Richard Nixon during Watergate?

CARL BERNSTEIN, WASHINGTON POST: What was going through my mind is it was moving to see these 4 men together and to think of the possibilities and power of a president of the United States. And that in retrospect, we're able to see the contributions, certainly of the 3 predecessors of George W. Bush, and that the jury is really out right now on the current president. And that we face the possibility of a president presiding over a catastrophe which did not happen with the other three. I hope that I'm wrong.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about that. I think what you're suggesting is in a second Bush administration, there could be some problems. There has been a history of second-term problems going back as we just mentioned, Nixon Watergate, Reagan's second term, Iran-Contra, Clinton second term Monica Lewinsky, impeachment, the trial in the U.S. Senate. What do you see as a potential catastrophe, now with this president in a second term? BERNSTEIN: By a catastrophe, I don't mean a personal catastrophe to the president, I mean a catastrophe for the country or the world in terms of what's going on in Iraq. Unless things get much better, and unless we see that he has made some judgments and decisions that right now are open to serious question about their wisdom and honesty on which they were based.

In terms of the other 3 presidents, I think it is a mistake to look at everything in terms of first term and second term. Remember that Watergate began in the first Nixon administration. It was about a pervasive criminality of a president of the United States that did not uphold the constitution.

Iran-Contra, I don't think it had anything to do with whether it was a first or second term. Again, it had to do with evading constitutional responsibility on the part of President Reagan who, nonetheless, was a president of great accomplishment in terms of ending the Cold War and fighting the Cold War.

And similarly, this president's father presided very skillfully over the end of the Cold War and its aftermath. He had some personal problems in Iran-Contra in which he failed to answer questions about his own role in an extra constitutional event. But in terms of the big picture, in foreign policy, I think he performed pretty well.

BLITZER: What about Bill Clinton on this day that his library is formally opened, what about his legacy? What goes through your mind about the eight years that Clinton was in the White House?

BERNSTEIN: I think history is already beginning to regard Clinton as a very good president, as a very skillful president, who because of his personal indulgences perhaps squandered part of his presidency. That the economic accomplishments of the Clinton presidency are huge, that with a Republican Congress he was nonetheless able to cobble together education programs, programs to help those who can't help themselves in this country that other presidents might admire and emulate. I think it is a pretty good record, and I think also he's the great practitioner of politics of our time, and the great practitioner of the politics of unity of our time.

BLITZER: What about the criticism that he's received recently -- and everybody recognizes Bill Clinton was a master politician, no doubt about that -- that during his eight years, he failed to appreciate what Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda were doing. He could have taken them out earlier, those training camps in Afghanistan, but he simply ignored or didn't give the kind of attention that that problem certainly deserved.

BERNSTEIN: I think anybody who's looked at the facts, including subsequent secretaries of state of both parties -- of both parties knows that's not what happened. There was absolutely no appetite in Congress of the United States during the Clinton presidency for going after Osama bin Laden or after terrorism in a major way. And the record shows that Clinton did try to go at it as aggressively as he could. He also left a blueprint for the new presidency of George Bush, saying that this was the most important question and urgent question facing the new president, and the new president chose not to look at that agenda until September 12th, 2001.

That's not to say that Clinton was great on the issue, but there was absolutely no way, according to Madeleine Albright, according to people in Secretary Colin Powell's office, that the Congress would have permitted a really aggressive fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Remember, we went to war in Iraq in the first Bush administration.

BLITZER: Carl Bernstein, unfortunately we have got to leave it right there. Carl Bernstein, together with Bob Woodward won Pulitzer Prizes for the Watergate story. All of us remember that. Thanks for spending a few moments with us, Carl.

BERNSTEIN: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Dangerous drug. How a popular pain medication received approval despite the risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Consumers should not have to send -- should not have to second-guess the safety of what is in their medicine cabinet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The makers of Vioxx and the FDA face tough questions up on Capitol Hill.

Potentially explosive divisions. Is the stage being set for a civil war in the Iraqi city of Mosul? Our Zain Verjee standing by on that.

Nuclear fears. Will Israel -- Israel take drastic measures to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions at bay? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What did Merck know about the dangers of Vioxx, and when did it know it? That's what the Senate Finances Committee is trying to find out on Capitol Hill, where members are grilling not only Merck executives but also government regulators. CNN's Chris Huntington is live with the story. He's joining us now -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, members of the committee wanted to find out if Merck and the FDA did enough to protect Vioxx users from the dangerous side effects of the drug, but what they got in the hearing today was an earful about the shortcomings of the FDA's drug safety program.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON (voice-over): FDA scientist David Graham testified that he estimated Vioxx caused more than 100,000 heart attacks, 30 to 40 percent of them fatal. But Graham told members of the Senate Finance Committee that his FDA superiors ridiculed him and insisted on changes.

DR. DAVID GRAHAM, FDA: I was pressured to change my conclusions and recommendations. One drug safety manager recommended that I should be barred from presenting the poster at the meeting, and also noted that Merck needed to know our study results.

HUNTINGTON: Graham offered a blistering condemnation of the FDA's drug safety program, saying that the system is broken and often overlooks the dangers of drug side effects.

GRAHAM: The FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx.

HUNTINGTON: A senior FDA official responsible for evaluating new drugs flatly dismissed Graham's assessment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you agree with Dr. Graham that five drugs he mentioned pose a significant safety risk to Americans?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I do not.

HUNTINGTON: Quitter (ph) also rejected Graham's contention that several drugs still on the market, including Bextra, a Cox-2 inhibitor from Pfizer, are dangerous and should be recalled.

Testifying via satellite, a former Merck consultant told lawmakers that the company refused his request for data on Vioxx- related heart attacks, and another doctor disputed Merck's central point that heart attacks occurred only in those who took the drug for more than 18 months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merck lacked information to know when the risk occurred, and you cannot say with confidence, given the available data...

HUNTINGTON: Merck chairman and CEO, Ray Gilmartin, presented a well-honed defense of his company and Vioxx, insisting that the first time Merck saw clinical evidence of heart attacks linked to Vioxx was just a week before the drug was pulled from the market in late September.

