Bush Meets with Spanish President to Discuss New U.N. Resolution
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, President Bush under pressure. A look inside the White House. The former presidential adviser David Gergen will join us live. Plus, was another terror plot avoided on 9/11, was a U.S. warship a target? We'll have details. But first, let's look at some other stories making news right now in our CNN news alert. A federal jury has convicted Brian Patrick Regan of trying to sell U.S. secrets to Iraq and China. The former air force master sergeant was acquitted of attempting to spy for Libya. The jury now has to decide whether Regan offered Iraq documents on U.S. war plans or major weapons systems. Those charges could get him the death penalty. Sources tell CNN the Pentagon plans to allow U.S. special operations forces to fight side by side with Philippine troops battling the rebel group Abu Sayyaf. Until now, U.S. troops could only travel on patrols with them and defend themselves if they came under fire. The Red Cross is issuing an urgent nationwide appeal for blood donations. Officials say snowstorms in the east closed some collection centers for several days, leaving the U.S. with only a one- or a two-day supply of blood. The Red Cross prefers to have a one week supply on hand. Officials say the shortage could mean some surgeries will be delayed. Let's get back to the showdown with Iraq. Right now the Bush Administration having trouble getting its ducks in a row, among the allies and over at the United Nations. Let's get a situation update now from our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the White House making the case that Saddam Hussein must be disarmed immediately. President Bush earlier today in Cobb County, Georgia, that's where he said that the U.N. Security Council must act quickly. He also made the argument, trying to convince the American people that war still can be avoided.</s>BUSH: But as we insist that Congress be wise with your money we're going to make sure we spend enough to win this war. And by spending enough to win a war, we may not have a war at all.</s>MALVEAUX: So the president rather optimistic about that -- rather optimistic about that. He's at the Crawford ranch this weekend. That's where he is hosting Spanish President Jose Aznar. They're going to be working on a second Security Council resolution, calling for Iraq to disarm, saying that it's an material breach of previous resolutions -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And what about this deadline for this deal with Turkey, if there is in fact going to be a deal with Turkey, what's the story on that?</s>MALVEAUX: Well, certainly, there's a sense of urgency for the military. They want to get those U.S. troops in as soon as possible, but senior administration officials whom I spoke with today say there's no deadline, there's no timetable for Turkey to respond. They are really handling this rather gingerly. A White House senior administration official telling us that Turkey is a close friend, that diplomacy is not always pretty. But at the same time, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer earlier today saying that the U.S. really needs to know sooner as opposed to later just when they'll be able to get those U.S. troops in, if at all.</s>BLITZER: Finally, Suzanne, while I have you, is there going to -- in the second U.N. resolution, the U.S. And Britain may introduce as early as next week, any sense there will be a formal deadline given to Saddam Hussein?</s>MALVEAUX: Well, actually they're working out that language and we've asked that question a number of times. They haven't yet figured that out. That is a possibility. But what is interesting, Wolf, is that one senior administration official I spoke with talked about, really, a timetable for the U.N. Security Council to act. In his words he said this is not going to be Resolution 1441 all over again, referring to the seven weeks that it took for them to sign on board to that one -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thanks very much. If the U.S. does go to war against Iraq, it would be a major test for the two-year-old presidency of George W. Bush. David Gergen has served presidents in four administrations, Republican and Democratic. He is currently the public service professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He's joining us now live from Boston. Thanks very much, David, for joining us.</s>DAVID GERGEN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good afternoon, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: This president now not only facing Saddam Hussein, but Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong-Il, a bad economy. How many of these crises can he juggle at the same time without being overwhelmed?</s>GERGEN: Well, there's a sense today that perhaps they are being overwhelmed, Wolf. But I imagine they're going to catch up with this pretty soon. Normally, Wolf, in a White House, as you know, because you've been there so often, a White House -- any White House can handle one ball in the air and a good White House can, and this is a very good White House, can handle two or three in the air. But when you get five or six, as they have today, normally you drop one and it's going to be -- have to be an extraordinarily adroit and adept White House to pull this off. They might do it, but the trouble they're having with Turkey right now, you know, there's -- as we just heard in that report, the White House is saying there's no deadline. Well, the State Department today, earlier today, seemed to be saying there was a deadline of today on the Turks coming around and clearly now they've shifted off that because they don't have an answer from the Turks.