Senate Committee Considers Bolton Nomination; Washington Scare; Eye on Iran
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Unfolding this hour on NEWS FROM CNN, high drama on Capitol Hill and fresh uncertainty over a key presidential nomination. At stake: the nation's next ambassador to the United Nations. There have been some surprising developments. We're awaiting a key Senate committee vote. And taking a harder line with Iran over nuclear development. Only this time, it's the Europeans, not the Americans, threatening Security Council action at the United Nations. We'll tell you what has sparked such tough talk across the Atlantic. Then, reality TV with too real an ending. Fast cars, shots fired, and a man dead, all playing out on live TV. First, some headlines. Moments ago, President Bush made the case for a free trade area agreement with the Central American countries. The U.S.-Dominican Republic, Central American Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA for short, must be ratified by a skeptical U.S. Congress. At this hour, the New York State governor, George Pataki, is announcing new initiatives tied to rebuilding at ground zero. Pataki is appointing his chief of staff to oversee the effort. He's also earmarking some $300 million to jump-start fund-raising for a memorial for September 11 victims. Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial will see more of a videotape today. On it, the pop star talks about his life and lifestyle. It's a way for lawyers to let Jackson defend himself without calling him to the stand or face cross-examination. Among the most popular stories this hour on CNN.com, remember the story out of North Carolina about a man who says he found a finger in his custard? Well, he's back in the news right now. The latest is that he's now making a belated offer to return the finger to its owner. The trouble is, it's too late to have it reattached. Ooh. If you still want to read more, you can get those details on CNN.com. Up first, breaking news here in Washington, the U.S. Senate showdown surrounding John Bolton for United Nations ambassador. Let's get all the latest developments. Our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, is on Capitol Hill. She's watching the drama unfold. Andrea, update our viewers what has just happened.</s>ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, George Voinovich, the Republican from Ohio, is showing why he has a well- deserved reputation for independence in his voting record. George Voinovich has just basically laid it out to the committee and said that, when this does come to a vote at some point in the coming hours, he -- while he will vote to send Bolton's nomination to the floor of the Senate, he will only do so without recommendation. Now, what that means is that it will be up to the floor of the Senate to decide whether or not Bolton will become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. And when it goes a vote there, Voinovich will oppose it. As you know, the split in the Senate is 55-45, and it would take six Republicans to come over to the Democratic side. As one staffer told me, one democratic staffer, it is not impossible that this could happen. We have perhaps hours of testimony and debate that's ahead of us in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Let's listen in to what Senator Voinovich said just a short time ago.</s>SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: What message are we sending to the world community when in the same breath we have sought to appoint an ambassador to the United States who himself has been accused of being arrogant, of not listening to his friends, of acting unilaterally, of bullying those who do not have the ability to properly defend themselves? These are the very characteristics that we're trying to dispel in the world community.</s>KOPPEL: Senator Voinovich going on to say that he liked Mr. Bolton personally, but didn't feel that he would be the right man for the job. Now, Democrats, as you know, in recent weeks have been trying to dig up as much evidence as they could to show why, in their belief, John Bolton is the wrong man for the job. Senator Joe Biden speaking very powerfully just a short time ago, laying out in his mind what he believes has been the lack of cooperation that he's been getting, and other committee members, from the Bush administration in trying to get some of this documentation.</s>SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Mr. Bolton has seen this information, but we cannot? Mr. Bolton could see this information, but a 32-year senator who never had once in his entire career had anybody raise a question about his treatment of secret or classified data, I'm not entitled to see it? I would like someone to explain that to me.</s>KOPPEL: Senator Biden, in particular, referring to documents that had to do with a speech that John Bolton was supposed to deliver back in 2003 on Syria, and the committee had requested documents that would show whether or not Mr. Bolton tried to influence the intelligence analysis that would have gone into crafting that speech. Now, the expectation, again, Wolf, just to clarify for our viewers, is that this vote will go down party lines as the committee chairman, Richard Lugar, had predicted, but without a recommendation. That means the vote would be -- if -- again, we still have a few hours ahead of us, but the vote would be 10-8, 10 Republicans, 8 Democrats, without recommendation, which does not bode well for Mr. Bolton in terms of getting the full backing of this committee. But it doesn't necessarily mean that he isn't going to be supported on the floor of the Senate -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Andrea, I'm still a little confused on the vote. Senator Voinovich, the Republican of Ohio, says he won't vote for the confirmation on the full Senate floor. He wants the committee to go forward and let the full Senate vote on it. Now, the full Senate -- the full committee, that is, 10-8, 10 Republicans, eight Democrats. If he votes against this nomination, it would be 9-9, assuming all the other Republicans vote for the confirmation. 9-9, the committee could still send it to the full floor without a recommendation, which is presumably what Voinovich wants. So I'm confused why you're saying he will vote for the nomination in the committee but then vote against it on the Senate floor.