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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

Woodward Releases Book on Bush; New Cease-Fire in Fallujah

Aired April 19, 2004 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


AARON BROWN, HOST: Good evening, everyone. That Bob Woodward is something, isn't he? The guy gets access. The guy gets material. The guy writes a book that everyone is talking about. And to make things even more perfect, everyone sees in it exactly what they want to see in it.
Critics of the president see it as proof the president decided on war long before he said he had. That he was -- that he was never even briefed on the possible post-war security problems in Iraq; he wasn't even curious about it. And that all of this was driven by an almost obsessive vice president.

The president's supporters see in it a man who is an idealist, a man who answers to a higher power than conventional political calculation. They see in the book a president who is thoughtful and careful and torn by the prospects of war, tears in his eyes, the moment he made the decision to launch war with Iraq.

They like the book so much, it is on the campaign's Web site as selected reading. Mr. Woodward's book will be news all week long and maybe longer. It leads the program tonight and begins "The Whip."

Our senior White House correspondent John King is at the White House tonight.

So, John, a headline from you.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the White House says the book is wrong when it says there were some secret deal with the Saudis to keep gas prices down. It says the book is wrong when it suggests that perhaps Bush did something improper in taking money appropriated for Afghanistan and spending it to plan war in Iraq.

And it says the book is wrong to suggest Secretary of State Powell is out of the loop. But beyond that, the White House advice is, read it.

BROWN: John, thank you.

On to Iraq, there is a new cease-fire in Fallujah tonight. And a lot riding on it. Karl Penhaul has the watch tonight in Baghdad. A headline from you.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Aaron. Indeed a new deal to end the fighting in Fallujah. The only question now can the city's politicians persuade the insurgent gunmen to hand in their guns.

BROWN: Karl, get back to you shortly, too.

The Pentagon next, with the rising death toll in Iraq is not what anyone anticipated. Jamie McIntyre with the duty again.

Jamie, a headline from you.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, with each passing day, the month of April is etching itself into the record books as the deadliest month for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq. If you count the combat deaths on a deadly weekend, the number for this month now exceeds 100.

Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you.

In Washington today, the government said it is creating a new anti-terrorism task force. Jeanne Meserve covers that.

So, Jeanne, a headline.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: They have formed this interagency working group because of the large number of high- profile events on the nation's calendar. Though there is no specific and credible intelligence that any of them have been targeted by terrorists. Officials say there is particular concern about political events.

Aaron?

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. Back to you and the rest shortly.

Also on the program on this Monday night, a valuable and important new military weapon with a future that is literally up in the air. Why can't the military get these vehicles or their operators fast enough for the troops in Iraq?

Plus a professional hockey play we are icing on the mind. And this type of icing has nothing to do with hockey.

And later, your favorite -- or perhaps it is just ours -- morning papers. All that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with Iraq and the behind the scenes history. There is much in Bob Woodward's book worth talking about. "Plan of Attack" contains much detail of the months and even years leading up to the war.

It shows an isolated secretary of state, an obsessive vice president. It talks of money spent without congressional approval or notification, and important people saying things that arguably were not true when they were spoken.

It is classic Woodward. And given the history and reputation he has, few will argue with the facts, many will argue with what the facts mean.

Case in point, the book says the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar, was briefed on the final war plan before Secretary of State Powell was briefed. This is what Mr. Woodward had to say a short time ago with Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "PLAN OF ATTACK": On January 11, the Saturday, Cheney and Rumsfeld, the Defense secretary, called Bandar in with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- who, by the way, has said my account is correct, publicly -- and presented the war plan. And Don Rumsfeld is on the record, if you look on the Pentagon Web site, saying that he said this war plan, you can take it to the bank, it is going to happen.

LARRY KING: Bandar was there.

WOODWARD: Bandar was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP )

BROWN: Bob Woodward.

Tonight, Secretary of State Powell, for one, is disagreeing with that account. For more on the agreements and disagreements, is our senior White House Correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice over): A new ambassador for post-war Iraq, and new question about the administration's secret planning that led to war in the first place. John Negroponte, currently the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is the president's choice to be the White House point man in Baghdad when a new Iraqi government assumes power June 30th.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No doubt in my mind he'll do a very good job and there is no doubt in my mind that Iraq will be free and democratic and peaceful.

