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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Operation Quick Strike Focuses on Al Anbar Province; Cleveland Mourns Fallen Marines; Bush Poll Numbers Keep Dropping

Aired August 05, 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 HOST: Happening now, an amazing change in Iraq. A year ago, he was branded a terrorist by the U.S. military, wanted dead or alive. Now Muqtada al Sadr is embraced by Iraq's prime minister.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Fight for Iraq. U.S. Marines are on the offensive after devastating blows by insurgents. Back home in Ohio, the mourning is just beginning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young men and women have lost their lives. And our eyes fill with tears.

BLITZER: Risky mission. As Discovery prepares to depart from the space station, we'll hear from an astronaut's wife awaiting the return of the shuttle.

Race against time. Desperate efforts to rescue Russian sailors trapped in a mini sub at the bottom of the sea.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, August 5, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us.

Twenty-eight American troops have died in Iraq this week alone, most of them U.S. Marines killed by insurgents in the Al Anbar province. While there's shock and mourning here on the home front, the Marines are now taking the fight to the enemy.

Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Wolf, it's been a deadly week, but the Marines say the way to keep insurgents on the run and on the defensive is to stay on the offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): U.S. military officials say Operation Quick Strike was planned well before Wednesday's deadly attack in which a massive bomb destroyed an amphibious assault vehicle, killing 14 Marines and their civilian interpreter. In fact, the same day of that attack near Haditha, some 800 Marines and 180 Iraqi troops were already taking up positions around the city and two other suspected insurgent strongholds.

Matthew Cox is an embedded reporter for the "Army Times."

MATTHEW COX, "ARMY TIMES": Foreign fighters are coming in. They're using these towns. They bring in a lot of explosives. They prepare these car bombs. And then they go to bigger cities like Mosul and Baghdad.

MCINTYRE: Operation Quick Strike is just the latest in a series of similar operations launched by the Marines in western Iraq since May. The names are different -- Sword, Spear, Dagger, New Market, Matador -- but the objective is the same -- to deny insurgents the ability to use Anbar province as a safe base of operations.

BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: Western Anbar province has been an area of concern for a very long time. And the Euphrates River and the towns and villages along it are likely locations for the movement of insurgents either cross border from Syria or inside Iraq itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And Wolf, military sources tell CNN that some of these sophisticated explosives that appear to have shaped charges that can penetrate armor, appear to have been smuggled into Iraq from neighboring countries. They say either that's the case, or at the very least, the expertise to put those bombs together is coming from outside Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thanks very much.

Even as Americans reel from the impact of this week's very heavy losses in Iraq, the Pentagon has released more photos of flag-draped coffins and honor guards escorting the remains of U.S. service members who fell earlier in the war against terror and the war in Iraq.

Until now, the Pentagon has refused to release these pictures, but as we reported yesterday, the photos are now being released as a result of a Freedom of Information lawsuit.

Ohio has borne the brunt of this week's casualties, most of whom were U.S. Marine reservists.

For more on this story, let's turn now to CNN's Brian Todd. He's joining us here in the studio -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, much of this is obviously due to fate and horrible luck, but it's almost too much to ask of this one region in Ohio and one unit in particular. We're talking about the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, bloodied in combat earlier this year, decimated this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): A Marine colonel recently told CNN there's no preparation for looking into the eyes of a father and mother and telling them their son was killed in action. That horrible ritual, repeated more than 20 times this week for the families of young Marines killed in separate attacks within the span of three days in northern Iraq.

(MUSIC)

TODD: In downtown Cleveland, city officials tried to offer solace with a vigil service. In this area, the pain is especially severe. One Marine unit, the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, has reserve centers in Ohio, where at least 13 of the Marines killed were assigned.

At this service, Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Michael Coleman mourns his neighbors and prays for his son, a lance corporal still with that unit in Iraq.

MAYOR MICHAEL COLEMAN, COLUMBUS, OHIO: Stay with them now and forever more. May we always support our troops, particularly in these difficult times. May God bless them now and forevermore. Let us remember them.

TODD: They remember Lance Corporal Timothy Bell of West Chesterfield, Ohio, 22 years old, nephew of a Major League Baseball manager, killed when a roadside bomb struck his amphibious vehicle near Haditha. A Marine through and through, says his dad, who recalls a final wrenching image of his son.