RAY GILMARTIN, CEO, MERCK: Merck believed wholeheartedly in Vioxx. I believed wholeheartedly in Vioxx. In fact, my wife was taking Vioxx, using Vioxx, up until the day we withdrew it from the market.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON: Now, Wolf, for now, Merck is saying it only knows of 375 lawsuits related to Vioxx, representing about 1,000 plaintiffs, but the company is almost certainly preparing for potentially tens of thousands of plaintiffs to sue, because Merck on its own numbers says that more than 20 million Americans took Vioxx over a five-year period -- Wolf. BLITZER: Chris Huntington, solid reporting. Thanks very much for that report.

Staying on Capitol Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans made it unanimous. They chose fellow Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania as their chairman. An official vote will take place in January. Specter promised President Bush judicial nominees, in his words, will get "quick committee hearings and early committee votes." Specter recently was criticized after suggesting judicial nominees opposed to abortion might not necessarily be confirmed.

Ethnic tensions. A growing insurgency. Is Mosul the next Iraqi hot spot? Why some fear it could be ground zero for civil war.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE JOHNSTON, FATHER: We have already given enough. And we do not want to go through this again ever again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One son gravely wounded in Iraq, now a desperate quest to save the other son.

And Condoleezza Rice heading into surgery tomorrow. Details of the disease and the cure, we'll have it for you.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In the fight for Iraq, some experts fear a civil war might be erupting in the city of Mosul. They point to a growing resentment of U.S. and Iraqi forces battling insurgents and a history of ethnic tensions over oil.

CNN's Zain Verjee reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sporadic firefights like this one, police stations in flames, bursts of insurgent sniper fire, the scene in Mosul earlier this week as U.S.-led forces clamped down on insurgents. The U.S. military says that Mosul is now under control. Why is the U.S. military paying so much attention to Mosul? Because it is a potential flash point for bloody ethnic confrontation.

And why do so many ethnic groups view Mosul as the ultimate prize? Oil. Mosul is strategically positioned close to the northern oil fields in Kurdish areas. Whoever controls Mosul controls the oil, a point apparently not lost on insurgents, who have been repeatedly attacking the pipeline.

BULENT ALIRIZA, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: If we go down the road towards ethnic conflict, control of those oil resources within Iraq, as well as the protection of interests of the outside is -- will obviously be one of the major factors in the confrontation itself.

VERJEE: With two million inhabitants, Mosul is the country's third largest city and, in many ways, a microcosm of Iraq, an ethnic mix where rival groups are motivated by very different interests and fueled by suspicions of one another. Most Kurds were driven out of Mosul when Saddam Hussein launched a program to Arabize the city, adding to the Sunni Muslim population there.

Now that Kurds can move freely again, many have returned to reclaim Mosul. Sunni Arabs fear for their future, accusing the U.S. of handing the city's security to the Kurdish militia. Sunni Arabs and Kurds are not the only ones competing for control. Minority ethnic Turks there see Mosul as a Turkish city. They don't want to see the Kurds in charge either.

ALIRIZA: Turkey is very worried about the emergence of a Kurdish state because of the impact it might have on its own people.

VERJEE: Turkey has already said it would go to war to prevent a Kurdish state. U.S.-based Turkish and Kurdish analysts say the insurgency in Mosul could destabilize the already complicated mix and that U.S.-led operations in Mosul are riskier than in Falluja, because:

DR. NAJMALDIN KARIM, WASHINGTON KURDISH INSTITUTE: Regardless of U.S. intervention, it will be viewed as a conflict between Arabs and Kurds. And that's very dangerous.

VERJEE: U.S. generals insist Mosul is now under control.

ALIRIZA: But the question is whether that control can last. The bulk of the Iraqi forces in the area are Kurdish. There is an anti- Kurdish sentiment developing within the Sunni population.

VERJEE: A potent mix that the U.S. military is taking seriously.

RETIRED BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY: You have a population that clearly wants to try to achieve peace, but you have a vacuum that is sucking in, and it's an opportunity for jihadists of various ilk to plant themselves.

VERJEE (on camera): The goal of the U.S., to plant the seeds of cooperation between the competing factions before the insurgents can exploit the divisions.

Zain Verjee, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The parents of two U.S. Marines are demanding the government allow their youngest son to come home from Iraq after his brother was seriously injured in Falluja.

More now from CNN's Mary Snow. She's standing by live in New York -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, nine days ago, a Marine from Connecticut suffered severe injuries that will change his life forever. He's a third-generation Marine and now his parents are drawing the line. They want to get their other son out of Iraq for good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERA HERON, MOTHER: I just broke down. I just couldn't believe it.

SNOW (voice-over): A mother grapples with the tragedy of war. Her 24-year-old son, Corporal Brian Johnston, lost his right arm and part of his right leg fighting with the Marines in Falluja earlier this month. Her only other son, Kevin, is also a Marine on his second tour of duty. He, too, was just in Falluja. The family now wants him out of Iraq.

HERON: They are our only two children. We only have the two boys.

JOHNSTON: We have already given enough. And we do not want to go through this again ever again.

SNOW: And they have enlisted the help of politicians from their home state of Connecticut.

REP. JOHN LARSON (D), CONNECTICUT: To look into the eye of any parent in that situation, obviously, you can identify with the urgency needed to bring their other son home.

SNOW: There are cases when the military does take someone out of combat zones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN")

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: We're here for a Private Ryan.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Who?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: It was made famous in "Saving Private Ryan" when a paratrooper was ordered out of combat during World War II after his three brothers were killed.

Back in April, two sisters from the Wisconsin National Guard were transferred to noncombat jobs when their sister was killed in the line of duty. This case is different, since Corporal Johnston is a survivor.

B. JOHNSTON: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home and I want him home now.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SNOW: Tonight, a bit of good news for the Johnston family. A spokesman for the Marine Corps is saying that Corporal Johnston will granted an emergency leave to visit his injured brother. However, his parents' wish to switch him to noncombat duty is a whole separate issue.

