.. there are some things i want to say. elin and i have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. as elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. it will come from my behavior over time. he certainly blamed himself, but he also took a shot at the news media. my failures have made me look at myself in a way that i never wanted to before. it's now up to me to make amends. that starts by never repeating the mistakes i've made. it's up to me to start living a life of integrity. i once heard, and i believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that matters, it's what you overcome. achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. character and decency are what really count. parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. i owe all those families a special apology. i want to say to them i am truly sorry. i've always tried to keep my wife and children -- when my children were born we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. however, my behavior doesn't make it right to follow my 2 1/2-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location. they staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family. please leave my wife and kids alone. let's bring in susan candiotti, she's in florida on the scene there. this was all very, very carefully orchestrated. set the stage for us. what happened? >> reporter: it certainly was. the media presence here was simply massive, more than 200 reporters from as far as away as japan and even norway, but they couldn't have been that far away. we didn't get close to him at all. that building is a hotel ballroom at least a half mile away from the clubhouse where tiger made his apology. everything, as you said, tightly controlled and arranged by the pga. i'd like to show you inside that ballroom. this is where the media was kept, part of the arrangements made by the representatives of tiger woods and pga. inside that room, you could hear a pin drop, while reports watched the statement without any questions. they took notes on their computers, writing down every time he said "i'm sorry." after that apology was over, the commissioner came to the ballroom and talked to reporters. i asked him how he felt personally being in the room with tiger when he made his apology. >> at the end of the day, you know, he's a human being, we all make mistakes, they have all made mistakes, and when we're lucky, we learn from those mistakes. he did leave open the possibility that even this year he would return to playing -- >> reporter: i think he said for 45 days, but he said he wants to return to golf. he won't be pinned down, however, about a date. the thing is, we are also curious to hear from other players. some have been critical, saying they're sick and tired of hearing about this. others se at the accenture tournament in arizona that the timing of this was bad, right in the middle of this player tournament going on out there. one of the all-time champs who weighed in on it, nick faldo. >> well, it was a pretty complete apology, and extremely embarrassing, i can imagine, to stand on a world stage and have to apologize for what you've been up to for the last however long. so that must have been extremely difficult. he did his best job there. but still he left the big question that we as golfers were wanting to know, when he's coming back to golf. >> reporter: you know, wolf, make no his take about it, the players wants him back, the pga wants him back and i'm sure a lot of fans want him back, too. the game has been taking a hit financially without him, loss of risen and tv ratings are down. wolf? >> susan candiotti, we're going to check back with you. i want tower viewers to know they can see and hear tiger woods' full statement next hour here in "the situation room" and also later this hour, we'll get analysis and reaction from christine brennan and pat o'brien, two veteran sports reporters who know this subject well. meanwhile, another apology today, this one from the wife of the man who flew his plane into a texas office building. she expressed her sincere sympathy to the victims and their families. joe stack's suicide attack left at least one other person dug and two people in the hospital. it raised a lot of questions about security for smaller planes and their pilots. our homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve is looking closely into that. what are you learning, jeanne? >> two bodies have been recovered in the rubble of the irs office building. their identities have not been made public. the national transportation safety board today transferred control of the investigation to the fbi, given the apparent criminal nature of the event. one question being asked, could another event like this be prevented? a small piper cherokee did all this, renewing questions about whether there should be tighter security regulation of small aircraft. >> it's an issue that congress needs to look at in terms of protecting in a moment federal building -- not only federal buildings, but the american people. >> reporter: -- like charter jets were already in the works. small planes like the one that flew into the irs offices in austin will not be included. the people who own and fly them say they shouldn't be. >> i don't believe tighter regulation will preclude these incidents. >> reporter: pilot ease names are continually run against watch lists. 85% of aviation airports have programs similar to neighborhood watch, and many have perimeter security like fencing, but none of it stopped joseph andrew stack from slamming into a building thursday morning. pilots have argued for years that an suv packed with explosives could do more damage than a small plane, but the austin crash did plenty. wolf? >> lots of speculation out there, jeanne, that this plane and the regular fuel couldn't have done this type of damage, there must have been some other stuff on that plane, where explosives or whatever, that could have caused that kind of damage. what are you hearing? >> it's a key part of the investigation, wolf. i'm told that plane probably carried about 80 gallons of fuel. people familiar with what fuel can do thinks this looks bigger, but nothing definitive from investigators yet to whether they found anything else in that wreckage in austin. >> when you say two bodies have been recovered, we assume one of those bodies is joseph stack and another body, an employee who was working in that building whose identity has not yet been made known. >> reporter: that is indeed our assumption. meanwhile, a surprise today over at l.a.x., at los angeles international airport when a small plane made an unauthorized landing there. the fbi says the plane was registered to an aviation brokerage firm in marietta, georgia. authorities reportedly are interviewing the pilot. president obama admits he and some fellow democrats have been knocked around, and his political bruises are showing. during his trip to las vegas today, we'll talk about his support in the west and why it's going south, at least right now. and later, conservative activists are sounding upbeat about their future. are they relying on controversial fringes groups to prop them up. i'll ask an ought thor steps tiv s endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. well that's great. you haven't seen him... my other can is ringing. progresso. hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup. oh sure, we have plenty of employees that... you can label as "different." like janice. uh-huh. yeah. fashion deficient. and tom... copy incapable. it's open kimono time. looking good, dan. oh, we want to make sure all our ducks in a row. yeah. volume control syndrome. but we focus on the talent and skill that each person... brings to the team. i mean, no one's really concerned about labels. not even mine. labels get in the way. disabilities rarely do. visit thinkbeyondthelabel.com to evolve your work force. labels get in the way. disabilities rarely do. host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: does charlie daniels play a mean fiddle? ♪ fiddle music charlie:hat's how you do it son. vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. here with "the cafferty file." jack? >> same old/same old when it comes to iran. we are not seeking nor do we believe in nuclear bombs. the ayatollah comenni saying their beliefs say they're forbidden. however different from a report that suggests just the opposite? the international atomic energy energy agency report says iran may be working secretly on a warhead for a missile and lists way the country has been defying u.n. orders. for the first time the iaea states concerns that iran may be trying to develop nuclear weapons right this very minute. iran continues to insist the nuclear programs has been only for -- sort of like "i did not have sexual relations with that woman." the u.n. keeps passing resolutions, three so far, and some nations are passing for another. what do the resolutions mean exactly? i don't understand. president obama gave iran a deadline of the end of the year last year to show they were making progress. what did that deadline mean exactly? i don't understand. a new cnn/pin research corporation poll shows 6 in 10 americans thinks -- having we been doing that already? i don't understand. only about a quarter want the united states to take immediate military action, but if diplomacy does not work, 60% support military action, 71% think iran already has nuclear weapons, which is just swell. here's the question -- what now? if the united nations is right about iran building a nuclear weapon? