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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

U.S. May Double Reward for Bin Laden's Capture; Carson Remembered

Aired January 24, 2005 - 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, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now. Are U.S. forces closing in on this man? They cite new progress in a hunt for the ringleader of Iraq's insurgents. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Election countdown. With Iraq's first crucial vote just days away, intimidation and violence are escalating. Iraqi police among the latest targets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): ... are unable to protect themselves, how can they protect citizens?

BLITZER: Bin Laden reward. Why the U.S. may double the prize for bringing in the world's most wanted terrorist.

Under cover. A top secret intelligence gathering unit revealed at the Pentagon. Who's in it and what's the mission?

ED MCMAHON, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Here's Johnny!

BLITZER: Remembering Johnny Carson. Former guests, including Jerry Stiller, and Chevy Chase and myself, reminisce.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, January 24, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. Under arrest in Iraq right now a top lieutenant to the leading insurgent fighting to prevent Sunday's key national elections. Iraqi government officials say that Abu Umar al-Kurdi has claimed responsibility for at least 32 car bombings in Iraq. His boss, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the United State's most wanted man in Iraq.

We get more now from CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour in Baghdad.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, indeed it was early this morning we heard it as far away here as our offices when the huge suicide car bomb did detonate. But it was outside the area where the political office of Ayad Allawi, the interim prime minister, is. It was at a checkpoint. And it didn't kill anybody, according to officials. But according to Baghdad police, 12 people were wounded and 10 of those were policemen.

Now, afterwards, there was a statement posted that Zarqawi claimed responsibility for that. And as you know, he's stepped up his verbal campaign and physical campaign against these elections over the last few days, coming out very strongly against democracy and telling people that if they actually go to vote, well, then that would be casting their vote with "the infidels."

So this is becoming increasingly apparent. The violence is something that had been predicted. Nonetheless, it is no less dangerous for the fact that it was predicted. Many, many people are very scared and scared about going to the polls. And the big challenge that the U.S. tells us is securing the polls and making people feel safe enough to go out and vote. Because, of course, that will be a test of the credibility of these elections.

The Iraqi government says it has arrested some insurgents including, as you mentioned, one with connections to Zarqawi. And we've been told by U.S. commanders that some senior insurgents and bombmakers have been arrested. U.S. commanders telling us that they have increased their security crackdown on insurgents and on weapons caches leading up to the elections. And they tell us that they've taken in hundreds of suspected insurgents and found dozens of weapons caches around the country, most particularly in the Sunni Muslim heartland -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Christiane, is there a sense right now that everything is basically on track? That the elections are going to take place despite all the violence? That there's no possibility -- virtually no possibility of the elections Sunday being derailed?

AMANPOUR: Oh, you know, I don't think there's any possibility at all. And I think both the Iraqi government and U.S. officials have made it clear that despite the violence taking -- stopping the elections or postponing them is simply not an option. Barring anything that we simply can't imagine right now, they will go ahead on January 30th.

That does not mean to say that people aren't afraid. They are afraid. Most of the people we talked to are afraid, even though most of the people we talked to say they do want to vote. Many say, though, that they don't know who to vote for or what to vote for. There is a lot of confusion because this has basically been a stealth campaign.

BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour reporting for us from Baghdad. Thank you, Christiane.

Despite repeated attacks throughout Iraq, the U.S. military says it has hit the insurgents where it hurts. American forces have confiscated one of the largest stockpiles of weapons in almost two years. The U.S. military says the weapons include a large number of rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition. They were discovered in a garden of a private residence in the town of Ramadi. That's west of Baghdad. The U.S. bounty on the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, is $25 million. But that amount may soon change. Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joining us here now with details -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, $25 million may already seem like an incredibly tempting reward. But after more than three years and no bin Laden, some believe it is time to sweeten the offer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): In an effort to heat up a trail that's gone cold, the State Department is considering doubling the bounty on Osama bin Laden from $25 million to $50 million. In addition, the State Department says a new ad began appearing this month in one of Pakistan's most widely read newspapers and will eventually expand to radio and TV. It targets Pakistanis in border areas where bin Laden and some of his top operatives, including his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar may be hiding, reminding Pakistanis they could make up to $25 million for tips leading to an arrest or conviction.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Following the September 11th attacks...

KOPPEL: Since the so-called Rewards for Justice Program launched its post 9/11 most wanted list, it's had limited success. One of the biggest al Qaeda arrests occurred in March 2003 when Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a bin Laden deputy and one of the masterminds of 9/11, was captured alive in Pakistan. While in July of 2003, the U.S. paid a $30 million reward to an Iraqi informant after Saddam Hussein's two sons died in a shoot-out with American forces.

The State Department defended its record.

ADAM ERELI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: The trendline is clearly in our favor if you consider the fact that most of the al Qaeda leaders are either dead or in jail.

KOPPEL: But critics say the State Department's expectation that tribal-based societies like Pakistan and Afghanistan will turn over bin Laden other top al Qaeda operatives, if in fact they are there, is misguided.

WALTER LANG, U.S. ARMY (RET.): The idea of calling an equivalent of an 800 number or something in order to turn somebody is about as alien to that kind of tribal society as I can imagine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: The philosophy behind the latest media blitz, to make sure Pakistanis know how to contact U.S. authorities to collect their reward. Now as for how this doubling of the reward is going to work, Wolf, State Department officials say that it is something that State -- the new -- the designated state department head, Condoleezza Rice, a decision that she could make. And as we know, she's expected to take office now sometime later this week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, reporting for us. Andrea, thank you very much.

In our "Security Watch," congressional lawmakers are again expressing concern about the way the Pentagon conducts its affairs. At issue, revelation that the Pentagon is using its own spies to collect intelligence. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joining us now live with more on this -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon insists that that special unit is operating neither outside the law nor in competition with the CIA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Before U.S. Special Forces went into Afghanistan in October of 2001, they had to wait for the CIA to scope out the situation, prompting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to fire off an urgent memo to Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myers. As reported Sunday by The Washington Post, Rumsfeld's memo asked if the Defense Department is "lacking a capability we need?"

"Maybe," Rumsfeld ruminated, "the Pentagon ought not to be in a position of near total dependence on the CIA." The result, a senior Pentagon official confirms, was a plan implemented over the past two years to beef up the Defense Intelligence Agency's so-called human intelligence unit, now renamed the Strategic Support Branch.

The idea is for the Pentagon to have its own spies who can operate alongside U.S. commandos such as Delta Force or Navy SEALs on clandestine operations.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What you do is you take as much intelligence as you can, piece it together to give you the best read of the battlefield before you send people into harm's way. This is very prudent.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon strongly denies the most controversial aspects of The Washington Post report, insisting that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not in a turf battle with the CIA nor bending the rules, nor hiding the newly expanded unit from Congress.

Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita issued a statement saying: "There is no unit that is directly reportable to the secretary of defense for clandestine operations," and insisting, "the actions being taken within existing statutory authorities," and that the Pentagon "remains in regular consultation with the relevant committees in Congress and with other agencies, including the CIA." But many members of Congress, including some on the intelligence committees, seem taken by surprise.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NE), INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Certainly the Intelligence Committee will be asking about that and looking at it. The concern I always have in these matters as well as others when it comes to power in government, too much power concentrated in too few hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: One thing Congress wants to know is whether the Pentagon is seeking to operate with fewer legal restrictions, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan but in other countries, friendly countries where the U.S. is not at war.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre reporting for us. Thank you.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Remembering the man who made us laugh and forever changed television.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY CARSON, TALK SHOW HOST: Does that lower the value of the chip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CARSON: Obviously, its been restored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Entertainers and everyday people saluting Johnny Carson. This hour I'll speak with comedians Jerry Stiller and Chevy Chase.