And I spoke with his father tonight, who says he's not even sure that his son is willing to leave combat duty for good -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Mary Snow reporting for us -- Mary, thank you very much.

Here's a look at some other news we're following from around the world making headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Israel is apologizing for an incident along the board between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli forces shot and killed three Egyptian policemen. Israel says its troops mistook them for terrorists.

Plague of locusts. Egypt also faces domestic concerns, the worst swarm of locusts in 15 years. The swarm moved through Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula. The flying insects can eat their weight in crops every day, but officials insist there's no serious threat to agriculture.

German storms. Severe storms cause floods in Hamburg. The rain was accompanied by winds up to 100 miles an hour.

And that is our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Would Israel launch military attacks on Iran's nuclear program? Standing by, we'll be joined by a leading Israeli lawmaker. He's got hard views on this issue.

Also, a medical expert weighing in on Dr. Condoleezza Rice's surgery, scheduled for tomorrow, what she can expect.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Iran says it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons, but an exile group says Iran is doing just that at a secret military site.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says he has seen intelligence that seems to corroborate that information from the exile group, along with intelligence suggesting Iran is trying to arm missiles with nuclear devices. That has long been a very, very serious concern of Israel, which back in 1981 sent its own jets to destroy Iraq's nuclear reactor. Will Israel, which won't acknowledge its own nuclear arsenal, once again launch a preemptive strike, this time against Iran?

Joining us now is General Ephraim Sneh, a leading member of Israel's Knesset, member of the Labor Party, former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army.

General, thanks very much for joining us.

How much of a danger do you believe Israel would be in if Iran developed a nuclear -- military nuclear capability?

DR. EPHRAIM SNEH, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Israel cannot, cannot live under the shadow of nuclear Iran and the bomb.

Israel is very vulnerable. All our economic and intellectual assets are concentrated in a piece of 20 and 60 miles. That's all. Two bombs can turn Israel into a scorched Third World country. We cannot live with it.

BLITZER: All right. Do you believe Iran is developing a nuclear bomb?

SNEH: I know that they develop.

BLITZER: How do you know?

SNEH: Intelligence and open sources.

BLITZER: But intelligence was wrong on Iraq before the war on its nuclear ambitions, if you will. How can you be so sure that your intelligence is accurate?

SNEH: The facts that we have are solid enough. And I think the international intelligence community agrees with us. And the Iranians themselves admitted to the IAEA that for 18 years they have been cheating the entire international community, and they made the process of building a nuclear bomb.

BLITZER: So, its commitment over the weekend to stop enriching uranium, is that good enough for you?

SNEH: It is not good enough for anyone, because they were cheating and they are cheating. And we cannot rely on this shameful agreement that the European made with their...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, I hear you suggesting that Israel potentially could take the matter into its own hands and launch another preemptive strike?

SNEH: No. We do not -- and I say it very clearly -- we do not prepare any preemptive strike against Iran. We don't think that it is only Israel's trouble. When they have missiles range of thousands of miles, not only Israel is in danger. We're in the first line of the danger. Today, Iran wages against us a brutal campaign of terror. Iran deployed 13,000 missiles and rockets on our north in the border in the Lebanese side.

BLITZER: Through Hezbollah, is that right?

SNEH: Through Hezbollah. But the Iranians did it.

So, in spite of that, we do not plan or prepare a preemptive strike.

BLITZER: What kind of timeline are you talking about? How much of a window is there now for some sort of peaceful resolution?

SNEH: We still hope that the international community, under the leadership of the United States of America, will take active moves to stop Iran from developing the bomb.

BLITZER: How much time is there?

SNEH: Very short, relatively short.

BLITZER: What does that mean?

SNEH: Two years.

We know -- and this is the common knowledge in the international intelligence community -- that it will take them, more or less, two years to reach what we call the point of no return. And the complacency of the international community drives Israel, push Israel to the corner.

BLITZER: All right.

SNEH: Though we do don't -- I say it a third time, Wolf. We don't prepare a preemptive strike, but, gradually, along the axis of time, we are pushed to the corner.

BLITZER: General Sneh, we have to leave it right there. Thanks very much.

This note to our viewers. We called the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, invited the ambassador or a spokesman to come on this program. They declined.

Just days after being tapped for secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice preparing to check into a hospital. An update on her condition and what could be a health concern for many women.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The woman President Bush has picked to be the next secretary of state is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. A spokesman says National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will be treated for uterine fibroids.

Here to explain what that is and what the treatment entails is Dr. John Lipman. He's an interventional radiologist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.

Dr. Lipman, thanks for joining us.

DR. JOHN LIPMAN, RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF ATLANTA: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: What is it, first of all?

LIPMAN: Well, uterine fibroids are benign tumors. It is the most common pelvic tumor. And it's present in one of every three women of child-bearing age and even more common in African-American women.

BLITZER: Why does she need to get rid of it? What happens if she didn't?

LIPMAN: Well, I don't know the specifics of Dr. Rice's condition.

But, typically, the most common symptoms of patients that have symptomatic uterine fibroids are very heavy bleeding. They can also be very painful. They can cause urinary frequency, painful intercourse, a number of symptoms. But it is, typically, the very heavy bleeding that is the most significant symptom.

BLITZER: So how do you treat this problem?

LIPMAN: Well, our procedure is called uterine fibroid embolization. And it's performed by an interventional radiologist, who are physicians that are specialized in these minimally invasive, targeted treatments for a whole host of number of medical conditions, but in this case uterine fibroids.

A catheter and a guide wire is directed into the blood supply of the uterus. And pellets are injected to cut the blood supply off to the numerous fibroids in the uterus. Without a blood supply, these fibroids will wither away and the symptoms will go away, all without surgery.

BLITZER: And how long will this take? Will she have to spend -- we're told she probably will have to spend the night in a hospital. Is that normal?

LIPMAN: Yes. Spending one night is as much as she will spend. Patients can leave the same day of the procedure, but at most she'll spend the night.

