Counterterrorism Expert Unconvinced Abu Nidal is Dead; Iraqi Officials Call Bush "Idiot"
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Judy Woodruff in Washington. What is the real story behind the death of a feared terrorist? And what does it mean to the war against terror?</s>JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm John King in Crawford, Texas. I will tell if you the Bush administration is responding to more taunts from the government of Iraq.</s>BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Cabell in Atlanta, where today's showdown between Congressman Bob Barr and John Linder is bitter to the end.</s>WOODRUFF: Also ahead, CEOs under arrest and in handcuffs. Is it fair for the Feds to parade them before the cameras?</s>WOODRUFF: Thank you for joining us. We are waiting right now for a news conference that we are told will get under way any moment now, Riverside California, police talking to reporters about the disappearance of yet another young girl. This a 10-year-old girl reported missing from her home this morning in Riverside. Nichole Timmons reported just after 7:00 a.m. this morning, when her mother did not find her in her room. We expect the Riverside police chief to talk with reporters and as soon as that news conference gets under way, we will take there. In the meantime, we begin with Iraq with new headlines and new flash point, as the Bush Administration continues to weigh a possible strike against Baghdad. German commandos storm the Iraqi embassy in Berlin, just about two hours ago, ending a hostage siege there without any major injuries. Iraq had given the go-ahead to move against the hostage takers who said they are members of an Iraqi opposition group seeking the ouster of Saddam Hussein. In Iraq today meantime, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz says international terrorist leader Abu Nidal committed suicide. Another senior Iraqi official tells CNN that Abu Nidal killed himself after Iraq accused him of conspiring with forces outside the country against the Baghdad government. Abu Nidal was found dead in a Baghdad apartment over the weekend. That same official said today that it would be foolish for Saddam Hussein to let U.N. weapons inspectors, inspections resume because he says the teams would contain spies, that would help the U.S. in a military conflict with Iraq. And ratcheting up the war of words, the official called President Bush a, quote, "idiot who is in the hand of Zionists." Meantime, U.S. officials confirm that the Bush administration recent weeks considered a covert CIA and military mission inside northern Iraq. And for now, we want it go to CNN's White House correspondent John King who is in Crawford, Texas covering President Bush. John, there is a lot for the White House to digest. What are they saying?</s>KING: Well, first and more most, Judy, let's start with that hostage crisis, the Iraqi opposition group, an obscure group briefly taking over the Iraqi embassy in Berlin. This is a Bush Administration that is public in saying the government of Saddam Hussein must go, regime change...</s>WOODRUFF: We have been listening to Mike Smith who is with the Riverside, California police describing what information they have at this point about 10-year-old Nichole Taylor Timmons who was found missing from her bedroom this morning by her mother. According Assistant Police Chief Smith, they are looking for a man named Glen McArthur Park, who was at least on one occasion serving as a baby-sitter for Nichole Timmons and he went on to say that they have information that the two are together traveling in central California and may be headed out of the state. And he said, we are seeking public assistance, looking for them. Again, we think they are traveling through the state, perhaps heading out of state. This is a photograph of the man he identified as Glen McArthur Park and we are sharing that to you moments after the police there in Riverside, California sharing that photo with the reporters. So more information as we get it, we will share it with you. Another story we want to tell you about, breaking news out of Moscow and that is that there's been an explosion in a apartment block in the northeastern part of Moscow. These are some pictures that have just come in to us in the last few minutes, an explosion destroying part of this apartment block. One report we've seen indicate the explosion was centered on the third floor of a five story building and there have been casualties according to the Itar-Tass (ph) news agency. Very sketchy information at this point. This is about all the information that we have and as we get more we will tell you about that as well. Well, back now to our lead story today on INSIDE POLITICS and that is the word from Baghdad, from Iraq, that Iraqi officials, at least one senior official, telling CNN vice president Ethan Jordan (ph) that the Iraqis will not let U.N. and weapons inspectors back in the country and using very strong language in describing President Bush. Let's quickly go to Crawford, Texas where our senior White House correspondent John King has been talking to the Texas White House, getting some reaction from them John, to these fast breaking stories out of Iraq today.