Plus -- new terror tactics just days away from the first elections in Iraq. Former defense secretary William Cohen joins me live.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For there are no words to describe what the victims felt when death was the norm and life a miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: For the first time in 60 years, the United Nations devotes a special session to the Holocaust. Why did it take so long? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Hollywood is remembering the longtime king of late night television. Johnny Carson died yesterday at age 79. But he's survived by an entire generation of entertainers who owe their careers to Carson's "Tonight Show." CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is joining us now live with more from Los Angeles. SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, Johnny Carson was a man who needed very little introduction. In fact, for decades two words sufficed. Here's Johnny. That's because anyone who knew him loved him. The reaction from Hollywood has been nothing short of remarkable for the man who most agree was one of a kind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There will never be another Johnny Carson.

VARGAS: From his Hollywood star to New York marquees places known for laughter, today just sad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was part of your bedtime routine.

VARGAS: Johnny Carson's fans left notes. His friends reminisced.

RICH LITTLE, COMEDIAN: He actually said to me, "Rich, are you still doing me in your act?" And I said, of course, all the time. It's one of my best impressions. And the audience loves it. Everywhere I go. He said, are you kidding? I said no. And he said, they still remember me, do they?

MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": One of the things he understood as a host is that he receded. He gave them the lines, he gave them the looks, but he launched the careers of so many comedians because he absolutely pulled back and gave them the ability to shine.

VARGAS: And for that, the now famous lined up to say thanks.

ROBERT KLEIN, COMEDIAN: Boy, oh, boy, he was so supportive when young comedians would go on that show and do well. Sometimes only he and the band were laughing.

DAVID BRENNER, COMEDIAN: I finished that show, I had $3 in my pocket. That was the only money I had -- that's the only money I had, $3. And the next day, I had $10,000 worth of job offers. That was the power of the "Tonight Show" back then. So you could say, really, that everything I've made past those $3 in my life, thanks to Johnny Carson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: This outpouring only goes to show how great an impact he made. Johnny Carson will definitely be missed here in Hollywood and I'm sure across the nation.

BLITZER: Sibila Vargas, thank you for that report.

There are lots of great memories being shared today by those who had the good fortune to be among Johnny Carson's guests. That includes the actor and comedian Jerry Stiller who joins us from Culver City, California. Thanks for taking time to reflect on Johnny Carson. What was it like the first time you went on his show? JERRY STILLER, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: It was the first time we were on. And actually, it was the last time we were on. Except that he had us on again with Joe Namath and Joan Rivers, but that one time that we were on -- and I have to tell you, I've been on a lot of shows only once. There's a lot of shows that I was never on. But the idea of having been on that show once made a tremendous impact. From that point on, my wife Anne Meara and myself were no longer the tall girl and the short guy. We were no longer Schiller and Myra or Stiller and Maria. We were Jerry and Anne. The fact that Ed McMahon who had us on at a Catholic Actors Guild event recommended us to Johnny and Johnny put us on made the impact in our life that really put us out there for the next few years.

BLITZER: How important was Johnny Carson during the 30 years that he hosted "The Tonight Show" to the entertainment industry?

STILLER: Well, there are probably things that I personally experienced. I think he changed the nature of the industry because when Johnny Carson left New York and went out to California, the entire entertainment industry moved out to California. Actors that I knew at the time, Anne and I both, John Cassavetes and Rod Steiger, they all moved out west because they had to be where the action was.

Because Johnny was now taking up what this industry calls the vacuum that actually forms when there's nothing left in one place and you have to go to the other place. So he changed everybody's life. Merv Griffin went out there a few months later. The only person left on the East Coast was Mike Douglas in Philadelphia. Anne and I stayed in New York. We kept doing our act in our places that we had to do all over the country.

But the one thing that if you asked me was some more about Johnny Carson, I can tell you that we did go out west and played a few clubs. We were playing Vegas. We were going on with the Supremes one night, waiting in the wings to go on. All of a sudden the stage manager says, there's a telephone call for you from Johnny Carson. I says, what? I'm about to go on. He handed me the phone. I said, hello. He said this is Johnny Carson. I want to invite you and Ann out to my house tonight in Malibu. We're having a party. I says is this really Johnny Carson? He says, yes. I says this is not Dave Fry (ph) who is the mimic who used to do a lot of impressions. He said, Jerry, it's Johnny Carson. I'll give you directions. I says, will you come me back after with the directions? He says yes.

BLITZER: Did you go?

STILLER: Oh, yes. We went. We wouldn't miss it. So there we were at this wonderful pool party with red buttons and there was Jack Carter. And oh, my god, it was the most incredible thing. We were so scared. We never got out of the pool. We didn't do anything. And -- but there he was.

I can give you one other thing that I thought made him what he was. When his son passed away, he died, we wrote Johnny a note. And I'll never forget getting back this note from Johnny saying, "I appreciate what you said about my son." And it was written in his hand, no automatic pencil or pen. And it really struck me as what kind of a guy that Johnny Carson was.

BLITZER: You know, a lot of people were influenced by Johnny Carson. I suspect you and Ann. What about your son?

STILLER: My son?

BLITZER: Was he influenced by Johnny Carson? Because he's become so successful. Ben Stiller. All of us love him, obviously. But I suspect he was influenced, that new generation as well?

STILLER: I don't know about that. I think Ben came from the second city generation, people like Marty Short and Joe Flaherty and all of those kids who came out of that genre. But all those guys were influenced by Johnny Carson, there's no doubt about that.

BLITZER: What was the difference between the Johnny Carson that we saw on television and the Johnny Carson, the human being that you saw up close and personal?

STILLER: Yes. Well, to me, the thing that I love about hearing these last moments that are being said about him, is that he did not want a memorial. And that said so much about what his personality was and where his head was at. I always get the feeling that Johnny never wanted to experience failure. And he never did. And that's why he went out the way he did. And he doesn't want anything to be said. In Shakespeare they said the good that men do lives after them. That's what stays with me.

I'll tell you one thing. There was one time he did experience failure. You would never bring it up and why would I. But he did play the Catskills. There was that night at the Concord where Johnny said the only people who have never seen me were these people in the Catskill Mountains where people like Danny Kaye and Eddie Cantor all came up and now he was going to conquer the Catskills.

So he came out on stage. There were these people who were over 80 sitting there, spoke only Yiddish. He comes out and says good evening, ladies and gentlemen. And the guy in the first row says, oi, English. And he gets up and he walks out. That was the only...

BLITZER: I think that's typical of the Catskills.

STILLER: He was wiped out. And I think after that he said, you know, when the time comes to go, I'm getting out of here.

BLITZER: Jerry Stiller, we have to leave it right there because we're out of time. Thanks so much for spending a few moments with us. We love your work, your whole family's work. We appreciate it very much.

STILLER: We all loved Johnny.

BLITZER: We certainly do. Thank you very much, Jerry Stiller. And more on the man who not only made us all laugh, he made the careers of several top comedians. Ahead I'll speak with the actor and comedian Chevy Chase. Plus my own personal reflections of Johnny Carson when I look back to the time I was a guest.

Plus the ending of a political era. As the often controversial Attorney General John Ashcroft says good-bye.

And later, digging out from a fierce blizzard. Lots of shoveling, snowblowing and stranded travelers in the northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: An annual protest was staged here in Washington today marking the 32nd anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Estimates of the crowd vary. Anti- abortion activists estimated the turnout at 100,000, but police said only that it was above 1,000. As in previous years, President Bush addressed the demonstrators by telephone and praised their efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're making progress. And this progress is a tribute to your perseverance and to the prayers of the people. I want to thank you especially for the civil way that you have engaged one of America's most contentious issues. I encourage you to take heart in our achievements. Because the true culture of life cannot be sustained solely by changing laws. We need, most of all, to change hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Abortion rights activists marked the Roe vs. Wade anniversary earlier with rallies across the nation Saturday.

One of the most controversial attorney generals in recent U.S. history said good-bye today to the people who served under him. Joining us with what John Ashcroft said to them and to CNN our justice correspondent Kelli Arena. She's joining us here.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, John Ashcroft was joined by hundreds of Justice Department employees who wanted to say good-bye. In fact, it was standing room only.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In a ceremony marking the end of his turbulent term as attorney general, it was all smiles. Earlier in an interview with CNN the man on the front lines in the war on terror said he's leaving his job satisfied.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'll sleep at night because I know that there are people in the law enforcement community who are doing vastly more than they ever did before to keep America safe.