TIM BELL, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: The last time I saw Timmy is when I dropped him off before he left for Iraq. And as I turned away, he grabbed me and told me, hey, Dad, hold on here a second. He says, I want you to wear this ring. But I want it back when I get home.

It's a Marine ring. So I guess I'll be wearing it.

TODD: Nineteen-year-old Lance Corporal Christopher Dyer, killed in the same explosion, told his dad, don't worry. I'm going to come home.

Now, a father's anguish is almost too much to bear.

JOHN DYER, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I keep telling myself he put more into those 19-and-a-half years than I have in my 51. I keep wanting to reach back and change things and say, no, son, you can't go into the Marine Corps.

I think that would have killed him. He may have lived to be 80, and I think for him not to have reach for his dreams, would have killed him just as much as that bomb in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Now, back in May, this unit, the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, saw one of its squads take 60 percent casualties during combat in that same region of Iraq. This unit is scheduled to return home by late September or early October.

Worth noting here, Wolf, that the oldest member of the Marines killed this week, 32 years old. The youngest member, Corporal Dyer, whom we just profiled, 19, and they're all reserves.

BLITZER: What a heart-wrenching story. Thanks, Brian Todd, for bringing it to us. Appreciate it very much.

So will the Bush administration feel any fallout from the spike in combat casualties? The president is at his Texas ranch. Our Elaine Quijano is nearby in Crawford. She's joining us now live with more -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Wolf.

President Bush continues to insist that progress is being made in Iraq. But a new poll seems to show that that message is being overshadowed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): Against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq for U.S. forces, new numbers show the American public's support for President Bush's Iraq policy is falling. Thirty- eight percent of Americans approve of his approach; 59 percent disapprove.

But the president is showing no sign of changing his strategy.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will stay the course. We will complete the job in Iraq. And the job is this: we'll help the Iraqis develop a democracy. They're in the process of writing a constitution which will be ratified in October and then they will elect a permanent government.

QUIJANO: While the administration sends the message that Iraqis are making progress, images of violence abroad and grief at home weigh heavily on Americans.

STU ROTHENBERG, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the president's standing in the polls is the result of daily bad news -- reports of casualties and fatalities and a growing sense that we're not making a lot of progress.

QUIJANO: Threats by bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri gave the president a chance to frame the Iraq war debate.

BUSH: The comments by the number two man of al Qaeda make it clear that Iraq is a part of this war on terror and we're at war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now, earlier this week, President Bush took an opportunity to tout his domestic legislative achievements in his second term, including the energy bill and a highway bill, which the president will be focusing on next week. But of course, the daily news out of Iraq continues to take the spotlight of that positive news that the administration is trying to send -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Elaine Quijano in Crawford, Texas, for us. Thanks, Elaine, very much.

Both time and oxygen are running out for the crew of a small Russian submarine that's trapped at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Now the U.S. Navy is joining Russian forces coming to the rescue.

You're looking at a live picture of the U.S. cargo plane ready for takeoff in San Diego. We'll watch the tarmac, see when this plane takes off. But let's get all the background.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now live with more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the military has been loading that C-5 in San Diego for the last several hours to make its way to Russia. The call for help from Moscow came very quickly after the Russian crew ran into trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): In San Diego, Navy and Air Force personnel scrambled to load this cargo jet with rescue gear within hours of the Russian Navy asking for help in saving seven of its sailors trapped 600 feet under the Pacific Ocean. The Russian mini sub, like this one, apparently became tangled on nets and cables.

DMITRY BURMISTOV, RUSSIAN NAVY SPOKESMAN (through translator): The AS-28 submersible's propeller caught a fragment of fishing net and it's wrapped around the vessel's propeller. As the crew tried to break free from the net, a metal cord was caught on the propeller, which then trapped the vessel in deep water.

STARR: The U.S. Navy will try to cut it loose before the Russian crew runs out of air.

COMMANDER KENT VAN HORN, U.S. NAVY: Our only avenue here is to get a vehicle down there that can cut the cable away, and they should be able to get to the surface then.

STARR: The huge C-5 transport aircraft was loaded with two Super Scorpio robotic underwater vehicles, 40 U.S. Navy personnel making the 10-hour flight to Russia, prepared to take their equipment by Russian ships out to the site.

The U.S. Navy is also sending two deep sea diving suits so divers can look directly at the Russian sub and help clear debris away, as well as a third robotic vehicle like this one.

