Pakistan Warns U.S. After Air Strike; DNC Attacks Mitt Romney; Newt Gingrich Scores Endorsements
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now: Pakistan's prime minister warns that everything about his country's critical relationship with the United States has changed -- tension reaching a disturbing new level in the wake of a NATO air strike that killed two dozen Pakistani troops. Also, the Democratic National Committee inserts itself in the Republican presidential primary, hoping to take out the candidate who may pose the greatest challenge to President Obama. We are talking about Mitt Romney. And another candidate, Herman Cain, is live with us here in THE SITUATION ROOM this hour. We will talk about what is behind his decline in the recent polls, criticism of his 999 tax plan and much, much more. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. He's the only candidate who has been consistently at the top of the polls in the volatile Republican race for the White House. That has Mitt Romney increasingly targeted by President Obama's supporters. Now, in an unusual move, the Democratic National Committee is targeting Romney in an effort to sway the GOP nominating contest. CNN's Joe Johns is working the story for us. Joe, what is going on here?</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it certainly raises the question whose primary is this anyway? It was much easier to keep track of this when it was just Republicans fighting among themselves.</s>JOHNS (voice-over): The latest salvo in the Republican nomination battle comes from the Democratic National Committee, the people who want to bring you four more years of President Barack Obama. You heard it right? It's the Democrats weighing in, those the choice is up to Republicans. It doesn't take much of a cynic to see that by running a slickly produced attack ad in battleground states pointing out flip-flop contradictions in Mitt Romney's record on things like abortion, health care, and immigration, the DNC would like to shut Romney down, leaving candidates with piles of baggage like Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain, as the last men standing against the guy in the White House.</s>ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: We can say that Newt Gingrich has baggage or Herman Cain has baggage, but the truth is that Mitt Romney has got baggage too. There's going to be a Republican nominee, no matter who it is.</s>JOHNS: We do know that Romney has gotten the Obama campaign's attention. Just last week, they howled in protest after Romney's campaign aired as ad Democrats said was misleading. Their attack was on Romney's changes in direction, which raised questions about whether voters can trust him. Republican strategist Ford O'Connell:</s>FORD O'CONNELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: During the primary, they are enormous liabilities because at end of the day I think a lot of Republicans are concerned about Mitt Romney because they feel he puts ambition above principle.</s>JOHNS: In case you need a reminder, the latest evidence of a Romney position switch is on the issue of immigration. In the last CNN national security debate, Romney went after Newt Gingrich for proposing humane treatment for undocumented immigrants with close ties to the community.</s>MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Amnesty is a magnet. People respond to incentives and if you can become a permanent resident of the United States by coming here illegally, you will do so.</s>JOHNS: Problem is, Romney used to sound more inclusive. The Gingrich campaign pointed out this 2007 Romney appearance on "Meet the Press."</s>ROMNEY: those people who have come here illegally and are in this country, the 12 million or so that are here illegally, should be able to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship, but they should not be given a special pathway, a special guarantee that all of them get to stay here for the rest of their lives.</s>JOHNS: And in a 2006 interview with Bloomberg, Romney was quoted as saying that law-abiding people who pay taxes, learn English and don't get government benefits should be allowed to get in line for citizenship which sounds pretty close to what Gingrich has proposed. The Romney campaign today accused the Obama campaign of trying to distract attention away from the president's record -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Joe Johns reporting for us. Thanks, Joe, for doing a terrific job filling in on Friday for me. Appreciate it very much.</s>JOHNS: My pleasure, Wolf. Glad you had some time off.</s>BLITZER: Thank you. Meanwhile, we're going to get back to politics in a few moments, but there's another critically important story breaking right now. Fiery anti-American protests in the streets of Pakistan with demonstrators burning both the American and NATO flags. Outrage is boiling over the wake of a NATO air strike on Saturday that killed two dozen Pakistani troops. The country's prime minister is warning this is the end of business as usual with the United States. We will hear from the prime minister in a moment in an exclusive interview. But first let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with more on this deadly air strike and the fallout. Barbara, what is the latest information you are picking up?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Pakistan is saying it is another violation of their national sovereignty by the U.S., by the U.S. military, and they're tired of it.</s>STARR (voice-over): The death of two dozen Pakistani soldiers in a U.S. air strike along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is the most serious cross-border incident since U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan a decade ago. A senior U.S. official tells CNN the situation with the Pakistanis is so sensitive, public comments from the administration are limited to announcing an investigation and offering condolences.</s>JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We mourn the brave Pakistani service members who lost their lives.</s>STARR: With anti-U.S. demonstrations already under way in Pakistan, the U.S. military hopes an investigation into what happened may ease Pakistan's anger. But that's not likely.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Business as usual will not be there.</s>STARR: Pakistan holds a vital card, access into landlocked Afghanistan. The Pakistanis quickly shut down two border crossings. About 30 percent of the supplies for the war into Afghanistan comes through the checkpoint.</s>SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: If they hold it for more than a week or two to have a notable impact on U.S. operations in both eastern and southern Afghanistan.</s>STARR: But the U.S. has longstanding alternate routes. About 40 percent of supplies come through Russia and Central Asian truck routes. Pakistan has also called for the U.S. to leave an air base where CIA drone operations targeting al Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan have taken place in the past. But with billions of dollars in aid and military sales, senior U.S. lawmakers are also warning they are out of patience with Pakistan.