BLITZER: And side effects, aftereffects? What happens down the road?

LIPMAN: The procedure is much less risky than traditional surgery. It's also less painful for the patient. And the recovery period is much shorter.

Typically, a patient is off from work for a week, but the next day she may even be driving an automobile. It's usually over about a week. They have some crampiness and discomfort. They're not ready to work, but it is a much easier recovery, because the incision is a tiny nick in the skin at the groin with a Band-Aid. There's no surgical incision of any kind here.

BLITZER: Dr. Lipman, thanks for explaining this to us. And we appreciate it.

LIPMAN: My pleasure. Any time, Wolf.

BLITZER: And we'll have the results of our Web question of the day and more, including Bono, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the results of our Web question of the day. Take a look at this; 55 percent of you say yes, 45 no. This is not a scientific poll.

Among those attending today's opening of the Clinton Presidential Library was Bono of the rock band U2. He praised the former president's Northern Ireland peace efforts and then performed his song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in memory of Irish protesters killed in 1972.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, MUSICIAN (singing): I can't believe the news today. I can't close my eyes and make it go away. How long? How long must we sing this song? How long? How long, how long? Tonight, we can be as one, tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Bono in Little Rock.

Thanks for joining us. "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 November 18, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now. French President Jacques Chirac is in London after more blunt words challenging the decision by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to go to war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Mr. Chirac says that decision has increased rather than decreased terrorism. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Fight for Falluja. A U.S. commander has words for the insurgents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you're scattered. You're scattered. You've been flushed out from your hideout.

BLITZER: But you won't believe what they left behind.

Brothers in arms. One is badly wounded. What it takes to bring the other back from Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home.

BLITZER: Exclusive club.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A gift to the future by a man who always believed in the future.

BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The symbol of not only what I tried to do but what I want to do with the rest of my life. Building bridges from yesterday to tomorrow.

BLITZER: I'll speak about Bill Clinton, his library and his legacy with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Carl Bernstein.

Vioxx review. Are federal regulators at fault?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 100,000 Americans have paid dearly for this failure.

BLITZER: Are other quiet dangers still in your medicine cabinet?

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Thursday November 18, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The fight is not finished in Falluja. Another U.S. marine and an Iraqi soldier were killed today when insurgents attacked troops clearing a building. But the marine commander in Falluja says U.S. led forces have broken the back of the insurgency there while making some extraordinary discoveries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We have found a number of headquarters command and control cells. We found a number of ledgers which we're in the process of exploiting right now that list fighters from other countries and other parts of the globe. Not just us immediately surrounding the country of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But that's just the tip of the treasure-trove troops say turned up in Falluja. CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the U.S. army unit in that city and she filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. army troops going street by street, door to door in the southeast of Falluja have made some startling finds. One of them a house where 500-pound bombs were dropped where inside they say they have found evidence of lieutenants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and links to al Qaeda. They tell us that they have a letter from al-Zarqawi to the people in the house directing them as to what to do and other letters written to Zarqawi asking for money and asking for aid.

On the wall of the house that we were taken to is the symbol and writing of al Qaeda. Allegiance they say of the people inside there. It is not known whether they were killed or whether they escaped but near the site there are bodies of fighters who have not yet been identified.

In the industrial section as task force 22 from the first infantry division continues to break down door after door in that section, they have uncovered what appeared to be a suicide car bomb factory. Beyond these doors in an ordinary looking factory was an American suburban style vehicle brand new with a Texas registration sticker. No license plates. In a back room there were a variety of Iraqi license plates. Part of the vehicle had been dismantled and nearby were bags of chemicals that could be used for explosives. There were other car parts, as well. Doors taken off to put explosives into according to the U.S. soldiers.

And just next to that, anti-aircraft parts in the process of being assembled. They say it appeared to be an anti-aircraft battery repair shop which included a blackboard, chairs and instructions on how to shoot down a plane. They are still sifting through this but they continue to make these finds as they break down doors in southern Falluja. Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Fallujah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: While the U.S. military says Falluja has been secured, the city has paid a very heavy price. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Homes lie in ruins. Unidentified corpses rot under Falluja's rubble. The Iraqi government says it is victory.

THAIR AL-NAKIE, IRAQI PM SPOKESMAN: Falluja is no longer a stronghold or a haven for the terrorists. The battle has been won and we need only a few days to liquidate all the terrorists.

PENHAUL: That may be easier said than done. U.S. commanders say some insurgents escaped Falluja. It is not clear how many. Rebel violence has spiked in other cities. During Wednesday night and Thursday insurgents battled security forces in Ramadi. In Baghdad a car bomb exploded outside a police station killing and wounding civilians. And in Mosul the provincial governor's office was mortared. Though the Iraqi government seems unfazed.

AL-NAKIE: The attempts made by the terrorists to intimidate the people and to create a state of instability in Mosul has failed. The Iraqi security forces impose their control on the city.

PENHAUL: But Thursday morning insurgent gunmen could be still be seen freely roaming the streets. In the city of Falluja, the Iraqi government says it is offering food and a $100 subsidy to each family. The prime minister sending deputies to the city this weekend to assess damage and plan reconstruction. As yet there's no accurate independent assessment of the civilian casualty toll. Marines halted an offensive there in April partly because of a political backlash against civilian casualties. The U.S. military says it isn't responsible for counting this time referring all queries to the Iraqi government which last week said only 14 civilians had been injured.

AL-NAKIE: We give some numbers to the media and it wasn't a big number...

PENHAUL: The health ministry and hospital sources contradicted the prime minister's office telling CNN at least 119 wounded civilians were brought from Falluja to Baghdad for treatment. Sources said at least 14 other civilians died. Judging by Al-Nakie's response...

AL-NAKIE: I'm not going to get into numbers, sorry.