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog. wolf? >> jack cafferty, one week from today "a broken government." we'll be talking a lot about this. i'm just teasing our viewers a bit, but one week from tonight they will see you with a one-hour special. in the next hour we'll talk. >> i may not tell you anything about it the next hour. maybe i'll keep it secret. it might be a need-to-know thing. >> thank you, jack. president obama was on the offensive today in nevada. he emphasized the importance of not squandering this chance to overhaul the system and pressed republicans for their proposals ahead of next week's summit here in washington. at the same time, he acknowledged that he and other democrats have paid a price for prioritizing the issue. one of them is senate majority leader harry reid, whom the president praised. >> you could not have a better fighter on behalf of the people of nevada than senator harry reid. i am just proud -- i am proud to call him a friend. >> joining us now gloria borger. clearly the president is doing whatever he can to try to help him get reelected. >> harry reid is in some real trouble. right now he's polling behind all his potential republican opponents in the state and trying to tell the folks in nevada it's good to have the senate majority leader on your side, don't forget that, but it's tricky, because while harry reid pushes the president's agenda, he's differed with him on the sides of the jobs bill. the white house was kind of surprised when harry reid went to $15 billion, so there's some things that the white house and harry reid have to work out. >> he's got a bigger problem than harry reid, obviously, in the west. >> he does. the democrats have made a lot of gains in the west. in 2008, as you know, the president won colorado, new mexico, nevada. they even thought they could have won arizona if john mccain hadn't been the candidate, but now they're worried about seats like harry reid's in the west. they're worried about colorado. the white house says the demographics have changed, this isn't your father's west, but folks out there don't like big gost government. they don't want more taxes. it's the economy, but there's an ideological edge that the white house has been toe very careful about. >> gloria, thank you. >> sure. conserve tif activists planning their comeback at the cpac convention. are they attracting the independents or turning them off? stand by. tiger woods making his emotional apology? did he accomplish what he set out to do? we'll get inside from a pair of veteran sports reporters. stick around, you're in "the situation room." lisa sylvester is monitoring some other top stories in "the situation room." what's going on? >> hi there, wolf. the fbi has closed its long-running investigation of the deadly 2001 anthrax mailings. it concluded a biodefense researcher acted alone. the fbi believes lone suspect dr. bruce ivan sent anthrax-laced letters to lawmakers and news organizations, which killed five people. he killed himself in 2008 as authorities prepared to indict him. clear hold bills, that's what nato says is the strategy in taking ban marjah. afghan police are taking over security some parts, as they clear the town of militants. the offensive is noun in the seventh day, the biggest since the 2001 u.s.-led invasion of afghanistan. in haiti's prime minister says the government will take over private lands to build camps for earthquake victims. aid groups say hundreds of acres are needed to get tens of thousands of quake victims out of crowded makeshift camp in port-au-prince. haitian law provides for the takeover they're in the public interests and owners are compensationed. china says president obama seriously harmed relations by meeting exiled tibeta buddhist leader dalai lama. still, the white house went to great lengths to limit the impact of the meeting, keep it low profile, and holding the meeting in the map room instead of the oval office. as you can see from this photo, he left via the back door. china accuses the dalai lama of pushing tibetan independence. you can hear from him himself on "larry king live" on monday. >> good exclusive. thank very much, lisa. day 2 of the cpac convention outside of washington. activists are planning their comeback, hoping to capitalize on voter frustration we've seen in the polls within recent election and within the tea party movement. john avalon is the author of "wing nut." john, thanks very much for joining us. is there any indication independents are flocking over to these conservatives, the conservatives at the cpac convention? >> well, cpac is all about conservatives talking to conservatives, wolf. you raise a great point, because they have a way to bridge. that's the way that fiscal conservatives can bridge to them, but the problem is this is a conservative movement. they are very focused on kicking the rhinos of the republican party out. so the bridge they can and i believe should build with fiscal conservatism translate to a win in november is the secondary thought that this is a family gathering, conservatives talking -- >> when you say rhinos, you mean republicans in name only, that's what they consider some of the more moderate or even liberal republicans, but some of them have a presence at this cpac convention, don't they? like governor tim pawlenty? more of a moderate republican? >> well, that's right. the reality is what some speakers today have condemned practicing ma tiism and said it's the opposite of principle, but mitt romney yesterday gave a well-received speech, riding scott brown's coattails. tim pawlenty, a blue state governor, for the party to be competitive, they need to win the center, they need to practice the politics of addition, but movement politics tend to be all about ideological enforcement. this is very much an ideological -- there's an element of purification that runs through these sorts of rituals, so you have the isn't rbiss that can win elections outside the base,sh. >> john avlon, thanks very much for helping us better appreciate what's going on. one veteran journalist says tiger woods has hit rock bottom. i'll talk to sports reporters christine brennan and pat o'brien. and woods might want to take a few tips from bill clinton. just ahead, lessons on making a comeback after scandal. paul begala will share his experiences from the clinton area. he and leslie sanchez are here. it's my dry skin, and it's deep down uncomfortable. 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[ female announcer ] new moisture wrap body lotion. neutrogena skin care. #1 dermatologist recommended. to our viewers, you're in "the situation room." happening now, close call in the skies. air traffic controllers scrambling to avert an in-flight collision between two planes approaching a major u.s. airport. you'll hear the terrifying recording. a massive cyberattack uncovered tens of thousands of computer systems at companies around the world have been hacked. experts say traditional security systems no longer work. what's it all mean? what does it mean to national security? stand by for that. the wife of the pilot who flew a small plane into a building in texas today is speaking out now for the first time. we'll tell you what she has to say and update you on the investigation. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." an emotional and very public apology by tiger woods. with his mother looking on from the front row, his wife absent, the golfing great apologized for his extramarital affair and the scandal that sidelined his career. he spoke about the therapy he's undergoing, his bide it faith and plan to return to golf someday. let's talk about it with former sports anchor and entertainment anchor pat o'brien and christine brennan. christine, what did you think? >> well, we are seeing a man at rock bottom, i think. wolf, compare the visual of tiger winning a golf tournament, which is how most people see him and to see this today was really an eye opener and how far away from golf he is. when he mentioned golf in the 12th or 13th minute, and quick mention and hopes to come back someday, it certainly makes the talk about, you know, the masters or bayhill just look ridiculous with all this speculation. this is a man in trouble. i think it was a good first step. he has a long ways to go, yet there were the controlling moments, defiant, but all in all, i thought it was kind of breathtaking some of the things he was saying and the things he had to say, again, is a first start, making that -- that was the tee shot, not a hole in one. that's just the beginning of his coming back to wherever he ends up coming back too. pat, what did you think? >> you know, we put these@athletes and celebrities on mt. rushmore and expect them to be role model. i think the role model point today he did for kids or all of us who look up to him is it's how you fall, but how you get up. i think this is the very first step of him getting up. i thought he got up today quite well. >> what was his immediate objective today? and did he achieve it? >> i think he probably did. it makes you wonder why we didn't hear this in january or february, but that's part of the process, so i understand why it's now, but you wonder with the vacuum of three months, wouldn't it have been valuable to him in the recovery process, say, in early january, but here we are in mid-february. i think grandmothers in dubuque, who changed that sundays so they could watch him play golf, do they feel a hint of sadness for him? if that's the case, and i'm guessing there are probably some people who do feel that way, that i think he probably achieved that first step. the free fall has been so terrible and such a massive fall from grace, self-induced, of course. >> he thought the rules didn't apply to him. he acknowledged that, pat. let me play this little clip. >> i thought i could get away with whatever i wanted to. i felt i worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around mer. i felt i was entitled. thanks to money and fame, i didn't have far -- i didn't have to go far to find them. i was wrong. i was foolish. i don't get to play by different rules. the same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. >> i thought that was a pretty impressive statement he made, pat. >> of all the people involved in one of these things, including me, i've never heard the world "entitlement" said to gracefully. that's what it's about, he felt entitled that all this was come to go him. i think the grandmothers in dubuque will be happy, i hope they teach their grandkids, you have to own up to your mistakes. he used words like selfish, foolish, entitlement, and i was wrong. he did all the right things. he also, by the way, answered a lot of questions i was hoping he would answer, especially about the confrontation with elin, confrontation, where he's been, christine, 45 days, that's why we haven't seen him. and i could tell he -- i could tell he's been there and listening. that's the key thing. >> let me play this other clip, christine, because it gets to an issue a lot of fans want to know about. listen to this. >> i do plan to return to golf one day. i just don't know when that day will be. i don't rule out that it will be this year. when i do return, i need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. >> he said he's going back to rehab right away now. how far-fetched is it to think that he might play in the masters this year in april? >> wolf, i think that that -- now that is incredibly far-fetched. there was a lot of speculation, as you and pat know, has on the masters, playing a tournament before that to get warmed up. i don't know about you guys, but this sounds like it's a long way off. i mean, i think the big takeaway from this today, wolf, for sports fans, for the golf side of this, which of course that's what tiger is, he's a pro golfer, people want to see him play golf. i think the big message is it's going to be a while. i mean, to have it mentioned so -- almost as an afterthought, so well into his statement, and then to have it be, you know, i plan to come back, and maybe this year someday? without, i think we could easily be seeing -- again, i have no idea, the story has twists and turns that are amazing, but i think we could easily see the entire year being lost for tiger woods. >> do you agree with that? >> i definitely agree. i don't think he's going to make the masters. this is a mind game, golf, and his mind is so far away from golf. christine makes a good point. it was very late in the statement that he mentioned golf. you know, he said a very key thing, too, i need to take care of myself on and off the course. that's what hi needs to do. golf, by the way, to him may be the farthest thing from his mind right now. i think he wants to get his family back together, make sure the media stops hounding his kids, and i think he took the right first steps. in recovery, you know, you have a prayer that says grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference. i think he's following that prayer. >> he really went on the offensive, christine, when he told the media, back away -- not necessarily from myself, but from my wife and from the children. and i think that will resonate with a lot of folks out there. >> well, it certainly resonates with the three of us, and where we are work and the kind of standards we have journalistically. i think because it's the 21st century, and because of the paparazzi, and because of the internet and all the these web sites that we never heard of that are now bookmarked on millions of golf fans' computers because of the tiger woods saga, i'm not so sure how that will go for him. i wouldn't chase after him, you two never would, but the reality is the internet world, the tabloid world will have another idea completely on that one. >> pat, your final thought, we're out of time. >> good luck on shoos the media away from the blogosphere world, but i think he made a great first step. i've known him for a long time. i was very proud of him today. like christine said, this will be a long, long road. >> pat o'brien and christine brennan, guys, thanks very much for joining us. we're going to have the full tiger woods statement, we'll air the entire thing in the next hour here in "the situation room." and also some analysis on damage control, how should tiger woods be dealing with all of this? 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[ female announcer ] people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've haa stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. lisa sylvester is monitoring other top stories in "the situation room" right now. what is is going on, lisa? >> hi, wolf. iran's supreme leader denies his country is seeking a nuclear weapon. he spoke after touring iran's new guided missile destroyer. yesterday the u.n.'s international atomic energy agency warned for the first time iran may be working on a nuclear warhead, but the ayatollah said islam forbids weapons of mass destruction. it will require chemotherapy treatment. he is expected to return for work at the senate between treatments. at 86 years old, senator lautenberg is the nation's second olders u.s. senator. we are former secretary of state retired general alexander hague has been a haig, the hospital has confirmed he is there in critical condition. haig served in the nixon, ford and reagan administrations and was supreme allied commander of nato. and it's a little girl's best friend. 3-year-old victoria bench's dog blue may have saved her life, keeping her warm and safe in the outdoors after she wandered away from her arizona home yesterday. a search helicopter spotted them earlier. this morning. the hero is a queensland heeler, so very nice to see. we're so glad she's safe. >> thank god for the dog that helped out. happy ending instead. a rising star says americans are fed up with the -- confidence in the gop. what do conservatives need to do to change that? we'll talk about it in our "strategy session." stick around, you're in "the situation room." let's get to our confession strategy session." joining us, paul begala and republican strategist leslie sanchez. paul, you advised former president clinton during a crisis involving infidelity. if you were advising tiger woods right now, what would you tell him he needs to do? >> you know, honestly it would be shut up, zip up and tee up. we don't need to hear from him. he doesn't owe me an apology. he doesn't have teammates who he owes, he doesn't have shareholders, not a corporate official, certainly not a politician. so i think he's got to heal himself. my heart goes out to the guy. i'm not a golf fan, but my heart goes out to anybody in that kind of pain, and i respect christine brennan, i defer to her, but i agreed with her, it looked like a contrite thing. the contrast between him and a politician is pretty extreme. we've now heard more details from tiger woods about his problems than, say, from senator david vitter who has been accused -- he was on the d.c. madam's list. dc madam, of course, running a. he's a senator, accountable to the citizens, he should be answering questions about what he was doing on the list. i don't think tiger woods owes us anything. >> you just want him to go play golf. >> go back and live his life. >> what due think? >> i spoke to stephanie way, a golf blogger, very respected. she said the best way to protect