KING: The announcement came as the administration faced questions about journalist Bob Woodward's new book, including a charge the White House secretly diverted $700 million in funds appropriated for the war against al Qaeda to plan for war in Iraq.

Some Democrats in Congress want an accounting. The White House says it did nothing wrong and that it kept key members of Congress informed.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: We followed the law. We followed the custom in how we brief, particularly on sensitive national security measures and those measures were followed. KING: The book also says Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States was briefed on the final war plan before Secretary of State Powell. Not so, says Powell.

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I was briefed (ph) with the plan and aware that Prince Bandar was being briefed on the plan.

KING: Another controversial book nugget: A suggestion the Saudi ambassador promised his country would pump more oil and drive down gas prices before the November election.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A secret White House deal, that is outrageous and unacceptable to the American people.

KING: The White House says there were talks with the Saudis about the war's likely impact on oil prices but no secret deals.

BARTLETT: There was no promise or quid pro quo any sort about oil prices for the election.

KING: And the Saudi government issued a statement from Riyadh that said: "The allegation that the Kingdom is manipulating the price of oil for political purposes or to affect elections is erroneous and has no basis in fact."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: But while forcefully taking issue with a few key points, overall senior White House officials say they like the book. They say it portrays the president to ask tough questions before making the decision to go to war. And as you noted, Aaron, go to the Bush-Cheney campaign Web site, click where it says suggested reading and there it is, "Plan of Attack" by Bob Woodward.

BROWN: I want to try two quick questions. One on the book, and one on something else. Is there any one particular charge in the book that they think has legs?

KING: They're worried a bit about this gas prices allegation, which has nothing to do, if you will, with the major issues of how the president decided to go to war in Iraq. But does have a lot to do with an issue that is gaining some steam in the presidential campaign.

That's why they came out so forcefully today. That one because it is both a war issue and a pocketbook issue they think could have some power. But they -- and Democrats in Congress tonight -- saying they want an explanation. The White House says it didn't happen. We'll see how that plays out.

BROWN: Now, on the other matter, King Abdullah of Jordan was expected at the White House in Washington. He canceled a trip. This is a problem for the president in some respects.

KING: It is a problem. The White House fully expects that King Abdullah will come sometime in early May. But make no mistake about it, Kind Abdullah, a very close ally of this White House, perhaps even the closest ally of this White House, right now in the Arab world, sending a message.

He was supposed to be here on Wednesday. His foreign minister will stay behind. But a statement issued by the palace in Amman tonight said the King decided it was not the time to meet with the president until the administration could answer his questions about U.S. policy in the Middle East right now, specifically about U.S. policy, the U.S. endorsement of Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza and the some of the West Bank.

Perhaps the biggest ally of the United States in the region, right now, hitting the pause button saying he wants some answers from this White House.

BROWN: John, thank you. Our Senior White House Correspondent John King tonight.

This new debate over the hows and whys of the war in Iraq comes in the middle of the deadliest month since the invasion began. The past few weeks has shaken the resolve, it seems, of several coalition partners.

Tonight the president of Honduras said its nearly 400 troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible. This following yesterday's announcement by Spain's new prime minister that all of its soldiers will be withdrawn. Spanish defense minister said it should take six weeks to complete the pullout.

Spain's decision were not unexpected. These are blows to the coalition at a crucial time. In Fallujah, tonight, a new cease-fire agreement to report on and a new ultimatum as well. All of this now reported by CNN's Karl Penhaul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL (voice over): The bullets have stopped ricocheting along this Fallujah street long enough to allow this man to take a stroll with his family. And things may be staying quiet if a new cease-fire deal holds.

Coalition authorities announced the pact Monday after days of talks with the city's civic and religious leaders. The key condition . . .

DAN SENOR, CPA SPOKESMAN: The parties agree to call on citizens and groups to immediately turn in all illegal weapons. Illegal weapons defined as mortars, RPGs, machine guns, sniper rifles, ID making materials, grenades and surface-to-air missiles.

PENHAUL: But there is a question mark. Are the estimated 2,000 guerrilla fighters including al Qaeda loyalists, the coalition says are holed up in Fallujah, ready to toe the line? If they do, several concessions to allow the city to mop up after two weeks of fighting between Marines and insurgents. SENOR: Coalition forces will allow unfettered access to the Fallujah general hospital to treat the sick and injured. The parties also agree to arrange for the removal and burial of the dead and the provision of food and medicine in isolated areas of the city.