PENHAUL: The Iraqi government seems to be tired of answering questions about the human cost of its victory in Falluja. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Britain and France have agreed to disagree on Iraq but they haven't put their differences to rest as French President Jacques Chirac makes a state visit to the UK. CNN European political editor Robin Oakley reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: President Chirac got the grand welcome. Britain and France were after all celebrating 100 years of peace under the Entente Cordiale after centuries of fighting each other. Many had wondered how cordial it would be between two leaders that have been sharply divided over the Iraq war. But it turned out to be glassy smiles and glossover time.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the differences at the time of the conflict were well known but both of us in our working under U.N. Resolution 1546 and both of us want to see a stable and democratic Iraq. And both of us will do what we can to ensure that that happens.

OAKLEY: Well, yes but France still won't send troops to help. Not even as part of the NATO contingent now heading for Baghdad to train Iraqi forces even if the quarrels are now in the past.

PRES. JACQUES CHIRAC, FRANCE (through translator): We have a different analysis. We address things differently and we draw different conclusions as to who is right or wrong in this. History will tell.

OAKLEY: But did Mr. Chirac believe the war had increased rather than diminished terrorism?

CHIRAC: You cannot say and be credible that the situation has significantly improved.

OAKLEY: Both were keen to accentuate the positive. Iraq said Mr. Blair was the only issue on which they disagreed.

BLAIR: On the questions of Iran, of Afghanistan, of the Balkans, on the question of Africa, on the question of climate change, we are working very closely together.

OAKLEY: Mr. Chirac who had lately been suggesting Mr. Blair got nothing from being Mr. Bush's loyal ally told a questioner it was useful for Europe that the U.S. and U.K. had such close historic and linguistic ties. And the words didn't seem to stick in his throat. Later the president was to be entertained for dinner by the queen of Windsor Castle. Analysts were assuming there was nothing significant in the choice of theatrical performance afterwards in "Les Miserables." Mr. Chirac and Mr. Blair were careful not to inflame their differences over Iraq. Both made plain their eagerness to do anything they could to move on the Middle East peace process.

As for the love-hate relationship that constitutes the Entente Cordiale, both nations will now go back with relief to bashing the hell out of each other. Those strictly these days on the sporting field. Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: A who's who of American and international politics sat in the rain for hours today in Little Rock, Arkansas. The occasion, the dedication of Bill Clinton's presidential library. CNN national correspondent Kelly Wallace is there. She is joining us now live with an assessment. What happened, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you know former President Bill Clinton so well, and he managed to stay as positive as he could despite the rain. He joked that if his mom were still alive she would say it was liquid sunshine that was needed. It was one of those rare occasions where you have past presidents, the current one, Democrats and Republicans joining together.

In fact, former President Jimmy Carter remarked how great it was for Democrats and Republicans to be together just weeks after the election to celebrate a president and the opening of his new presidential library.

Bill Clinton talked about what he hopes to achieve with this new $165 million center and the 43rd president, President Bush heaped enormous praise on the man who beat his father in 1992.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM CLINTON, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The thing I what I want is people to come to this library, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, liberal or conservative, to see that public service is noble and important. That the choices and decisions leaders make affect the lives of millions of Americans and people all across the world. I want young people to want to see not only what I did with my life, but to see what they could do with their lives.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the White House the whole nation witnessed his brilliance and his mastery of detail his persuasive power and his persistence. The president is not the kind to give up a fight. His staffers were known to say if Clinton were the Titanic, the iceberg would sink.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And now this library open to the public and to historians. 80 million pages of presidential documents, more than any other presidential museum. And Mr. Clinton is making some of those documents available now, and earlier than required by law.

Wolf, Hillary Clinton says this is a sign of how he wants to have this an open, transparent and accessible building to the public and, yes, to historians -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelly Wallace, glad to see you're dry. Thanks very much, Kelly Wallace, reporting for us from Little Rock. To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this, "have you ever visited, or would you like to visit a presidential library?"

You can vote right now. Go to CNN.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast

The Clinton legacy, more on that coming up. How history will view the former president. I'll speak live with the veteran journalist, Carl Bernstein. He's standing by to join us next.

Putting patient safety first, a critical look at drug risks and recent mistakes involving a popular pain medication.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice's health. Just nominated to become the next secretary of state. Why she will undergo surgery tomorrow.

Also ahead:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just broke down. I couldn't believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One son critically injured in Iraq. A family fights to bring second son home from the war. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Like all presidential libraries, the Clinton Library that opened up in Little Rock, Arkansas today, will be a permanent home of records of the Clinton administration. Records that will be reviewed by scholars for generations to come as they consider the Clinton legacy.

Journalist Carl Bernstein has been writing about the occupants of the White House going back to the Nixon administration. He's joining us now live from New York. Carl, thanks very much for joining us.

You saw those 4 presidents walking in around the Clinton Library today. What was going through your mind as someone, as all of our viewers remember, who contributed I guess to is certain degree, to bring down one former president, that would be Richard Nixon during Watergate?

CARL BERNSTEIN, WASHINGTON POST: What was going through my mind is it was moving to see these 4 men together and to think of the possibilities and power of a president of the United States. And that in retrospect, we're able to see the contributions, certainly of the 3 predecessors of George W. Bush, and that the jury is really out right now on the current president. And that we face the possibility of a president presiding over a catastrophe which did not happen with the other three. I hope that I'm wrong.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about that. I think what you're suggesting is in a second Bush administration, there could be some problems. There has been a history of second-term problems going back as we just mentioned, Nixon Watergate, Reagan's second term, Iran-Contra, Clinton second term Monica Lewinsky, impeachment, the trial in the U.S. Senate. What do you see as a potential catastrophe, now with this president in a second term? BERNSTEIN: By a catastrophe, I don't mean a personal catastrophe to the president, I mean a catastrophe for the country or the world in terms of what's going on in Iraq. Unless things get much better, and unless we see that he has made some judgments and decisions that right now are open to serious question about their wisdom and honesty on which they were based.

In terms of the other 3 presidents, I think it is a mistake to look at everything in terms of first term and second term. Remember that Watergate began in the first Nixon administration. It was about a pervasive criminality of a president of the United States that did not uphold the constitution.