ARENA: Ashcroft was quick to rattle off his list of achievements, a low crime rate, a reduction in drug trafficking, and the fact that there has not been another attack on U.S. soil since September 11. He says he believes historians will treat him well. ASHCROFT: I'm a great believer in the truth. And I believe over time it's pretty clear that the record of the Department of Justice has been good.

ARENA: Currently his record is the subject of much debate. He has become the poster boy for the Patriot Act, a law passed right after September 11, which some say infringes on civil liberties. He's also taken heat for issues spearheaded by other departments, including the detention of enemy combatants. While he defends the president's right to hold those individuals, he and the White House were not always on the same page.

ASHCROFT: I will confess that there have been significant debates about a variety of issues related to 9/11. And those debates, I think, are healthy. They ought to exist, and they need to be undertaken with a sense of vigor and a sense of enthusiasm, and I will confess that I've been in some of those debates and I haven't won all of those debates.

ARENA: Even on his way out he would not reveal which fights he lost.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): It is expected that Alberto Gonzales will be confirmed as the next attorney general next week. As for Ashcroft's next chapter, he would only say that he's looking for honest work.

BLITZER: We'll see what he does next. Thanks very much. Good report. Kelli Arena reporting for us.

Also leaving the Bush administration, Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary of homeland security in charge of border and transportation issues. He submitted his resignation to the White House today. Hutchinson was passed over twice when President Bush first chose Bernard Kerik, then Michael Chertoff to replace outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge. Hutchinson isn't revealing his plans, but there's talk already of a possible gubernatorial run in 2006 in his home state of Arkansas.

Explosions, arrests and terror tactics just six days before the Iraq elections. I'll talk live with the former defense secretary William Cohen about Iraq's bumpy road toward democracy.

And he kept most Americans up past bedtime with late -- late- night laughs for almost 30 years. Comedian Chevy Chase joins us to reflect on the life and times of Johnny Carson.

Also ahead:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

JOHNNY CARSON, HOST: There's probably nobody in the country who doesn't know who he is right now. Would you welcome, please, Mr. Wolf Blitzer?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: My own personal reflections, what it was like to be a guest on "The Tonight Show."

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Despite a surge in deadly violence in Iraq, including more insurgent attacks today, Iraqis are gearing up to vote in crucial national elections Sunday.

Joining us now with his assessment on that and other issues, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense Secretary William Cohen.

Mr. Cohen, thanks very much for joining us.

WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about the elections. Is this going to work on Sunday?

COHEN: Well, I think the issue is more like what Dr. Johnson, Samuel Johnson, said about the dog walking on its hind leg. The notable thing, it's doing it at all, not that it's doing it poorly.

This is going to be a momentous occasion, even though it may not be quite as fulsome as many would like to see it. The fact that they're vote at all will be a significant change in Iraqi history.

BLITZER: The fact that there are no international monitors or observers really coming in of any number because of the security situation, that underscores how difficult the situation is, but does it have a practical import?

BLITZER: Well, I think, at this particular point, we'll have to rely upon our ambassador, Ambassador Negroponte, and his team to see whether or not this is a viable type of an election in terms of its actual honesty or whether there's fraud being committed.

I think the question will be really one of how many people are going to turn out, where they're going to turn out to, who are they going to vote for. These issues have been fairly secret in order to protect the lives of the candidates and protect the lives of the people who are going to vote. So, this is going to be an extraordinary exercise in the first step toward democracy, but a very difficult environment to conduct it.

BLITZER: There will be an international contingent of journalists from the Western news media organizations who will be there. The question is, how much of an opportunity will they have to go out and really watch this election situation unfold, given their own security concerns? COHEN: I suspect they're going to be fairly limited in where they can go and under what circumstances. This is going to be a very dangerous undertaking.

Obviously, the journalists who are there take their chances. They've been very brave and courageous being on the front lines as well. But they may find some restrictions in terms of where they can go without having U.S. soldiers and Marines protecting them.

BLITZER: What do you make of this story now that there's a new clandestine operation under way at the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, run by the Pentagon that may or may not be in competition to the CIA?

COHEN: Well, for many years now, I think there's always been a question that the Department of Defense as to whether the war fighters are getting intelligence, real-time intelligence as they need it. You may recall, General Schwarzkopf was quite critical during Desert Storm that he wasn't getting the kind of tactical intelligence he needed.

So, this has always been sort of a low-burning issue to be sure. Following 9/11, apparently, Secretary Rumsfeld wanted to increase the human intelligence. The question will become how much power is being accumulated, whether that information is being shared with other agencies, such as the CIA. So, accountability, oversight will be key issues.

And then the second issue will be the so-called deconfliction. Will the information be shared with the CIA? If the military operation, whether the secretary of defense is going to feel compelled to share that information with the case officers who are working with the CIA or with our CIA itself as far as the director of central intelligence. Deconfliction will be important.

The CIA may be dealing with an individual to take that individual out to lunch. The Department of Defense may be trying to take him out. So, having a deconfliction of that intelligence will be very, very important to make sure that the proper intelligence is properly vetted, shared in a way that makes the operation successful.

BLITZER: There are some critics who are suggesting Rumsfeld really doesn't trust the CIA. That's why he wants to create a parallel organization, in effect, out of the DIA.

COHEN: Well, as I indicated, I think the question is not trusting the CIA, but, rather, wanting to get information faster and to be able to move faster when you have a military operation.

But the key issue is going to be, again, who is conducting oversight, if any, to whom is the department going to be accountable in terms of the people working, the special forces, the linguists, the other people who are with the other special forces? To whom are they accountable and what kind of oversight will be conducted by Congress?

BLITZER: We'll try to work those questions in the days to come.

William Cohen, thanks for joining us.

COHEN: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Let's take a quick look now at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Almost a month after the tsunami disaster in South Asia, two strong earthquakes hit the region today. A 6.2 quake rattled parts of Indonesia, damaging houses and sending thousands of frightened people into the streets. And a 6.5 quake rocked India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage because of that quake. Officials say it is unlikely the latest quakes would trigger tsunamis.

Cuba of all places. From the land of fine cigars, Cuba will ban smoking in enclosed public spaces next month. The government says the move aims to discourage tobacco use because about half the country's adults smoke.

Invading Paris. Italian designer Giorgio Armani stormed a bastion of French fashion today, unveiling his first full haute couture collection in the French capital, rather than his home base, Milan.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Remembering the Holocaust. The United Nations marks the liberation of Nazi death camps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIE WIESEL, AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR: In spite of being the most documented tragedy in the annals of history, Auschwitz still defies language and understanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But is it too little too late? Holocaust survivors speak out and urge member nations to help end all acts of inhumanity.

Digging out, the icy effects of this weekend's wicked weather.

And the life of TV's late-night king remembered. Chevy Chase and I reflect on what it was like to sit next to an American icon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There was an unprecedented special session of the United Nations General Assembly today marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp.

Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, joining us now live from the U.N. with the story -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, government minister after government minister said never again. But to survivors, some in the audience, and to Jews around the world, this event comes a little late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): It's the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of the Nazi death camps, but the world organization founded because of World War II had never commemorated the moment.

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: I think that maybe we are at the point in history where the changes in the world are reflected also at the United Nations.

ROTH: U.N. members stood to remember, but a considerable number of countries did not attend. Israelis and Jewish supporters charge a majority of U.N. countries exhibit bias against Israel; 30 years ago, in the same assembly hall, a resolution was passed stating Zionism was racism.

MAX LIEBMANN, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: Finally, it was times that -- because, after all, when you listen to some of these meetings at the United Nations, all they are doing is propagating anti-Semitism.

ROTH: Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel got the opportunity to speak directly to countries which could have acted.