PENHAUL: Coalition authorities say the legal system will be rebuilt. And now, they say, they'll leave it to the Iraqis to hunt down those responsible for mutilating four U.S. contractors on March 31, murders that sparked the coalition crackdown. If Monday's deal doesn't hold, the coalition warning is blunt.

SENOR: In the absence of a true cease-fire, major hostilities could resume on short notice.

PENHAUL: And Marine tanks like these will be rolling back on to the war path.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: Now in the light of this new cease-fire deal, coalition sources are telling us they expect humanitarian supplies to begin moving back into Fallujah as early as this week. And that itself could prove an early test for the value of the cease-fire, depending on whether those insurgent gunmen decide or not to attack those aid convoys together with any coalition military vehicles that may be traveling alongside those convoys, Aaron.

BROWN: What is the deadline for turning over the weapons?

PENHAUL: In what we have been told so far, withdrawing that information from a press briefing by the coalition authorities, they have set no specific deadline. They haven't said that insurgents must turn over those guns by X hour, by X date, no word on that.

What they have said, though, is that those insurgent gunmen that turn in weapons can then walk away without any form of prosecution. Though there is a question mark about whether they will allow the so- called foreign fighters to do that. The thought is that they will apprehend the foreign fighters.

BROWN: Karl, thank you.

Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

As we said earlier April has earned a place in the record books as the deadliest month so far for the United States in Iraq. Attack on U.S. Marines over the weekend pushed the death toll since the 31st of March to the level the Pentagon and most of the rest of us did not imagine a year ago. Here is our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice over): The death of 10 U.S. troops in combat over the weekend, including five Marines ambushed near the Syrian border after a 14-hour fire fight, has pushed the U.S. death toll to over 100, since March 31st, the day four U.S. contractors were killed in an attack in Fallujah.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it is a difficult mission. It is tough work. It is incredibly hard, as we have seen on our television screens the last couple of weeks.

MCINTYRE: This month, April, has been the deadliest so far. And a disturbing image of U.S. casualties have been unrelenting.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I rise with the sole purpose of acknowledging the terrible, growing toll this war is taking on some of America's finest citizens and their families.

MCINTYRE: More than 700 Americans have died in Iraq since the U.S. invaded in March of last year. And with each death comes a heart- wrenching personal story.

DASCHLE: Private First Class Dustin Sakula graduated from high school just last year and gave up a full college scholarship to join the Marines. The father of a high school friend told his hometown newspaper, he was worth his weight in gold.

MCINTYRE: As the casualties mount, U.S. commanders respond with steely resolve.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Will the coalition remain here and remain resolved? Absolutely. Are we looking at pulling out? Absolutely not. Do we fear the terrorists? Hell no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Every day, virtually every day, sometimes several times a day the Department of Defense puts out a release that begins like this, the Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, or Marine, supporting "Operation Iraqi Freedom".

When I checked two hours ago, when I wrote that, Aaron, there were five announcements on the Pentagon's Web site. Since then, there have been three more, eight today.

Aaron.

BROWN: This is an ugly month. Do they -- either privately or publicly -- acknowledge that that they have made mistakes in the post- war security issue?

MCINTYRE: It is hard to get anybody to acknowledge that they've made any mistakes here about that. They do acknowledge -- Secretary Rumsfeld acknowledged last week he didn't anticipate this level of casualties. But you still hear statements from very senior officials here, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs earlier this week or last week, saying that this is a sign of their success. That the fact that opposition is so desperate, and that the casualties are rising, just shows that they're succeeding.

But the problem is you can't take much more of this kind success.

BROWN: Yes, that is exactly right. That is very well put, thank you.

Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon tonight.

Spain's withdrawal from Iraq, as we said earlier, is not unexpected. Spain's support was a contentious issue in its parliamentary elections last month, which you'll recall were held three days after the bombing in Madrid, that killed 190 people.

The timing of those bombings set off much speculation about the motives behind them and whether the elections themselves were the target of the terrorists. In an election year in this country there are also growing concerns about terrorism and a new anti-terrorism task force to deal with it. Here is CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice over): The terrorist bombing of trains in Madrid just before the Spanish elections may have influenced the results, and has certainly influenced the thinking of U.S. intelligence analysts.