his brand is to go play golf again. what he did was correct, he did look contrite and sincere, but it should have been done a month ago. in terms of damage control, that would have helped. there is a different standard for public figures. he has a profession that people enjoy watching, unlike politicians. >> does he have a responsibility to his fans? >> no, not to talk about his private life. he has a responsible to his fans, he game, i suppose and play it well. he might be the best there ever was, but he doesn't owe me anything. >> listen to had little clip, and then we'll pick it up. >> i never thought about who i was hurting. instead, i thought only about myself. i ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. i thought i could get away with whatever i wanted to. >> that's pretty, pretty blunt talk from him in terms of accepting responsibility. he says i ran straight through the boundaries. that's tough stuff. >> that's tough stuff, and he said he thought only of himself. there is a bitter pill in this. just the fact that a lot of the golf media is upset about the way he organized it, but held it on the first day of the world -- like an international golf championship, sponsored by accenture, the first group to drop him. they thought it was cephalic. again the limelight is on tiger woods and they're bittersweet about the whole thing. >> but the media i think is hypocrite cal. i don't think he has any duty to answer. why don't the media ask senator vitter? he's up for reelection, a public official, he crusades and holds himself out as a great conservative christian leader, yet accused of consorting with prostitutes, and the media has stopped asking. >> and somebody who had to defend bill clinton -- >> good lord, the pornography, "the star" report was all out there. >> we'll never forget about trying to divert attention. i think the question is, there is a different standard for both. >> let's talk about what eric cantor set today. we'll play a clip. i think he's the number 2 republican in the house of representatives. eric cantor of virginia. >> we understand the country is fed up with the democrats, but is not confident yet that we as republicans will be any better. the people need to see our commitment to enact a reform agenda. >> pretty blunt talk from the number 2 republican in the house. the democrats are bad, but we as republicans, he's not sure will be any better, the people have to see that. >> very true. the approval rating of congress very low. if you're an incumbents you have a problem going into the election. the silver lining is both parties are starting to respond. you're seeing the democrat give the ruse that he wants to work with republicans. republicans understand that they do have, you know, an effort in this fight. they want to be at the table when it talks about the cost, government intrusion into health care and the ramifications. we want to be at the table. >> he's an impressive guy. >> he's very impressive. the republicans are lucky to have him. i think he's right about this, too. if you looked at '94, as the republicanssmart. when the democrats were going up, the republicans were going up. i didn't agree about newt gingrich, but he was about ideas. the republicans have not put forward ideas except for paul orion, the top republican of the budget committee in ohio has put tout debates out there. return to tax cuts for the rich, and this is what republicans believe in, and we should have an hon neest debate about it. >> rising star. big one to watch. >> and republicans are lucky to have him as well? >> yes, we need a debate about privatizing social security and vouchers. >> thank you, guys. jack cafferty is coming up with the e-mail ahead. also, much more on tiger woods' remarkable public apology and including the whole statement, and we will reair it in its entirety. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] all we ask is that you keep doing what you've always done. ♪ the lexus rx. never has a vehicle been designed to feel so natural. ♪ it feels like a liner, but protects like a pad. because it absorbs 10 times more. there's nothing quite like it. carefree® ultra protection™. feels like a liner, protects like a pad™. progresso. hi. we love your weight watchers endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. well that's great. you haven't seen him... my other can is ringing. progresso. hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? (announcer) progresso. you gotta taste this soup. right back to jack for cafferty report. jack? >> the question this hour is what now if the united nations is right about iran building a nuclear weapon. iaea says they may be working on a nuclear warhead as we speak. tim says it will only feed the resentment toward even-hand defense in the region. if we insist they are free of nuclear weapons, we have to disarm everyone, friend and foe alike or it will add fuel to an incendiary cause. and joe says we have all just entered a more dangerous situation. so much for diplomacy. we need to support the movement within iran that is looking to change the power structure, but at the same time increase sanctions. with have to let it known that we are friends to the iranians, but not the leaders or the government. and terry says that the iran has called for nuclear states to disarm and for the middle east to be a nuclear-weapons-free zone. has this happened? do they have a right to protect their country? i know the guy running the country is crazy, but he does have a point. and margie says, i wish our government would bite the bullet and deal with israel's nuclear program, which is illegal an unregulated. if you look at the problem from the iranian's point of view, they need nuclear bombs to protect themselves from israel. and this one from nabeel, i wouldn't be surprised if the u.n. got the information iran building a nuclear weapon from the stam sim place they got to intelligence from wmd in iraq. is same lies at a different time. and this one, implied threat is the only deterrent. to paraphrase former president clinton, a nation's best day might be the day they use a nuclear weapon, but the worst day is the day after. you might want to read more on this, but you will read a lot more on the blog at cnn.com/caffertyfile. it is a problem. >> very serious, jack. stand by, cnn has obtained a recording that you may want to hear before you fly again. we will have the chilling moments that when two planes nearly collided at a major u.s. airport. president obama issuing a challenge to america's high schools and he is offering a pretty impressive prize. >> i just finished a candid -- on our political ticker, president obama has a new assignment for students. he wants to know what sets them apart from other schools preparing them for college and giving them a better education. the winning high school will get president obama to speak at their high school this year. wow. and now we have confirmation that brad ellsworth will run for evan bayh's seat. he is a moderate voting record, and ellsworth could wind up facing off against dan coates who once held the very same senate seat. a rapper as a bad rap on the former presidential candidate mitt romney. the rapper says he is the man who got into the fight with romney in a flight to vancouver, and he says it is the republican who touched him and not the other way around. sky blue says he grabbed his shoulder after he told him loudly to straighten his seat. romney said it is the other passenger who became physically violent and two police officers escorted the rapper off of the flight. a new episode in sarah pa n palin's showdown with the makers of "family guy." the animated tv show had a character of downs syndrome who claimed she was the daughter of the former governor of alaska. palin whose son has down syndrome said she was too livid to comment, but the daughter did slamming the portrayal, and now the character is speak out saying she has down syndrome and thought that the show was funny and that apparently palin does not have a sense of humor. and to the viewers in "the situation room," happening now. tiger woods is breaking the silence and apologizing for the affairs and the ensuing scandal that has put his career on hold. can the words un-do the damage he has caused to his marriage and brand? we will play the full remarks this hour, unedited and if you missed it, you will see it and hear it here. and also, cyber hacker threats. are companies obligated to tell you if your personal information has been compromised? new developments in the airplane suicide attack on the irs. the wife of the pilot is now speaking out about what she calls unimaginable tragedy. i'm wolf blitzer, and we want to welcome the viewer ins the united states and around the world. world. you are in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it was the most closely watched speech by a world class athlete in memory with his mother looking on from the front row. his wife absent, and tiger woods apologized for