</s>BLITZER: As you well know, David, the White House and the State Department not always on the same page, but we can talk about that on another occasion.</s>GERGEN: We could.</s>BLITZER:: Let's get to poll numbers because these are fascinating numbers. Look at this latest CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll. How is President Bush handling his job as president? Look at this. Still 58 percent job approval rating. That's obviously not as good as it was right after 9/11, but it's still pretty good.</s>GERGEN: It's a hefty poll approval rating for a president with an economy in this shape; it's lost as many jobs as we had. Clearly, people remain very impressed with his decisiveness coming after September 11 and they want to see him succeed. In fact, I think all of us realize, whatever you may think about the war, about war policy in Iraq, we only have one president at a time and most -- I think most Americans are very skeptical about this war and they really are not enthusiastic about it, but they still support this president.</s>BLITZER: Well, that leads me to my next question. Look at this poll number, this other CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll about sending U.S. troops to Iraq. Forty percent say only if the United Nations supports it in a new vote; 30 percent say even if the U.N. does not hold any new vote; 26 percent say no troops should go at all. That bodes not necessarily all that well for the president.</s>GERGEN: Those numbers are coming down, Wolf, and it does suggest that it's very important to get some sort of resolution for this president, just as it's increasingly important for Tony Blair. In this country, 3 out of 10 say you can go without a U.N. resolution. In Britain, as you know, it's less than 1 out of 10. And so there's enormous pressure on Blair. I think there is a feeling among many of the presidential advisers that once he goes, that the country will rally to him and that the war will be quick enough and successful enough that these polls won't matter. But these numbers are descending and things are getting mushier for him. Ever -- you know, ever since the U.N. Security Council meeting last Friday, events have been moving south for him and it's no wonder the White House now wants to get a deadline in the next couple of weeks to get this over with and get it resolved.</s>BLITZER: All right, David. We're getting flooded with e-mails for you. Let me read one of them. From Terrence: "If the people of Iraq could speak our freely, what would they say about our weekend warrior protesters? Are they helping the Iraqi people by protecting them from war or are they hurting them by delaying their chances at freedom?"</s>GERGEN: I honestly don't know the answer to that question, Wolf. There are obviously people in Iraq who have been oppressed by Saddam, who feel he's a monster and would love to see us come in and will feel liberated. There are others there who are going to fight us. You know, I think that what we know in some parts of the Middle East is that Saddam is hated, but an American occupation is hated even more by many in the Middle East and that's part of our dilemma.</s>BLITZER: All right. We have another e-mail from Shirley. A good question from Shirley. "What has happened to Dick Cheney? He used to be so active in the news. Now you almost never hear his name. Why?"</s>GERGEN: Because the president has moved into his commander in chief role on the eve of a war and I think the vice president very rightly realizes that this is a good time to step back. And, of course, he's also been separated out physically from the president by all of the recent terrorist threats. Let's not be mistaken here, though. The single most important adviser in the George W. Bush entourage is Dick Cheney. He's the man who gets to speak into the ear every day in a very important way.</s>BLITZER: Very -- very quickly, David, before I let you go, let's get a third e-mail, from Kate. "Bush has been trying to sell this war for more than six months. I'm tired of it. Where is Osama? Where is the anthrax killer?" We got flooded with questions like that.</s>GERGEN: Who knows? I mean, I don't think any of us knows, but I think it's one of the reasons this is dragging down and I tell you, the president has not yet made the sale to the world and that's what's really dragging this down. That's why we're having trouble with Turkey right now, why we're France and Germany -- trouble with France and Germany. We have to make this case much better to the world as well as to the American people before the actual conflict starts.</s>BLITZER: David Gergen, thanks as usual, for joining us. David Gergen, a professor at Harvard University. Former...</s>GERGEN: Thanks, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: ...White House official, served four presidents.</s>BLITZER: Los Angeles -- it's the homicide capital of the United States and more than half the murders there are gang related. Our Charles Feldman has an exclusive look inside the gangs of L.A. He risked his life to get this story for you. He'll bring it to us live. Plus, new reports of an aborted operation on September 11. Was there a fifth attack planned that day. And if there was, why was it called off? We'll have the details. Stay with us.