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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Rumsfeld to Stay; Thompson Steps Down

Aired December 03, 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, a breaking story, the defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld staying on after getting a request from President Bush. What's behind the move? Why is the defense secretary one of the people the president wants to keep?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Homeland Security: He led New York's police on 9/11, now he's been named to watch the homefront.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolve he felt that morning will guide him everyday on his job.

BLITZER: But who will watch health front? Another secretary steps down.

Killing spree in Iraq. Insurgents strike a police station and a mosque during morning prayers.

Vote voided. The opposition elated as Ukraine's high court calls for a repeat of that presidential runoff.

Say it ain't so. Stars and steroids. Can baseball get healthy again? I'll ask former commissioner, Faye Vincent.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 3, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There's important news developing out of the White House right now. Let's go to our correspondent there Suzanne Malveaux with word on the defense secretary -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, as you know, there was a lot of speculation about whether or not Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld would stay or go. A senior administration official told CNN that, in fact, he is going to stay for another 4 years. This was a discussion that Rumsfeld had with the president on Monday in a meeting at the White House, one of their morning weekly meetings. The president asked him to stay on and the senior official administration said why, because this is a country that is at war, that Secretary Rumsfeld has proven himself. And he said, quite frankly, that he is the right man for the job. So, that position, of course, stays with Secretary Rumsfeld. And I guess what the numbers show here, Wolf, is that out of 15 cabinet members so far, we have 8 resignations and still there are questions about six others.

BLITZER: Suzanne, stand by for a moment. I'm going to get back to you about some of those other resignations. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by as well. Jamie, this is not a huge surprise. But it is official now, Rumsfeld remains at the Defense Department.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was expected he would stay on. He is 72 years old, but Rumsfeld has shown no inclination to leave at this point. He does want to shepherd the next phase of the war in Iraq, and his reforms of the Pentagon as he tries to transform the U.S. military into a lighter, more mobile force.

Rumsfeld had been very cagey about his future. Every time he was asked, he said the subject hadn't even come up in his discussions with President Bush. That changed this week as Suzanne Malveaux reported.

And again, President Bush had indicated he probably would want Rumsfeld to stay. He asked him to stay. Rumsfeld is going to stay.

And it is expected that he will be here at least a year, but there's no time limit on how long he'd stay in the second term.

BLITZER: I had been told, Jamie, that the Defense Secretary never wanted to leave during a down period, when it might look like his policies had been a failure. He always wanted to leave when there had been a success. And that certainly seems to be motivating him. What are you hearing specifically on that?

MCINTYRE: Well, you know, from his days as a wrestler at Princeton, Rumsfeld has always been a tenacious fighter. And he never concedes that he is losing in any way. So, he clearly would like to leave at the top of his game, not at a time when he is facing some significant challenges. He would like to show he can meet and defeat those challenges.

BLITZER: All right. Jamie McIntyre with the latest on Donald Rumsfeld staying at the Pentagon, at least for the time being. The president wants him to stay there. And he certainly wants to stay as well.

But there are lots of other changes taking place as the second term of the Bush administration gets going. The president today named a former tough cop to police the home front. But he now has a vacancy to fill in the health front.

Once again, let's go back to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wolf, literally, there were comings and goings at the White House. People of course, are going to stay and people who are leaving. Today, President Bush announced Bernie Kerik is his choice for Homeland Security Secretary.

This is a man, of course, who's been in law enforcement for quite some time. He was an enlisted military police officer in Korea, a jail warden in New Jersey, a beat cop in New York City and, of course, the former New York City Police Commissioner.

Most notably, however, he is known as the man who really helped New York get back on its feet immediately following the September 11 attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: As police commissioner on September 11, 2001, Bernie Kerik arrived at the World Trade Center minutes after the first plane hit. He was there when the Twin Towers collapsed. He knew the faces of the rescuers who rushed toward danger. He attended the funeral of the officers who didn't come back. Bernie Kerik understands the duties that came to America on September 11.

BERNARD KERIK, APPOINTED TO HEAD HOMELAND SECURITY: Mr. President, I understand, as you do, the tremendous challenge that faces America in securing our nation and its citizens from the threat of terrorism, and I know what is at stake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Kerik was also responsible for helping train the Iraqi police force during their transition. He was also out on the campaign trail with the president for his reelection bid.

Should also let you know, as well Wolf, there was another announcement today at the White House, secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson resigned, stepping down, making him the eighth person out of the cabinet to do so.

He is most notably known for his accomplishment of pushing for the landmark Medicare legislation, controversial in nature. It provides some prescription drug coverage. But he is stepping down.

The name that keeps coming up as a possible replacement is Mark McClellan. He is the U.S. Chief on Medicare. He is also the former commissioner of the FDA. And if the name sounds familiar, of course, it's also because it's the brother of White House press secretary, Scott McClellan.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much for all that information from the White House. Suzanne, thanks.

Bernard Kerik started at the bottom in his climb to the cabinet. His background simply extraordinary. CNN's Mary Snow joining us now from New York with a look at the man slated to become the next Homeland Security Secretary -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, he is described as a straight shooter, someone who is aggressive and focused. Bernard Kerik was once a New York City police officer wearing a ponytail as an undercover agent. Just the start of his career before rising to the top.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Through his rise up the ranks from a New York City street cop to a cabinet appointee, those who know Bernard Kerik sum him up in a word: tough. His successor, New York City Police Commission Ray Kelly.

RAY KELLY, NYC POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, I think he is aggressive and I think he is determined. I think those are two good traits to have in that position.

SNOW: A high school dropout, Kerik served in the military before realizing his long-term dream of joining the NYPD. Times Square was one of his first beats when he joined the force in 1986. Today, a wish of luck from among the ranks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm sure he'll do a great job. We worked together Midtown South and I wish him well.

SNOW: Time Square was rough. And so was Kerik's upbringing.

In a 2001 autobiography, he revealed his mother had abdomen him and that she was a prostitute who may have been murdered by a pimp.

KERIK: It was difficult. It was hard. It was heart-wrenching to go back and hear things that I never knew, learned things that I was unaware of.

SNOW: Growing up in New Jersey, Kerik credits his father with saving his life. But the other influential man in his life has been Rudy Giuliani.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI, FRM. NEW YORK MAYOR: Bernie is one of the few people that has lived through a terrorist attack and had to deal with it from a command level. So, he will understand what's necessary for that.

SNOW: Kerik was by Giuliani's side as police commissioner on September 11. And his career has been closely tied to the former mayor, whom he met while serving as a driver during one of Giuliani's campaigns.

ANDREW KIRTZMAN, AUTHOR: You can't overstate the allegiance Bernie Kerik has to Rudy Giuliani. Rudy Giuliani has given Bernie Kerik every major public job that Kerik has ever had.

SNOW: Currently, Kerik works at Giuliani's private consulting firm. And the close ties have sparked criticism in New York. "Newsday" ran a column calling Kerik's nomination a quote, "ticking time bomb." Calling Kerik, "an energetic exploiter of the September 11 tragedy."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani just spoke to the press just a short time ago. And he was asked if he spoke to the president on behalf of Kerik. He would not answer that question. But he said he has been a strong supporter and that many people know his opinion.

He was also asked if he was asked to do the job. He said at this point, he could not leave his private life to enter government. And he had not been asked to be Homeland Security Director -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, thanks very much for that report.

They struck suddenly and nearly simultaneously: Insurgents staging a series of bloody attacks in Baghdad today. And when it was all over, at least 29 people were dead and many, many more were wounded. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was just after dawn, the first prayers of the day at the Shiite mosque in North Baghdad. Police say 4 suicide bombers rammed a minibus laden with explosives into the building. Prayer (ph) goes blood in a pool on the street. Charred remains of the bomb and its target.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): The car bomb exploded at 6:00 or 5:45 am, burning this car and the house. When the people went to gathered to put out the fire, the car exploded again and the bodies of the victims covered the street.