</s>KOPPEL: Right. The understanding that I've had, Voinovich apparently has now spoken outside the committee room to reporters. And what he has said is there was a deal reached last night with the committee chairman and other Republicans on the committee. And Voinovich said, look, I don't personally want to vote for Bolton on the Senate floor. But if you feel so strongly that this has to go to the floor, I will only support the vote, but without a recommendation. Let it go to the Senate floor, let them decide, and on the floor of the Senate I'm going to vote against it. But he will not support the vote in committee with a recommendation. There are several different options.</s>BLITZER: All right. We'll continue to pursue precisely what his vote is going to be in the committee, because a 10-8 vote is a vote with a recommendation in favor of this nomination. But we'll explore precisely what deal he may have worked out with the chairman, with the other Republicans in the course of the next couple hours. Andrea Koppel, thanks very much for that report. The White House clearly has a lot riding on the John Bolton nomination. Our Suzanne Malveaux is over at the White House. What are they saying, there Suzanne?</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They've invested a lot of political capital in this nomination. They are hardly willing at this point to concede to give it up. As a matter of fact, they are pushing for, they're trying their best to project confidence about the nomination. Early this morning, Scott McClellan said that Bolton, he was -- brings experience, that he's results-oriented and reform-minded. Bolton has a very close relationship with this administration. It's been a full-court press to get him through the process, involving a little bit of arm twisting by Vice President Dick Cheney. He also, of course -- Bolton has a 30-year relationship with Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove. They are not going to give up on this easily, and they again are aggressively exerting their power, their influence to push this through -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Suzanne, let me switch gears briefly for a moment. Still a lot of confusion surrounding yesterday's security alert here in Washington, the scare when that small little Cessna 150 was heading towards the White House, got within three or four miles of the White House. The president was out riding his bike in suburban Maryland at the time, exercising. And later we were told that he was not informed about any of this until well -- until well after it ended, ended OK. What's the reaction? What are they saying at the White House why no one had bothered to tell the president that they had evacuated the White House, they had evacuated the Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, other federal offices here in Washington?</s>MALVEAUX: Well, Wolf, that really is a very hot issue right now. A lot of questions thrown at Scott McClellan this morning. We asked him pointblank, why is it that the -- he says that the president is satisfied with the security protocol, that everything was handled well. He gave us a few more details here, saying that the Secret Service detail traveling with the president at the time, that they were in contact with other Secret Service officials about what was taking place at the White House in that 15-minute window. He also said that a military aide in very close contact with the president, whether he was on a bicycle himself or perhaps in a -- in a vehicle right along side with him, was in contact with the White House situation room, was getting updates on what was developing. McClellan says because the president was never in any danger because things were being handled well at the White House, and it never came to the point of having to shoot down that plane, it was the Secret Service detail, their call, the people who were actually with him, who decided he did not need to know at that time. He says the president is satisfied with this. However, having said that, there is going to be a review about protocol, about how all of this was handled. It's going to involve the White House officials, Secret Service, Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin, who are all going to take a much closer look at how this all went down -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. And we'll get back to you on that. Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House, as she often is. Thanks very much, Suzanne, for that. Let's go back to the John Bolton nomination. How much trouble is this nomination in right now? For that, let's turn to our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. George Voinovich has this propensity in these hearings to surprise and to become very, very dramatic and unpredictable. What is your take on what has happened over the past hour.</s>WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: What's happened is the nomination clearly is in some trouble. George Voinovich was kind of a weather vane on this. There are at least four Republicans on the committee, or precisely four, who have expressed doubts about John Bolton's nomination. They include not just Voinovich, but Senator Hagel, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island. They've indicated in various ways that they might vote to support it, mostly to get it to the floor. But here's Voinovich making this blistering statement. He said this morning, "John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be, and he would be fired if he was in private business." Well, those arguments are likely to hold a lot of water with the -- some of the other senators who have some doubts.</s>BLITZER: But if it does go to the Senate floor, even without a recommendation, a formal recommendation from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Republicans have 55, a majority, a considerable majority. Presumably, they will still get the nomination passed.</s>SCHNEIDER: Not necessarily.</s>BLITZER: All right.</s>SCHNEIDER: They may get it passed with 55 votes. As I say, there are four Republicans on the committee who've expressed doubts. There are some others out there who may have problems with the nomination. This could be -- I'm not saying it will be, but it could be the beginning of a turn of the tide against John Bolton, because of the power of what Voinovich said and the fact that he spoke to a lot of State Department officials who seem to have very little confidence in Bolton as a diplomat.