This time, Moscow's immediate call for help is far different than five years ago when the submarine Kursk sank off northern Russia, killing 118 sailors. Russians strongly criticized President Vladimir Putin for not quickly seeking international rescue assistance.

It was just two months ago that Russian submariners joined half a dozen other nations in the largest submarine escape and rescue exercise ever. Submarines from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey were deliberately grounded off Italy with their crews and then rescued.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, Wolf, at this hour, there are reports from the Russian Navy that they are trying to drag that mini sub to shallower water to begin their rescue effort.

But as we continue to look at the tarmac in San Diego and we see this U.S. Air Force C-5 getting ready for take off to Russia, we can also tell you that the British Royal Navy and the Japanese Navy are also scrambling tonight, trying to send rescue forces to help the Russians out -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Do we know when the estimate is when the oxygen will finally run out for these poor guys?

STARR: Wolf, there are varied estimates about that. And that is why the rush is on. Nobody is exactly sure. What U.S. Naval officers have been telling us throughout this day is they're not going to pay attention to that. They are just going to move as quickly as they can, keep moving towards the Russian coastline and hope they get there in time, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope and pray. Thanks very much, Barbara Starr for that report.

Clues to a fiery crash. Why the probe into the near disaster at Toronto Airport is now focusing in on the runway.

Cleaning up and moving out, a big day for Discovery's crew preparing to leave the International Space Station. I'll speak live with the wife of one of the astronauts onboard.

Plus, New Jersey's former governor about to break his silence on his formerly secret life as a gay man.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The investigation into the crash of Air France Flight 358 is now focusing in on the runway at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and where exactly the plane first touched down.

CNN's Kathleen Koch has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators say eyewitness testimony and tire skid marks suggest the Air France plane landed further down the runway than it should have.

REAL LAVASSEUR, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: The information that I have is that the aircraft landed longer than normally or longer than usual for this type of aircraft. How long exactly, or how far more than usual, is what we're trying to determine right now.

KOCH: Meanwhile a pilot's union is charging the runway at Toronto's Pearson International Airport falls short of international standards.

CAPT. CHRIS BAUM, AIRLINE PILOTS' ASSOCIATION: The area off the end of the runway needs to be relatively free of terrain that would present a problem to the aircraft and it needs to be free of obstacles that could pose a problem to the aircraft.

ROEL BRAMAR, PASSENGER ON FLIGHT 358: We had a hell of a roller coaster going down the ravine.

KOCH: The Airline Pilots' Association says the 50-foot deep ravine is certainly a dangerous obstacle. It points out the Canadian government itself, after a similar accident in 1978 left two passengers dead, concluded the ravine -- quote -- "contributed to a high casualty rate."

A Toronto Airport spokesman says -- quote -- "The airport is in full compliance with appropriate design standards established by Canada." But although the International Civil Aviation Organization recommends a 787-foot buffer at the end of runways, the Canadian government says it's gotten an exception to require just 200 feet. That's the length of the buffer on the Toronto runway.

The pilots' union says a system like this to stop planes when they overshoot runways would have helped. Such systems are in place at 14 U.S. Airports.

(on camera) Pilots insist that extra protection is important since in the U.S., a plane overshoots the runway nearly once a month.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: What a difference a year makes. A year ago he was wanted dead or alive. Today an Iraqi leader greets a radical cleric with open arms. Why the shift in policy? We'll get a full report from Iraq.

Also, bus shooting fallout. As one town mourns, a divided region struggles in the aftermath. Reaction from the region, ahead.

But first, it's moving day for the crew of Shuttle Discovery as they prepare to come home. Coming up, I'll speak live with one of the astronauts' wives. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

With the safety clearance from NASA, Shuttle Discovery astronauts are now preparing to make their way back to Earth. Their departure starts tomorrow morning, with a landing scheduled in Florida on Monday. One person who will be watching is Melinda Camarda, the wife of Discovery Astronaut Charles Camarda. She and NASA Systems Trainer Mike Grabois both join us from the Johnson Space Center outside Houston.

Melinda, let me start with you. How excited are you right now?

MELINDA CAMARDA, WIFE OF CHARLES CAMARDA: I'm really excited about my husband landing safely and seeing him on his return. So we're all looking very forward to that.

BLITZER: Are you nervous?