</s>KING: And Judy, no official reaction to the tough language, the insulting language, if you will, by the senior Iraqi official calling President Bush an idiot, saying he was in the hands of the Zionists. White House officials say they will not dignify that with official response. One senior official noting, though, that the president might think that he is in quote good company because very similar language was used by the Iraqi government to describe his father, President Bush, back in the late 1980s, early 1990s, when he was leading the U.S. military and the coalition army forces against the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. On the question of inspections, White House officials have said for months and they reiterate today they have never believed that Saddam Hussein was serious about letting U.N. inspectors back in with unfettered access so no surprise at all that a senior official would say that it is the view of the Iraqi government that there will be no weapons inspections. We also were talking at the top of the show about that storming of the embassy in Germany, Berlin, Germany. The Iraqi embassy stormed by an obscure group called the Democratic Iraqi Opposition of Germany. Now this is a Bush administration that is public in saying Saddam Hussein should be removed from power, but it is an administration that quickly went public today to condemn such a tactic, taking over another government's embassy.</s>ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY: Actions like this takeover are unacceptable. They undermine legitimate efforts by Iraqis both inside and outside Iraq to bring regime change to Iraq. As for the particular group involved, we have no prior knowledge of this group and have had no contacts with them.</s>KING: White House officials saying one reason they wanted to condemn this so quickly is because they do not want to encourage similar protests on U.S. embassies around the world. White House officials saying they believe Iraqi opposition groups should work with peaceful demonstrations around the world, with whatever means they want to work with inside Iraq, but again, not with forcefully taking over another government's embassies in another capital -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, John King, one of the few times we are likely to hear the Bush administration defending the rights of the Iraqi government. Thanks very much, John. Well, while Iraq appears to be closing, appears we should say, to be closing the door on renewed U.N. weapons inspections, the senior Iraqi official who spoke with CNN today said that Baghdad still would allow members of the U.S. Congress to briefly visit suspected weapon sites. The White House previously has rejected that invitation but our congressional correspondent Kate Snow now has some fresh reaction from Capitol Hill. Hi, Kate.</s>KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Judy. Ludicrous on its face. That's how one Republican aide put it, saying that a U.S. congressional delegation going into Iraq was simply a nonstarter. Democrats and Republicans alike telling me this is not a job for the U.S. Congress. This is a job for the United Nations. And secondly, it is up to Saddam Hussein, they will tell you to make changes. He is the one who has to act in good faith at this point. It's not up to the U.S. Congress. Several aides calling this a diversionary tactic by the Iraqis. One Republican saying, what are they going to find out if they go over there, a group from Congress? They'll see what Saddam wants them to see and only that. They will, he said, be used. But not everyone on Capitol Hill, Judy, feels that way. Not all are so cold to the idea. Democrat Representative Dennis Kucinich said today that, he held this briefing that you see here today, to talk about Iraq and talk about his views on the situation there. He and others on this panel say that no war against Iraq should happen. They say that it is unnecessary. Former U.N. weapons inspector Scotty Ritter was among the panelists who warned that starting a war based on what he called rumors, that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, simply inconceivable. Congressman Kucinich says he is open to the idea of a congressional delegation getting involved if it would mean stopping a war.</s>REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: People have to talk to one another. We cannot pretend that we are going to step aside, and let these war forces move toward some expression. We have an obligation to the American people. We are called -- we could be called upon to send the sons and daughters of Americans to fight and possibly to their deaths in a war. Shouldn't we take some steps in the other direction so that war isn't inevitable? I think we have an obligation to do that.