</s>BLITZER: Well, and we're also assuming -- and this is a huge assumption -- that all 44 Democrats and one Independent member of the Senate would vote against the nomination, and that's by no means certain. There are some Democrats who may decide, you know, the president wants John Bolton at the United Nations, that's his prerogative.</s>SCHNEIDER: I've actually heard a few Democrats who say they don't like John Bolton, they don't like his management style, but if he's there to shake up the U.N., more power to him. Some Democrats feel way. I'm not sure you're going to see a big split-up of the Democrats. One of the most remarkable things about this year politically is how tightly the Democrats have held together in opposition to President Bush. And my guess is they'll do it again against the John Bolton nomination.</s>BLITZER: There's a lot of Democrats who want to use the filibuster, meaning 60 votes, on judicial nominees. If they feel that strongly about John Bolton, why not filibuster John Bolton's nomination on the Senate floor and see if the Republicans can come up with 60 votes?</s>SCHNEIDER: I don't -- I'm quite certain the Republicans cannot come up with of 60 votes. I mean, they'll be hard pressed to get a majority here. The Democrats, I think, while they reserve the right to filibuster, my guess is they won't do that, because that would just ratchet up the stakes, and Republicans would be able to argue, they want to filibuster everything, they just want to be totally obstructionist. The one thing the Democrats are worried about is being charged constantly with being obstructionists. And I think filibustering John Bolton would just make that charge more plausible.</s>BLITZER: Bill Schneider, thanks very much for joining us.</s>SCHNEIDER: Sure.</s>BLITZER: We'll continue to watch the story unfold, drama on Capitol Hill here in Washington. And adding to the drama of the Bolton story, the growing possibility that whoever represents Washington before the United Nations will inherit a very daunting task; namely, the effort to keep Iran from attaining nuclear weapons. Today, the British prime minister, Tony Blair, took a clear step closer toward President Bush. Just a short time ago, he said he's threatened, referring Tehran to the U.N. Security Council, where the controversial case against Iraq was made some two years ago. With the story now from London, let's bring in CNN's Matthew Chance with the latest -- Matthew.</s>MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, thanks very much. Well, Tony Blair made those comments in response to a question about the current crisis that these talk between the European countries and Iran about the future of the country's nuclear program are currently swamped down in. Those negotiations seem to plunge from one crisis to the next. Currently, a question hangs over those talks, because Iran has threatened to resume the uranium enrichment activity, some of the nuclear activities that it suspended in November in order to make way for these -- these latest rounds of negotiations to take place. Iran has threatened to resume those activities again. That has angered the European three: Britain, France and Germany, the people who have been and the countries that have been leading these negotiation. They've sent a letter from those countries, foreign ministers, to Hassan Rohani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, saying to him that if the resumption of activities took place, they would walk away from the negotiations, leaving, in their words, dire consequences for Iran. Tony Blair, the British prime minister, spelling out exactly what those consequences may mean earlier.</s>TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let's wait and see what actually happens. But we certainly will support referral to the U.N. Security Council if Iran breaches its undertakings and obligations. And, you know, quite how that will come about, we have got to work out with our -- our colleagues and allies. But those international rules are there for a reason, and they've got to be adhered to.</s>CHANCE: Well, the Security Council could, of course, impose stern measures on Iran ranging from economic sanctions to military action. It's obviously what Washington wants and what George W. Bush has said repeatedly he wants, a referral to the U.N. Security Council for Iran over its nuclear activity. European diplomats, though, Wolf, that I've spoken to saying that they're very much not at that point yet. They're still in private talks with the Iranians to try and hammer out a deal to get the Iranians to step back from this threat to resume their nuclear activity -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Matthew Chance, a quick question before I let you go. As you know, presidential elections set for Iran within the next two months. This whole debate over Iran's nuclear program, referring the matter to the U.N. Security Council, potentially, imposing sanctions, how's that likely to play out on those presidential elections in Iran?</s>CHANCE: Well, I think it's likely to be a big issue, because the issue of uranium enrichment and Iran's nuclear program is an issue which -- which sparks, provokes feelings of great nationalism in Iran itself. The presidential elections are set for June the 17th. And I think there's a certain sense in which European negotiators, as well as the U.S. and other countries concerned about this around the world, are kind of playing for time, because they know they can't really negotiate with this current administration in Iran. They're waiting to see who the next president is going to be and what the attitude of that president will be with regard to the country's nuclear program.</s>BLITZER: Matthew Chance in London following the story for us. Matthew, thank you very much. There's no end to insurgent terror in Iraq. Once again today, a car bomb kills Iraqis just trying to get on with their own lives. We'll have more in a live report from Baghdad. That's coming up. And another dramatic shoot-out in California. Check out this. For the second time in a week, police open fire on a suspect. This time, the results are deadly, and they're seen on live TV. You're watching NEWS FROM CNN, and we're back in a moment.