PENHAUL: The bombers, and at least 14 worshippers died, some 20 others wounded. A district police chief accused Sunni insurgents of trying to stoke sectarian strife. A few hundred yards away, gunmen unleashed a volley rockets at a police station. No casualties were reported. At almost exactly the same time, insurgents traveling in eleven cars overran another police station in southwest Baghdad alongside the strategic airport road. Police chiefs say the insurgents killed at least 11 police and wounded others. 20 prisoners were freed from police cells and are now on the run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 6:00 am, the police station was attacked. I couldn't see what happened due to the chaos and turmoil.

PENHAUL: On an Islamic website, affiliates of the al Qaeda linked Abu Musab al Zarqawi network claimed responsibility for the strikes. There was no independent confirmation.

(on camera): Interior ministry officials say they believe that growing numbers of insurgents from different factions are filtering in to Baghdad from outlying areas to fight a joint campaign.

SABAH KADHIM, SR. ADVISER, INTERIOR MINISTRY: It is the people who were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) part of the Saddam groups, the criminal elements together with the Islamic desperadoes who want chaos and, therefore, I think this unholy alliance is coordinating its activities.

PENAHAUL: Coming a day after mortar attack in the heart of Baghdad, authorities believe the rebels have a single aim.

KADHIM: They want this government to fail and to -- and for this election not to take place.

PENHAUL: There's still almost two months to go before the elections, it seems clear there's still plenty of fighting to be done if the ballot is to be held in peace. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, insurgents suffered a setback. THe U.S. military says at least a dozen of them were killed in gun battles today with American and Iraqi troops. U.S. forces meantime have scored another apparent success. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Mosul. He joins us live on the telephone with the latest. What's happening up there, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now, I can hear sporadic gunfire in the city of Mosul. That is quite unusual but today has been unusual with the heaviest attack for almost a month seen on U.S. troop. It was coordinated and planned. U.S. troops had intelligence that it may be coming. It was also simultaneous with attacks on three different police stations on the problematic western side of Mosul. Lieutenant Colonel Ari Karila (ph) was commander of the forces that came under attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were hit by about 35, 40 guys over a two kilometer period. We were hit with multiple RPGs and a lot of 152 artillery round, IEDs and small arms, all the way down. Multiple directed, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We returned back. We had a few casualties that will be OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: After they returned to base, they came back immediately with a stronger force. They believe they killed at least a dozen insurgents. What surprised the U.S. forces was that the attack came very well structured and very well planned over quite a large area in Mosul, that at the end of the day, the insurgents who put down their forces disappeared. Earlier in the day, troops here had secured in an overnight raid, a man believed to be a top financier and planner and builder of IEDs, roadside bombs.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Mosul for us, Nic, doing an excellent, outstanding job under very, very dangerous circumstances.

Ukraine's disputed election, a major decision sparking celebrations. We'll have a live report from the capital.

Also, more surprises in the baseball steroid scandal. I'll speak with the former baseball commissioner, Mr. Vincent.

Plus, he is a former prisoner who now meets with the president of the United States. Why is his book on the White House reading list right now? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a dramatic and historic development in the standoff over the recently held presidential elections in Ukraine. The Ukrainian supreme court has now invalidated the results of the disputed runoff and that decision is now being warmly welcomed here in Washington and much of Europe. In the Ukrainian capital, the announcement set off celebrations of millions of thousands of protesters. CNN's Jill Dougherty joins us now live -- Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a major victory for the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. He was down on Independence Square where those thousands of demonstrators had been for 12 days now in the cold and the snow and he thanked them. He said they were the ones who brought about the victory. He also praised the work of the Ukraine supreme court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to ask you to greet with applause the supreme court judges. They are real heroes today. Well done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So, this was a major victory. One of the reasons, as western diplomats have said, the courts traditionally have been under the thumb and under the influence of the government. This time, they ruled in favor of the opposition. So, what did they decide? They agreed with the opposition that those elections held on November 21 were filled with irregularities. They annulled them and now the country moves toward a repeat of that runoff and that will take place December 26. Meanwhile, Wolf, there will be a giant celebration tomorrow here in Kiev.

BLITZER: Jill Dougherty reporting for us from Kiev. Certainly, Vladimir Putin the president of Russia not happy. We'll monitor the reaction in Russia as well.

The baseball steroid scandal growing with another star thrust into the headlines. I'll talk about it with the former baseball commissioner, Fay Vincent.

A surprise search of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Police now saying they could be there all day. We'll have the latest on the child molestation case.

And he got very high marks for his handling of 9/11. But is he up to the job of homeland security secretary? A closer look at the challenges Bernard Kerik faces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: First, it was Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, reportedly admitting to a grand jury that he used steroids. Now, the source of that report, "The San Francisco Chronicle," says San Francisco Giant Slugger, Barry Bonds, testified to a grand jury he unknowingly used steroids.

CNN's Steve Overmyer is covering the controversy.

He joins us live from the CNN center -- Steve.

STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS: Wolf, for more than a year, the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, commonly known as BALCO has been investigated for disturbing steroids. Forty athletes were called to testify, but the centerpiece and the biggest name in the scandal has been, Barry Bonds. The San Francisco Giants slugger has always denied using steroids, but a new report indicates that he has.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUESTION: Barry, how do you feel about your name being attached to all this coverage this winter of the BALCO story?

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: There's nothing I can do about it right now. I'm just going to go out there and play baseball and hopefully this will all blow over.

OVERMYER (voice-over): When the 2004 baseball season began Barry Bonds found himself playing defense against allegation that is he used steroids. Bonds went on to have, arguably, the best season of his 19- year career. According to "The San Francisco Chronicle," Bonds testified to a grand jury, last December, that he unknowingly used steroids. The Giants slugger says he was told the substances were flax seed oil and a cream treatment for arthritis. According to the report, BALCO founder Victor Conte confirmed the clear substance and the cream that Bonds admitted to using was, in fact, steroids.

MIKE RAINS, BONDS' ATTORNEY: He doesn't know that they were steroids. My client is hardly a chemist. My client was told to take flax seed oil. This is a clear substance. And he had no reason to disbelieve his best friend. So, no, I don't acknowledge my client took steroids. I won't. He won't.

OVERMYER: Records obtained by "The Chronicle" show Bonds started using steroids in 2001, the same year he set the single season home run record with 73. Even if the evidence against him taints his reputation, it likely won't affect his place in the record books. Major League Baseball didn't officially ban steroids until 2004, three years after the report says Bonds took illegal substances. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig vows, there will be harsher penalties for steroid users.

BUD SELIG, BASEBALL COMMISSIONER: We're going to leave no stone unturned until we have that policy in place by spring training next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OVERMYER: A base boy -- a baseball steroid punishment policy is widely considered to be way too light. The first offense is simply just education. The next offense ranges from 15 days to a year after the fifth positive test. Here's the kicker, Wolf, a player can only be tested once a year. So, it would take five seasons of positive test, Wolf, to get a one-year ban. Remember, we're not talking about some utility player here. We're talking about Barry Bonds, the only man that has ever won seven Maps. This guy is considered one of the best if not the best, if not the best player in baseball.

BLITZER: Steve Overmyer, reporting for us. Thanks Steve very much for that information.

The reports on Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds are just the latest developments in the drug controversy plaguing Major League Baseball.

Joining now us with his take, this former league commissioner Fay Vincent. He's joining us from Vero Beach, Florida. Mr. Vincent, thanks very much for joining us.

First of all, your reaction to these latest developments involving Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds.

FAY VINCENT, FORMER BASEBALL COMMISSIONER: I'm disappointed. I feel bad for them and I feel bad for baseball. But, Wolf, it's important to recognize, we're getting information from leaks out of the grand jury and in part from snippets of admissions. And I think it's still early to get the full story. I think the tragedy is that these guys may have been doing some things that are going to hurt themselves very badly in a health sense.