Iran-Contra, I don't think it had anything to do with whether it was a first or second term. Again, it had to do with evading constitutional responsibility on the part of President Reagan who, nonetheless, was a president of great accomplishment in terms of ending the Cold War and fighting the Cold War.

And similarly, this president's father presided very skillfully over the end of the Cold War and its aftermath. He had some personal problems in Iran-Contra in which he failed to answer questions about his own role in an extra constitutional event. But in terms of the big picture, in foreign policy, I think he performed pretty well.

BLITZER: What about Bill Clinton on this day that his library is formally opened, what about his legacy? What goes through your mind about the eight years that Clinton was in the White House?

BERNSTEIN: I think history is already beginning to regard Clinton as a very good president, as a very skillful president, who because of his personal indulgences perhaps squandered part of his presidency. That the economic accomplishments of the Clinton presidency are huge, that with a Republican Congress he was nonetheless able to cobble together education programs, programs to help those who can't help themselves in this country that other presidents might admire and emulate. I think it is a pretty good record, and I think also he's the great practitioner of politics of our time, and the great practitioner of the politics of unity of our time.

BLITZER: What about the criticism that he's received recently -- and everybody recognizes Bill Clinton was a master politician, no doubt about that -- that during his eight years, he failed to appreciate what Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda were doing. He could have taken them out earlier, those training camps in Afghanistan, but he simply ignored or didn't give the kind of attention that that problem certainly deserved.

BERNSTEIN: I think anybody who's looked at the facts, including subsequent secretaries of state of both parties -- of both parties knows that's not what happened. There was absolutely no appetite in Congress of the United States during the Clinton presidency for going after Osama bin Laden or after terrorism in a major way. And the record shows that Clinton did try to go at it as aggressively as he could. He also left a blueprint for the new presidency of George Bush, saying that this was the most important question and urgent question facing the new president, and the new president chose not to look at that agenda until September 12th, 2001.

That's not to say that Clinton was great on the issue, but there was absolutely no way, according to Madeleine Albright, according to people in Secretary Colin Powell's office, that the Congress would have permitted a really aggressive fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Remember, we went to war in Iraq in the first Bush administration.

BLITZER: Carl Bernstein, unfortunately we have got to leave it right there. Carl Bernstein, together with Bob Woodward won Pulitzer Prizes for the Watergate story. All of us remember that. Thanks for spending a few moments with us, Carl.

BERNSTEIN: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Dangerous drug. How a popular pain medication received approval despite the risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: Consumers should not have to send -- should not have to second-guess the safety of what is in their medicine cabinet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The makers of Vioxx and the FDA face tough questions up on Capitol Hill.

Potentially explosive divisions. Is the stage being set for a civil war in the Iraqi city of Mosul? Our Zain Verjee standing by on that.

Nuclear fears. Will Israel -- Israel take drastic measures to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions at bay? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What did Merck know about the dangers of Vioxx, and when did it know it? That's what the Senate Finances Committee is trying to find out on Capitol Hill, where members are grilling not only Merck executives but also government regulators. CNN's Chris Huntington is live with the story. He's joining us now -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, members of the committee wanted to find out if Merck and the FDA did enough to protect Vioxx users from the dangerous side effects of the drug, but what they got in the hearing today was an earful about the shortcomings of the FDA's drug safety program.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON (voice-over): FDA scientist David Graham testified that he estimated Vioxx caused more than 100,000 heart attacks, 30 to 40 percent of them fatal. But Graham told members of the Senate Finance Committee that his FDA superiors ridiculed him and insisted on changes.

DR. DAVID GRAHAM, FDA: I was pressured to change my conclusions and recommendations. One drug safety manager recommended that I should be barred from presenting the poster at the meeting, and also noted that Merck needed to know our study results.

HUNTINGTON: Graham offered a blistering condemnation of the FDA's drug safety program, saying that the system is broken and often overlooks the dangers of drug side effects.

GRAHAM: The FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx.

HUNTINGTON: A senior FDA official responsible for evaluating new drugs flatly dismissed Graham's assessment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you agree with Dr. Graham that five drugs he mentioned pose a significant safety risk to Americans?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I do not.

HUNTINGTON: Quitter (ph) also rejected Graham's contention that several drugs still on the market, including Bextra, a Cox-2 inhibitor from Pfizer, are dangerous and should be recalled.

Testifying via satellite, a former Merck consultant told lawmakers that the company refused his request for data on Vioxx- related heart attacks, and another doctor disputed Merck's central point that heart attacks occurred only in those who took the drug for more than 18 months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merck lacked information to know when the risk occurred, and you cannot say with confidence, given the available data...

HUNTINGTON: Merck chairman and CEO, Ray Gilmartin, presented a well-honed defense of his company and Vioxx, insisting that the first time Merck saw clinical evidence of heart attacks linked to Vioxx was just a week before the drug was pulled from the market in late September.

RAY GILMARTIN, CEO, MERCK: Merck believed wholeheartedly in Vioxx. I believed wholeheartedly in Vioxx. In fact, my wife was taking Vioxx, using Vioxx, up until the day we withdrew it from the market.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON: Now, Wolf, for now, Merck is saying it only knows of 375 lawsuits related to Vioxx, representing about 1,000 plaintiffs, but the company is almost certainly preparing for potentially tens of thousands of plaintiffs to sue, because Merck on its own numbers says that more than 20 million Americans took Vioxx over a five-year period -- Wolf. BLITZER: Chris Huntington, solid reporting. Thanks very much for that report.

Staying on Capitol Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans made it unanimous. They chose fellow Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania as their chairman. An official vote will take place in January. Specter promised President Bush judicial nominees, in his words, will get "quick committee hearings and early committee votes." Specter recently was criticized after suggesting judicial nominees opposed to abortion might not necessarily be confirmed.

Ethnic tensions. A growing insurgency. Is Mosul the next Iraqi hot spot? Why some fear it could be ground zero for civil war.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE JOHNSTON, FATHER: We have already given enough. And we do not want to go through this again ever again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: One son gravely wounded in Iraq, now a desperate quest to save the other son.