CAMARDA: Not really nervous. I think I have -- I have concerns, but I think it's a normal, natural amount of concern anytime your husband's reentering the atmosphere in these conditions, and they come in about 17,000 miles per hour in very extreme heat.

So we aren't anticipating any problems at all. But I think it's just a natural concern, and it would be highly suspect if I didn't have those.

BLITZER: He's an astronaut. What's -- first of all, what's his job onboard the Discovery?

CAMARDA: Excuse me? I didn't hear that question.

BLITZER: What's his job on the shuttle?

CAMARDA: He is -- he has been performing some of the robotics tasks with the OBSS and the shuttle arm, as well as he assisted in the rendezvous. And he's also doing transfer within -- between the space station and the space shuttle. And I'm sure there are many other things that I'm just not aware of.

BLITZER: Have you ever gone through this kind of nervous tension with his job as an astronaut in the past?

CAMARDA: You know, Charlie, early in our marriage, he was doing expedition backup training. So he traveled to Russia every other month and was living there. And that was right after 9/11. And there were always concerns about the safety and travel, and then being in a foreign country.

So there are moments when you have concerns, but you work through them, and everything has always turned out well.

BLITZER: Mike Grabois, I've spoken with several NASA officials, the leaders there, who say, look, this is a dangerous mission, even under the best of circumstances.

But given what has happened, some of the unexpected problems over these past few days, what's your take on the risks right now?

MIKE GRABOIS, NASA SYSTEMS TRAINER: My take, well, space flight is inherently risky. But with the training the flight controllers get, the training that the astronauts get, I'm sure that they can handle anything that Discovery throws at them. They've handled everything well so far. They're doing a great job, and they're making us all proud down here.

BLITZER: You're a good friend of Charles, or Charlie, as he prefers, I assume, to be called. How worried are you personally?

GRABOIS: Personally, I'm not very worried. We're looking forward to seeing them all again. And everybody says that the shuttle is in great condition. We have no reason to doubt them. The experts have spoken. So we're going to see them back here when they come back next week.

BLITZER: Melinda, while your husband is in space, do you ever get a chance to talk to him?

CAMARDA: Of course. We -- he's been able to call. When they have time, which they haven't had a whole lot of time. And also he's able to send e-mails. And he does that as frequently as he's able to. But like I said, they do have a lot of duties onboard, and a limited amount of time.

BLITZER: Where are you to be when the space shuttle returns early, very early Monday morning?

CAMARDA: We will be very close to the landing strip, and actually, standing out in a field near there. And we'll be able to see the crew from a distance at first. We won't actually come into physical contact until about two hours after they land over at crew quarters.

BLITZER: Melinda Camarda, we wish only the best and Mike Grabois, thanks to both of you for joining us.

We, of course, here at CNN will have extensive live coverage beginning 4 a.m. early, very Monday morning, 4 a.m. Eastern. Our Miles O'Brien will be anchoring our coverage.

Thanks to both of you and good luck to the entire crew.

GRABOIS: Thanks a lot.

CAMARDA: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Thank you.

When we come back, flight threat. A plane evacuated in Houston. Was there a risk to the 136 passengers on board? Details coming up.

Also, is the latest message to Iran on its latest nuclear program, let's make a deal?

And later, did the pressures of public life keep this politician in the closet? And why he's decided to speak out right now. Our Mary Snow standing by with the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Last year, he was a key opponent and a key target of the United States military in Iraq. Now, this controversial cleric may be playing a key role in Iraq's future. We'll get to that.

First, though, a quick check of some other stories "Now in the News".

As we reported earlier, an Air Force cargo plane expected to take off, in fact, it is taking off right now. You're looking at these live pictures. This U.S. Air Force flight on its way from San Diego out to Russia to try to help in dealing with the small submarine that is down at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

A Russian mini submarine and its crew are trapped. The U.S. Navy bringing equipment to deal with this situation. The mini sub is either stuck on a fishing net or a cable. Its crew is running out of oxygen.

The U.S. military now, in these live pictures, on the way to Russia to try to help save these men at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

A Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas was evacuated today after it landed at Houston. Officials say a passenger found a note on the plane suggesting a possible bomb threat. Everyone got off the plane safely, and an FBI official says the incident does not appear to have been anything significant. But a scare, nevertheless.