BLITZER: But these are two guys.

How widespread do you fear steroid use is now and has been in Major League Baseball?

VINCENT: Well, you know, they did some testing a few years ago to see whether a policy on steroids was necessary. And I think the results show that 7 percent of the players had used steroids. My guess is the number is much higher than that. And so, I think it's a serious problem for baseball. The perception that it's a very big problem is certainly out there. I think the commissioner's hands are tied. He says he wants to have a change in the policy and some -- zero tolerance program in effect by next March. Well, the union really controls baseball, not the commissioner. And it's going to be very hard to get this union to move. So, I'm not critical of Mr. Selig, I'm just being sympathetic to what hard work he has ahead of him.

BLITZER: Because you heard Steve Overmyer say it could take five seasons to really start punishing someone, given the fact that they can only test for steroids once a year.

VINCENT: Yes. Look, I threw Steve Howl out baseball for eight for having violated baseball's cocaine drug policy eight times. And the union petitioned successfully to get him reinstated. What does that tell you?

The union is going to be very difficult on this subject. And it's going to take some very severe and strong public opinion, maybe the intervention of somebody in the government. And I think a new attitude on the part of the union to get this problem addressed.

BLITZER: So, there's not going to be an asterisk next to Barry Bonds' home run record going down in the history books based on what we're hearing now, is that right?

VINCENT: Well, I would think that would be very unlikely, Wolf. Look, I think even though we don't know exactly what Barry Bonds was taking, whatever he is taking, were I to take it, I couldn't hit a fast ball the way he can hit and I doubt you could either. We don't know what the effect of the steroid use is on a great athlete like Barry Bonds. The problem is, he's never going to be able to convince us, that it did have some effect. So, there won't be an asterisk. I think there'll be a lot of sunshine. I think sunlight is the best disinfectant. It will tell people what's been going on. But Barry and the baseball people ought to come clean, tell us exactly what the truth is and let the public judge.

BLITZER: Fay Vincent, the former baseball commissioner, thanks very much for joining us.

VINCENT: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, should records be stripped from athletes if it's proven they used banned substances?

You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results coming up a little bit later in this broadcast.

President Bush fired off over a book he says is a must read. Up next, I'll speak to a survivor of Soviet prisons and the author of the new book "The Case For Democracy."

Also, protests at India on the 20th anniversary of one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

And the former New York City cop, who is now President Bush's pick for secretary of Homeland Security. The challenges ahead, if he's confirmed, our Jeanne Meserve standing by with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

He has a unique background, but is Bernard Kerik up to the unique challenges of being the homeland security secretary? A look at that, that's coming up.

First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

Caring, sweet, loving, words used to describe Scott Peterson by the mother of a boyhood friend. She was testifying as part of defense efforts to try to persuade a Redwood City jury not to impose the death penalty. Peterson has been convicted of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. Seven people are dead after carrying -- a boat carrying migrants mostly from the Dominican Republic capsized off Puerto Rico. A Coast Guard spokesman says the boat was trying to negotiate the surf to land in a secluded area of the island. Survivors will be interviewed and may be repatriated.

Basque separatists are being blamed for five explosions that rattled Madrid this evening. The blasts all occurred at gas stations on the outskirts of the city as residents streamed out of town ahead of the holiday weekend. Police say six people were slightly wounded. The separatist group ETA issued a warning shortly before the blasts went off.

More now on the nomination of Bernard Kerik as the next homeland security . With the war on terror in full swing, he will face unique challenges, if confirmed. Is he up to those challenges?

Here is CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, I think the president has made a wonderful choice.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the calm, reassuring Tom Ridge is the Mr. Rogers of homeland security, Bernard Kerik may be the Mr. T, a hard-nosed, hard-charging Washington outsider who stood up to withering criticism from a 9/11 commissioner.

JOHN LEHMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: I think that the command- and-control and communications of this city's public service is a scandal. It's not worthy of the Boy Scouts, let alone this great city.

BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I have to say, there is no lack of line authority in the New York City Police Department.

MESERVE: Some feel that the no-nonsense former beat cop and narcotics detective may be just the ticket to shake up a department some perceive as losing momentum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie Kerik is a great choice. I can't think of a better choice. He has the intensity. He has the passion. He's a guy who lived September 11. He knows what it's about.

MESERVE: There is no doubt he knows what first-responders want and need from the department. And there is little doubt he will try to direct more money and resources to urban centers like New York, which may explain why even New York Democrats are rooting for him.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Bernie is a straight shooter. He's a vintage New Yorker.

MESERVE: There are Kerik critics in the homeland security community, none of whom would speak on the record.

One went so far to call Kerik's nomination a disservice to the country. The critics say Kerik doesn't have the skills to manage the department's mammoth work force and sprawling responsibilities. They also say Tom Ridge waged and lost many a turf battle for the fledging department, and they doubt Kerik has the political style and savvy to win. Others disagree.

FRANK CILLUFFO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: But I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra saying, if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. And New York is not an easy town. And he was highly successful in a very difficult job.

MESERVE (on camera): One person who has observed Kerik's style up close put it this way. He will either energize the DHS bureaucracy or he will atomize it.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's not every day when the president says he has been moved by a serious book written by a foreign political leader.

But that has now happened. And it's having a ripple effect here in Washington, as well as in the publishing industry. Israeli member of Parliament Natan Sharansky is here in the United States where he has met with President Bush, promoting his new book, "The Case For Democracy."

If his name sounds familiar, there's good reason. His plight as a Soviet dissident was an international cause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Natan Sharansky became an icon for human rights and the plight of Soviet Jews as a so-called Refusenik, those who were denied permission to emigrate to Israel.

Not only was Sharansky not allowed to leave, but as an outspoken dissident, he was arrested and then convicted in 1978 of spying for the U.S. Sharansky spent nine years as a political prisoner in some of the Soviet Union's most notorious prisons and detention camps. After an intense international lobbying effort, he was finally freed in an East-West prisoner exchange in 1986 and was greeted in West Berlin by the Israeli ambassador, who presented him with an Israeli passport.

He arrived shortly afterward in his new homeland, receiving a hero's welcome. Later that year, Sharansky visited the United States, where he met with President Reagan and was an honored guest on Capitol Hill. And later, he received a Congressional Gold Medal.

Since his release, he has been active in Israeli politics, holding multiple ministerial positions over the years, including deputy prime minister. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: I spoke with Natan Sharansky this afternoon about his new book, "The Case For Democracy," and his meeting with President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Tell us about how you got to the White House and had the president read this book, because, by all accounts, he was very impressed.

NATAN SHARANSKY, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Well, I was very impressed by the fact that, on the third day of my book tour, just after the book was launched in America, my publisher received a call from White House that president is reading my book and wants to see me.

And after this, we got a call from Condoleezza's Rice office that she wants to see me. So I went to -- I came to Condoleezza Rice. And she was reading my book. And she said, do you know why I'm reading your book? I said why? Probably because it's a good book. She says, because the president is reading, so I better know what he is reading.

And then I came to president and he was on page 210, so almost close to the end. And, look, I found out that he not only read it, but he has very strong conviction that democracy and freedom should pave the way to peace and stability. And that's exactly what is discussed in this book. And I'm very glad that the leader of the free world is so committed to this idea and is going to implement it.

BLITZER: But you could make the argument, who possibly, except for crazy people, is opposed to democracy in this day and age? Why would you have to sit down and write a book making a case for democracy? Isn't that a foregone conclusion, that everybody supports democracy?

SHARANSKY: Yes. That's a very good question, because that's exactly as motherhood and apple pie. Everybody supports democracy.

But who really believes that democracy is more important than stability? Unfortunately, again and again in our free world, we're trying to find our dictators, people who will be friendly to us, who will strengthen and who will bring us stability, instead of encouraging democracy. And, again and again, we hear the same skeptics or the same questions, which were raised when I was in the Soviet Union.

