President Bush Taking Aim at Fellow Republicans Who Oppose His Plan For Tougher Treatment of Terror Suspects; Death Squads Roam Streets in Baghdad
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories. Happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. in Washington. President Bush fires back at rebel Republicans, including Colin Powell. He warns of setbacks in the war on terrorism unless they back his plan for the handling of detainees. It's 1:00 a.m. in Baghdad, where U.S. troops are deployed to defend a new front line. Will the war in Iraq be won or lost on the streets of the capital? And the worlds Muslims voiced outrage after Pope Benedict XVI quotes a medieval text critical of Islam. It's 11:00 p.m. in the Vatican. Should the pope offer a personal apology? I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. President Bush today is taking aim at fellow Republicans, including former secretary of state Colin Powell, who oppose his plan for tougher treatment of terror suspects. At a White House news conference, the president said terrorists want to strike again at America and warned that "time is running out." He urged Congress to act as long as Congress does it his way. Let's go to our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, already the White House is seeing dividends being paid off on its aggressive campaign to turn the focus from the Iraq war to the broader war on terror. A slight bump in the polls for the president. But political observers say the White House is certainly engaged in a much riskier strategy now. That is to take on the moderate Republicans over this thorny issue of treating detainees.</s>MALVEAUX (voice over): President Bush came out swinging, offering an aggressive defense of his plan for tougher interrogations of detainees under U.S. custody, making no apologies for his request to clarify the Geneva Conventions, the international treaty which defines how prisoners of war are to be treated.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are trying to clarify law. We are trying to set high standards, not ambiguous standards.</s>MALVEAUX: It's all part of the president's recent strategy to get voters to focus on national security, a Republican strength, and off of focusing on the unpopular Iraq war. With the midterm elections now just seven weeks away, Mr. Bush is trying to push tough antiterrorism measures through Congress, banking on the belief that Americans will back him.</s>DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: They have calculated if he puts more heat on the Congress he's more likely to get his own way. And secondly, that if they -- that if he's -- that if he's this defiant, this belligerent, it will actually help his own standing with the public, and in turn help Republicans in the -- in the fall campaign.</s>MALVEAUX: But what the president didn't count on was a revolt from top members of his own party, like possible 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, over just how far he could go in asserting his executive power to spy on, imprison and interrogate terrorism suspects. Former secretary of state Colin Powell broke his loyal silence, saying altering the Geneva Conventions would throw the moral basis of the U.S.' war on terror in doubt.</s>BUSH: It's flawed -- flawed logic. It's just -- I simply can't accept that. It's unacceptable to think that there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists.</s>MALVEAUX: Senior administration officials insist the split within the party is just a bump in the world. They say history shows the American people back the tough talk on terror. So that's what the president doled out in his hour-long press conference, tough talk on the search for Osama bin Laden.</s>BUSH: We have been on the hunt, and we'll stay on the hunt until we bring him to justice.</s>MALVEAUX: And on his refusal to sit down with Iran's president, although the two men will be at the U.N. next week.</s>BUSH: No, I'm not going to meet with him.</s>MALVEAUX: So, certainly, the question is whether or not this strategy is ultimately going to work for the White House. But according to one senior GOP strategist I spoke with today, he says every day, even if it's controversial, every day that the president talks about the war on terror and does not focus on the war in Iraq is a good day for the White House -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thank you, Suzanne. While Republicans wrangle over national security, I'll get a senior Democrat's view on the war on terror, the nuclear showdown with Iran. Coming up later this hour, my interview with Senator Joe Biden. Tied up and showing signs of torture. Dozens more bodies were found today in Baghdad. As death squads roam the streets, heard- pressed U.S. troops are diverted from a hard-hit province to defend the capital. But are U.S. troops already stretched too thin? CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad. But let's begin with our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's that same old question: How many U.S. troops in Iraq are enough? Well, the answer, it turns out, depends on exactly what you want them to do.</s>MCINTYRE (voice over): Even with another spike in violence in Baghdad causing fresh American casualties, the top commander in Iraq, General George Casey, insists he has enough forces, according to President Bush.</s>BUSH: I asked General Casey today, "Have you got what you need?" He said, "Yes, I've got what I need."</s>LT. GEN. PETER CHIARELLI, MULTINATIONAL CORPS, IRAQ: There's not a commander in the world who wouldn't say he could use more forces.</s>MCINTYRE: But in a video conference with Pentagon reporters, Casey's deputy, Lieutenant General Pete Chiarelli, admitted the 30,000 U.S. troops fighting in Anbar province west of Baghdad are unable to secure the insurgent stronghold. General Chiarelli was acknowledging the gloomy assessment contained in a secret report written by a highly respected Marine intelligence officer, Colonel Pete Devlin (ph).</s>CHIARELLI: Pete is right on target. I don't believe there is any military strategy alone, any kinetic operations that we can run alone that will create the conditions for victory, which we must have.</s>QUESTION: What is your reaction to Pete Devlin's (ph) view that another division is needed in Anbar to do the job?</s>CHIARELLI: That's Pete's opinion. That's Pete's opinion.</s>MCINTYRE: An opinion that will go up the chain of command to Chiarelli and then likely be turned down, because adding another division, roughly 18,000 troops, conflicts with the current strategy of securing Baghdad first. In fact, Chiarelli admitted thousands of forces have been shifted from Anbar to Baghdad, which is now the priority.</s>CHIARELLI: But again, the main effort is Baghdad. And we must ensure that we wait the main effort. Armies that don't wait the main effort really don't ever have a main effort.