Declaring that the British people are simply fed up with recent terror attacks, Prime Minister Tony Blair today proposed tough new rules to control Islamic radicals. Among other things, the rules would deny asylum to anyone linked to terrorism and make it easier to deport foreign nationals who support violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: I'm sorry. People can't come here and abuse our good nature and our tolerance. They can't come here and start inciting our young people in communities to take up violence against British people here. And if they do that, they're going to go back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In Iraq, U.S. Marines are hunting insurgents who've dealt American forces a very heavy blow this week. Sixteen months ago, a key American target was the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. As U.S. troops battled his fighters in a sprawling Baghdad slum, U.S. officials then branded him an outlaw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RICHARD SANCHEZ, COMMANDER, COALITION GROUND FORCES: The mission of the U.S. forces is to kill or capture Muqtada al-Sadr. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That was then. This is now. Al-Sadr may be playing a key role in efforts to try to rebuild Iraq, perhaps.

CNN's Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A friendly embrace laden with political meaning. Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim al- Jaafari, hugging radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after meetings Friday in Najaf. From Sadr, weighty words of advice.

MUQTADA AL-SADR, RADICAL SHIA CLERIC (via translator): I advise all governments to serve the people, and the public. And, God willing, our brother Jaafari will not hesitate in serving the people. And there are promises regarding security and stability.

RAMAN: One year ago, in the same city, this was what the world knew of Muqtada al-Sadr. Pitched battles between Sadr's Mahdi Army and U.S. forces. But now, alongside Jaafari, he is a man clearly in the political fray, showing support for the prime minister, whose Dawa party is a known Shia religious political bloc and is looking to reconnect with his base.

Jaafari had met hours earlier with the Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, discussing the constitution and getting needed assurances of the ayatollah's support, at least for the idea of a federalist system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The grand cleric did not object to the principle of federalism. And details are left to the constitution. And he emphasized that federalism should not be restricted, but should be general.

RAMAN: These images will undoubtedly raise some concerns in Baghdad from those who worry that religious figures hold too much influence over Iraq's government. This is especially true of Sadr, a wildcard in Iraqi politics who says he will not run for an election until foreign forces are gone, but not ruling out anything after.

(on-screen): A remarkable transition for a man the United States called a criminal just a year ago and a sign of the complex political dynamics, swaying from secular ideals to religious influence that confronts Iraq.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Now to Israel and a follow-up on that horrible story we told about yesterday. There have been funerals and fury in the northern Israeli village of Shfaram where a 19-year-old Israeli soldier shot and killed four Israeli Arabs yesterday in protest of Israel's planned pullout from Gaza. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A town in mourning for four of its citizens. Two sisters, aged 20 and 21, being carried to their final resting place in Israel's northern Galilee region in the town of Shfaram, the place where they were born and where they were killed by an Israeli extremist.

Mourners are shocked that terror from Israelis struck at the heart of their community, an Israeli Arab town where religion does not cause division.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We don't say religion, Jews, Muslims, Christians. We are the family of Shfaram.

HANCOCKS: It was at this spot on the main road in Shfaram that a deserter from the army opened fire on a bus. Glass from the shattered windows was cleared away. Bloodstained boxes from the bus and passengers' shoes remained.

Immediate condemnation from the Israeli prime minister, calling the 19-year-old who had recently become an extremist and had deserted the army two months before a "blood-thirsty Jewish terrorist," saying, "Terror is terror, whether Jewish or not."

One Arab member of parliament wants more.

MOHAMMED BARAKI, ISRAELI KNESSET: We have to do something, not only to declare and to condemn. We need to see real actions to stop these racist persons and movements.

HANCOCKS: The mayor of Shfaram spent all morning taking calls from Israeli and Palestinian ministers, Jewish and Muslim well- wishers.

MAYOR UASAN YASSIN, SHFARAM, ISRAEL: I am asking the prime minister to take much more harsh measures against these types of extremists so we won't see the same events again as we saw in Shfaram.

HANCOCKS: It is this type of attack from an ultra-right Jew that Israeli Army officers said they feared in the past, an attempt to inflame violence, to stop the pullout of Israeli settlers from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

(on-screen): As proof of the strong condemnation across Israel from this shooting, the mayor of the gunman's hometown is refusing to allow him to be buried there. In addition, the council of the settlement in the West Bank where the gunman recently moved is also refusing to take responsibility for the body. The gunman is now still lying in the mortuary.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Shfaram, Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: It's not by any means the first time Jewish extremists have killed innocent civilians. In February 1994, American-born Dr. Baruch Goldstein opened fire inside a mosque at Hebron on the West Bank, killing 29 Muslims before he was killed by the mob.