</s>SEN. JON KYL (R-AZ), MINORITY WHIP: They need to understand that our support for them financially is dependent upon their cooperation with us.</s>STARR: The fear now is that either side may miscalculate as Pakistan vows to protect its sovereignty. Pakistan's radars on the border are focused on any threats.</s>JONES: I would suspect there is popular support now for a Pakistan retaliatory strike. This is a very, very dangerous period we're at between the United States and Pakistan.</s>STARR: And, of course, there are other security implications as well. The United States has been trying to get Pakistan to crack down on al Qaeda, Taliban and other militant groups for months now. Don't expect to see the Pakistanis moving very fast on that any time soon -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Yes, level of support in Pakistan for the United States is dwindling rather quickly. Lots at stake. Thanks very much, Barbara. Let's continue the story. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani is warning the deadly incident changes everything between Pakistan and the United States. He spoke exclusively with CNN's Reza Sayah, who is joining us now live from Islamabad. Reza, he was very candid about Pakistan's relationship with the United States. Update our viewers what he told you.</s>REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He was. And, Wolf, consider the situation the prime minister is in. On one hand, he has to address the public outcry here, a public that doesn't like the U.S. government, U.S. foreign policy. On the other hand he has to see how he can salvage an important relationship with Washington. These are two countries, Pakistan and the U.S., that have had a lot of low moments. Today the prime minister said this is the lowest moment he has seen in his administration. He said it will never be business as usual until things change because public support is fading fast.</s>SAYAH: Is your prediction that this relationship will continue with Washington?</s>YOUSUF RAZA GILANI, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: That can continue on mutual respect and mutual interest.</s>SAYAH: Are you getting that respect?</s>GILANI: At the moment, not.</s>SAYAH: You're not getting that respect?</s>GILANI: If I can't protect the sovereignty of country, how can we say it's a mutual respect and mutual interests?</s>SAYAH: This was clearly a prime minister who was angry after this incident. But it is important note that he wasn't shutting the door on Washington. He was very diplomatic. He delivered some very thoughtful statements. He said he doesn't want to cut ties with Washington, but things have to change. What threat changes could be, it is not clear at this point, he said. That is going to up to Pakistan's parliament, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: You have been covering this story for a few years now in Islamabad, Reza. How do you see this dire situation playing out in the coming weeks and months?</s>SAYAH: I think a lot has to do with what U.S. CENTCOM's investigation shows. Right now, they're being very remorseful and regretful, but they are not exactly corroborating Pakistan's version of what happened. There is still some question whether the NATO forces drew fire first from Pakistan's side. But if indeed U.S. forces made a mistake, they are going to have to go into diplomacy overdrive. They have to be less critical against Pakistan for the time being in an effort to win back some goodwill and do some damage control. But in the past, these two countries have overcome seemingly insurmountable problems. It is very likely that somehow, some way they will do it again, but expect a very rough patch least in the short run, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Good point. Reza, thanks very much. I want our viewers to check out my blog on this very subject. Go to CNN.com/situationroom. I write about what Michele Bachmann said at that debate last week when she said that Pakistan is too nuclear to fail. Check it out. Read my blog if you're interested. Let's go to Jack Cafferty right now. He has got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: In politics, timing is everything -- and Newt Gingrich might just have it, timing. Just as the former House speaker surges in the polls, he's also getting some key endorsements. For starters, the influential New Hampshire "Union Leader" editorial board is backing Gingrich. They say he's improved Washington before and in this race, he has the best shot of doing it again. This conservative stamp of approval could go a long way in helping Gingrich, especially at a time when many conservatives are taking aim at his views on immigration. Meanwhile, another conservative, Sarah Palin, remember her, could throw her support behind Gingrich as well. One report suggests aides to Palin say that Gingrich is the most likely to score her endorsement. And it's not just conservatives who have nice things to say about Newt Gingrich. Former President Bill Clinton praises Gingrich in an interview with the Web site Newsmax. Clinton calls Gingrich "articulate" and says he tries to think of a "conservative version of an idea that will solve a legitimate problem." That's a Clinton quote. Clinton suggests that Gingrich's approach will make independent voters take a hard look at him. All of this has got to be keeping Mitt Romney up at night. However, it's yet to be seen if Gingrich will peak only to fade away like some of the other Republican candidates before him, but so far at least it seems that he has got some momentum that the others lacked. And it seems to be holding. As for Gingrich, he may have his eyes set on another opponent, the one in the White House. As the nominee, Gingrich says that he would challenge Obama to Lincoln-Douglas-style debates. And he says Obama can use a teleprompter. Cold. Here's the question: Will Bill Clinton's praise help Newt Gingrich win the nomination? Go to CNN.com/caffertyfile and post a comment or my blog or go to our post on THE SITUATION ROOM's Facebook page -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: That relationship, as you remember, I covered Bill Clinton when he was president, Newt Gingrich when he was speaker, and that was a very, very complicated relationship, I would almost say love/hate relationship between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich back in the '90s. We will assess that later in the week. Jack, thanks very, very much. Good question. He surged to the front of the Republican pack only to fall back in recent weeks. We're talking about Herman Cain. He is here to talk about the roller-coaster race for the Republican presidential nomination. What is behind his rise and recent fall? Herman Cain live here in THE SITUATION ROOM, that's coming up next.