People say that democracy is not good for Russians or that democracy is not good for Japan. And, today, people say that democracy is not good for Arab world. Again and again, we hear that democracy in those countries is not good for our stability. And, again and again, we hear the free world has nothing to do with encouraging more democracy and freedom.

And so that's exactly these questions of skeptics with which I'm dealing in this book. And I believe and I try to prove -- with all my experience in Soviet Union and in this free world, I try to prove that all the people deserve to live in democracy, that democracy everywhere is good for our stability.

BLITZER: All right. What was the lesson that you learned? And you were in a Soviet prison for many years. The collapse of the Soviet Union, ending 74 years of communist rule in Russia, what was the most powerful event that occurred there that resulted in this that should be used elsewhere around the world to promote democracy?

SHARANSKY: Well, the Soviet Union was defeated because there were dissidents who were ready to speak the truth. There were leaders in the free world who were ready to support them. And there was clear policy of linkage by the free world between international policy and the question of human rights of the Soviet Union.

And critical moments throughout, of course, Jackson amendment, when, for the first time, freedom of immigration was connected to relations with America. A key moment was Helsinki agreement and key moment was the speech of President Reagan. When he called Soviet Union the evil empire, that was the greatest moment of excitement, of inspiration for us dissidents, when moral clarity was brought to this world.

BLITZER: Now, give us -- take us to the White House when you met with the president. What was his message to you about what he plans on doing over the next four years to promote democracy based on reading your book and the experience of the Soviet Union's collapse?

SHARANSKY: Well, first of all, the president feels that now he has four years with a strong mandate which he received from Americans and that the question of centrality of democracy and freedom for guaranteeing peace will be very important for him in these four years.

Second, he felt -- and while meeting with only for -- some hours after there was declared the death of Arafat, he felt now that now there are new opportunities and he wanted to discuss with me how these ideas which I present in my book can be applied to this moment.

And he was very strong that we should not go back to the mistakes of the past and we should not look for another strong man who will bring us stability in the Middle East, but we should embrace the leadership of the Palestinians if it embraces democratic reforms. And that, I think, is a very strong point.

In fact, I called him in some moment of our conversation a dissident, because I said, you don't care what the polls show. You don't care whether it is popular issue or not popular issue. You go ahead with the idea that democracy comes first and stability catches up with this. And, in the end, history is always on the side of dissidents.

BLITZER: Natan Sharansky is the author of "The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror."

Thanks very much for writing this book. SHARANSKY: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us.

SHARANSKY: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments in the Michael Jackson molestation case. The pop star's Neverland Ranch is searched again. We're live with the details.

Plus, a rare glimpse into the life of a man who popularized reggae music. We will get to all of that.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The northern Philippines is struggling to recover from back-to-back storms that killed more than 650 people this week. The United Nations and the International Red Cross are appealing for $2 million to provide emergency relief for thousands of people left homeless.

Bhopal 20 years later. Demonstrators marched through the streets of the Indian city marking the 20th anniversary of one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Gas leaked from a pesticide plant then owned by Union Carbide. Authorities say it killed at least 10,000 people and affected half a million others. Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical, paid $470 million in compensation.

Prehistoric discovery. A new species of dinosaur dating back more than 200 million years has been unearthed in Brazil. It's now on display in the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: California law enforcement officials today returned to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. They say this latest search of the sprawling estate is in connection with Jackson's child molestation case.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Los Angeles. He's following the story for us. He's joining us live -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, they started at 9:00 this morning.

And, as far as we know, we have producers on the ground there at Neverland Ranch. Investigators are still there, going through. We're trying to figure out what exactly they're still going through, but certainly they've gone through with this property quite a bit. This would be the third time that they have served a search warrant on Neverland Ranch.

Last year, November 18, they served two search warrants at the same time, went through Neverland Ranch there. We know that Mr. Jackson is obviously charged with five counts of lewd acts against a minor, one count of conspiracy and four counts of giving a minor an intoxicant in order to assist in those lewd acts.

A source close to Mr. Jackson says that this is highly irregular, this search, especially with the trial looming. January 31 is the date that Santa Barbara County Superior Judge Rodney Melville has decided is the day that jury selection will start in this case, also the fact that the judge, that same judge, ordered lawyers, both sides, to turn over their witness lists by this Monday the 6th, and also ordered the district attorney to turn over all of his evidence, all discovery, to Jackson's defense lawyers also by this Monday the 6th.

So it seems that this search warrant and this search is coming in right under the wire as to when this judge wants to have both sides have all of the evidence shared with one another, so that they can get this to trial as soon as possible.

A lawyer for Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, released a statement a short time ago saying that Mr. and Mrs. Jackson believe that this serves as nothing more than the continuing harassment against their son, particularly because of the late date of it. What exactly they're looking for, it's not entirely clear, but whether or not investigators are trying to tie up an investigative lead or if there's a new investigative lead they have that brought them to Neverland today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I suspect we'll know seen enough.

Miguel Marquez, thanks very much for that reporter.

Memories of Marley. We'll meet the photographer who captured a side of the artist most fans never saw. You'll want to stick around and see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Bob Marley arguably did more to popularize reggae music than any other artist. And his fame has only grown since his death in 1982 at the age of only 36.

Now there's a new exhibition of some very candid photos showing Marley as most rarely saw him.

Here is CNN's Kimberly Osias.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every picture tells a story. And Kate Simon has a story about pictures. She's a photographer whose most famous subject needs no introduction.

KATE SIMON, PHOTOGRAPHER: Bob was really cool about me. He didn't mind me being there. And he wasn't very aware of the camera.

OSIAS: Simon began photographing Bob Marley in 1975 in London on the road and on stage.

SIMON: He didn't act like a rock star. He was the first man on the bus when we were on the road. He didn't travel separately from the rest of us. He didn't have a stylist and he didn't have a posse of people.

OSIAS: Simon shot Marley in unguarded moments.

CHRIS MURRAY, GOVINDA GALLERY: One of the keys to Kate's work is access. Kate had access to Bob Marley on the Whalers and the reggae scene in Jamaica during its golden age.

OSIAS: Two and a half decades after his death, Simon is putting out a retrospective of her work.

SIMON: One of the greatest things about working on this book is that I was able to hang out with Bob again.

OSIAS: Everywhere, from T-shirts to trinkets, Marley's face has traveled the globe as much as his music. But maybe the most famous image captured by Simon became the cover of his album "Kaya." Bob Marley died at 36. Kate Simon was there. She rode ahead of his coffin as the funeral caravan traversed the Jamaican countryside.

SIMON: It was heartbreaking, because I used my camera as a veil. All the people on either side of the procession six to 12 deep were loving him. It was overwhelming.

OSIAS: She hopes her pictures will make people listen and hear Marley's message of love and freedom.

SIMON: I was very aware of the fact that when I was shooting Bob Marley, it was a great opportunity. He was the sort of person that comes along once in a generation.

OSIAS: Kimberly Osias, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Bob Marley would have celebrated his 60th birthday in February. The collection of photographs will tour New York, London and Amsterdam. The book is available in limited release.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next.

Also, riding a robot. Toyota unveils a new machine that it says may some day help people get around. We'll show you all about it. That's coming up right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Take a look at this. Remember, though -- the question is: Should records be stripped from athletes if it's proven they used banned substances? Eighty-seven percent of you say yes; 13 percent of you say no. But, remember, this is not a scientific poll.

Crossing a new threshold. Toyota has invented a robot that carries people. Dubbed the i-foot, it can walk up and down stairs and is maneuvered using a joystick. The company says it hopes the machine will one day replace wheelchairs. For now, it serves as our picture of the day.

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5:00 Eastern. And I'll see you again this Sunday on "LATE EDITION." Among my special guests, the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf. In an exclusive interview, I'll ask him about recent reports his nation has called off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. That's noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. Have a great weekend.