The following year, Jewish law student Yigal Amir assassinated the Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, in an effort to stop the Middle East peace process. Amir is serving a life sentence in Israel.

The Bush administration voiced its support today for a proposed compromise on the Iran nuclear standoff. The State Department says it now backs a European offer to provide Iran with nuclear fuel, if Iran agrees to abandon a program that could lead to the development of a nuclear bomb.

Joining us now from Los Angeles to discuss this development is Kenneth Timmerman. He's the author of the new book, "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran."

Ken, thanks very much for joining us. What do you make of this latest development?

KENNETH TIMMERMAN, AUTHOR, "COUNTDOWN TO CRISIS": Well, first of all, the European offer, which is backed by the United States, is a very good one. If the Iranians really do have an interest in nuclear power, this offer allows them to build nuclear power plants and to have guaranteed access to nuclear fuel.

What's crystal clear is the Iranian rejection of the offer. They want nuclear weapons. They want to have the abilities to make nuclear weapons. They do not want nuclear power. I don't think it could be clearer than this, Wolf.

BLITZER: Well, if the Iranians were to agree to international safeguards from the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, surveillance cameras and on-the-spot inspections, wouldn't you trust the Iranians at that point?

TIMMERMAN: No, because the Iranians have violated every single one of their commitments up until now. Remember, for 18 years, they were making -- they were pursuing this nuclear program in secret. And it was only by chance two years ago that the IAEA learned of their uranium enrichment program. So they have not been frank with the IAEA. They have not been telling the truth. They have violated every single one of their commitments on to now, and there's simply no climate of trust.

BLITZER: Here's what I don't understand, Ken. Maybe you can help me better understand this. Pakistan develops a nuclear bomb. India develops a nuclear bomb. The Iranians-- very talented, good scientists there. They, as you point out, have been clandestinely working on this for, what, 18 years, maybe longer. What's taking them so long?

TIMMERMAN: Well, I don't think it's taken them so long. Frankly, I think, if you look at what they have imported -- and I lay that out in my book, "Countdown to Crisis" -- and the IAEA knows all about this -- they could have today enough nuclear material to build between 20 to 25 bombs. And another thing I'll point out...

BLITZER: Let me interrupt for a second, Ken, because you may have seen that story in the "Washington Post" earlier in the week quoting a classified national intelligence assessment estimate here in Washington -- the U.S. government suggesting it could be another 10 years before the Iranians have a bomb.

TIMMERMAN: I think that's a Persian fairy tale. Wolf, that NIE was the result of an interagency dispute. And it turned into mush, as one intelligence official told me who was involved in the process. It has no bearing on reality whatsoever.

The intelligence community knows what the Iranians have produced. What they're trying to do is explain it away in some kind of innocent way. It's kind of like, you know, the woman whose husband comes back at 9:00 night instead of 5:00 in the afternoon. He's smelling of perfume. And the husband says, well, you know, I wasn't out with a mistress. I was just out buying perfume for you, because tomorrow is Mother's Day.

We're trying to make it appear as if it's Mother's Day in Iran.

BLITZER: Well, we don't have a lot of time left. But what do you think the U.S. government should now be doing?

TIMMERMAN: Very clearly, we should be working with our European friends. And, believe it or not, the French have actually been very good on this. The French foreign minister says the Iranian refusal -- he said this today -- means we must take them to the U.N. Security Council for sanctions. That is the next step.

Luckily, we have John Bolton in the U.N. We have a strong man who knows what to do. And he understands the Iranian nuclear weapons program. He's been working, investigating this for 20 years, as well.

BLITZER: All right, Ken Timmerman, we'll leave it there. Ken Timmerman, the author of an important new book, "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran." Thanks very much for joining us.

And coming up at the top of the hour, LOU DOBBS TONIGHT, Kitty Pilgrim filling in for Lou tonight. She's standing by in New York with a preview -- Kitty?

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf. At 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll have an unbelievable story. Prosecutors say an illegal alien joined the U.S. Border Patrol and then helped smuggle illegal aliens into this country.

Plus, highway robbery. An incredible accounting trick in Washington. How $8.5 billion in legislative pork can simply disappear. We'll have a special report on that.