the affairs and the scandal that has sidelined his career. he spoke about the therapy he is undergoing, and the buddhist faith and the plans to return to golf some day. we will hear the statement in the entirety later this hour. but, first, details and analysis with brian todd and crisis management expermit dan balm. guys, thank you for coming in. you have been spending a lot of time, brian, looking at the crisis management part of this story for tiger woods. >> and that is some of the most fascinating components of this when you look at how he handled this and how he broke it down. we will talk to dan about this, and thank you for joining us, dan. first of all, let's talk about the overall appearance of the room when he walked in and set it up. i would admit it is stiffer than i thought it would be. it looked like the white house press room ft >> it did and it was bizarre. he is a golfer and not a governor. he steps out with the presidential lectern and the obama no-wear-tie suit. make nos sense. >> why not? >> with what would have made more sense to him is to do something like this to the camera, and the fake audience and the pissed off mom on the front row, and he should have done something to espn and do something that mark sanford would not do. >> but what about the hand-picked reporter asking the questions. he does this and he runs the risk of this woman, that woman, and dragging this out to a level of detail that he is not comfortable with. >> that is true, but a big part of the apology and big part of the future of what i consider the martha stewart lesson is that he has to step up, and in his case man-up and be ready to answer the hard questions. >> but didn't he step up today by accepting full responsibility, and repeatedly apologizing. >> yeah, wolf. you are right. we need to give him credit for coming out to do one thing that he has not done before which is i did it, sorry, it was wrong. >> i want to get into a little bit of that. we want to play a clip where he was probably the most brutally hon nest all of this. let's listen to the one clip. >> i was unfaithful. i had affairs. i cheated. what i did is not acceptable. i am the only person to blame. i stopped living by the core values that i was taught to believe in. i knew my actions were wrong. but i convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. >> he said that a couple of times about normal rules didn't apply to me, and i went too far. >> this is the spot in the apology where he sounded like every man and worked from the heart. if he stopped there, all of the better, but he went on and on. >> at some point he will do a sit-down interview with someone, and who knows who, and right now, he doesn't want to do it, because the interviewer will ask other questions about the other women, and how does he deal with that once he is asked in an exercise, what about x-y-z? >> well h , he can choose not t answer those questions, but the best way to deal with this is not to talk to the microphone, but pick up the golf clubs and >> you are with paul begala with that, but golf is a mental game, and you have to be focused and if the mind is dealing with all of the other issues, including his family, he won't be necessarily at his best. >> i am not saying he needs to play golf tomorrow, but no reason he needed to come out to apologize today. i think that he probably needs to -- he is suffering and obvious, he needs to take care of the personal issues and then come back to make a statement, which he will have to repeat and then go play golf. the problem with today is that it furies the storm in the middle of it, and not putting an end to it which playing golf will. >> i want to get to a part that is odd and compelling at the same part. the vigorous defense of his wife's part in this. let's play another clip. >> some people have speculated that elin somehow hurt or attacked me on thanksgiving night. it angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. elin never hit me that night or any other night. there has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. elin deserves praise not blame. >> he is clearly maybe at the most defiant in the entire thing right there and arguably maybe the most emotional and what do you make of that segment? >> i am not sure what to make of it except if i were advising him i would say not to say that at all. he is there to apologize and one thing to do, and now he is shifting to the offense and he later does wit the immediait wi well. >> back off of the kids. >> he is angry and emotions he feels and trying to defend the wife, but he is not trying to defend the wife, but he cheated on the wife and he needs to own that and merely apologize. >> maybe something else at work here and someone telling him you have to come forward and do something like this? >> we can't know what that would be, but would have been better off to leave it out. and he later talked about performance enhancing drugs and denied he took it. it is deny, deny, deny, but it needed to be apologize, apologize, apologize. >> but it is fair to say it is his statement, a nnd he had experts to tweak it, but it was one shot to talk to the world, and not just the united states, but the whole world was literally watching to what he had to say. he wanted to make points and he made them and now back into rehab and we will see what happens when he emerging from the second segment of rehabilitation. guys, thanks very much. dan and brian. a reminder that we will play the entire statement for you later this hour. if you missed it and you want to see it again, you will see it here in "the situation room" coming up in a few moments. countless people across the united states and around the world stopped what they were doing today to watch tiger woods' apology, so how did it play publicly. our richard roth is gauging reaction in new york. richard where are you and what are you seeing and doing? >> wolf, i'm here in the espn zone, a sports mecca here in the heart of times square, but hours ago it was tiger square. everything stopped, the cacophony of sports, and olympics and everybody stopped and listened to the remarks by tiger woods. >> many of you in this room are my friends. many of you in this room know me. >> do you forgive him? or do you think it will take time for that? >> well, i mean -- i'm not here to judge him. he did what he did, and he owned up to it. i don't -- nobody supports what he did, you know, but it is what he does from today on. >> he doesn't have to apologize to me, but he has to apologize to his wife and sponsors. >> it will never be the same for him, ever. that is unfortunate. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i think he did a great job. he was very impressive. i think he said exactly what he should have said. >> i think it is what i expected him to say, i'm sorry, nothing more or nothing less and long overdue. >> i forgive him. i'm a wife and a mom and i forgive him. >> tiger always wants to control everything, let people in the room to ask questions. or let somebody in the room who isn't your friend. >> that is his private life. i don't particularly see why he has to apologize. i want to see him get back to golf. >> look, as you can tell by those comments, there was a split along gender lines, wolf, almost every woman we spoke to was very supportive of tiger wood, and his effort to apologize and having the mother there on the front row and the men were analytical and more critical and the man before the speech said he lied to me, i can't go back on that. another said that tiger tried to regain control of the situation, and too much control, and some will wait until we see how tiger woods does when he comes out on to the golf course perhaps sometime this year. wolf? >> together with the rest of the world. all right. richard, thank you. all right. this is just coming into "the situation room." right now, a long awaited justice department report on the so-called torture memos. those were the opinions from justice department lawyers during the bush administration that authorized harsh interrogation techniques including waterboarding. this new report says that attorneys including jay bybee and john yoo their opinions do not amount to professional misconduct. the justice department ethics unit recommending as a result, no legal consequences. a lot of liberals out there are going if be very, very disappointed in the obama administration's justice department. no legal consequences for justice department lawyers during the bush administration for the enhanced interrogation techniques and the legal opinions that authorized it. jack cafferty is coming up next with the cafferty file. and then tiger woods' full statement and al poll pology an unedited and raw right here in "the situation room." and flames of rage. a troubled man targeting his own house before a suicide attack on an irs office. now, his wife is speaking out. a disaster nearly aifrt and we have the chilling recording of a near collision over airport. >> i don't