</s>MCINTYRE: Now, President Bush said today he will continue to leave the war to the generals. But he also posed an interesting question. Can, he said -- can the president trust his commanders to tell him what's really necessary? At least for now President Bush says he believes the answer to that question is yes -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And he singled out for praise General Abizaid and General Casey with glowing words. Thank you very much for that. Jamie McIntyre. More now on what may turn out to be a last-ditch battle for Baghdad. Can U.S. troops defeat the death squads?</s>BLITZER: And joining us now, our correspondent in Baghdad, Michael Ware. Michael, you're familiar with what General Chiarelli told reporters over at the Pentagon; namely, that there's an important reason why troops have been redeployed away from the provinces like Al Anbar, toward Baghdad.</s>MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf. General Chiarelli is saying that the focus is Baghdad. Now, this is -- this is a message that I've been hearing for the last month from the highest levels of U.S. military intelligence, from the military commanders themselves, and from the State Department here. They are saying that as far as they are concerned, the front line is Baghdad, Baghdad, Baghdad. That right now, the war is going to be won or lost in the capital. Indeed, they say that for al Qaeda, it's the same priority. That if you asked al Qaeda what their targets were, it would be a similar answer: Baghdad, Baghdad, and then Al Anbar. However, I think that misconstrues al Qaeda's true intentions. You just need to speak to al Qaeda or read their own information. They make it clear that Baghdad to them is just one theater of many. And their base is Al Anbar. The real story between the concentration of troops here in Iraq, according to senior State Department and military intelligence officials I've spoken to, is that they need to restore order in the capital so that they can develop a popular base of support for a powerless prime minister. The prime minister here is essentially propped up by the U.S. He does not have his own support base, nor does he have his own militia. So, if security can be delivered to the people, then it's hoped from the U.S. side that credit can be given to this prime minister, and that that will give him a wedge against the militias which dominate and actually control his government -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Michael, one of the most gruesome, horrifying situations that has developed in Iraq, and specifically this week, the dozens and dozens of bodies that have been picked up. Clearly tortured, mutilated. What's going on here?</s>WARE: Look, this is the death squads. This is the sectarian war. I mean, you've got extremists on both sides. Al Qaeda on the Sunni side, and you've got extremist Shia elements buried within the government. And according to the U.S. ambassador here, backed by Iran, trying to polarize the general community. Now, they're doing that through the sectarian killings. The problem is that it's almost impossible for the U.S. military to stop. No matter what they are saying about the success, or, as they deem it, the progress of Operation Together, the Battle for Baghdad, the killings continue. The military tries to minimize this by saying that, well, in the areas we're in it's less. However, there's a fundamental flaw to their plan. The U.S. troops, in conjunction with Iraqi troops, go into an area, clear it, seize it, hold it. The next phase is they hand it over back to the Iraqi police and the Ministry of the Interior troops. The very people that the American administration alleges are connected to the death squads in the first place -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: This -- this notion, though, I can understand the killing, because in every civil war there's a lot of killing. But the mutilation and the torture, what's behind this? Why are Sunnis doing this to Shia, Shia doing it to Sunnis, the whole nature of the torture and mutilation?</s>WARE: Well, this is something I've been talking to, particularly some Shia militia members I know. I mean, I've been wondering myself, what's in the mind of the man who is doing the torturing? I mean, he must have a room somewhere where he brings in these victims and tortures them, puts drills through their knees, through their arms, into their heads. For what purpose? It's not to extract information. It's purely to send a message. Now, al Qaeda and other extremist groups are doing the same thing on the other side. It's about provocation. The aim on both sides -- for example, as the al Qaeda -- former al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said, let's provoke the Shia. Get them to rise up, which seems to be working. It's only this that will awake the sleeping Sunni giant. So the extremists on both sides are mutilating victims on the other just to inflame and enrage their own populations -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Michael Ware reporting for us. Michael, be careful over there. Thanks very much.</s>BLITZER: And let's go to New York. Jack Cafferty has "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, before we get to the question this hour, last hour I asked, "What would you think about a third major political party in this country headed up by Colin Powell and Barack Obama?" A huge response. Overwhelmingly positive. A couple of minutes ago I got this note from Tommy Veeter (ph), who is Senator Barack Obama's press secretary. "What about a Cafferty-Blitzer ticket? I believe it would help bridge the divide between bearded and cranky in America."</s>CAFFERTY: The Muslim -- the Muslim world...</s>BLITZER: Good point. He makes a good point.</s>CAFFERTY: Yes. Well, he does.</s>BLITZER: I'm not interested, though.</s>CAFFERTY: Neither am I. The Muslim world is not very happy with the pope right now. In a speech on Tuesday, Pope Benedict quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said that everything the Prophet Mohammed brought was "evil and inhume, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Benedict also used the words "jihad" and "holy war' in his speech. Needless to say, Muslim groups and governments around the globe not very happy. They are demanding that the pope apologize. You'll recall how steamed they got when somebody drew a picture of Mohammed in the Danish newspaper. I mean, they absolutely flipped out over that. Criticism of the pope is pouring in now from all over. From Turkey, from Pakistan, form Iraq, from the Palestinian territories, you name it. So, here's the question: Do you think the pope ought to apologize for comments he made about Islam? Send your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Thank you, Jack, for that. Jack Cafferty reporting for us. Up ahead, anti-U.S. tirades from anti-U.S. leaders gathered at a summit in Cuba. Bubbling to the surface right now, a string of invective aimed at the United States. We're going to tell you who is saying what right now. And once alive, now at odds. President Bush and Colin Powell, do they have a rift that's widening as the former secretary of state criticizes the president's proposals for the treatment of terror detainees? And if you have fresh bagged spinach in your house, here's what you got to do right now, throw it out. Health officials say it could make you sick. Maybe even kill you. We'll tell you what's going on. Stay with us.