CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports - Interview

SHOW: CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS 17:00

HEADLINE: Six British Soldiers Killed in Iraq

GUESTS: Patrick Andrade, John McCain

BYLINE: Wolf Blitzer, Jason Bellini, Jamie McIntyre, John King, Deanne Donnelly, Ed Lavandera, Sanjay Gupta, Miles O'Brien

HIGHLIGHT:
Six British soldiers were killed in Iraq today, and eight others were injured.

BODY:
BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. Is there any end in sight to the attacks and killings in Iraq? I'll ask senator John McCain some tough questions. First, the latest headlines.

Rudolph Giuliani has lost a legal battle. A judge ruled today the former New York mayor violated the free speech rights of a policeman and two firefighters by having them fired for their roles in the 1998 labor day parade display. The three men painted their faces black and they were riding in a float which re-enacted the killing of James Byrd, an African-American man dragged to his death earlier that year by white men in Texas.

New Jersey's child foster care system will undergo an emergency overhaul as part of an out-of-court settlement. A children's rights group sued the system four years ago and earlier this year faced growing criticism after the death of a 7-year-old boy found beaten and starved in a basement.

Sodomy laws in more than a dozen states could feel the impact of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling expected Thursday. Justices have reviewed the prosecution of two Texas men who were arrested for having sex in their home. The two men challenged the Texas law as unconstitutional. CNN will have live coverage when the decision comes down Thursday morning. That's when it's expected.

An unexpected rush of voters crashed an online Democratic presidential contest today. But the system is now up and running. Moveon.org is sponsoring the contest. The online advocacy group will endorse the candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote and ask its members to donate money to the winners campaign. The voting runs through tomorrow night.

Greenpeace activists are in Iraq protesting what they call a nuclear disaster. They handed over a uranium mixing canister to U.S. forces now guarding a looted nuclear facility. The activists say the canister had been lying out in the open for weeks and similar stolen radioactive items are still out there, possibly poisoning the local population.

Meanwhile, Britain's parliament wants to know how serious was the threat really posed by Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Hearings are now under way on whether the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair exaggerated the danger to gain support for the war. Among those testifying today, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Neither the prime minister nor I, nor anybody acting on our behalf, has ever used the words immediate or imminent threat in relation -- never used those words, in relation to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. And what we talked about in the dossier was a current and serious threat, which is very different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Just a little while ago I spoke about that issue, other issues, the search for weapons of mass destruction, with the Republican senator John McCain of Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Senator McCain, thanks, as usual for joining us.

Let's get right to the issue for a lot of Americans. Concerned they may have been sold a bill of goods going into the war that the intelligence really wasn't there to justify going to war. You've had a chance to review this. What do you say to those Americans?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Well, I don't know about the intelligence so much, but I do know that in 1998 when we passed a law calling for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a regime change, when president Clinton gave a speech saying he knew that he had weapons of mass destruction and the inspectors were not allowed to inspect, that it was very clear that he had those weapons at that time.

Also, why else would he obviscate and delay, indeed risk his own position of power if he had nothing to hide. So I believe that the evidence of any cover-up is the burden of proof is on the accusers.

BLITZER: Why do you think it's taking so long, though, to find the evidence? If he was such an imminent or real threat, so far two months after the president declared major combat over, they really haven't found much.

MCCAIN: You know, I don't know the answer to that. Perhaps with the apprehension of this latest number 4 guy we'll get more information. But none of it makes any sense for an individual, for Saddam Hussein to commit suicide, which is basically what he did. Because if he had cooperated with the inspectors and let them travel unimpeded, then there wouldn't have been the threat to the regime change.

Again in '91, the evidence was clearly there. We found massive amounts of weapons. He used them twice on his own people and against the Iranians. There's no doubt my mind if we were still in power today he would continue his efforts to acquire them.

BLITZER: Senator McCain, what do you make of this latest incident along the Syrian border. Syrian troops now coming under fire or engaging U.S. troops as they search for some sort of mysterious Iraqi convoy. It sounds like potentially could be very worrisome.

MCCAIN: I think it's a bit worrisome. I think our people are in hot pursuit. Obviously we would not, I think, want to kill Syrians or wound them or cause difficulties to them. But at the same time we need to capture Saddam Hussein and his sons and the others and I'm sure that we will try to take steps to prevent any further border crossings, if indeed that was the case.

BLITZER: Do you have any evidence, any reason to believe the Syrian government is cooperating with the pro-Saddam elements that may still be around?

MCCAIN: I think we had ample evidence during the conflict that people were coming both into and out of Syria, both to fight against United States troops and also to get away. And exactly the area where the incident took place yesterday.

BLITZER: Six British soldiers were killed today and one incident, the bloodiest, deadliest battle since the end of major combat in Iraq. How concerned are you that U.S. troops, the morale of U.S. troops, with about one American soldier or marine dying a day since then, that that morale could be sapped.

MCCAIN: I'm very concerned. It's getting hotter and hotter. Our reservists have been on active duty for an inordinate length of time. The secretary of defense and the administration has to come over and tell Congress and the American people what our commitment is going to be there, both in numbers of troops, amounts of money that needs to be spent and their best estimate as to what we face. Otherwise, I think, there can be problems over time with support. Because if you keep losing American lives after, quote, mission accomplished, unquote, it can present difficulties. But if the American people are spoken to, if I might say, a little straight talk, they would understand, and be prepared to bear the burden.

BLITZER:: Are your suggesting they are not getting that straight talk from the President right now?

MCCAIN: I can tell that as a member of the Senate and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I receive no information as to how long our commitment is going to be, how large that commitment is going to be and what it's going to cost.

BLITZER: Let me ask you a quick political question before I let you go, Senator McCain. Campaign finance reform, one of your question issues. You got a task. We see the president now embarking on this massive campaign fund-raising effort to get himself re-elected. Going to raise 100 million, maybe 200 million dollars. Not going to go for the matching funds again for the presidential race. Is that a source of concern for you?

MCCAIN: Oh, I think it's of some concern. Campaign finance reform was not aimed at Presidential elections. Clearly we're going to have to change or need to change, in my view, the parameters as to how much matching funds they would be eligible for, et cetera. Otherwise the law is going to become irrelevant.

But already we've seen a drying up of soft money, and I think at least some reduction in the influence of special interests around here.

BLITZER: You're not going to run, are you?

MCCAIN: No.

BLITZER:: You're going to support the president?

MCCAIN: Yes.

BLITZER: In his reelection campaign.

MCCAIN: Yes, sir.

BLITZER: Senator McCain, one final question, I always ask you how you are feeling. How are you feeling?

MCCAIN: Fine. Thank you for asking. It's the time of year when people should stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen.

BLITZER: Senator McCain, excellent advice to all of our viewers. Thanks for spending a few moments with us.