And Condoleezza Rice heading into surgery tomorrow. Details of the disease and the cure, we'll have it for you.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In the fight for Iraq, some experts fear a civil war might be erupting in the city of Mosul. They point to a growing resentment of U.S. and Iraqi forces battling insurgents and a history of ethnic tensions over oil.

CNN's Zain Verjee reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sporadic firefights like this one, police stations in flames, bursts of insurgent sniper fire, the scene in Mosul earlier this week as U.S.-led forces clamped down on insurgents. The U.S. military says that Mosul is now under control. Why is the U.S. military paying so much attention to Mosul? Because it is a potential flash point for bloody ethnic confrontation.

And why do so many ethnic groups view Mosul as the ultimate prize? Oil. Mosul is strategically positioned close to the northern oil fields in Kurdish areas. Whoever controls Mosul controls the oil, a point apparently not lost on insurgents, who have been repeatedly attacking the pipeline.

BULENT ALIRIZA, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: If we go down the road towards ethnic conflict, control of those oil resources within Iraq, as well as the protection of interests of the outside is -- will obviously be one of the major factors in the confrontation itself.

VERJEE: With two million inhabitants, Mosul is the country's third largest city and, in many ways, a microcosm of Iraq, an ethnic mix where rival groups are motivated by very different interests and fueled by suspicions of one another. Most Kurds were driven out of Mosul when Saddam Hussein launched a program to Arabize the city, adding to the Sunni Muslim population there.

Now that Kurds can move freely again, many have returned to reclaim Mosul. Sunni Arabs fear for their future, accusing the U.S. of handing the city's security to the Kurdish militia. Sunni Arabs and Kurds are not the only ones competing for control. Minority ethnic Turks there see Mosul as a Turkish city. They don't want to see the Kurds in charge either.

ALIRIZA: Turkey is very worried about the emergence of a Kurdish state because of the impact it might have on its own people.

VERJEE: Turkey has already said it would go to war to prevent a Kurdish state. U.S.-based Turkish and Kurdish analysts say the insurgency in Mosul could destabilize the already complicated mix and that U.S.-led operations in Mosul are riskier than in Falluja, because:

DR. NAJMALDIN KARIM, WASHINGTON KURDISH INSTITUTE: Regardless of U.S. intervention, it will be viewed as a conflict between Arabs and Kurds. And that's very dangerous.

VERJEE: U.S. generals insist Mosul is now under control.

ALIRIZA: But the question is whether that control can last. The bulk of the Iraqi forces in the area are Kurdish. There is an anti- Kurdish sentiment developing within the Sunni population.

VERJEE: A potent mix that the U.S. military is taking seriously.

RETIRED BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS, U.S. ARMY: You have a population that clearly wants to try to achieve peace, but you have a vacuum that is sucking in, and it's an opportunity for jihadists of various ilk to plant themselves.

VERJEE (on camera): The goal of the U.S., to plant the seeds of cooperation between the competing factions before the insurgents can exploit the divisions.

Zain Verjee, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The parents of two U.S. Marines are demanding the government allow their youngest son to come home from Iraq after his brother was seriously injured in Falluja.

More now from CNN's Mary Snow. She's standing by live in New York -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, nine days ago, a Marine from Connecticut suffered severe injuries that will change his life forever. He's a third-generation Marine and now his parents are drawing the line. They want to get their other son out of Iraq for good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERA HERON, MOTHER: I just broke down. I just couldn't believe it.

SNOW (voice-over): A mother grapples with the tragedy of war. Her 24-year-old son, Corporal Brian Johnston, lost his right arm and part of his right leg fighting with the Marines in Falluja earlier this month. Her only other son, Kevin, is also a Marine on his second tour of duty. He, too, was just in Falluja. The family now wants him out of Iraq.

HERON: They are our only two children. We only have the two boys.

JOHNSTON: We have already given enough. And we do not want to go through this again ever again.

SNOW: And they have enlisted the help of politicians from their home state of Connecticut.

REP. JOHN LARSON (D), CONNECTICUT: To look into the eye of any parent in that situation, obviously, you can identify with the urgency needed to bring their other son home.

SNOW: There are cases when the military does take someone out of combat zones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN")

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: We're here for a Private Ryan.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Who?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: It was made famous in "Saving Private Ryan" when a paratrooper was ordered out of combat during World War II after his three brothers were killed.

Back in April, two sisters from the Wisconsin National Guard were transferred to noncombat jobs when their sister was killed in the line of duty. This case is different, since Corporal Johnston is a survivor.

B. JOHNSTON: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home and I want him home now.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SNOW: Tonight, a bit of good news for the Johnston family. A spokesman for the Marine Corps is saying that Corporal Johnston will granted an emergency leave to visit his injured brother. However, his parents' wish to switch him to noncombat duty is a whole separate issue.

And I spoke with his father tonight, who says he's not even sure that his son is willing to leave combat duty for good -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Mary Snow reporting for us -- Mary, thank you very much.

Here's a look at some other news we're following from around the world making headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Israel is apologizing for an incident along the board between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli forces shot and killed three Egyptian policemen. Israel says its troops mistook them for terrorists.

Plague of locusts. Egypt also faces domestic concerns, the worst swarm of locusts in 15 years. The swarm moved through Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula. The flying insects can eat their weight in crops every day, but officials insist there's no serious threat to agriculture.

German storms. Severe storms cause floods in Hamburg. The rain was accompanied by winds up to 100 miles an hour.

And that is our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Would Israel launch military attacks on Iran's nuclear program? Standing by, we'll be joined by a leading Israeli lawmaker. He's got hard views on this issue.

Also, a medical expert weighing in on Dr. Condoleezza Rice's surgery, scheduled for tomorrow, what she can expect.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Iran says it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons, but an exile group says Iran is doing just that at a secret military site.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says he has seen intelligence that seems to corroborate that information from the exile group, along with intelligence suggesting Iran is trying to arm missiles with nuclear devices. That has long been a very, very serious concern of Israel, which back in 1981 sent its own jets to destroy Iraq's nuclear reactor. Will Israel, which won't acknowledge its own nuclear arsenal, once again launch a preemptive strike, this time against Iran?