WIESEL: Had the allies bombed the railway lines leading to Birkenau in the time when the Hungarian Jews were there, killed 10,000 a day, our tragedy might have been avoided and its scope surely diminished.

ROTH: The U.N. leader noted horrible acts of inhumanity are occurring these days too, including Darfur, Sudan.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is easy to say that something must be done. To say exactly what, when and how and to do it is much more difficult.

ROTH: In the audience, Josephine Prinz, who was transported by the Nazis to another camp before the Russian army could liberate Auschwitz. She came to the U.N. with her concentration number, a memory on her arm. She thinks the U.N. should do more to live up to its original goals. As for this Holocaust remembrance?

JOSEPHINE PRINZ, AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR: It is too little much too late, because we're all dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, said this barbaric act will always be a part of German history. He did say, though, the state of Israel's right to exist and security its citizens will be non-negotiable, fixtures of German foreign policy. On this, he said, Israel can always rely -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth of the U.N., thanks very much.

Let's take a look now at some stories you may have missed this past weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The Northeast was hit by one of the worst blizzards in recent memory. After rolling through the Midwest, the storm dumped more than three feet of snow in parts of Massachusetts. At least 16 deaths were reported in nine states.

Out with the old. Miami's 79-year-old Everglades Hotel was reduced to rubble. The 17-story landmark was imploded to make way for a condominium.

Next stop, Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons to win the National Conference Championship. And the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the American Conference Championship, setting up a Philadelphia-New England Super Bowl in two weeks.

BLITZER: You're married. Real estate mogul Donald Trump and model Melania Knauss tied the knot at a lavish, celebrity-filled wedding in Palm Beach, Florida. As the star of NBC's "The Apprentice," Trump frequently uses the phrase, you're fired. After earlier marriages to Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, this is the first time Trump has used the phrase, I do.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And remembering Johnny Carson. Another comedian great, Chevy Chase, reminisces on the man who changed the face of television forever.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've been reminiscing about Johnny Carson with some of his former guests.

Just a little while ago, I spoke with the actor and comedian Chevy Chase. He joined us from Park City, Utah, and the Sundance Film Festival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Chevy Chase, thanks very much for joining us.

Sad right now to reminisce about Johnny Carson. What goes through your mind? CHEVY CHASE, COMEDIAN: I think of Johnny, he was a very good friend. And I think I've seen so much hype and talk and Hollywood stuff about him and how he was the greatest this and the greatest that.

And he was a simple man with a great intellect, who scanned, rather than skimmed when he read, who learned more languages that most of us will ever know, who had a great intellect and also a great sense of politics and many interests. And I think the reason he stopped work was really so that he could have this last decade and a half or so to follow up on those interests.

And we used to have a poker club. We still do, but it's the Gourmet Poker Club with Steve Martin and Johnny and Carl Reiner and Neil Simon and a number of funny people. And we would play every couple months or so in which we'd spend the evening. And I think my fondest memory of John, aside from dinners and stuff with him and playing tennis or what-not, are when he would fold, which was very often. He was very frugal.

And he would just sit in the corner next to me at the table and just start mumbling to himself, like that. And I'd start doing it back. And the whole table would start laughing after a while. And he just allowed it. He just allowed us to make fun of him or whatever. And he'd be the funniest guy there, no matter if it was Steve and Marty Short and me. No matter who, whenever Johnny said something, it was funny.

BLITZER: Do you remember the first time you were on "The Tonight Show"?

CHASE: I do indeed. I had a kind of a rift with him, because I'd been -- an article had been written about me, my first cover article, by Jeff Greenfield that said I was being groomed on the cover of the New York magazine to take over -- by NBC to take over Johnny Carson's post.

And I was upset by that, because I had no interest at all in that kind of thing. And, in a sense, it was an insult to Johnny. And I wrote him a letter apologizing if there was anything insulting about I and asked him if he would allow me to come on his show to promote "Foul Play" with Goldie Hawn. And he was very sweet and called and said, yes, of course. And we became famous friends after that.

And we saw each other, you know, quite a bit, really.

BLITZER: You mentioned the fact that he learned languages. I only learned yesterday that he actually learned Russian. He was studying a little Swahili. What was all that about?

CHASE: He wasn't just studying. He wasn't just studying Swahili. He knew Swahili. He would go to a place and he'd want to know how the people behaved and what their culture was like. And he had a great ear for music and a great ear for languages. And he would really learn it, Russian and then Swahili.

BLITZER: He didn't really want a memorial service or these kinds of tributes, because he was basically...

CHASE: No.

BLITZER: He was basically a modest, shy kind of guy.

CHASE: Yes, he was. Shy is really it.

In fact, one night, I was having dinner with he and Alex and my wife, Jayni. And when I was I think at the bathroom or something and Alex wasn't at the table, Jayni and he were talking. And he was saying about something how long our marriage had gone and how great that was and how shy he had been with women generally, and that he could never really use pickup lines or anything like that. He didn't know how to do that. He just tended to ask them to marry him.

(LAUGHTER)

CHASE: So that was, I guess, his best pickup line, which was, will you marry me?

BLITZER: And he got married a few times.

CHASE: Yes.

BLITZER: If there's one thing you wish you had told him while he was alive that you wish you could still tell him now, is there anything that stays out in your mind you wish you would have said to him?

CHASE: I wish I had -- I wish I had -- I had just hugged him and told him, you know, you're a real person. You know, he was the center cut, the cross cut in this country in that area.

You have Dave Letterman and you have Jay Leno and you have Conan and all these people who have their niche in this talk show world, but he cut right through all of it right across America. He was the quintessential American. And, best of all, he had great perspective. And a sense of humor is a sense of perspective and a sense of what's important and what's not so important in life, and excellent timing as a comic.

And if I could have just hugged him and said, God, I look up to you, you know, even though I looked down to him by, I don't know, a foot or so. But he was a shy man. And he had never asked for that kind of thing. And he didn't just go off and do a Greta Garbo. He was genuine about what he said. When he said I'm out, he meant it. I'm out.

BLITZER: Chevy Chase, thanks so much for sharing a few thoughts with us on this day. Appreciate it very much.

CHASE: It's good to talk to you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And when we return, my personal memories of Johnny Carson. I'll look back to the time I appeared as a guest on his show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've been remembering Johnny Carson today in talks with some of his former guests. I'm fortunate enough to be able to include myself in that category. I had the honor of being Carson's guest on "The Tonight Show" one memorable day in 1991.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

ED MCMAHON, ANNOUNCER: Here's Johnny.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Like millions of Americans, Johnny Carson was often the last person I saw each night before I closed my eyes. Just imagine, therefore, how excited I was when he began telling jokes with my name as the punchline during the first Gulf War in 1991, when I was CNN's Pentagon correspondent, and when he actually invited me to join him on the set shortly thereafter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

CARSON: My next guest was a well respected journalist with a lot of expertise on the Middle East. And like a lot of journalists and reporters, he was known by his peers and his buddies, but not generally, though, in the general public. And then come August the 2nd and he was thrust into the spotlight all over the world. There's probably nobody in the country who doesn't know who he is now.

Would you welcome, please, Mr. Wolf Blitzer.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I remember walking through that curtain like it was only yesterday. As you can clearly see, I was stiff and nervous. Can you imagine actually appearing on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and hearing a legend say this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

CARSON: It is really a pleasure to have you here. It was like watching -- as told, we had General Kelly here a week ago, who did those amazing briefings for you fellows in the Pentagon. And he seemed to have a great rapport. But it was like watching a daytime show. I'd get up in the morning and I would turn on the TV and see you guys there. Have you gotten used to this at all?

BLITZER: No.

CARSON: You were really thrust into the spotlight, as I said, nationwide. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He asked me some really good questions and he made me feel very comfortable. Appearing on his show turned out to be a lot easier than I had imagined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Johnny Carson could not have been nicer to me. He was clearly on top of all the news. When we spoke off camera, he was so knowledgeable on everything going on.

Let me simply add my appreciation to him, say how much we miss him.

Thanks, Johnny, for everything.