</s>SNOW: And Kucinich says that with some caveats, Judy, that he would only support a congressional delegation if it was bipartisan, if they had complete and full access in Iraq and most importantly if they were allowed to be accompanied by weapons inspectors, experts, Judy. That's what he's saying but many up there on Capitol Hill saying that's a scenario that's just simply unlikely -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: And particularly given White House view of all this. All right, Kate, thanks. Meantime House Majority Whip Tom Delay plans to give a major address in Texas tomorrow encouraging the White House to take a more aggressive approach toward Iraq. In an excerpt of the speech that was released today, Delay says quote, defeating Iraq is far from a diversion in the war on terror. Defeating Saddam Hussein is a defining measure of whether we will wage the war on terrorism fully and effectively. Only regime change can remove the danger from Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Delay will be a guest tomorrow here on "Inside Politics." We'll ask him about that speech and we'll ask him about House Majority Leader Dick Armey's concerns about an unprovoked attack against Iraq. With me now, Stan Bedlington, formerly with the CIA counterterrorism center. Mr. Bedlington, first of all, this report from Iraq that Abu Nidal, the noted terrorist, notorious terrorist, committed suicide and yet there are multiple gunshot wounds in the body. What's going on here? Does any of this make sense?</s>STAN BEDLINGTON, CIA COUNTERTERRORISM CTR: Well, first of all, I don't think it was possible of him to have committed suicide. You can't shoot yourself several times and say it is committing suicide. The second thing is you can't really believe a word the Iraqis say. I would need so much more information about this case before saying categorically that Abu Nidal is dead. There have been a number of reports in the past saying that he's dead and, lo and behold, he is still alive.</s>WOODRUFF: Well, is there any way to get independent information? The U.S., we understand has so little intelligence inside -- human intelligence inside Iraq. How does the U.S. separately verify.</s>BEDLINGTON: I think we have to go through Palestinian sources. It's the only way we can find out for sure whether or not the man is still alive. If he is dead, it will be the best news we've had on the terrorist front for a long, long time.</s>WOODRUFF: What about the plausibility of the Iraqi story of what happened, that he was in Baghdad, that they discovered he was working with anti-Iraq opposition forces, forces working against the Saddam Hussein government. Does any of that make sense given his background?</s>BEDLINGTON: No, it doesn't makes any sense whatsoever. The Iraqis, one source from the Iraqi government said that he was working with the Kuwaitis, which once again simply does not make sense given Abu Nidal's background.</s>WOODRUFF: Sounds like you're skeptical of this.</s>BEDLINGTON: I'm highly skeptical. Abu Nidal</s>WOODRUFF: What would be plausible? Why would Abu Nidal have been in Baghdad at all in your opinion?</s>BEDLINGTON: Well, you know, he's moved around from place to place because people keep throwing him out. After his organization was largely dismantled in the early 90s, the last terrorist attack by Abu Nidal was in January of 1994, as I recall, he first moved to Syria, then he moved to Libya, where the Libyans supported him for some years and then he moved to Iraq. That's where he was moved to Iraq in 1998. They gave him shelter.</s>WOODRUFF: But at this point there's nothing that you're aware of that would explain why he was there or what he might have been working on.</s>BEDLINGTON: No, I have no explanation for that whatsoever. He more or less retired in a sense. He's sort of history, you know. That's the way I look upon him as not being an active player, not for some years.</s>WOODRUFF: And if he is dead, if it turns out he is dead, what does that represent? What does that mean?</s>BEDLINGTON: Well, I think we have to look at who possibly could have killed him, what motivations there were and I think the group that has the most serious motivation would be the Palestinians. And Abu Nidal has been responsible for killing certainly two of Arafat's closest subordinates at Tunis some years ago. So there is a possibility of revenge.</s>WOODRUFF: Stan Bedlington, former CIA counterterrorism expert. Thank you very much. Good to see you again.</s>BEDLINGTON: Thank you very much.</s>WOODRUFF: When we return, we will discuss Democrats, Cynthia McKinney's battle for political survival in the House. And we'll tell you why the Secretary of State is launching an investigation. Also ahead, is this a fair picture? James Carville and Tucker Carlson will debate the high profile way that some CEOs have been arrested. Plus, Barbra Streisand and politics. Is she the new comeback kid?