Joining us now is General Ephraim Sneh, a leading member of Israel's Knesset, member of the Labor Party, former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army.

General, thanks very much for joining us.

How much of a danger do you believe Israel would be in if Iran developed a nuclear -- military nuclear capability?

DR. EPHRAIM SNEH, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Israel cannot, cannot live under the shadow of nuclear Iran and the bomb.

Israel is very vulnerable. All our economic and intellectual assets are concentrated in a piece of 20 and 60 miles. That's all. Two bombs can turn Israel into a scorched Third World country. We cannot live with it.

BLITZER: All right. Do you believe Iran is developing a nuclear bomb?

SNEH: I know that they develop.

BLITZER: How do you know?

SNEH: Intelligence and open sources.

BLITZER: But intelligence was wrong on Iraq before the war on its nuclear ambitions, if you will. How can you be so sure that your intelligence is accurate?

SNEH: The facts that we have are solid enough. And I think the international intelligence community agrees with us. And the Iranians themselves admitted to the IAEA that for 18 years they have been cheating the entire international community, and they made the process of building a nuclear bomb.

BLITZER: So, its commitment over the weekend to stop enriching uranium, is that good enough for you?

SNEH: It is not good enough for anyone, because they were cheating and they are cheating. And we cannot rely on this shameful agreement that the European made with their...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, I hear you suggesting that Israel potentially could take the matter into its own hands and launch another preemptive strike?

SNEH: No. We do not -- and I say it very clearly -- we do not prepare any preemptive strike against Iran. We don't think that it is only Israel's trouble. When they have missiles range of thousands of miles, not only Israel is in danger. We're in the first line of the danger. Today, Iran wages against us a brutal campaign of terror. Iran deployed 13,000 missiles and rockets on our north in the border in the Lebanese side.

BLITZER: Through Hezbollah, is that right?

SNEH: Through Hezbollah. But the Iranians did it.

So, in spite of that, we do not plan or prepare a preemptive strike.

BLITZER: What kind of timeline are you talking about? How much of a window is there now for some sort of peaceful resolution?

SNEH: We still hope that the international community, under the leadership of the United States of America, will take active moves to stop Iran from developing the bomb.

BLITZER: How much time is there?

SNEH: Very short, relatively short.

BLITZER: What does that mean?

SNEH: Two years.

We know -- and this is the common knowledge in the international intelligence community -- that it will take them, more or less, two years to reach what we call the point of no return. And the complacency of the international community drives Israel, push Israel to the corner.

BLITZER: All right.

SNEH: Though we do don't -- I say it a third time, Wolf. We don't prepare a preemptive strike, but, gradually, along the axis of time, we are pushed to the corner.

BLITZER: General Sneh, we have to leave it right there. Thanks very much.

This note to our viewers. We called the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, invited the ambassador or a spokesman to come on this program. They declined.

Just days after being tapped for secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice preparing to check into a hospital. An update on her condition and what could be a health concern for many women.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The woman President Bush has picked to be the next secretary of state is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. A spokesman says National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will be treated for uterine fibroids.

Here to explain what that is and what the treatment entails is Dr. John Lipman. He's an interventional radiologist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.

Dr. Lipman, thanks for joining us.

DR. JOHN LIPMAN, RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF ATLANTA: Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: What is it, first of all?

LIPMAN: Well, uterine fibroids are benign tumors. It is the most common pelvic tumor. And it's present in one of every three women of child-bearing age and even more common in African-American women.

BLITZER: Why does she need to get rid of it? What happens if she didn't?

LIPMAN: Well, I don't know the specifics of Dr. Rice's condition.

But, typically, the most common symptoms of patients that have symptomatic uterine fibroids are very heavy bleeding. They can also be very painful. They can cause urinary frequency, painful intercourse, a number of symptoms. But it is, typically, the very heavy bleeding that is the most significant symptom.

BLITZER: So how do you treat this problem?

LIPMAN: Well, our procedure is called uterine fibroid embolization. And it's performed by an interventional radiologist, who are physicians that are specialized in these minimally invasive, targeted treatments for a whole host of number of medical conditions, but in this case uterine fibroids.

A catheter and a guide wire is directed into the blood supply of the uterus. And pellets are injected to cut the blood supply off to the numerous fibroids in the uterus. Without a blood supply, these fibroids will wither away and the symptoms will go away, all without surgery.

BLITZER: And how long will this take? Will she have to spend -- we're told she probably will have to spend the night in a hospital. Is that normal?

LIPMAN: Yes. Spending one night is as much as she will spend. Patients can leave the same day of the procedure, but at most she'll spend the night.

BLITZER: And side effects, aftereffects? What happens down the road?

LIPMAN: The procedure is much less risky than traditional surgery. It's also less painful for the patient. And the recovery period is much shorter.

Typically, a patient is off from work for a week, but the next day she may even be driving an automobile. It's usually over about a week. They have some crampiness and discomfort. They're not ready to work, but it is a much easier recovery, because the incision is a tiny nick in the skin at the groin with a Band-Aid. There's no surgical incision of any kind here.

BLITZER: Dr. Lipman, thanks for explaining this to us. And we appreciate it.

LIPMAN: My pleasure. Any time, Wolf.

BLITZER: And we'll have the results of our Web question of the day and more, including Bono, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the results of our Web question of the day. Take a look at this; 55 percent of you say yes, 45 no. This is not a scientific poll.

Among those attending today's opening of the Clinton Presidential Library was Bono of the rock band U2. He praised the former president's Northern Ireland peace efforts and then performed his song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in memory of Irish protesters killed in 1972.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, MUSICIAN (singing): I can't believe the news today. I can't close my eyes and make it go away. How long? How long must we sing this song? How long? How long, how long? Tonight, we can be as one, tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Bono in Little Rock.

Thanks for joining us. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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