And clone wars. The world's first cloned dog. Human cloning now a step closer? Tonight, we'll have a vigorous debate about the science and ethics of cloning.

All that and more, at the top of the hour. But for now, back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much, Kitty. We'll be watching.

When we come back, married with children and gay. New Jersey's former governor poised to break his silence. Why his story is just perhaps the tip of the iceberg.

Plus, the new jobs report that might be shaking up some thinking here in Washington and beyond. Our political analyst, Carlos Watson, will be joining us with "The Inside Edge." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: After a year of silence, New Jersey's former governor is about to go public again. James McGreevey is now about to write a book about his life as a politician and a closeted, married gay man. That part of the story is more common than many people might think.

CNN's Mary Snow is joining us now live from New York with more -- Mary?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, one therapist we spoke with said it's estimated there are as many 2 million closeted gay men and women who are married. Jim McGreevey's story, though, is the most well-known.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Next week will mark one year since New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey made his stunning announcement.

FMR. GOV. JAMES MCGREEVEY (D), NEW JERSEY: And so my truth is that I am a gay American.

SNOW: Stunning, since McGreevey was married and had fathered two daughters when he announced he had an affair with a man he hired to work for the state. Since resigning from office and moving out of the governor's mansion, he's been living in an apartment complex by himself in Rahway, New Jersey, where friends say he's moving on.

McGreevey has shied away from interviews, including our request for one. But now, he signed a deal to tell his own story in a memoir for an undisclosed amount. Publisher Judith Regan says it will be deeply honest and describe how McGreevey wrestled with his sexuality.

That's something Eric Kurtz can identify with. He says he was married for more than 30 years with three children when he decided to change his life.

ERIC KURTZ, GAY FORMERLY MARRIED MAN: It became clear to me that I had -- that there was a large part of myself had I said no to for many years. On the other hand, my wife was not happy with my being sexual with other men. And things got hard between us. And, you know, we got divorced.

SNOW: Kurtz has now been with his partner, Dick, for seven years. He describes the experience of making the transition as a very lonely one and finds comfort in support groups.

KURTZ: We've always had, in the support group, men who are actively having sex with other men and not telling their wives. I suppose that's maybe a very large part of the group. But there are also men who are talking to their wives and trying to negotiate the marriage.

SNOW: Some say many times denial, not deceit, is a key factor when they marry someone of the opposite sex.

JEFFREY CHERNIN, MARRIAGE, FAMILY THERAPIST: In my experience, in working with people, their identities may not be fixed at that point. And by that, I mean they may not realize fully yet that they're gay or lesbian. They may have had some fantasies. They may have had an experience in college. But they may not quite fully understand that they're gay or lesbian when they get into it.

SNOW: Dr. Chernin says people often decide to come out of the closet when the pressure to hide the truth becomes too much. In McGreevey's case, friends say, he had an added pressure because he was living a public life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Now, the publisher has not yet said when McGreevey's book will be released -- Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Mary Snow, very interesting. Thanks very much for that report.

Just ahead, an upbeat jobs report. How will that impact U.S. politics? Our Carlos Watson standing by with "The Inside Edge."

Also coming up, here comes the brides. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Labor Department says the U.S. economy added 207,000 payroll jobs last month. That's the largest expansion in three months. Our political analyst, Carlos Watson, is in Atlanta today. He's joining us from the CNN Center to talk about the economy and other issues in "The Inside Edge."

Carlos, what do you make of these new numbers?

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Wolf, traditionally the economy has not been a good issue for President Bush. The latest numbers we see show that a majority of the people disapprove of his handling of the economy.

But now we're starting to believe that the economy may finally be in expansion mode. And if that's true, two things to watch. On the policy end, it could reignite a debate within the Republican Party versus more aggressive deficit cutting, now that the economy's healthy, versus making tax cuts permanent.

And on the political end, you may see Republicans who, over the last six years, used cultural issues and who've used national security issues as the main things to run on start to try and nationalize the economy and say, in places like Pennsylvania or places like Ohio, where there'll be tough Senate races, we stuck with the president. We helped bring unemployment down to 5 percent and maybe even lower.

So something to watch, or maybe something good in Republican goodie bags come 2006.

BLITZER: Another hot-button issue, immigration. Talk a little bit about how you see this playing out.