care how you descend, you have traffic out to the right. right back to jack cafferty for the cafferty report. >> before you go online to shop or pay bills or check the bank statement or send an e-mail stuff that we all do everyday, stop and think about this, more than 75,000 computer systems at 2,500 companies worldwide have been hacked. a virginia security firm net witness says that it could be one of the largest most sophisticated cyber attacks ever discovered. it began late in 2008 and wasn't even found out until last month. the attack targeted everything from corporate information to e-mails, credit card, log in information and the hackers went off companies in health and technology sectors and educational institutions and financial institutions and ten government agencies and internet service providers. scary stuff when you consider that these industries should know a thing or two about security, you think. it is believed that the haeshgs got employees at the targeted companies to download infected software or got them to open up infected e-mails infected with attachments and there the hackers could commandeer the users and steal information and help themselves to attack other computer systems and the thing went on and on and on and it took a year and a half for them to discover this thing. experts say that the attack points out that traditional security approaches on the internet are not working anymore. meanwhile, news of this attack comes after it was revealed that computer net woshs were compromised at google and 30 more big companies. google says that the attack on them originated in china. woi i wonder how safe are the computers that have to do with our national security. so how confident are you that the internet is a secure place to transact business? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, and post a comment on my blog. this is a massive assault on confidential information. >> and think of how many people are involved. it is shocking. thank you, jack. we will talk about this with our national security contributor fran townsend, so it is safe to do your personal business on the internet right now? >> well, wolf, it is interesting, but most people think it is like identity theft and a crime that happens to somebody else, but not to me. if you go on to use the internet, and your personal information is lost or stolen, the company has an obligation to tell you, wolf, that your information is stolen. but if i go on the internet site, i have no idea how often that site has been hacked or how much personal information of other customers has been lost, so i don't have a way the make a judgment as to whether one side is safer or less safe. >> should they be required to tell us yes, there are security systems and the computers have been hacked and violated x-number of times and should we know that? >> doesn't it seem to you that we should, because when you go on to logon to pay, and it says this site is secure for you to put your payment information in there, but i would want to know, and i think that most americans would want to know whether or not a site has been subject to hacking, has lost information in the past, how much, and what kind of information. i do think it is useful. as you see people more and more concerned with this and members of congress, frankly, you are more likely to see that requirement, that this information be publicly released. >> and especially when you hear the reports that the hackers are coming from china or russia or elsewhere, even from iran for that matter, and you have to get nervous. >> well, that is exactly right. jack asks the right question having worked inside of the government for more than two decades ki tell you that everyday, we see chinese and russian hackers trying to get into the government systems and even the national security systems are not sufficiently secure which is a huge priority for the current administration. >> you and i have participated in a cyber war game this week and as i said earlier, it was scary what we saw the ability to deal with these kinds of problems. fran, thanks very much. what if a massive cyber attack crippled, actually crippled the united states? this weekend you can see how we might respond to a real cyber shock wave. a cnn special you don't want to miss. it airs saturday and sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern and 5:00 pacific. this is fascinating and very important stuff. tiger woods in his own words. we will play for you the complete statement he made earlier today, apologetic and emotional and sometimes defiant. you will see it raw and unedited coming up. plus the wife of the pilot who launched the suicide plane attack on the irs is speaking out of what she calls unimaginable tragedy. that's peace of mind for every size family. chevy... may the best car win. progresso. hi. we love your weight watchers endorsed soups but my husband looks the way he did 20 years ago. well that's great. you haven't seen him... my other can is ringing. progresso. hey can you tell my wife to relax and enjoy the view? 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[ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg. it's another thing to back it up. the chevy 5-year/100,000 mile transferable powertrain warranty. with roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, it's the best coverage in america. lisa siylvester is monitorig top stories here. what have you got? >> well, a top military junta seizes power in niger. appearing on state tv, they call themselveses the supreme council for the restoration of democracy. niger's president who had been trying to extend his rule is said to be held in a military camp. meanwhile the democratic congressman allan grayson who was in the uranium rich country in the coup is said to be safe and heading hometonight. commercial flights to haiti have resumed. american airlines will offer three flights a day from florida. since the day after the january earthquake, american airlines have been transferring aid workers and helping to evacuate the country. and the obama administration is helping to rename the war in iraq, "operation new dawn." a senior administration official says that the idea came from iraq commander general ray odierno, and the new name reflects the mission as the new troops draw down. what do you think of the new name, "operation new dawn." >> okay. let's hope it turns out to be a new dawn and all of it works out, because god knows america has spent a lot of treasure to try to get to a new dawn in iraq. it is the mea culpa heard around the world. for the first time tiger woods publicly owning up to the fid fidelity on camera, and the speech from start to finish and you will see it and hear it live right here in "the situation room." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd to our viewers here in "the situation room," happening now, their existence came to light in the post election protests last year. now, a former member of iran's notorious besiege militia comes forward with unspeakable brutality and you will see it here. and lining up over land with frantic instructions from the tower. two planes within seconds of disaster, and we have the tape for you. his wife calls it an unimaginable tragedy. we have the latest on the investigation of why joe stack's last act was to crash his plane into an irs building in austin, texas. i'm wolf blitzer, and you are in "the situation room." as promised, we are now going to show you tiger woods' remarkable apology in the entirety. this note, at one point, there was a major technical problem with the network pool camera. you will see the shot change to what is called the cutaway camera which shows woods and the audience, but you can still hear and see everything he is saying. >> good morning and thank you for joining me. many of you in this room are my friends. many in this room know me. many of you have cheered for me or you have worked with me or you have supported me. now, every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. i want to say to each of you simply and direct ly i am deepl sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior i engaged in. i know that people want to find out how i could be so selfish and so foolish. people want to know how i could have done these things to my wife, elin, and to my children. and while i have always tried to be a private person, there are some things i want to say. elin and i have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. as elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. it will come from my behavior over time. we have a lot to discuss, however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us. i am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused those of you in this room. i have let you down. and i have let down my fans. for many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. to those of you who worked for me, i have let you down personally and professionally. my behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners. so everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and most importantly the young students we reach, our work is more important than ever. 13 years ago my dad and i envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. this work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. from the learning center students in southern california to the earl wood scholars in washington, d.c., millions of kids have changed their lives, and i am dedicated to making sure that continues. but, still, i know i have bitterly disappointed all of you. i have made you question who i am and how i could have done the things i did. i'm embarrassed that i have put you in this position. for all that i have done, i am so sorry. i have a lot to atone for. but there is one issue i really want to discuss. some people have speculated that elin somehow hurt or attacked me on thanksgiving night. it angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. elin never hit me that night or any other night. there has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. elin deserves praise not blame. the issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. i was unfaithful i had affairs, i cheated. what i did is not acceptable. i am the only person to blame. i stopped living by the core values that i was taught to believe in. i knew my actions were wrong, but i convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. i never thought about who i was hurting. instead, i thought only about myself. i ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by, and i thought i could get away with whatever i wanted to. i felt that i had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all of the temptations around me. i felt i was entitled, thanks to money and fame, i didn't have to go far to find them. i was wrong. i was foolish. i don't get to play by different rules. the same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. i brought this shame on myself. i hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. i have had a lot of time to think about what i have done. my failures have made me look at myself in a way i never wanted to before. it is now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes i've made. it is up to me to start living a life of integrity. i once heard, and i believe it is true, it is not what you achieve in life that matters, it is what you overcome. achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. character and decency are what really count. parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. i owe all of those families a special apology. i want to say to them that i am truly sorry. it's hard to admit that i need help, but i do. for 45 days from the end of december to early february, i was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance or the the issues i'm facing. i have a long way to go. i have taken my first steps in the right direction. as i proceed, i understand people have questions. i understand the press wants to ask me for the details of the times i was unfaithful. i understand people want to know whether elin and i will remain together. please know that as far as i'm concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between elin and me. these are issues between a husband and a wife. some people have made up things that never happened. they said i used performance-enhancing drugs. this is completely and utterly false. some have written things about my family, and despite the damage i have done, i still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. they did not do these things. i did. i have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and my children, and they have been kept separate from my sponsors, by my commercial endorsements. when my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. however, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my 2 1/2-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location and stake out my wife and pursue my mom. whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone. i recognize i have brought this on myself. and i know above all, i am the one who needs to change. i owe it to my family to become a better person, and i owe it to thosest to me to become a better man. that is where my focus will be. i have a lot of work to do, and i intend to dedicate myself to doing it. part of following this path for me is buddhism which my mother taught me at a young age. people probably don't realize it, but i was raised a buddhist and i actively practiced my faith from childhood until i drifted away from it in recent years. buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. it teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. obviously, i lost track of what i was taught. as i move forward, i will continue to receive help, because i have learned that's how people really do change. starting tomorrow, i will leave for more treatment and more therapy. i would like to thank my friends at accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why i am making this, these remarks today. in therapy, i have learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. i need to regain my balance and be centered so i can say the things that are most important to me -- my marriage and my children. that also means relying on the others for help. i have learned to seek support for my peers in therapy, and i hope some day to return that support to others who are seeking help. i do plan to return to golf one day. i just don't know when that day will be. i don't rule out that it will be this year. when i do return, i need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. in recent weeks, i have received many thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. to everyone who has reached out to the me and my family, thank you. your encouragement means the world to elin and me. i want to thank the pga tour, commissioner finchum and the players for their patience and understanding while i work on my private life. i look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course. finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. today, i want to ask for your help. i ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again. thank you. the first woman he hugged is his mom, and others there are family, friends and associates, as you saw no questions were allowed by reporters at that statement. a very, very carefully choreographed event by the golfing great, tiger woods. from joe stack's wife today a message of sympathy and remorse. meanwhile, officials begin the painstaking investigation of what drove joe stack to crash his plane into the office of the irs. we will have the latest. 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(announcer) brink's home security is now broadview security. call now to install the standard system for just $99. the proven technology of a broadview security system delivers rapid response from highly-trained professionals, 24 hours a day. call now to get the $99 installation, plus a second keypad installed free. and, you could save up to 20% on your homeowner's insurance. call now-- and get the system installed for just $99. broadview security for your home or business - the next generation of brink's home security. call now. the wife of the man whom officials say crashed a small plane into an irs building in texas spoke out for the first time today. she called the disaster in her words unimaginable tragedy. the crash killed two people, and one of them, her very, very troubled husband. cnn's casey wian is joining us from austin. casey, what happening today? it has been a dramatic 24 hours since that crash. >> sure has been, wolf. a massive investigation is under way at the crash of a small private plane into the texas office behind me yesterday. authorities from half a dozen federal and local agencies are involved, all under the direction of the fbi. >> reporter: investigators poured through the wreckage of an internal revenue service office building a day after a disgruntled taxpayer crashed his private plane into the second floor killing himself and one person believed to be an irs employee. investigators say that the pilot, software engineer and part-time musician joseph stack began the rampage earlier in day by setting fire to his house. this is where a parallel investigation has been happening all day long. we have seen investigators from the fbi, alcohol, tobacco, firearms and local fire departments all combing through the charred remains of mr. stack's home trying to figure out how this fire started, and how it burned to hot, so quickly. evidence of that and the home right next door earlier today, we saw the insurance company investigators on the roof of that home. it was a very, very hot fire. neighbors said they heard an initial explosion and when they came outside and saw mr. stack's home they saw it was completely engulfed in flames almost immediately. now, if you read the six-page apparent suicide note that