According to an administration official, this summer's political conventions, the election, the inaugural, as well as the G8 Summit in Georgia, which will bring together world leaders, are now of more concern to security officials than other large symbolic events like the Fourth of July Celebration on the National Mall.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says that U.S. elections cycle might prove too tempting a target for terrorists to pass up.

TOM RIDGE, DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY: But this time, obviously, we do not have specific threat information around any of these events. But, ladies and gentlemen, we do have our common sense. And we don't need a change in the threat level to make us safer and more secure.

MESERVE: To improve the nation's preparation for all the high- profile events on the calendar, Ridge announced a new interagency working group to include his own department, the Departments of Justice, Energy, Transportation and others.

It will pay particular attention to critical infrastructures such as chemical plants and the electrical grid. Increasing coordination with state and local governments and the private sector. Some are asking why this wasn't done sooner.

REP. CAROL MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: My question is what has he been doing all this time. His job is to protect the American people. I don't see how what he's proposing is any different from what he's been charged with from day one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: That's not to say the potential for attack isn't real. An intelligence intercept led to a warning to law enforcement on April 9 about possible attacks over Easter and Passover. The advisory warned of in-place persons posing threats to soft targets like shopping malls. Though the information was not specific or corroborated, it was another reminder that the nation must prepare.

Aaron?

BROWN: You want to answer Congresswoman's Maloney question there, how is this different? Isn't this what they're supposed to do all along?

MESERVE: Aaron, some of it has been taking place. There have been many efforts to pay attention to the critical infrastructure in this country. There has been communication amongst the different agencies. What they say is needed here, though, because of this very crowded events calendar coming up is even more collaboration.

This is an effort to sort of fill in the gaps between the special planning that has been done for a specific event and also to ratchet up the pressure. It is sort of a call to action, to state and local governments, as well as the federal government to pay more attention to preparedness.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. Good to have you with us again tonight.

Ahead on the program we have more on the Woodward book coming up. Also coming up, the military's new favorite secret weapon. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them and we'll explain that.

And later, a whole new type of voter. One that definitely moves to the beat of a different drum. From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The trouble that is brewing in Fallujah is not a surprise. It is a tough town. And has been, even under the old regime. Here is CNN's Jim Clancy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. troops in Iraq couldn't see it coming a year ago. As small faces looked up and begged soldiers for autographs, Fallujah looked like it was going to be a textbook case of cooperation and goodwill. Today U.S. Marines are looking at Fallujah through the telescopic sights of their sniper rifles.

"I think it has come to this point for two reasons," says this former mayor. "The people absolutely hate the occupation and the U.S. troops have intimidated the people."

One year ago Fallujah residents were seething after U.S. troops opened fire killing 17 people and wounding 70 more. An attack the U.S. says was in defense after being fired upon from the crowd. Human rights watch investigated and found no conclusive evidence to support the U.S. claims. That incident began a pattern of what Iraqis say has been excessive force and random fire that has killed innocent civilians.

Images of U.S. troops holding a boot on even common criminals wasn't likely to charm the residents. Though it has been described as a company town for Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence, even he found it rebellious.

WAMID NAZMY, POLITICAL SCIENTISTS: They were somehow the only town who opposed him in the open when he executed one of their very brave officers in the Iraq-Iran war.

CLANCY: Beyond the city, Iraqis gave more to Fallujah than just convoys of food, blankets and medical supplies when it was besieged this month by coalition troops. The city that fought the British in 1941, that defied Saddam, and was now defying the Americans, was a source of pride.

NAZMY: As if they were ashamed of the quick way which Baghdad fall to the invaders. Now the fighting for Fallujah, they proved that they are capable of defending their towns their cities.

CLANCY: The coalition must now decide whether talks that aim to diffuse the situation will lead to a handover of foreign fighters and weaponry. They also want those who killed four civilian security guards and desecrated their bodies. Senior coalition officials say no one appears willing or able to negotiate those issues or agree to such terms.

(on camera): Without that, the U.S.-led coalition will have to decide whether to end the siege, keep up the stalemate, or renew the attack. All of those options pose risks.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And, again, right now at least there is a cease-fire. There are terms on the table. And the next few days will determine what happens in Fallujah. One of the great challenges for the military now is getting supplies to soldiers in the field, the right supplies.

They can't make armored Humvees fast enough. They didn't have enough when the war started. They didn't think they needed them. And that was a mistake. Body armor has been a problem, too.

