Romney Endorses McCain; Pressure to Pass Intelligence Legislation in the House At Least 17 Shot in Illinois College Attack
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: breaking news we're following, the bullets, the terror on another college campus. A gunman opens fire at an Illinois university, as many as 18 students reportedly shot. We're bringing you the details as they come in to THE SITUATION ROOM. Plus, Mitt Romney hops on John McCain's bandwagon. He's giving his former rival his formal endorsement. The best political team on television is standing by to take a look at the Republicans closing ranks. And House Republicans show their anger at the Democrats with their feet. But will their walkout get them anywhere? We are going to tell you what's driving the drama right here in Washington. That's coming up. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. A new victory for Hillary Clinton. She's been declared the winner of New Mexico's February 5th Democratic caucuses. The announcement coming just a short while ago after a marathon vote count of provisional ballots. Clinton's victory in the popular vote in New Mexico now means she picks up one New Mexico delegate that hadn't been allocated yet. She -- Clinton wins up to 14 New Mexico delegates; 12 of them go to Obama. It was an extremely close contest in New Mexico. We are going to have a report on the Democratic race. That's coming up as well. But New Mexico, New Mexico going for Hillary Clinton. You saw the announcement live here in THE SITUATION ROOM. In the Republican race today, a new show of unity behind the likely nominee, John McCain. Former candidate Mitt Romney endorsing McCain, offering him his delegates and urging the party to move forward. Let's bring in CNN's Dana Bash. She has been watching the story for us. Update us on what happened, Dana.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, sources close to Mitt Romney have been telling us since he dropped out last week that this is likely to happen today. But, you know, with McCain here in New England on a campaign trip and with a little last-minute behind-the-scenes prodding from an old McCain adviser, Mitt Romney decided this morning that he was going to formally throw his weight behind his old rival.</s>BASH (voice-over): It may be an awkward alliance but what a valentine for John McCain.</s>MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am honored today to give my full support to Senator McCain's candidacy for the presidency of the United States. I'm officially endorsing his candidacy.</s>BASH: After a bruising primary battle, Mitt Romney now found qualities he says will make John McCain a good president.</s>ROMNEY: This is a man who tied his political fortunes to the fortunes of our country at a time of war. Such courage is not always rewarded in politics. But it was this time.</s>BASH: McCain standing with Romney in his headquarters where just last week they were devising strategy against him expressed thanks.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We all know it was a hard campaign. Primaries are tough. And we know it's a hard campaign. And now we move forward. Now we move forward together for the good of our party and the nation, and I'm honored -- I am very honored to have Governor Romney and the members of his team at my side.</s>BASH: For McCain, Romney's endorsement is his best shot yet at bringing the party behind him. After all, it was Romney who stoked conservative distrust of McCain with lines like this.</s>MCCAIN: If you want that kind of a liberal Democratic course as president, then you can vote for him.</s>BASH: Privately, Romney advisers acknowledge this kumbaya moment is as much about Romney's political viability as McCain's.</s>ROMNEY: This individual should be the next president of the United States, not Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.</s>BASH: Romney looking towards another potential run in the future is hoping being a team player now will be remembered by a party that traditionally rewards that.</s>MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't afford a coronation.</s>BASH: It's also a message to Mike Huckabee, who's trying to prove his GOP chops by staying in as an alternative for GOP voters dissatisfied with McCain.</s>BASH: Now, Romney said today that he's releasing the delegates he won to McCain. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're all going to get behind him. But, regardless, Wolf, you remember back in 2000. McCain has been there before. He lost to George Bush and he had to come behind him just like Romney did today. So, he is very grateful for that. He told reporters on his bus leaving Romney headquarters that he intends to give Romney a big role moving forward -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Dana, thanks very much -- Dana watching the story. And I spoke with the Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee only moments after Romney's endorsement of McCain. He says he didn't really expect he would get Romney's support. So, listen to this.</s>HUCKABEE: I did not go out and actively seek it, because I felt like that was his decision to make, and I would respect it. When I talked to him after he withdrew, I certainly indicated that I would be happy to have his support. But, as far as trying to go and put the muscle on him, I didn't think that that was realistic.</s>BLITZER: Huckabee says he has no plans right now to follow Romney's lead and drop out of the race. We're following a story rife with angry words and actions also right here in Washington. It involves a mark of contempt, a bold walkout, and a president essentially telling the Congress don't waste his time. Lawmakers are fighting over a bill to help eavesdrop on suspected terrorists. The president says, while politicians play politics, those suspected terrorists are plotting attacks. CNN's Brianna Keilar is joining us from Capitol Hill. She's watching the story for us. A lot of drama up there on Capitol Hill today, Brianna.</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that's right. And just after President Bush threatened to postpone his Africa trip to see through passage of this intelligence legislation, House Republicans piled more pressure on House Democrats.</s>REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Let's just get up and leave.</s>KEILAR (voice-over): House Republicans walked off the floor and out of the Capitol, protesting Democrats for not taking up a critical terrorist surveillance bill set to expire Saturday. Instead, House Democrats were focused on a vote that would hold former White House Counsel, Harriet Miers, and White House Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten, in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate in the investigation of the fired U.S. attorneys.