"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 January 24, 2005 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now. Are U.S. forces closing in on this man? They cite new progress in a hunt for the ringleader of Iraq's insurgents. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Election countdown. With Iraq's first crucial vote just days away, intimidation and violence are escalating. Iraqi police among the latest targets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): ... are unable to protect themselves, how can they protect citizens?

BLITZER: Bin Laden reward. Why the U.S. may double the prize for bringing in the world's most wanted terrorist.

Under cover. A top secret intelligence gathering unit revealed at the Pentagon. Who's in it and what's the mission?

ED MCMAHON, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": Here's Johnny!

BLITZER: Remembering Johnny Carson. Former guests, including Jerry Stiller, and Chevy Chase and myself, reminisce.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Monday, January 24, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks for joining us. Under arrest in Iraq right now a top lieutenant to the leading insurgent fighting to prevent Sunday's key national elections. Iraqi government officials say that Abu Umar al-Kurdi has claimed responsibility for at least 32 car bombings in Iraq. His boss, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the United State's most wanted man in Iraq.

We get more now from CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour in Baghdad.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, indeed it was early this morning we heard it as far away here as our offices when the huge suicide car bomb did detonate. But it was outside the area where the political office of Ayad Allawi, the interim prime minister, is. It was at a checkpoint. And it didn't kill anybody, according to officials. But according to Baghdad police, 12 people were wounded and 10 of those were policemen.

Now, afterwards, there was a statement posted that Zarqawi claimed responsibility for that. And as you know, he's stepped up his verbal campaign and physical campaign against these elections over the last few days, coming out very strongly against democracy and telling people that if they actually go to vote, well, then that would be casting their vote with "the infidels."

So this is becoming increasingly apparent. The violence is something that had been predicted. Nonetheless, it is no less dangerous for the fact that it was predicted. Many, many people are very scared and scared about going to the polls. And the big challenge that the U.S. tells us is securing the polls and making people feel safe enough to go out and vote. Because, of course, that will be a test of the credibility of these elections.

The Iraqi government says it has arrested some insurgents including, as you mentioned, one with connections to Zarqawi. And we've been told by U.S. commanders that some senior insurgents and bombmakers have been arrested. U.S. commanders telling us that they have increased their security crackdown on insurgents and on weapons caches leading up to the elections. And they tell us that they've taken in hundreds of suspected insurgents and found dozens of weapons caches around the country, most particularly in the Sunni Muslim heartland -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Christiane, is there a sense right now that everything is basically on track? That the elections are going to take place despite all the violence? That there's no possibility -- virtually no possibility of the elections Sunday being derailed?

AMANPOUR: Oh, you know, I don't think there's any possibility at all. And I think both the Iraqi government and U.S. officials have made it clear that despite the violence taking -- stopping the elections or postponing them is simply not an option. Barring anything that we simply can't imagine right now, they will go ahead on January 30th.

That does not mean to say that people aren't afraid. They are afraid. Most of the people we talked to are afraid, even though most of the people we talked to say they do want to vote. Many say, though, that they don't know who to vote for or what to vote for. There is a lot of confusion because this has basically been a stealth campaign.

BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour reporting for us from Baghdad. Thank you, Christiane.

Despite repeated attacks throughout Iraq, the U.S. military says it has hit the insurgents where it hurts. American forces have confiscated one of the largest stockpiles of weapons in almost two years. The U.S. military says the weapons include a large number of rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition. They were discovered in a garden of a private residence in the town of Ramadi. That's west of Baghdad. The U.S. bounty on the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, is $25 million. But that amount may soon change. Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joining us here now with details -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, $25 million may already seem like an incredibly tempting reward. But after more than three years and no bin Laden, some believe it is time to sweeten the offer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): In an effort to heat up a trail that's gone cold, the State Department is considering doubling the bounty on Osama bin Laden from $25 million to $50 million. In addition, the State Department says a new ad began appearing this month in one of Pakistan's most widely read newspapers and will eventually expand to radio and TV. It targets Pakistanis in border areas where bin Laden and some of his top operatives, including his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar may be hiding, reminding Pakistanis they could make up to $25 million for tips leading to an arrest or conviction.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Following the September 11th attacks...

KOPPEL: Since the so-called Rewards for Justice Program launched its post 9/11 most wanted list, it's had limited success. One of the biggest al Qaeda arrests occurred in March 2003 when Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a bin Laden deputy and one of the masterminds of 9/11, was captured alive in Pakistan. While in July of 2003, the U.S. paid a $30 million reward to an Iraqi informant after Saddam Hussein's two sons died in a shoot-out with American forces.

The State Department defended its record.

ADAM ERELI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: The trendline is clearly in our favor if you consider the fact that most of the al Qaeda leaders are either dead or in jail.

KOPPEL: But critics say the State Department's expectation that tribal-based societies like Pakistan and Afghanistan will turn over bin Laden other top al Qaeda operatives, if in fact they are there, is misguided.

WALTER LANG, U.S. ARMY (RET.): The idea of calling an equivalent of an 800 number or something in order to turn somebody is about as alien to that kind of tribal society as I can imagine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: The philosophy behind the latest media blitz, to make sure Pakistanis know how to contact U.S. authorities to collect their reward. Now as for how this doubling of the reward is going to work, Wolf, State Department officials say that it is something that State -- the new -- the designated state department head, Condoleezza Rice, a decision that she could make. And as we know, she's expected to take office now sometime later this week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, reporting for us. Andrea, thank you very much.

In our "Security Watch," congressional lawmakers are again expressing concern about the way the Pentagon conducts its affairs. At issue, revelation that the Pentagon is using its own spies to collect intelligence. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joining us now live with more on this -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon insists that that special unit is operating neither outside the law nor in competition with the CIA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Before U.S. Special Forces went into Afghanistan in October of 2001, they had to wait for the CIA to scope out the situation, prompting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to fire off an urgent memo to Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myers. As reported Sunday by The Washington Post, Rumsfeld's memo asked if the Defense Department is "lacking a capability we need?"

"Maybe," Rumsfeld ruminated, "the Pentagon ought not to be in a position of near total dependence on the CIA." The result, a senior Pentagon official confirms, was a plan implemented over the past two years to beef up the Defense Intelligence Agency's so-called human intelligence unit, now renamed the Strategic Support Branch.

The idea is for the Pentagon to have its own spies who can operate alongside U.S. commandos such as Delta Force or Navy SEALs on clandestine operations.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What you do is you take as much intelligence as you can, piece it together to give you the best read of the battlefield before you send people into harm's way. This is very prudent.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon strongly denies the most controversial aspects of The Washington Post report, insisting that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not in a turf battle with the CIA nor bending the rules, nor hiding the newly expanded unit from Congress.

Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita issued a statement saying: "There is no unit that is directly reportable to the secretary of defense for clandestine operations," and insisting, "the actions being taken within existing statutory authorities," and that the Pentagon "remains in regular consultation with the relevant committees in Congress and with other agencies, including the CIA." But many members of Congress, including some on the intelligence committees, seem taken by surprise.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NE), INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Certainly the Intelligence Committee will be asking about that and looking at it. The concern I always have in these matters as well as others when it comes to power in government, too much power concentrated in too few hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: One thing Congress wants to know is whether the Pentagon is seeking to operate with fewer legal restrictions, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan but in other countries, friendly countries where the U.S. is not at war.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre reporting for us. Thank you.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Remembering the man who made us laugh and forever changed television.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY CARSON, TALK SHOW HOST: Does that lower the value of the chip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CARSON: Obviously, its been restored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Entertainers and everyday people saluting Johnny Carson. This hour I'll speak with comedians Jerry Stiller and Chevy Chase.