And when we were there a few weeks back, we heard an army general ask why there weren't enough surveillance robots, small pilotless planes, that can spot the enemy long before soldiers encounter them. They are lifesavers and the fact is there are just a handful in Iraq. He wondered why. So did we.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Begin countdown, five, four, three, two, one, launch, launch, launch.

BROWN: These are anxious and eager young soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard, anxious because the simulations they are going through now will turn into real combat in Iraq very soon.

MARK FARRAR, INSTRUCTOR: We can handle a maximum of five classes in session under normal circumstances. We currently have seven shadow classes and 100 classes in session. Significantly more than we thought we could ever handle.

BROWN: That's because after a year of war in Iraq, despite repeated requests for more men and more machines, only four army units are currently operating this small unmanned reconnaissance plane called the Shadow, or its larger cousin called the Hunter, that is 12 planes for the entire country of Iraq. And 12 sets of eyes that could spot the enemy long before the enemy can spot the army, just 12.

FARRAR: We're currently operating 72-hour scheduled work week. That's for the staff out here. And then of course, the soldiers have additional things they have to accomplish, do PT those types of things, as well as soldiering skills. So we're working on a 12 on, 12 off, six days a week.

BROWN: Commanders want three or four times as many of these UAVs, these unmanned aerial vehicles, as they have now. So the Arizona complex is a busy place these days. But the planes are very expensive and they are also a bit delicate and Iraq is an inhospitable place.

CAPT. HILTON NUNEZ, U.S. ARMY: Based on the type of environment we were in, the temperatures, the sand, it took every effort of a soldier to continue his maintenance throughout the night just so we can accomplish our mission.

BROWN: And things go wrong here, as well. The day we were there, only two Shadows out of four were successfully launch. There was a motor problem with one. It was brought back four hours ahead of schedule. But the Army needs them desperately in what soldiers call the "Sand Box" on the ground in Iraq. And everyone from the generals down to the privates knows why.

PVT. BENJAMIN MEJIA, U.S. ARMY: It is the eyes. We can see what they're doing before we send people in there to find out. So definitely gives us an advantage, saves lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still to come on the program tonight, secretary of State and the "Plan of Attack". The plan of attack, some say he had no idea existed. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: It would be tempting to dismiss much of what is revealed in Bob Woodward's new book as just inside-the-beltway new gossip, if it didn't involve things like declaring war, hundreds of millions in government dollars just inner motivations of the some of the world's most powerful people. At this level, it is not gossip. It is foreign affairs. It is history.

Joining us to talk about it tonight, John Harwood, who writes politics for "The Wall Street Journal." He joins us from Washington tonight. And here in New York, Leslie Gelb, who is the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

And it's nice to see you both.

Mr. Gelb, let me start with you.

Is Secretary of State Powell right now in an essentially untenable position? Can he do his job?

LESLIE GELB, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: He was in an untenable position for three years.

People basically knew that he disagreed with President Bush and most of the national security team on most national security issues all along. When Bob Woodward puts it down as the first cut at history, it carries more weight.

BROWN: And, John, what do you make of the denials? How should we see the secretary's denials of much of this today?

JOHN HARWOOD, POLITICAL EDITOR, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, I think substantially, Aaron, you've got to see it in the phrase that President Bush used it in describing his meeting with Powell. He said, you have got to put your war uniform on.

And Colin Powell despite the reservations that he had about this war plan, did that by going to the United Nations and making the case on weapons of mass destruction, did that in publicly supporting the president's policy once the decision was made. And today he put on that uniform again and came out and said, my support for President Bush was willing and complete. That's pretty loyal service and certainly Colin Powell is not the kind of guy to go out like Richard Clarke with a bang and take a real swipe at the president.

BROWN: So do you think in this there is any political gain for either side, then?

HARWOOD: Well, I think there are three things in the book which potentially could be problematic. One is the idea that there was early war planning much sooner than the White House acknowledged. I really don't think that's a problem, Aaron, because the American people want the president to be prudent and plan ahead.

You have the diversion of the $700 million from Afghanistan to the Iraq operation. That's potentially problematic because it goes with the grain of Democratic arguments and arguments that Clarke made that he in effect chose the wrong priority and diverted resources away from Osama bin Laden and toward the obsession that some of the administration had with Iraq.