"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 December 3, 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, a breaking story, the defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld staying on after getting a request from President Bush. What's behind the move? Why is the defense secretary one of the people the president wants to keep?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Homeland Security: He led New York's police on 9/11, now he's been named to watch the homefront.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The resolve he felt that morning will guide him everyday on his job.

BLITZER: But who will watch health front? Another secretary steps down.

Killing spree in Iraq. Insurgents strike a police station and a mosque during morning prayers.

Vote voided. The opposition elated as Ukraine's high court calls for a repeat of that presidential runoff.

Say it ain't so. Stars and steroids. Can baseball get healthy again? I'll ask former commissioner, Faye Vincent.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 3, 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: There's important news developing out of the White House right now. Let's go to our correspondent there Suzanne Malveaux with word on the defense secretary -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, as you know, there was a lot of speculation about whether or not Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld would stay or go. A senior administration official told CNN that, in fact, he is going to stay for another 4 years. This was a discussion that Rumsfeld had with the president on Monday in a meeting at the White House, one of their morning weekly meetings. The president asked him to stay on and the senior official administration said why, because this is a country that is at war, that Secretary Rumsfeld has proven himself. And he said, quite frankly, that he is the right man for the job. So, that position, of course, stays with Secretary Rumsfeld. And I guess what the numbers show here, Wolf, is that out of 15 cabinet members so far, we have 8 resignations and still there are questions about six others.

BLITZER: Suzanne, stand by for a moment. I'm going to get back to you about some of those other resignations. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is standing by as well. Jamie, this is not a huge surprise. But it is official now, Rumsfeld remains at the Defense Department.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was expected he would stay on. He is 72 years old, but Rumsfeld has shown no inclination to leave at this point. He does want to shepherd the next phase of the war in Iraq, and his reforms of the Pentagon as he tries to transform the U.S. military into a lighter, more mobile force.

Rumsfeld had been very cagey about his future. Every time he was asked, he said the subject hadn't even come up in his discussions with President Bush. That changed this week as Suzanne Malveaux reported.

And again, President Bush had indicated he probably would want Rumsfeld to stay. He asked him to stay. Rumsfeld is going to stay.

And it is expected that he will be here at least a year, but there's no time limit on how long he'd stay in the second term.

BLITZER: I had been told, Jamie, that the Defense Secretary never wanted to leave during a down period, when it might look like his policies had been a failure. He always wanted to leave when there had been a success. And that certainly seems to be motivating him. What are you hearing specifically on that?

MCINTYRE: Well, you know, from his days as a wrestler at Princeton, Rumsfeld has always been a tenacious fighter. And he never concedes that he is losing in any way. So, he clearly would like to leave at the top of his game, not at a time when he is facing some significant challenges. He would like to show he can meet and defeat those challenges.

BLITZER: All right. Jamie McIntyre with the latest on Donald Rumsfeld staying at the Pentagon, at least for the time being. The president wants him to stay there. And he certainly wants to stay as well.

But there are lots of other changes taking place as the second term of the Bush administration gets going. The president today named a former tough cop to police the home front. But he now has a vacancy to fill in the health front.

Once again, let's go back to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wolf, literally, there were comings and goings at the White House. People of course, are going to stay and people who are leaving. Today, President Bush announced Bernie Kerik is his choice for Homeland Security Secretary.

This is a man, of course, who's been in law enforcement for quite some time. He was an enlisted military police officer in Korea, a jail warden in New Jersey, a beat cop in New York City and, of course, the former New York City Police Commissioner.

Most notably, however, he is known as the man who really helped New York get back on its feet immediately following the September 11 attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: As police commissioner on September 11, 2001, Bernie Kerik arrived at the World Trade Center minutes after the first plane hit. He was there when the Twin Towers collapsed. He knew the faces of the rescuers who rushed toward danger. He attended the funeral of the officers who didn't come back. Bernie Kerik understands the duties that came to America on September 11.

BERNARD KERIK, APPOINTED TO HEAD HOMELAND SECURITY: Mr. President, I understand, as you do, the tremendous challenge that faces America in securing our nation and its citizens from the threat of terrorism, and I know what is at stake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Kerik was also responsible for helping train the Iraqi police force during their transition. He was also out on the campaign trail with the president for his reelection bid.

Should also let you know, as well Wolf, there was another announcement today at the White House, secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson resigned, stepping down, making him the eighth person out of the cabinet to do so.

He is most notably known for his accomplishment of pushing for the landmark Medicare legislation, controversial in nature. It provides some prescription drug coverage. But he is stepping down.

The name that keeps coming up as a possible replacement is Mark McClellan. He is the U.S. Chief on Medicare. He is also the former commissioner of the FDA. And if the name sounds familiar, of course, it's also because it's the brother of White House press secretary, Scott McClellan.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much for all that information from the White House. Suzanne, thanks.

Bernard Kerik started at the bottom in his climb to the cabinet. His background simply extraordinary. CNN's Mary Snow joining us now from New York with a look at the man slated to become the next Homeland Security Secretary -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, he is described as a straight shooter, someone who is aggressive and focused. Bernard Kerik was once a New York City police officer wearing a ponytail as an undercover agent. Just the start of his career before rising to the top.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Through his rise up the ranks from a New York City street cop to a cabinet appointee, those who know Bernard Kerik sum him up in a word: tough. His successor, New York City Police Commission Ray Kelly.

RAY KELLY, NYC POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, I think he is aggressive and I think he is determined. I think those are two good traits to have in that position.

SNOW: A high school dropout, Kerik served in the military before realizing his long-term dream of joining the NYPD. Times Square was one of his first beats when he joined the force in 1986. Today, a wish of luck from among the ranks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm sure he'll do a great job. We worked together Midtown South and I wish him well.

SNOW: Time Square was rough. And so was Kerik's upbringing.

In a 2001 autobiography, he revealed his mother had abdomen him and that she was a prostitute who may have been murdered by a pimp.

KERIK: It was difficult. It was hard. It was heart-wrenching to go back and hear things that I never knew, learned things that I was unaware of.

SNOW: Growing up in New Jersey, Kerik credits his father with saving his life. But the other influential man in his life has been Rudy Giuliani.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI, FRM. NEW YORK MAYOR: Bernie is one of the few people that has lived through a terrorist attack and had to deal with it from a command level. So, he will understand what's necessary for that.

SNOW: Kerik was by Giuliani's side as police commissioner on September 11. And his career has been closely tied to the former mayor, whom he met while serving as a driver during one of Giuliani's campaigns.

ANDREW KIRTZMAN, AUTHOR: You can't overstate the allegiance Bernie Kerik has to Rudy Giuliani. Rudy Giuliani has given Bernie Kerik every major public job that Kerik has ever had.

SNOW: Currently, Kerik works at Giuliani's private consulting firm. And the close ties have sparked criticism in New York. "Newsday" ran a column calling Kerik's nomination a quote, "ticking time bomb." Calling Kerik, "an energetic exploiter of the September 11 tragedy."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani just spoke to the press just a short time ago. And he was asked if he spoke to the president on behalf of Kerik. He would not answer that question. But he said he has been a strong supporter and that many people know his opinion.

He was also asked if he was asked to do the job. He said at this point, he could not leave his private life to enter government. And he had not been asked to be Homeland Security Director -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, thanks very much for that report.

They struck suddenly and nearly simultaneously: Insurgents staging a series of bloody attacks in Baghdad today. And when it was all over, at least 29 people were dead and many, many more were wounded. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was just after dawn, the first prayers of the day at the Shiite mosque in North Baghdad. Police say 4 suicide bombers rammed a minibus laden with explosives into the building. Prayer (ph) goes blood in a pool on the street. Charred remains of the bomb and its target.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): The car bomb exploded at 6:00 or 5:45 am, burning this car and the house. When the people went to gathered to put out the fire, the car exploded again and the bodies of the victims covered the street.