stack posted on the internet, it paints the picture of a man with serious financial concerns, but if you look around at the neighborhood in which the house is in, it paints a different picture which is of a typical middle-class suburban neighborhood. sta stack's wife asked a spokesperson to read this statement. >> there cannot be enough words to express my sorrow for everyone connected with this tragediment i want to thank my friends and neighbors and colleagues and members of my church for their expressions of kindness and generosity in our time of grief. >> reporter: he played in a billy eli band, and the former bandmates are searching for answers. >> this has been such a shock, because it is totally out of character from the joe stack i played in a band with for three years. >> reporter: one victim remains hospitalized with serious burns. authorities have recovered two bodies from the irs building and one is believed to be the body of the pilot joseph stack. >> thank you, casey wian, on the scene in austin. and a report of radio traffic that nobody wants to see. >> traffic 1:00 less than two miles and same altitude, descend immediately. >> planes seconds away from disaster. just ahead, what happened? would you like a pony ? yeah. would you like a pony ? yeah ! ( cluck, cluck, cluck ) oh, wowww ! that's fun ! you didn't say i could have a real one. well, you didn't ask. even kids know when it's wrong to hold out on somebody. why don't banks ? we're ally, a new bank that alerts you when your money could be working harder and earning more. it's just the right thing to do. cnn obtained a recording that anyone who listens to it will become unnerved. they sent in this report. >> wofrl, if you look up at any major airport, you're likely to see them, lines of planes in the sky on approach. you see one plane landing here at reagan national airport, you can see another one in the distance behind it. seemingly not much margin for error in this equation, and in one such incident, a frightening near miss. >> newly released audio recordings and radar images reveal one passenger plane steering right toward the others. it happened as planes were approaching denver's airport just before thanksgiving. >> 1:00 less than two miles, to descend immediately. >> cnn obtained radar images from the faa. the story was first reported by denver's affiliate, kmgh. on that busy day, a line of planes approaching denver's airport was over a fixed position on the ground, and then funnelled to something like a highway in the sky. that fixed position and that highway route are both named sage. an airline's flight, code named brickyard, was heading in that line. after he questioned the controller's guidance, the pilot proceeded, making something close to a u-turn right toward the oncoming traffic and narrowly flew behind one of the planes in line. as he veered, the controller caught the error and scrambled. >>. >> faa officials tell us the republic airlines plane missed one of the planes in line by less than two miles and had descended 250 feet below it. i asked commercial pilot mark weiss just how close that was. >> the plane in orange is the one that is directed to fly to the fixed point. he crosses paths with the other two planes, essentially, flying behind one and just ahead of another. almost the same altitude, a little less than two miles apart at 700 miles an hour. what is the scenario there for collision? >> well, the opportunity for something catastrophic obviously exists, and it exists in very fast time. the closure rate of aircraft at that speed is only a couple of seconds. >> but faa officials insist that even if courses of action had taken place, the planes would not have collided. they insist this was an operations error on the part of an air traffic controller. they classify these incidents as a through d, with a being the most critical. this was a letter b. wolf? is it safe to do business on the internet? jack cafferty is next with your e-mail. ♪ [ male announcer ] the cadillac cts sport sedan. one of car & driver's 10 best for the third year in a row. ♪ and now, cadillac announces the new luxury collection lease. some people like to pretend... a flood could never happen to them... and that their homeowners insurance... protects them. it doesn't. stop pretending. it can happen to you. protect your home with flood insurance. call the number on your screen... for your free brochure. doesn't mean they're protected. oh, ladies. let's say you have osteoporosis. i do. you could be losing bone strength. can i get it back? (announcer) ask your doctor how to help treat osteoporosis with once-a-month actonel. actonel is clinically proven to help reverse bone loss and can help@i increase bone strength to help prevent fractures. so you can get back some of what you lost. do not take actonel if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or cannot sit or stand for 30 minutes. follow all dosing instructions. stop taking actonel and tell your doctor if you experience difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn. these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. promptly tell your doctor if you develop severe bone, joint or muscle pain, or if you develop dental problems, as serious jawbone problems have been reported rarely. to get a free trial offer of once-a-month actonel visit actonel.com. and ask your doctor how once-a-month-actonel can help you reverse bone loss. how confident are you that the internet is secure enough to contract business? h. says -- jude writes -- and i no longer do any on-line banking nor would i advise anybody else to, either. santosh writes -- greg in cincinnati writes -- that will seek out all the personalized items you include in bank statements and even tax forms that are sent to the irs via e-mail. mick writes -- hank says -- and craig in tampa writes -- if you want to read more about this, you can go to my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile. do you use internet for banking and stuff? >> no. i don't. >> there you go. >> no. and happening now, tiger woods is returning to treatment at seclusion after his remarkable public apology. the massive investigation into the suicide flight in texas, and the wreckage left behind for the pilot's family. the shock, the grief, and the scars at austin right now. and a 911 call, a mountain of snow and a tragedy of errors. a dying man waits 30 hours for help. you may be horrified by the way it turns out. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. for more than 13 painful minutes, the world's greatest golfer finally faced the world and owned up to a stunning fall from grace. tiger woods apologized repeatedly. he acknowledged cheating on his wife, sought privacy for his family and eventually redemption by his loved ones and his fans. listen to one of the more powerful moments from tiger woods' carefully scripted appearance in florida. >> i brought this shame on myself. i hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. i've had a lot of time to think about what i've done. my failures have made me look at myself in a way i never wanted to before. it's now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes i've made. it's up to me to start living a life of integrity. i once heard, and i believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that matters, it's what you overcome. achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. character, inand decency are wh really count. parents used to point to me as a role molds for thedel for their. i owe those parents a special apology. i want to say to them that i am truly sorry. >> let's bring in our national correspondent, susan crowley. she's in florida where woods spoke today. this was a huge media event. dozens and dozens of tv stations around the world were taping this live, and millions and millions of people, we won't know until tomorrow how many millions, but they were watching. >> just a huge audience, more than 200 reporters representing agencies as far away as japan and norway, but no one got close because the reporters were all kept in the building that you see over my shoulder. and it's about a mile or so away from where tiger woods was speaking in a clubhouse. this was a tightly controlled event. we're going to take you inside the ballroom to show you how most of the reporters watched tiger woods make his apology. they were watching on closed circuit monitors, and you could hear a pin drop in the room. after everything was over, the pga commissioner came to talk to reporters because, as you know, tiger woods took no questions, and i asked the commissioner what it was like for him to face tiger woods as he made his apology. >> at the end of the day, you know, he's a human being. we all make mistakes, we all have made mistakes, and when we're lucky, we learn from those mistakes. >> and, wolf, you know, people were watching not only here but as well in other places. in times square they were watching, in sports bars, and, of course, also in