However, Democrats on the Hill are not saying that that was illegal and Republicans are stepping forward today, backing up the president saying he had the flexibility. The third is, of course, the idea that the president isolated Powell and rolled over his opposition. That's something that essentially casts him as closer to John Kerry on the war than George Bush. The problem is when it came to crunch time and John Kerry had a chance to vote against this war, he didn't do it. And Colin Powell as we just discussed himself didn't do it. He put on the uniform and supported the president.

GELB: I would say there is a fourth.

BROWN: Yes.

GELB: It relates to the exclusion of Colin Powell from the deliberations, because the big thing to me was that the president never once pulled together his whole national security team and said, I am leaning toward a decision to make war in Iraq. Let's go over this from top to bottom. Let's talk about the diplomatic run-up to it to make sure we get the maximum number of allies. And let's talk about the aftermath of war, because I've been listening to you all. And you say you're going wipe the slate clean of those Iraqi troops pretty quickly. What happens thereafter?

They never all sat down and deliberated.

BROWN: It's not clear to me they ever asked or he ever asked that second question at all of anyone.

GELB: No. It didn't come up at all in any of these deliberations. And Woodward doesn't even mention it, as if it wasn't even an afterthought.

But at this point, these issues have political currency. We aren't sure what they mean exactly, whose vote they're going to affect. But they have political currency. And what is the story? Is it that Bob Woodward all of a sudden is a rookie reporter and doesn't know how to check sources? Is it that the White House is now looking at those words and they don't like them so they're rewriting history very quickly? Or is it that they don't speak the same language?

When Woodward writes it was a decision, they said, no, it was just a plan. It was vague thinking. Are they not speaking the same language? It seems to me that Bob Woodward's substantial credibility is on the line on this. And he's writing about key issues and he ought to push on with it, because if the White House is going to spin its way out of this, then, you know, there is no history, there is no truth in all this, nothing means anything. Anybody can just say whatever he wants.

BROWN: Nice to meet you, finally, for a long time. And, John, it's good to have you.

Mr. Woodward will be here Thursday. I must say he sounded very confident in his ability to back up what he is saying.

GELB: Sure did. Sure did.

BROWN: When I listened to him earlier today.

CNN, by the way, a lot of this centers -- or not a lot of this, but one sort of central issue centers around the Saudi ambassador, when he was told -- and he was on the phone with Larry a bit ago. And he will be with Wolf 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saudi Prince Bandar, the U.S. ambassador from Saudi Arabia with Wolf Blitzer tomorrow at 5:00 here Eastern time on CNN.

Coming up on the program still tonight, more details come out about a pro hockey player who allegedly tried to hire a hit man. We'll tell you about that after the break.

This is NEWSNIGHT from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, the case against National Hockey League player Mike Danton is going to get interesting, to say the least. Did he try and hire a Mitt man to kill another hit man? Was it all about a gay lover or just an argument between roommates?

CNN's Josie Burke lays out the complicated story of what appears to be a very disturbed young man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The arrest of 23- year-old NHL player Mike Danton last week on charges he tried to engineer a murder for hire scheme left his Saint Louis Blues teammates grasping for answers.

BRYCE SALVADOR, TEAMMATE OF DANTON: It is unfortunate because he's a great guy. And, hopefully, you know, something, you know, is misunderstood here and it just all works out.

BURKE: A criminal complaint alleges Danton used a friend, a 19- year-old college student Katie Wolfmeyer, to hire a hit man to kill an unidentified male acquaintance.

The plot failed, details contained in the FBI's affidavit, like the pair argued other Danton's alleged promiscuity and alcohol use, and according to an FBI wiretap -- quote -- "Danton also felt the acquaintance was going to leave him, unquote, left questions about a possible motive."

DERRICK GOOLD, "ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH": It implies on first read maybe a romantic entanglement, or maybe that's what we want to see there, but really it's something that you would say of many different people in your life.

MORRISON: His agent says Danton recently came to him for help with emotional problems, including paranoia. Danton was formerly named Mike Jefferson, but changed his name in 2002 after a long estrangement from his family.

GOOLD: He certainly has a lot of emotional baggage that he was carrying with him, and he was reluctant to talk about publicly. Privately with his teammates, he spoke about some of it, but even they had a sense that there was something much deeper going on. MORRISON: Danton was known as an agitator on the ice, instigating fights and drawing penalties from opponents. Both Danton and Wolfmeyer remain in custody on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

Josie Burke, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Here, quick items -- a number of quick items from the world of business before we go break here.