PENHAUL: The bombers, and at least 14 worshippers died, some 20 others wounded. A district police chief accused Sunni insurgents of trying to stoke sectarian strife. A few hundred yards away, gunmen unleashed a volley rockets at a police station. No casualties were reported. At almost exactly the same time, insurgents traveling in eleven cars overran another police station in southwest Baghdad alongside the strategic airport road. Police chiefs say the insurgents killed at least 11 police and wounded others. 20 prisoners were freed from police cells and are now on the run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 6:00 am, the police station was attacked. I couldn't see what happened due to the chaos and turmoil.

PENHAUL: On an Islamic website, affiliates of the al Qaeda linked Abu Musab al Zarqawi network claimed responsibility for the strikes. There was no independent confirmation.

(on camera): Interior ministry officials say they believe that growing numbers of insurgents from different factions are filtering in to Baghdad from outlying areas to fight a joint campaign.

SABAH KADHIM, SR. ADVISER, INTERIOR MINISTRY: It is the people who were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) part of the Saddam groups, the criminal elements together with the Islamic desperadoes who want chaos and, therefore, I think this unholy alliance is coordinating its activities.

PENAHAUL: Coming a day after mortar attack in the heart of Baghdad, authorities believe the rebels have a single aim.

KADHIM: They want this government to fail and to -- and for this election not to take place.

PENHAUL: There's still almost two months to go before the elections, it seems clear there's still plenty of fighting to be done if the ballot is to be held in peace. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, insurgents suffered a setback. THe U.S. military says at least a dozen of them were killed in gun battles today with American and Iraqi troops. U.S. forces meantime have scored another apparent success. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Mosul. He joins us live on the telephone with the latest. What's happening up there, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, right now, I can hear sporadic gunfire in the city of Mosul. That is quite unusual but today has been unusual with the heaviest attack for almost a month seen on U.S. troop. It was coordinated and planned. U.S. troops had intelligence that it may be coming. It was also simultaneous with attacks on three different police stations on the problematic western side of Mosul. Lieutenant Colonel Ari Karila (ph) was commander of the forces that came under attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were hit by about 35, 40 guys over a two kilometer period. We were hit with multiple RPGs and a lot of 152 artillery round, IEDs and small arms, all the way down. Multiple directed, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We returned back. We had a few casualties that will be OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: After they returned to base, they came back immediately with a stronger force. They believe they killed at least a dozen insurgents. What surprised the U.S. forces was that the attack came very well structured and very well planned over quite a large area in Mosul, that at the end of the day, the insurgents who put down their forces disappeared. Earlier in the day, troops here had secured in an overnight raid, a man believed to be a top financier and planner and builder of IEDs, roadside bombs.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Mosul for us, Nic, doing an excellent, outstanding job under very, very dangerous circumstances.

Ukraine's disputed election, a major decision sparking celebrations. We'll have a live report from the capital.

Also, more surprises in the baseball steroid scandal. I'll speak with the former baseball commissioner, Mr. Vincent.

Plus, he is a former prisoner who now meets with the president of the United States. Why is his book on the White House reading list right now? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a dramatic and historic development in the standoff over the recently held presidential elections in Ukraine. The Ukrainian supreme court has now invalidated the results of the disputed runoff and that decision is now being warmly welcomed here in Washington and much of Europe. In the Ukrainian capital, the announcement set off celebrations of millions of thousands of protesters. CNN's Jill Dougherty joins us now live -- Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a major victory for the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. He was down on Independence Square where those thousands of demonstrators had been for 12 days now in the cold and the snow and he thanked them. He said they were the ones who brought about the victory. He also praised the work of the Ukraine supreme court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to ask you to greet with applause the supreme court judges. They are real heroes today. Well done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So, this was a major victory. One of the reasons, as western diplomats have said, the courts traditionally have been under the thumb and under the influence of the government. This time, they ruled in favor of the opposition. So, what did they decide? They agreed with the opposition that those elections held on November 21 were filled with irregularities. They annulled them and now the country moves toward a repeat of that runoff and that will take place December 26. Meanwhile, Wolf, there will be a giant celebration tomorrow here in Kiev.

BLITZER: Jill Dougherty reporting for us from Kiev. Certainly, Vladimir Putin the president of Russia not happy. We'll monitor the reaction in Russia as well.

The baseball steroid scandal growing with another star thrust into the headlines. I'll talk about it with the former baseball commissioner, Fay Vincent.

A surprise search of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Police now saying they could be there all day. We'll have the latest on the child molestation case.

And he got very high marks for his handling of 9/11. But is he up to the job of homeland security secretary? A closer look at the challenges Bernard Kerik faces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: First, it was Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, reportedly admitting to a grand jury that he used steroids. Now, the source of that report, "The San Francisco Chronicle," says San Francisco Giant Slugger, Barry Bonds, testified to a grand jury he unknowingly used steroids.

CNN's Steve Overmyer is covering the controversy.

He joins us live from the CNN center -- Steve.

STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS: Wolf, for more than a year, the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, commonly known as BALCO has been investigated for disturbing steroids. Forty athletes were called to testify, but the centerpiece and the biggest name in the scandal has been, Barry Bonds. The San Francisco Giants slugger has always denied using steroids, but a new report indicates that he has.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUESTION: Barry, how do you feel about your name being attached to all this coverage this winter of the BALCO story?

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: There's nothing I can do about it right now. I'm just going to go out there and play baseball and hopefully this will all blow over.

OVERMYER (voice-over): When the 2004 baseball season began Barry Bonds found himself playing defense against allegation that is he used steroids. Bonds went on to have, arguably, the best season of his 19- year career. According to "The San Francisco Chronicle," Bonds testified to a grand jury, last December, that he unknowingly used steroids. The Giants slugger says he was told the substances were flax seed oil and a cream treatment for arthritis. According to the report, BALCO founder Victor Conte confirmed the clear substance and the cream that Bonds admitted to using was, in fact, steroids.

MIKE RAINS, BONDS' ATTORNEY: He doesn't know that they were steroids. My client is hardly a chemist. My client was told to take flax seed oil. This is a clear substance. And he had no reason to disbelieve his best friend. So, no, I don't acknowledge my client took steroids. I won't. He won't.

OVERMYER: Records obtained by "The Chronicle" show Bonds started using steroids in 2001, the same year he set the single season home run record with 73. Even if the evidence against him taints his reputation, it likely won't affect his place in the record books. Major League Baseball didn't officially ban steroids until 2004, three years after the report says Bonds took illegal substances. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig vows, there will be harsher penalties for steroid users.

BUD SELIG, BASEBALL COMMISSIONER: We're going to leave no stone unturned until we have that policy in place by spring training next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OVERMYER: A base boy -- a baseball steroid punishment policy is widely considered to be way too light. The first offense is simply just education. The next offense ranges from 15 days to a year after the fifth positive test. Here's the kicker, Wolf, a player can only be tested once a year. So, it would take five seasons of positive test, Wolf, to get a one-year ban. Remember, we're not talking about some utility player here. We're talking about Barry Bonds, the only man that has ever won seven Maps. This guy is considered one of the best if not the best, if not the best player in baseball.

BLITZER: Steve Overmyer, reporting for us. Thanks Steve very much for that information.

The reports on Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds are just the latest developments in the drug controversy plaguing Major League Baseball.

Joining now us with his take, this former league commissioner Fay Vincent. He's joining us from Vero Beach, Florida. Mr. Vincent, thanks very much for joining us.

First of all, your reaction to these latest developments involving Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds.

FAY VINCENT, FORMER BASEBALL COMMISSIONER: I'm disappointed. I feel bad for them and I feel bad for baseball. But, Wolf, it's important to recognize, we're getting information from leaks out of the grand jury and in part from snippets of admissions. And I think it's still early to get the full story. I think the tragedy is that these guys may have been doing some things that are going to hurt themselves very badly in a health sense.

BLITZER: But these are two guys.

How widespread do you fear steroid use is now and has been in Major League Baseball?