Plus -- new terror tactics just days away from the first elections in Iraq. Former defense secretary William Cohen joins me live.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For there are no words to describe what the victims felt when death was the norm and life a miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: For the first time in 60 years, the United Nations devotes a special session to the Holocaust. Why did it take so long? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Hollywood is remembering the longtime king of late night television. Johnny Carson died yesterday at age 79. But he's survived by an entire generation of entertainers who owe their careers to Carson's "Tonight Show." CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is joining us now live with more from Los Angeles. SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf, Johnny Carson was a man who needed very little introduction. In fact, for decades two words sufficed. Here's Johnny. That's because anyone who knew him loved him. The reaction from Hollywood has been nothing short of remarkable for the man who most agree was one of a kind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There will never be another Johnny Carson.

VARGAS: From his Hollywood star to New York marquees places known for laughter, today just sad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was part of your bedtime routine.

VARGAS: Johnny Carson's fans left notes. His friends reminisced.

RICH LITTLE, COMEDIAN: He actually said to me, "Rich, are you still doing me in your act?" And I said, of course, all the time. It's one of my best impressions. And the audience loves it. Everywhere I go. He said, are you kidding? I said no. And he said, they still remember me, do they?

MARY MURPHY, "TV GUIDE": One of the things he understood as a host is that he receded. He gave them the lines, he gave them the looks, but he launched the careers of so many comedians because he absolutely pulled back and gave them the ability to shine.

VARGAS: And for that, the now famous lined up to say thanks.

ROBERT KLEIN, COMEDIAN: Boy, oh, boy, he was so supportive when young comedians would go on that show and do well. Sometimes only he and the band were laughing.

DAVID BRENNER, COMEDIAN: I finished that show, I had $3 in my pocket. That was the only money I had -- that's the only money I had, $3. And the next day, I had $10,000 worth of job offers. That was the power of the "Tonight Show" back then. So you could say, really, that everything I've made past those $3 in my life, thanks to Johnny Carson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: This outpouring only goes to show how great an impact he made. Johnny Carson will definitely be missed here in Hollywood and I'm sure across the nation.

BLITZER: Sibila Vargas, thank you for that report.

There are lots of great memories being shared today by those who had the good fortune to be among Johnny Carson's guests. That includes the actor and comedian Jerry Stiller who joins us from Culver City, California. Thanks for taking time to reflect on Johnny Carson. What was it like the first time you went on his show? JERRY STILLER, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: It was the first time we were on. And actually, it was the last time we were on. Except that he had us on again with Joe Namath and Joan Rivers, but that one time that we were on -- and I have to tell you, I've been on a lot of shows only once. There's a lot of shows that I was never on. But the idea of having been on that show once made a tremendous impact. From that point on, my wife Anne Meara and myself were no longer the tall girl and the short guy. We were no longer Schiller and Myra or Stiller and Maria. We were Jerry and Anne. The fact that Ed McMahon who had us on at a Catholic Actors Guild event recommended us to Johnny and Johnny put us on made the impact in our life that really put us out there for the next few years.

BLITZER: How important was Johnny Carson during the 30 years that he hosted "The Tonight Show" to the entertainment industry?

STILLER: Well, there are probably things that I personally experienced. I think he changed the nature of the industry because when Johnny Carson left New York and went out to California, the entire entertainment industry moved out to California. Actors that I knew at the time, Anne and I both, John Cassavetes and Rod Steiger, they all moved out west because they had to be where the action was.

Because Johnny was now taking up what this industry calls the vacuum that actually forms when there's nothing left in one place and you have to go to the other place. So he changed everybody's life. Merv Griffin went out there a few months later. The only person left on the East Coast was Mike Douglas in Philadelphia. Anne and I stayed in New York. We kept doing our act in our places that we had to do all over the country.

But the one thing that if you asked me was some more about Johnny Carson, I can tell you that we did go out west and played a few clubs. We were playing Vegas. We were going on with the Supremes one night, waiting in the wings to go on. All of a sudden the stage manager says, there's a telephone call for you from Johnny Carson. I says, what? I'm about to go on. He handed me the phone. I said, hello. He said this is Johnny Carson. I want to invite you and Ann out to my house tonight in Malibu. We're having a party. I says is this really Johnny Carson? He says, yes. I says this is not Dave Fry (ph) who is the mimic who used to do a lot of impressions. He said, Jerry, it's Johnny Carson. I'll give you directions. I says, will you come me back after with the directions? He says yes.

BLITZER: Did you go?

STILLER: Oh, yes. We went. We wouldn't miss it. So there we were at this wonderful pool party with red buttons and there was Jack Carter. And oh, my god, it was the most incredible thing. We were so scared. We never got out of the pool. We didn't do anything. And -- but there he was.

I can give you one other thing that I thought made him what he was. When his son passed away, he died, we wrote Johnny a note. And I'll never forget getting back this note from Johnny saying, "I appreciate what you said about my son." And it was written in his hand, no automatic pencil or pen. And it really struck me as what kind of a guy that Johnny Carson was.

BLITZER: You know, a lot of people were influenced by Johnny Carson. I suspect you and Ann. What about your son?

STILLER: My son?

BLITZER: Was he influenced by Johnny Carson? Because he's become so successful. Ben Stiller. All of us love him, obviously. But I suspect he was influenced, that new generation as well?

STILLER: I don't know about that. I think Ben came from the second city generation, people like Marty Short and Joe Flaherty and all of those kids who came out of that genre. But all those guys were influenced by Johnny Carson, there's no doubt about that.

BLITZER: What was the difference between the Johnny Carson that we saw on television and the Johnny Carson, the human being that you saw up close and personal?

STILLER: Yes. Well, to me, the thing that I love about hearing these last moments that are being said about him, is that he did not want a memorial. And that said so much about what his personality was and where his head was at. I always get the feeling that Johnny never wanted to experience failure. And he never did. And that's why he went out the way he did. And he doesn't want anything to be said. In Shakespeare they said the good that men do lives after them. That's what stays with me.

I'll tell you one thing. There was one time he did experience failure. You would never bring it up and why would I. But he did play the Catskills. There was that night at the Concord where Johnny said the only people who have never seen me were these people in the Catskill Mountains where people like Danny Kaye and Eddie Cantor all came up and now he was going to conquer the Catskills.

So he came out on stage. There were these people who were over 80 sitting there, spoke only Yiddish. He comes out and says good evening, ladies and gentlemen. And the guy in the first row says, oi, English. And he gets up and he walks out. That was the only...

BLITZER: I think that's typical of the Catskills.

STILLER: He was wiped out. And I think after that he said, you know, when the time comes to go, I'm getting out of here.

BLITZER: Jerry Stiller, we have to leave it right there because we're out of time. Thanks so much for spending a few moments with us. We love your work, your whole family's work. We appreciate it very much.

STILLER: We all loved Johnny.

BLITZER: We certainly do. Thank you very much, Jerry Stiller. And more on the man who not only made us all laugh, he made the careers of several top comedians. Ahead I'll speak with the actor and comedian Chevy Chase. Plus my own personal reflections of Johnny Carson when I look back to the time I was a guest.

Plus the ending of a political era. As the often controversial Attorney General John Ashcroft says good-bye.

And later, digging out from a fierce blizzard. Lots of shoveling, snowblowing and stranded travelers in the northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: An annual protest was staged here in Washington today marking the 32nd anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Estimates of the crowd vary. Anti- abortion activists estimated the turnout at 100,000, but police said only that it was above 1,000. As in previous years, President Bush addressed the demonstrators by telephone and praised their efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're making progress. And this progress is a tribute to your perseverance and to the prayers of the people. I want to thank you especially for the civil way that you have engaged one of America's most contentious issues. I encourage you to take heart in our achievements. Because the true culture of life cannot be sustained solely by changing laws. We need, most of all, to change hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Abortion rights activists marked the Roe vs. Wade anniversary earlier with rallies across the nation Saturday.

One of the most controversial attorney generals in recent U.S. history said good-bye today to the people who served under him. Joining us with what John Ashcroft said to them and to CNN our justice correspondent Kelli Arena. She's joining us here.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, John Ashcroft was joined by hundreds of Justice Department employees who wanted to say good-bye. In fact, it was standing room only.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In a ceremony marking the end of his turbulent term as attorney general, it was all smiles. Earlier in an interview with CNN the man on the front lines in the war on terror said he's leaving his job satisfied.

