Bush Defies Protests in Rome
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush defies protests in Rome and faces criticism from the pope as he visits Italy, one of America's staunchest allies. Five American soldiers are killed in Baghdad, but, tonight, a new deal to end the fighting in southern Iraq. We'll have a report. Senator Kerry says our military is stretched too thin. Kerry adviser General John Shalikashvili is my guest. The economy created a quarter of a million new jobs in May, nearly a million new jobs in three months.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today's job report shows that the American economy is strong and it's getting stronger.</s>PILGRIM: But hundreds of thousands of American jobs could be lost in the shrimp industry because of cheap imports.</s>PILGRIM: Tonight, we'll have a special report from Florida.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT for Friday, June 4. Here now for an hour of news, debate and opinion, sitting in for Lou Dobbs who is on vacation, Kitty Pilgrim.</s>PILGRIM: Good evening. President Bush today faced criticism from the pope and massive protests during a visit to Rome. The pope, a strong critic of the war against Saddam Hussein, declared he is troubled by what he called "deplorable events" in Iraq. Thousands of protesters tried and failed to disrupt the president's visit. Senior White House Correspondent John King is traveling with the president and joins us from Rome -- John.</s>JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kitty, good evening from Rome. The president's goal on this trip is to look forward to the political transition in Iraq, not back at the pre-war bitterness, but, as you noted, it came up today during a remarkable day in Rome. Tonight, the president was in friendly company, having dinner with Prime Minister Silvio Berlisconi, a man who steadfastly supported President Bush and has sent 2,700 Italian security forces to Iraq to help Mr. Bush, despite public opposition here in his country. Friendly company tonight, but, on the streets of Rome today, evidence of just how unpopular the war is here in Rome and across Europe, evidence of what a risk Prime Minister Berlisconi took in backing President Bush by the tens of thousands demonstrators in the street. Some 10,000 police were deployed as well. The prime minister had worried these protests would turn violent. Instead, large demonstrations, but overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations criticizing the president of the United States and, more pointedly, criticizing his decision to wage war in Iraq. Mr. Bush also came in for some personal criticism earlier in the day. He had requested and came to Italy one day early to make it work on the schedule to have an audience with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Mr. Bush had a private meeting with the pontiff that ran about 25, 30 minutes. Then, both men delivered public statements. In his, the pope said that the Vatican's opposition to the war in Iraq stood and was unequivocal. He talked about grave mistakes being made in Iraq now and also talked about deplorable acts, which the Vatican said was a clear reference to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military personnel. Now the pontiff did call for a speedy transition to sovereignty in Iraq, and the White House took that as an endorsement of the current political plan under way in Iraq. From Rome, Mr. Bush moves on to France tomorrow to meet with a chief war opponent, President Jacques Chirac of France. Mr. Bush hoping to mend fences, not revive the bitterness, and focus instead on that new United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the political transition, more evidence of the president's focus on that transition. Tonight, the White House announced, Kitty, that the new interim president of Iraq, Ghazi al-Yawar, will join other Group of 8 leaders and other Middle Eastern leaders next week in the United States for the annual G8 summit, this year being held in Sea Island, Georgia -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: John, the president today announced his choice for the next ambassador to the United Nations. What can you tell us about that?</s>KING: The president choosing a man he believes will be overwhelmingly supported in the United States Senate and welcomed fondly at the United Nations, especially in the Security Council. The president announcing tonight that Jack Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri, a veteran of the United States Senate, is his choice to replace John Negroponte as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Negroponte, of course, about to begin a very difficult mission as the new ambassador to Iraq. In Jack Danforth, the president has someone who he personally tasked to be his special envoy to Sudan. Mr. Danforth has met many world ambassadors in that role and someone who is highly popular, many friendships with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. Because it is an election year, Kitty, the president does not want any major picks to face confirmation fights. They believe Senator Danforth will be quickly confirmed and overwhelmingly supported by his former colleagues in the United States Senate -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: Thanks very much. John King in Rome. Thanks, John. In Iraq today, a deadly attack on American troops in Baghdad. Insurgents killed five soldiers traveling in a humvee in a Shiite district of eastern Baghdad. Five other soldiers are wounded. The troops are all members of the 1st Cavalry Division. Eight hundred and twenty-five troops have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war. In southern Iraq, there was a new effort today to end weeks of fighting between American troops and Shiite gunmen. Both sides agreed to withdraw from the cities of Najaf and Kufa and turn over security to Iraqi police. Guy Raz reports from Najaf.</s>GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what Kufa looked like a little more than 24 hours ago, U.S. forces battling a rebel militia. But if the latest plan to end the fighting succeeds, these Iraqi police will be patrolling the twin cities of Najaf and Kufa. Najaf's governor believes he's brokered an end to six weeks of fighting. "I hereby order all fighting forces, both the coalition forces and the Mehdi Militia, to leave the holy cities," Zurufi said. In their place, Iraqi police will begin to deploy to restore order. For weeks now, the streets of Najaf and neighboring Kufa have often been deserted. Previous attempts to negotiate an end to the fighting, including an intervention from former Iraqi Governing Council Member Ahmed Chalabi, have failed. But this time, senior military officials are optimistic.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the security forces are able to take charge of the security situation, then I would say that there really is no need for us to move into those areas and conduct reconnaissance efforts that we've been conducting so far.</s>RAZ: At Friday prayers in the two cities holy to Shiite Muslims, hope as well for an end to the daily barrage of artillery and gunfire. Guy Raz, CNN, Najaf in southern Iraq.</s>PILGRIM: In Washington today, new calls for major reforms at the Central Intelligence Agency after the surprise resignation of Director George Tenet. Tenet will leave the CIA July 11, and his deputy will become acting director. National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports.</s>DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the intelligence community, for now, change comes in the form of John McLaughlin, George Tenet's deputy who will move up as acting director in July. A professorial, brainy CIA veteran who does magic tricks as a hobby, McLaughlin is regarded by professionals as a safe pair of hands who will mostly follow the Tenet line.</s>JOHN GANNON, FORMER CIA OFFICIAL: I think he's a phenomenal talent, and I think we can be confident that in the interim period the CIA and the intelligence community is in very good hands.</s>ENSOR: But, over the summer, the reports and recommendations will start to stream in from the 9/11 Commission and intelligence committees ion the Hill, proposals to change the CIA and U.S. intelligence to make it less likely to miss the next 9/11 attack and make it more likely to get estimates of weapons of mass destruction in a place like Iraq -- get them right next time.</s>SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NE), SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: We are going to have to completely restructure our community of intelligence networks, our focus, bring it into the 21st Century so that, in fact, it's relevant to the threats of the 21st Century. We are dealing with a 20th Century institution, and that's part of the problem that we've had over the last few years with our intelligence community.</s>ENSOR: The most prominent proposal thus far is to give whoever is the next intelligence chief more power over the 15 other intelligence agencies besides the CIA, the agencies that eavesdrop, crack codes and watch from outer space what rivals and potential enemies are up to. Old hands worry about changes decided in haste in an election year.</s>GANNON: The danger of moving too fast is that you actually can do damage to what is working well within the community. So, again, I think...</s>ENSOR (on camera): But you still think that change is needed?</s>GANNON: I think change is needed. I think it has been needed and it has been taking place. I think the -- my own view and my own sense of accountability for when I was in the leadership in the intelligence community is that we were transforming, we just weren't transforming fast enough.</s>ENSOR: But with reports emerging in coming weeks expected to be scathing about intelligence mistakes in the runup to the Iraq war, change is in the air. The question is how much. The time is likely to be 2005. David Ensor, CNN, Washington.</s>PILGRIM: One of the most critical reports about the CIA is likely to come from the Senate Intelligence Committee. Now lawmakers are also waiting for the findings and recommendations of the commission investigating the September 11 attacks. Congressional Correspondent Joe Johns reports -- Joe.</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Kitty. CNN has been told this will be a harsh report, an indictment of the Central Intelligence Agency, as a matter of fact, the entire intelligence community. The chairman of the Intelligence Committee here on Capitol Hill, Pat Roberts of Kansas has been sharply critical. He even suggested before Tenet resigned that someone ought to be disciplined or fired. Roberts does have some ideas of his own on how to reform the agency.</s>SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I do expect, however, and demand that the Intelligence Committee be candid with the president and Congress about what it does know and what it doesn't know. A golden rule should be drilled into all analysts and managers: Tell me what you know, tell me what you don't know, tell me what you think, and make sure that I understand the difference.</s>JOHNS: Now CNN has been told that the findings are expected to say, among other things -- we do have a graphic -- that the claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction were based on unfounded assumptions, that information from a single source, for example, was characterized as from multiple sources, there was insufficient human intelligence on the ground, and that assertion of mobile biological weapons labs may have, in fact, been fabricated. So those are some of the findings we expect in that report. The question, of course: When will that report come out? We're told right now the report is with the CIA where they're working on trying to declassify it. Once that is done, some are hoping it could be out later this month. Kitty, back to you.</s>PILGRIM: All right. Thanks very much. Joe Johns reporting from Washington. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is visiting Asia where one of the main topics of discussion is restructuring the military. Radical changes are also expected in the deployment of American troops in Europe. Now the restructuring is the most extensive realignment of U.S. forces since the end of the Cold War. Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports -- Jamie.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, Kitty, for decades, the U.S. has maintained a formidable military force in Germany, part of the old Cold War strategy designed to repulse a Soviet attack on western Europe. But, with the new threat of global terrorism, the U.S. is about to bring many of those American troops home. Under the plan, sources say big bases in Germany, such as Ramstein Air Base and the U.S. European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart will remain. But as many as two divisions of Army troops will be brought back to the United States. When needed, those troops will be deployed to temporary expeditionary bases that have been offered by some of America's new allies in Europe, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. And while some German politicians have accused the U.S. of punishing Germany for its failure to support the U.S. decision to topple Saddam Hussein. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, who is traveling in Asia where they're also making some military base realignments, insists this is something that's been in the works for quite a while and just makes sense.</s>DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We have been for a long time in effect where we were when the Cold War end ended, and it's time to adjust those locations from static defense to a more agile and a more capable and a more 21st-Century posture.</s>MCINTYRE: U.S.-European commanders point out that even when they need troops in Europe, such as for the peacekeeping mission in the Balkans, those troops usually come from the United States. So basing them in Germany doesn't necessarily give them an advantage. In fact, it's sometimes an advantage to have them in other countries where the U.S. has an easier time deploying them. Now Germany has a love-hate relationship with the United States over those troops. Obviously, the U.S. occupies a large amount of German real estate. But, at the same time, anytime you close a base or downsize a U.S. military presence, just as it has in the United States, it can have a devastating impact on the local economy. These changes have not been finalized, but we are expecting the changes to be announced fairly soon -- Kitty.</s>PILGRIM: All right. Thanks very much. Jamie McIntyre. We'll have more on the future of the military next. I'll talk about Senator Kerry's plan for the armed forces with his military adviser, former Joint Chiefs Chairman General John Shalikashvili. The economy created a quarter of a million new jobs last month. It's the strongest three months of the labor market in four years. And "Outta Gas," the search for alternative energy sources. Even Turkey waste is being turned into oil. We'll have a special report.