VINCENT: Well, you know, they did some testing a few years ago to see whether a policy on steroids was necessary. And I think the results show that 7 percent of the players had used steroids. My guess is the number is much higher than that. And so, I think it's a serious problem for baseball. The perception that it's a very big problem is certainly out there. I think the commissioner's hands are tied. He says he wants to have a change in the policy and some -- zero tolerance program in effect by next March. Well, the union really controls baseball, not the commissioner. And it's going to be very hard to get this union to move. So, I'm not critical of Mr. Selig, I'm just being sympathetic to what hard work he has ahead of him.

BLITZER: Because you heard Steve Overmyer say it could take five seasons to really start punishing someone, given the fact that they can only test for steroids once a year.

VINCENT: Yes. Look, I threw Steve Howl out baseball for eight for having violated baseball's cocaine drug policy eight times. And the union petitioned successfully to get him reinstated. What does that tell you?

The union is going to be very difficult on this subject. And it's going to take some very severe and strong public opinion, maybe the intervention of somebody in the government. And I think a new attitude on the part of the union to get this problem addressed.

BLITZER: So, there's not going to be an asterisk next to Barry Bonds' home run record going down in the history books based on what we're hearing now, is that right?

VINCENT: Well, I would think that would be very unlikely, Wolf. Look, I think even though we don't know exactly what Barry Bonds was taking, whatever he is taking, were I to take it, I couldn't hit a fast ball the way he can hit and I doubt you could either. We don't know what the effect of the steroid use is on a great athlete like Barry Bonds. The problem is, he's never going to be able to convince us, that it did have some effect. So, there won't be an asterisk. I think there'll be a lot of sunshine. I think sunlight is the best disinfectant. It will tell people what's been going on. But Barry and the baseball people ought to come clean, tell us exactly what the truth is and let the public judge.

BLITZER: Fay Vincent, the former baseball commissioner, thanks very much for joining us.

VINCENT: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: To our viewers, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this, should records be stripped from athletes if it's proven they used banned substances?

You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results coming up a little bit later in this broadcast.

President Bush fired off over a book he says is a must read. Up next, I'll speak to a survivor of Soviet prisons and the author of the new book "The Case For Democracy."

Also, protests at India on the 20th anniversary of one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

And the former New York City cop, who is now President Bush's pick for secretary of Homeland Security. The challenges ahead, if he's confirmed, our Jeanne Meserve standing by with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

He has a unique background, but is Bernard Kerik up to the unique challenges of being the homeland security secretary? A look at that, that's coming up.

First, though, a quick check of some other stories now in the news.

Caring, sweet, loving, words used to describe Scott Peterson by the mother of a boyhood friend. She was testifying as part of defense efforts to try to persuade a Redwood City jury not to impose the death penalty. Peterson has been convicted of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. Seven people are dead after carrying -- a boat carrying migrants mostly from the Dominican Republic capsized off Puerto Rico. A Coast Guard spokesman says the boat was trying to negotiate the surf to land in a secluded area of the island. Survivors will be interviewed and may be repatriated.

Basque separatists are being blamed for five explosions that rattled Madrid this evening. The blasts all occurred at gas stations on the outskirts of the city as residents streamed out of town ahead of the holiday weekend. Police say six people were slightly wounded. The separatist group ETA issued a warning shortly before the blasts went off.

More now on the nomination of Bernard Kerik as the next homeland security . With the war on terror in full swing, he will face unique challenges, if confirmed. Is he up to those challenges?

Here is CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, I think the president has made a wonderful choice.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the calm, reassuring Tom Ridge is the Mr. Rogers of homeland security, Bernard Kerik may be the Mr. T, a hard-nosed, hard-charging Washington outsider who stood up to withering criticism from a 9/11 commissioner.

JOHN LEHMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: I think that the command- and-control and communications of this city's public service is a scandal. It's not worthy of the Boy Scouts, let alone this great city.

BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I have to say, there is no lack of line authority in the New York City Police Department.

MESERVE: Some feel that the no-nonsense former beat cop and narcotics detective may be just the ticket to shake up a department some perceive as losing momentum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie Kerik is a great choice. I can't think of a better choice. He has the intensity. He has the passion. He's a guy who lived September 11. He knows what it's about.

MESERVE: There is no doubt he knows what first-responders want and need from the department. And there is little doubt he will try to direct more money and resources to urban centers like New York, which may explain why even New York Democrats are rooting for him.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Bernie is a straight shooter. He's a vintage New Yorker.

MESERVE: There are Kerik critics in the homeland security community, none of whom would speak on the record.

One went so far to call Kerik's nomination a disservice to the country. The critics say Kerik doesn't have the skills to manage the department's mammoth work force and sprawling responsibilities. They also say Tom Ridge waged and lost many a turf battle for the fledging department, and they doubt Kerik has the political style and savvy to win. Others disagree.

FRANK CILLUFFO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: But I'm reminded of Frank Sinatra saying, if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. And New York is not an easy town. And he was highly successful in a very difficult job.

MESERVE (on camera): One person who has observed Kerik's style up close put it this way. He will either energize the DHS bureaucracy or he will atomize it.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's not every day when the president says he has been moved by a serious book written by a foreign political leader.

But that has now happened. And it's having a ripple effect here in Washington, as well as in the publishing industry. Israeli member of Parliament Natan Sharansky is here in the United States where he has met with President Bush, promoting his new book, "The Case For Democracy."

If his name sounds familiar, there's good reason. His plight as a Soviet dissident was an international cause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Natan Sharansky became an icon for human rights and the plight of Soviet Jews as a so-called Refusenik, those who were denied permission to emigrate to Israel.

Not only was Sharansky not allowed to leave, but as an outspoken dissident, he was arrested and then convicted in 1978 of spying for the U.S. Sharansky spent nine years as a political prisoner in some of the Soviet Union's most notorious prisons and detention camps. After an intense international lobbying effort, he was finally freed in an East-West prisoner exchange in 1986 and was greeted in West Berlin by the Israeli ambassador, who presented him with an Israeli passport.

He arrived shortly afterward in his new homeland, receiving a hero's welcome. Later that year, Sharansky visited the United States, where he met with President Reagan and was an honored guest on Capitol Hill. And later, he received a Congressional Gold Medal.

Since his release, he has been active in Israeli politics, holding multiple ministerial positions over the years, including deputy prime minister. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: I spoke with Natan Sharansky this afternoon about his new book, "The Case For Democracy," and his meeting with President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Tell us about how you got to the White House and had the president read this book, because, by all accounts, he was very impressed.

NATAN SHARANSKY, ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Well, I was very impressed by the fact that, on the third day of my book tour, just after the book was launched in America, my publisher received a call from White House that president is reading my book and wants to see me.

And after this, we got a call from Condoleezza's Rice office that she wants to see me. So I went to -- I came to Condoleezza Rice. And she was reading my book. And she said, do you know why I'm reading your book? I said why? Probably because it's a good book. She says, because the president is reading, so I better know what he is reading.

And then I came to president and he was on page 210, so almost close to the end. And, look, I found out that he not only read it, but he has very strong conviction that democracy and freedom should pave the way to peace and stability. And that's exactly what is discussed in this book. And I'm very glad that the leader of the free world is so committed to this idea and is going to implement it.

BLITZER: But you could make the argument, who possibly, except for crazy people, is opposed to democracy in this day and age? Why would you have to sit down and write a book making a case for democracy? Isn't that a foregone conclusion, that everybody supports democracy?

SHARANSKY: Yes. That's a very good question, because that's exactly as motherhood and apple pie. Everybody supports democracy.

But who really believes that democracy is more important than stability? Unfortunately, again and again in our free world, we're trying to find our dictators, people who will be friendly to us, who will strengthen and who will bring us stability, instead of encouraging democracy. And, again and again, we hear the same skeptics or the same questions, which were raised when I was in the Soviet Union.