WATSON: Well, Wolf, you know, we're always hearing about immigration on talk shows and elsewhere. And it's something we've talked about a lot. But the reality is, there hasn't been comprehensive reform in that area in almost 20 years, some 19 years.

But we may finally begin to see it. Why is that? It's not only because a number of major bills have been offered -- John Cornyn, one of the senators from Texas has joined Jon Kyl; Ted Kennedy has joined with McCain -- but because the House leadership, namely Tom DeLay and Speaker Denny Hastert, over the last week, have said that immigration reform isn't just going to be talked about but could actually happen. How comprehensive it will be, will be a different story. But it's one to watch.

And let me add one other interesting note. When we talk about immigration, we usually talk about Mexico. But this time around, in an interesting turn, you may hear about Ireland.

Why? Because we're starting to see people not only come from Ireland to the U.S., but because the Irish economy is so healthy, we're seeing people go back. And people may say, let's help Mexico become healthier so that they may be one part of solving the immigration question.

BLITZER: You're also looking at a new potential foreign policy partner, let's say, beyond Britain. Talk a little bit about what you see happening.

WATSON: Well, you know, Tony Blair, as we know, has been instrumental to President Bush's foreign policy agenda over the last four-plus years. But it's time to keep our eye on what's happening in Japan, for a couple of reasons.

On security issues, given the nuclear standoff in North Korea -- and we just heard in the last day or so that there's even more difficulty there as U.S. negotiators try and work through that issue -- Japan's also got to worry, because, remember, Japan's not far from North Korea at all and, in fact, is the wealthiest country in the region. On economic issues, whereas Japan was once the American bogeyman, now, of course, we frequently hear lots of concerns about China, including the recently failed bid to acquire Unocal.

And so, on both economic and on national security issues, Japan, which in the past has only been a competitor, in some cases may begin to cooperate more actively with us, and hence we might start hearing a word that 10 or 15 years ago a "Harvard Business Review" article made very popular, "coopetition," meaning someone who you're not only cooperating or competing with, but, in fact, you're doing both.

So something to think about, Japan as a new partner, a "coopetition" partner.

BLITZER: How do you see this U.S.-China relationship in the short term playing out?

WATSON: Well, you know, I think there are a couple of interesting angles to it, including the IPO that we saw today about the company that's referred to as China's Google, if you will. I think, to the extent that China ends up meaning more jobs for Americans, just like Japan -- you remember all the factories we started seeing in places like Georgia and Alabama -- there could be a warming of relations over the next couple of years.

BLITZER: Carlos Watson is going to be a key player not only on this program but a lot of programs on CNN, but certainly, when we start THE SITUATION ROOM, Carlos, on Monday.

WATSON: Wolf, I've got to tell you, I'm looking forward to it. And what I'm excited about is not only am I getting a chance to join you, but we're bringing along the same fantastic producing team, people like Christian Hudson (ph) and others.

BLITZER: Yes, we got them all. They're going to be sticking around. A little bit more on that, coming up.

Carlos Watson with "The Inside Edge," thanks very much.

WATSON: Good to see you.

BLITZER: And we'll have the results of our "Web Question of the Day." That's coming up.

Plus, wedding bell bedlam. Brides-to-be on a rampage. We'll show you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Forget the running of the bulls. The running of the brides is our picture of the day. Dozens of them descended on Filene's Basement here in Washington looking for bridal bargains in the store's annual sale. Filene's says the racks are usually cleared out within five minutes, but quickly fill up again with unwanted dresses.

Congratulations to those brides. This final note to our viewers. To all of you, thanks very much for watching us over these past five years on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. We've loved bringing the news every day.

A special thanks to our executive producer, Eric Shirling (ph).

But guess what? We're not leaving you by any means at all. Starting Monday, we expand from one to three hours. I'll be anchoring our new program, THE SITUATION ROOM. It will weekdays, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. And it will include all the important news of the day, from here in Washington, around the United States, and around the world.

Before Monday, though, I'll see you Sunday on LATE EDITION, the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests, U.S. Army General David Petraeus, who's in charge of training Iraqi troops in Iraq.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

LOU DOBBS getting ready to start tonight. Kitty Pilgrim filling in for Lou. She's standing by -- Kitty?

PILGRIM: Thanks, Wolf. And we very much look forward to your new show. We wish you the very best of luck with it.

BLITZER: Thank you.

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