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'll sleep at night because I know that there are people in the law enforcement community who are doing vastly more than they ever did before to keep America safe.

ARENA: Ashcroft was quick to rattle off his list of achievements, a low crime rate, a reduction in drug trafficking, and the fact that there has not been another attack on U.S. soil since September 11. He says he believes historians will treat him well. ASHCROFT: I'm a great believer in the truth. And I believe over time it's pretty clear that the record of the Department of Justice has been good.

ARENA: Currently his record is the subject of much debate. He has become the poster boy for the Patriot Act, a law passed right after September 11, which some say infringes on civil liberties. He's also taken heat for issues spearheaded by other departments, including the detention of enemy combatants. While he defends the president's right to hold those individuals, he and the White House were not always on the same page.

ASHCROFT: I will confess that there have been significant debates about a variety of issues related to 9/11. And those debates, I think, are healthy. They ought to exist, and they need to be undertaken with a sense of vigor and a sense of enthusiasm, and I will confess that I've been in some of those debates and I haven't won all of those debates.

ARENA: Even on his way out he would not reveal which fights he lost.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): It is expected that Alberto Gonzales will be confirmed as the next attorney general next week. As for Ashcroft's next chapter, he would only say that he's looking for honest work.

BLITZER: We'll see what he does next. Thanks very much. Good report. Kelli Arena reporting for us.

Also leaving the Bush administration, Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary of homeland security in charge of border and transportation issues. He submitted his resignation to the White House today. Hutchinson was passed over twice when President Bush first chose Bernard Kerik, then Michael Chertoff to replace outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge. Hutchinson isn't revealing his plans, but there's talk already of a possible gubernatorial run in 2006 in his home state of Arkansas.

Explosions, arrests and terror tactics just six days before the Iraq elections. I'll talk live with the former defense secretary William Cohen about Iraq's bumpy road toward democracy.

And he kept most Americans up past bedtime with late -- late- night laughs for almost 30 years. Comedian Chevy Chase joins us to reflect on the life and times of Johnny Carson.

Also ahead:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

JOHNNY CARSON, HOST: There's probably nobody in the country who doesn't know who he is right now. Would you welcome, please, Mr. Wolf Blitzer?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: My own personal reflections, what it was like to be a guest on "The Tonight Show."

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Despite a surge in deadly violence in Iraq, including more insurgent attacks today, Iraqis are gearing up to vote in crucial national elections Sunday.

Joining us now with his assessment on that and other issues, our world affairs analyst, the former Defense Secretary William Cohen.

Mr. Cohen, thanks very much for joining us.

WILLIAM COHEN, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS ANALYST: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit about the elections. Is this going to work on Sunday?

COHEN: Well, I think the issue is more like what Dr. Johnson, Samuel Johnson, said about the dog walking on its hind leg. The notable thing, it's doing it at all, not that it's doing it poorly.

This is going to be a momentous occasion, even though it may not be quite as fulsome as many would like to see it. The fact that they're vote at all will be a significant change in Iraqi history.

BLITZER: The fact that there are no international monitors or observers really coming in of any number because of the security situation, that underscores how difficult the situation is, but does it have a practical import?

BLITZER: Well, I think, at this particular point, we'll have to rely upon our ambassador, Ambassador Negroponte, and his team to see whether or not this is a viable type of an election in terms of its actual honesty or whether there's fraud being committed.

I think the question will be really one of how many people are going to turn out, where they're going to turn out to, who are they going to vote for. These issues have been fairly secret in order to protect the lives of the candidates and protect the lives of the people who are going to vote. So, this is going to be an extraordinary exercise in the first step toward democracy, but a very difficult environment to conduct it.

BLITZER: There will be an international contingent of journalists from the Western news media organizations who will be there. The question is, how much of an opportunity will they have to go out and really watch this election situation unfold, given their own security concerns? COHEN: I suspect they're going to be fairly limited in where they can go and under what circumstances. This is going to be a very dangerous undertaking.

Obviously, the journalists who are there take their chances. They've been very brave and courageous being on the front lines as well. But they may find some restrictions in terms of where they can go without having U.S. soldiers and Marines protecting them.

BLITZER: What do you make of this story now that there's a new clandestine operation under way at the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, run by the Pentagon that may or may not be in competition to the CIA?

COHEN: Well, for many years now, I think there's always been a question that the Department of Defense as to whether the war fighters are getting intelligence, real-time intelligence as they need it. You may recall, General Schwarzkopf was quite critical during Desert Storm that he wasn't getting the kind of tactical intelligence he needed.

So, this has always been sort of a low-burning issue to be sure. Following 9/11, apparently, Secretary Rumsfeld wanted to increase the human intelligence. The question will become how much power is being accumulated, whether that information is being shared with other agencies, such as the CIA. So, accountability, oversight will be key issues.

And then the second issue will be the so-called deconfliction. Will the information be shared with the CIA? If the military operation, whether the secretary of defense is going to feel compelled to share that information with the case officers who are working with the CIA or with our CIA itself as far as the director of central intelligence. Deconfliction will be important.

The CIA may be dealing with an individual to take that individual out to lunch. The Department of Defense may be trying to take him out. So, having a deconfliction of that intelligence will be very, very important to make sure that the proper intelligence is properly vetted, shared in a way that makes the operation successful.

BLITZER: There are some critics who are suggesting Rumsfeld really doesn't trust the CIA. That's why he wants to create a parallel organization, in effect, out of the DIA.

COHEN: Well, as I indicated, I think the question is not trusting the CIA, but, rather, wanting to get information faster and to be able to move faster when you have a military operation.

But the key issue is going to be, again, who is conducting oversight, if any, to whom is the department going to be accountable in terms of the people working, the special forces, the linguists, the other people who are with the other special forces? To whom are they accountable and what kind of oversight will be conducted by Congress?

BLITZER: We'll try to work those questions in the days to come.

William Cohen, thanks for joining us.

COHEN: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Let's take a quick look now at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Almost a month after the tsunami disaster in South Asia, two strong earthquakes hit the region today. A 6.2 quake rattled parts of Indonesia, damaging houses and sending thousands of frightened people into the streets. And a 6.5 quake rocked India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage because of that quake. Officials say it is unlikely the latest quakes would trigger tsunamis.

Cuba of all places. From the land of fine cigars, Cuba will ban smoking in enclosed public spaces next month. The government says the move aims to discourage tobacco use because about half the country's adults smoke.

Invading Paris. Italian designer Giorgio Armani stormed a bastion of French fashion today, unveiling his first full haute couture collection in the French capital, rather than his home base, Milan.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Remembering the Holocaust. The United Nations marks the liberation of Nazi death camps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIE WIESEL, AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR: In spite of being the most documented tragedy in the annals of history, Auschwitz still defies language and understanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: But is it too little too late? Holocaust survivors speak out and urge member nations to help end all acts of inhumanity.

Digging out, the icy effects of this weekend's wicked weather.

And the life of TV's late-night king remembered. Chevy Chase and I reflect on what it was like to sit next to an American icon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There was an unprecedented special session of the United Nations General Assembly today marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp.

Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, joining us now live from the U.N. with the story -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, government minister after government minister said never again. But to survivors, some in the audience, and to Jews around the world, this event comes a little late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): It's the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of the Nazi death camps, but the world organization founded because of World War II had never commemorated the moment.

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: I think that maybe we are at the point in history where the changes in the world are reflected also at the United Nations.

ROTH: U.N. members stood to remember, but a considerable number of countries did not attend. Israelis and Jewish supporters charge a majority of U.N. countries exhibit bias against Israel; 30 years ago, in the same assembly hall, a resolution was passed stating Zionism was racism.

MAX LIEBMANN, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: Finally, it was times that -- because, after all, when you listen to some of these meetings at the United Nations, all they are doing is propagating anti-Semitism.

ROTH: Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel got the opportunity to speak directly to countries which could have acted.