People say that democracy is not good for Russians or that democracy is not good for Japan. And, today, people say that democracy is not good for Arab world. Again and again, we hear that democracy in those countries is not good for our stability. And, again and again, we hear the free world has nothing to do with encouraging more democracy and freedom.

And so that's exactly these questions of skeptics with which I'm dealing in this book. And I believe and I try to prove -- with all my experience in Soviet Union and in this free world, I try to prove that all the people deserve to live in democracy, that democracy everywhere is good for our stability.

BLITZER: All right. What was the lesson that you learned? And you were in a Soviet prison for many years. The collapse of the Soviet Union, ending 74 years of communist rule in Russia, what was the most powerful event that occurred there that resulted in this that should be used elsewhere around the world to promote democracy?

SHARANSKY: Well, the Soviet Union was defeated because there were dissidents who were ready to speak the truth. There were leaders in the free world who were ready to support them. And there was clear policy of linkage by the free world between international policy and the question of human rights of the Soviet Union.

And critical moments throughout, of course, Jackson amendment, when, for the first time, freedom of immigration was connected to relations with America. A key moment was Helsinki agreement and key moment was the speech of President Reagan. When he called Soviet Union the evil empire, that was the greatest moment of excitement, of inspiration for us dissidents, when moral clarity was brought to this world.

BLITZER: Now, give us -- take us to the White House when you met with the president. What was his message to you about what he plans on doing over the next four years to promote democracy based on reading your book and the experience of the Soviet Union's collapse?

SHARANSKY: Well, first of all, the president feels that now he has four years with a strong mandate which he received from Americans and that the question of centrality of democracy and freedom for guaranteeing peace will be very important for him in these four years.

Second, he felt -- and while meeting with only for -- some hours after there was declared the death of Arafat, he felt now that now there are new opportunities and he wanted to discuss with me how these ideas which I present in my book can be applied to this moment.

And he was very strong that we should not go back to the mistakes of the past and we should not look for another strong man who will bring us stability in the Middle East, but we should embrace the leadership of the Palestinians if it embraces democratic reforms. And that, I think, is a very strong point.

In fact, I called him in some moment of our conversation a dissident, because I said, you don't care what the polls show. You don't care whether it is popular issue or not popular issue. You go ahead with the idea that democracy comes first and stability catches up with this. And, in the end, history is always on the side of dissidents.

BLITZER: Natan Sharansky is the author of "The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror."

Thanks very much for writing this book. SHARANSKY: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us.

SHARANSKY: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: New developments in the Michael Jackson molestation case. The pop star's Neverland Ranch is searched again. We're live with the details.

Plus, a rare glimpse into the life of a man who popularized reggae music. We will get to all of that.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The northern Philippines is struggling to recover from back-to-back storms that killed more than 650 people this week. The United Nations and the International Red Cross are appealing for $2 million to provide emergency relief for thousands of people left homeless.

Bhopal 20 years later. Demonstrators marched through the streets of the Indian city marking the 20th anniversary of one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Gas leaked from a pesticide plant then owned by Union Carbide. Authorities say it killed at least 10,000 people and affected half a million others. Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical, paid $470 million in compensation.

Prehistoric discovery. A new species of dinosaur dating back more than 200 million years has been unearthed in Brazil. It's now on display in the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: California law enforcement officials today returned to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. They say this latest search of the sprawling estate is in connection with Jackson's child molestation case.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is in Los Angeles. He's following the story for us. He's joining us live -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, they started at 9:00 this morning.

And, as far as we know, we have producers on the ground there at Neverland Ranch. Investigators are still there, going through. We're trying to figure out what exactly they're still going through, but certainly they've gone through with this property quite a bit. This would be the third time that they have served a search warrant on Neverland Ranch.

Last year, November 18, they served two search warrants at the same time, went through Neverland Ranch there. We know that Mr. Jackson is obviously charged with five counts of lewd acts against a minor, one count of conspiracy and four counts of giving a minor an intoxicant in order to assist in those lewd acts.

A source close to Mr. Jackson says that this is highly irregular, this search, especially with the trial looming. January 31 is the date that Santa Barbara County Superior Judge Rodney Melville has decided is the day that jury selection will start in this case, also the fact that the judge, that same judge, ordered lawyers, both sides, to turn over their witness lists by this Monday the 6th, and also ordered the district attorney to turn over all of his evidence, all discovery, to Jackson's defense lawyers also by this Monday the 6th.

So it seems that this search warrant and this search is coming in right under the wire as to when this judge wants to have both sides have all of the evidence shared with one another, so that they can get this to trial as soon as possible.

A lawyer for Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, released a statement a short time ago saying that Mr. and Mrs. Jackson believe that this serves as nothing more than the continuing harassment against their son, particularly because of the late date of it. What exactly they're looking for, it's not entirely clear, but whether or not investigators are trying to tie up an investigative lead or if there's a new investigative lead they have that brought them to Neverland today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I suspect we'll know seen enough.

Miguel Marquez, thanks very much for that reporter.

Memories of Marley. We'll meet the photographer who captured a side of the artist most fans never saw. You'll want to stick around and see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Bob Marley arguably did more to popularize reggae music than any other artist. And his fame has only grown since his death in 1982 at the age of only 36.

Now there's a new exhibition of some very candid photos showing Marley as most rarely saw him.

Here is CNN's Kimberly Osias.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every picture tells a story. And Kate Simon has a story about pictures. She's a photographer whose most famous subject needs no introduction.

KATE SIMON, PHOTOGRAPHER: Bob was really cool about me. He didn't mind me being there. And he wasn't very aware of the camera.

OSIAS: Simon began photographing Bob Marley in 1975 in London on the road and on stage.

SIMON: He didn't act like a rock star. He was the first man on the bus when we were on the road. He didn't travel separately from the rest of us. He didn't have a stylist and he didn't have a posse of people.

OSIAS: Simon shot Marley in unguarded moments.

CHRIS MURRAY, GOVINDA GALLERY: One of the keys to Kate's work is access. Kate had access to Bob Marley on the Whalers and the reggae scene in Jamaica during its golden age.

OSIAS: Two and a half decades after his death, Simon is putting out a retrospective of her work.

SIMON: One of the greatest things about working on this book is that I was able to hang out with Bob again.

OSIAS: Everywhere, from T-shirts to trinkets, Marley's face has traveled the globe as much as his music. But maybe the most famous image captured by Simon became the cover of his album "Kaya." Bob Marley died at 36. Kate Simon was there. She rode ahead of his coffin as the funeral caravan traversed the Jamaican countryside.

SIMON: It was heartbreaking, because I used my camera as a veil. All the people on either side of the procession six to 12 deep were loving him. It was overwhelming.

OSIAS: She hopes her pictures will make people listen and hear Marley's message of love and freedom.

SIMON: I was very aware of the fact that when I was shooting Bob Marley, it was a great opportunity. He was the sort of person that comes along once in a generation.

OSIAS: Kimberly Osias, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Bob Marley would have celebrated his 60th birthday in February. The collection of photographs will tour New York, London and Amsterdam. The book is available in limited release.

The results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next.

Also, riding a robot. Toyota unveils a new machine that it says may some day help people get around. We'll show you all about it. That's coming up right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Take a look at this. Remember, though -- the question is: Should records be stripped from athletes if it's proven they used banned substances? Eighty-seven percent of you say yes; 13 percent of you say no. But, remember, this is not a scientific poll.

Crossing a new threshold. Toyota has invented a robot that carries people. Dubbed the i-foot, it can walk up and down stairs and is maneuvered using a joystick. The company says it hopes the machine will one day replace wheelchairs. For now, it serves as our picture of the day.

A reminder, you can always catch us here on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays, 5:00 Eastern. And I'll see you again this Sunday on "LATE EDITION." Among my special guests, the Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf. In an exclusive interview, I'll ask him about recent reports his nation has called off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. That's noon Eastern.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. Have a great weekend.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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