</s>BOEHNER: We have space on the calendar today for a politically charged fishing expedition, but no space for a bill that would protect the American people from terrorists who want to kill us.</s>KEILAR: Republicans and President Bush insist letting the intelligence law expire puts Americans in danger. Democrats say that's not true, that, even if the law lapses, spy agencies can continue to monitor suspected terrorists.</s>REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: President Bush tells the American people that he has nothing to offer but fear. And I'm afraid that his fear-mongering with this bill is not constructive.</s>KEILAR: The major sticking point in the debate is retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that helped the Bush administration eavesdrop on suspected terrorists after 9/11. Republicans want that immunity and most Democrats do not.</s>KEILAR: After today's political brinkmanship, still no sign that this intelligence law will be renewed before it expires this weekend -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Brianna, watching this story for us, thank you. We're also following the breaking news out of Illinois. More than a dozen people reportedly shot in a lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. That's just west of Chicago, about 60 miles. The gunman is reportedly dead. Listen to how one student described the horror.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My friend was actually in the class. She ran back on to my floor, because she lives on my floor. And she said that the guy actually stood up</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stood up. He was...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stood up in the middle of the class, like he was already there. So, some people say that he came from like the right door. But she said that he stood up in the middle of class with a shotgun and started shooting people.</s>BLITZER: Let's go straight to CNN's Susan Roesgen. She's joining us on the phone. What are you learning? What's the latest information we're getting about this very disturbing incident, Susan?</s>SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, what we're learning is that it seems to be growing in severity here. We have been listening also as we make our way to the scene to student witnesses who were in that main lecture hall on campus. According to students, the campus hall was full, about 200 people, when this gunman believed to be a young white man between 18 and 20 years of age, dressed all in black, went to the center of the auditorium, perhaps even up on stage where a teacher was giving a lecture, and began firing, not a word spoken, just began firing a shotgun. The latest report from the hospital is that they are treating now 17 injuries, three of them critical, all gunshot wounds, no fatalities at the hospital. But CNN has confirmed that the gunman is dead. We don't know yet whether he took his own life or whether the police officers killed him. We don't have a motive at this point. And, again, we don't know whether it was a student or an outsider. But for some reason this person got up in the middle of a crowded lecture hall in the middle of a lecture and started blasting away with a shotgun. Again, 17 injuries, three critical, that's the latest right now. But, Wolf, every few minutes, this does seem to be a scene that's growing.</s>BLITZER: We will check back with you, Susie (ph). Thanks very much. Susan Roesgen is on the way to the scene right now. Let's go back to Jack Cafferty. He has got "The Cafferty File." I hate these stories, these shooting incidents on college campuses, or anyplace else, for that matter.</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, very sad. The Democratic Party is already under pressure from the Clinton campaign to seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan. Last summer, the party stripped both states of all of their delegates because they broke the rules by moving up the dates of their primaries. At the time, all the major candidates agreed to boycott the two states. Fast forward six months, eight consecutive losses later for Hillary Clinton, and now her campaign wants the votes in Florida and Michigan to count toward delegates that would help her gain on Barack Obama, who is suddenly in the lead. Obama's campaign says this is a blatant attempt by Clinton to ignore the ground rules set last summer, adding that there's not a lot of appetite for this kind of stuff in the country these days or at the DNC. Clinton didn't say a word last August when the party punished Florida. When it came to Michigan, Clinton chose to leave her name on the ballot while Obama and most of the rest of the candidates all removed theirs. She said at the time -- here's a quote -- "It's clear this election they're having is not going to count for anything." But once Clinton won in Michigan, she suddenly changed her tune. And now she's saying, "The people of Michigan and Florida have just as much of a right to have their voices heard as anyone else." That's a quote. I wonder what she would be saying if Obama had won those two states. Some Democratic activists are also worried the party is alienating voters in some of the country's biggest battleground states, even though it was announced well in advance what the penalty was for moving the primaries up. Some civil rights leaders say it amounts to disenfranchising voters in Florida and Michigan. There is an option still open for both states. That is to organize party-run elections that would count toward delegates. No announcement either of them intends to do that yet, though. Here's the question: What should the Democratic Party do about the Michigan and Florida delegates? Go to CNN.com/caffertyfile, where you can post a comment on my blog.</s>BLITZER: Thank you, Jack. And you will be coming back with the best political team on television. So, what's happening in one state echoes what's happening across the nation. Listen to this.</s>SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: Iowans that are struggling to stay in the middle class care about what these candidates are saying.</s>BLITZER: So, what do the candidates need to say in Ohio and where you live to win votes? I will ask Ohio's Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. He's standing by live. Also, it's your money. Guess how some of the presidential candidates are spending it? There's a new report on taxpayer money spent on lawmakers' pet projects. You're going to want to see this. And, in Lebanon, rival rallies -- on one side, thousands remembering a slain former prime minister, the other, thousands mourning a top terrorist, in the middle, 10,000 police trying to keep the peace. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.