WIESEL: Had the allies bombed the railway lines leading to Birkenau in the time when the Hungarian Jews were there, killed 10,000 a day, our tragedy might have been avoided and its scope surely diminished.

ROTH: The U.N. leader noted horrible acts of inhumanity are occurring these days too, including Darfur, Sudan.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is easy to say that something must be done. To say exactly what, when and how and to do it is much more difficult.

ROTH: In the audience, Josephine Prinz, who was transported by the Nazis to another camp before the Russian army could liberate Auschwitz. She came to the U.N. with her concentration number, a memory on her arm. She thinks the U.N. should do more to live up to its original goals. As for this Holocaust remembrance?

JOSEPHINE PRINZ, AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR: It is too little much too late, because we're all dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, said this barbaric act will always be a part of German history. He did say, though, the state of Israel's right to exist and security its citizens will be non-negotiable, fixtures of German foreign policy. On this, he said, Israel can always rely -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Richard Roth of the U.N., thanks very much.

Let's take a look now at some stories you may have missed this past weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The Northeast was hit by one of the worst blizzards in recent memory. After rolling through the Midwest, the storm dumped more than three feet of snow in parts of Massachusetts. At least 16 deaths were reported in nine states.

Out with the old. Miami's 79-year-old Everglades Hotel was reduced to rubble. The 17-story landmark was imploded to make way for a condominium.

Next stop, Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons to win the National Conference Championship. And the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the American Conference Championship, setting up a Philadelphia-New England Super Bowl in two weeks.

BLITZER: You're married. Real estate mogul Donald Trump and model Melania Knauss tied the knot at a lavish, celebrity-filled wedding in Palm Beach, Florida. As the star of NBC's "The Apprentice," Trump frequently uses the phrase, you're fired. After earlier marriages to Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, this is the first time Trump has used the phrase, I do.

And that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And remembering Johnny Carson. Another comedian great, Chevy Chase, reminisces on the man who changed the face of television forever.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've been reminiscing about Johnny Carson with some of his former guests.

Just a little while ago, I spoke with the actor and comedian Chevy Chase. He joined us from Park City, Utah, and the Sundance Film Festival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Chevy Chase, thanks very much for joining us.

Sad right now to reminisce about Johnny Carson. What goes through your mind? CHEVY CHASE, COMEDIAN: I think of Johnny, he was a very good friend. And I think I've seen so much hype and talk and Hollywood stuff about him and how he was the greatest this and the greatest that.

And he was a simple man with a great intellect, who scanned, rather than skimmed when he read, who learned more languages that most of us will ever know, who had a great intellect and also a great sense of politics and many interests. And I think the reason he stopped work was really so that he could have this last decade and a half or so to follow up on those interests.

And we used to have a poker club. We still do, but it's the Gourmet Poker Club with Steve Martin and Johnny and Carl Reiner and Neil Simon and a number of funny people. And we would play every couple months or so in which we'd spend the evening. And I think my fondest memory of John, aside from dinners and stuff with him and playing tennis or what-not, are when he would fold, which was very often. He was very frugal.

And he would just sit in the corner next to me at the table and just start mumbling to himself, like that. And I'd start doing it back. And the whole table would start laughing after a while. And he just allowed it. He just allowed us to make fun of him or whatever. And he'd be the funniest guy there, no matter if it was Steve and Marty Short and me. No matter who, whenever Johnny said something, it was funny.

BLITZER: Do you remember the first time you were on "The Tonight Show"?

CHASE: I do indeed. I had a kind of a rift with him, because I'd been -- an article had been written about me, my first cover article, by Jeff Greenfield that said I was being groomed on the cover of the New York magazine to take over -- by NBC to take over Johnny Carson's post.

And I was upset by that, because I had no interest at all in that kind of thing. And, in a sense, it was an insult to Johnny. And I wrote him a letter apologizing if there was anything insulting about I and asked him if he would allow me to come on his show to promote "Foul Play" with Goldie Hawn. And he was very sweet and called and said, yes, of course. And we became famous friends after that.

And we saw each other, you know, quite a bit, really.

BLITZER: You mentioned the fact that he learned languages. I only learned yesterday that he actually learned Russian. He was studying a little Swahili. What was all that about?

CHASE: He wasn't just studying. He wasn't just studying Swahili. He knew Swahili. He would go to a place and he'd want to know how the people behaved and what their culture was like. And he had a great ear for music and a great ear for languages. And he would really learn it, Russian and then Swahili.

BLITZER: He didn't really want a memorial service or these kinds of tributes, because he was basically...

CHASE: No.

BLITZER: He was basically a modest, shy kind of guy.

CHASE: Yes, he was. Shy is really it.

In fact, one night, I was having dinner with he and Alex and my wife, Jayni. And when I was I think at the bathroom or something and Alex wasn't at the table, Jayni and he were talking. And he was saying about something how long our marriage had gone and how great that was and how shy he had been with women generally, and that he could never really use pickup lines or anything like that. He didn't know how to do that. He just tended to ask them to marry him.

(LAUGHTER)

CHASE: So that was, I guess, his best pickup line, which was, will you marry me?

BLITZER: And he got married a few times.

CHASE: Yes.

BLITZER: If there's one thing you wish you had told him while he was alive that you wish you could still tell him now, is there anything that stays out in your mind you wish you would have said to him?

CHASE: I wish I had -- I wish I had -- I had just hugged him and told him, you know, you're a real person. You know, he was the center cut, the cross cut in this country in that area.

You have Dave Letterman and you have Jay Leno and you have Conan and all these people who have their niche in this talk show world, but he cut right through all of it right across America. He was the quintessential American. And, best of all, he had great perspective. And a sense of humor is a sense of perspective and a sense of what's important and what's not so important in life, and excellent timing as a comic.

And if I could have just hugged him and said, God, I look up to you, you know, even though I looked down to him by, I don't know, a foot or so. But he was a shy man. And he had never asked for that kind of thing. And he didn't just go off and do a Greta Garbo. He was genuine about what he said. When he said I'm out, he meant it. I'm out.

BLITZER: Chevy Chase, thanks so much for sharing a few thoughts with us on this day. Appreciate it very much.

CHASE: It's good to talk to you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And when we return, my personal memories of Johnny Carson. I'll look back to the time I appeared as a guest on his show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've been remembering Johnny Carson today in talks with some of his former guests. I'm fortunate enough to be able to include myself in that category. I had the honor of being Carson's guest on "The Tonight Show" one memorable day in 1991.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

ED MCMAHON, ANNOUNCER: Here's Johnny.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Like millions of Americans, Johnny Carson was often the last person I saw each night before I closed my eyes. Just imagine, therefore, how excited I was when he began telling jokes with my name as the punchline during the first Gulf War in 1991, when I was CNN's Pentagon correspondent, and when he actually invited me to join him on the set shortly thereafter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

CARSON: My next guest was a well respected journalist with a lot of expertise on the Middle East. And like a lot of journalists and reporters, he was known by his peers and his buddies, but not generally, though, in the general public. And then come August the 2nd and he was thrust into the spotlight all over the world. There's probably nobody in the country who doesn't know who he is now.

Would you welcome, please, Mr. Wolf Blitzer.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I remember walking through that curtain like it was only yesterday. As you can clearly see, I was stiff and nervous. Can you imagine actually appearing on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and hearing a legend say this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW")

CARSON: It is really a pleasure to have you here. It was like watching -- as told, we had General Kelly here a week ago, who did those amazing briefings for you fellows in the Pentagon. And he seemed to have a great rapport. But it was like watching a daytime show. I'd get up in the morning and I would turn on the TV and see you guys there. Have you gotten used to this at all?

BLITZER: No.

CARSON: You were really thrust into the spotlight, as I said, nationwide. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He asked me some really good questions and he made me feel very comfortable. Appearing on his show turned out to be a lot easier than I had imagined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Johnny Carson could not have been nicer to me. He was clearly on top of all the news. When we spoke off camera, he was so knowledgeable on everything going on.

Let me simply add my appreciation to him, say how much we miss him.

Thanks, Johnny, for everything.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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