A change at the top today for one of the country's larger and struggling airlines. The CEO of U.S. Airways, David Siegel, resigned, because he said leaving would -- quote -- "be in the best interest of the company." They always say that, don't they? I think they do. Mr. Siegel had been at odds with union leaders at U.S. Airways. The unions need to make concessions, he believes, for the airline to survive.

Over at Coca-Cola, they say they're about to make a new version of their soft drink. They'll call it C-2. And the company says it will be the low-carb cola, promising half the sugar, carbohydrates and calories of its regular version. The new cola will be introduced first in Japan and then in the U.S.

And on Wall Street today,the Dow Jones was down a bit. The Nasdaq had a very good day. The Nasdaq has had a struggling month, however. But tech stocks like Intel and others did pretty well, after being battered last week.

Ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, hip-hop music and politics, if you think they have nothing do with each other, well, you're wrong, as it turns out, as you'll see.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We return to politics and the youth vote tonight. In this election year, as in years past, both parties are trying hard to woo young voters. Today, Democrats and Republicans joined forces with MTV for its Choose or Lose event at George Washington University. Young voters are hard, very hard, to catch.

In the 2000 election, turnout among them was less than 40 percent, the worst on record. This year, music mogul Russell Simmons is hoping to pump that number up a bit. His Hip-Hop Summit Action Network rests on the premise that millions of hip-hop fans can be turned into hip-hop voters. Hip-hop is a $10 billion a year industry. So the candidates are listening. Enemy No. 1

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSSELL SIMMONS, CHAIRMAN, HIS HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK: Hip-hop is the most unifying cultural phenomenon America has ever seen; 80 percent of those who buy hip-hop are not African-American in America alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hip-hop community is bigger than you know. If you can get the kids behind you, that's power.

SIMMONS: Registering to vote is your connection to community.

Our goal at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is to register over two million voters. We have registered hundreds of thousands of voters already. I think that empowering those who are locked out is my job and the hip-hop community is the voice of those who are locked out.

AKUA GOODRICH, YOUTH COORDINATOR: We are powerful. We are leaders. We are movers. We are shakers. And we need you to understand our plight.

SIMMONS: Old people have already twisted everything up. And the highest aspirations America can have are in the minds of young people. The Hip-Hop Summit is dedicated to that effort to use the artist's power and young people's power to make this country better.

LAYZIE BONE, MUSICIAN: The reason why I'm here is to raise awareness and show the importance of what it is to vote, what it means to select our own leaders.

KEVIN LILES, PRESIDENT, DEF JAM/DEF SOUL RECORDS: We can't relate to George Bush. And we can't relate to a lot of the other politicians who never lived our plight and our struggle. We win our own war every day. They want to talk about what is going on in Iraq and we want to talk about what's going on in the hood.

SIMMONS: The fact that these young people look up to these artists and respect these artists more than they do the politicians. They trust them more than they do the politicians. The politicians rarely speak of their plight. The more of them that register, the more politicians will have to be accountable to them.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there is a lot of poetry in it. And I think you better listen to it pretty carefully because it is important.

ED GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I think we've got a great opportunity. We're going to work hip-hop hard.

SIMMONS: This is a nonpartisan effort. I think the candidates are becoming sensitive. They realize that we've registered voters all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Register to vote!

SIMMONS: These people will vote in one voice. Those who listen to hip-hop are sensitized to the plight of the poor. Whoever speaks to their agenda and helps them to uplift themselves are the ones who will get their vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: We'll see how it all turns out in November.

Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check morning papers from around the country and around the country, as it turns out today.

We'll start with "The Christian Science Monitor," because it is published in Boston. And this is a big day in Boston. It's Patriots Day in Boston. And the Boston Marathon was today. And the Red Sox took three out of four from the Yankees. And we'll start with "The Christian Science Monitor." You're thinking, what does that have to do with anything."

"Will Others Follow Spain to the Exit? The order to pull 1,300 Spanish troops out of Iraq isn't militarily significant, but it may stop the U.S. effort to involve NATO." Honduras, as we told you earlier, also will take its troops out.

We saw this in "The Seattle Times" yesterday. This is "The Sunday Times." But I loved the picture as much. And I also hated the picture. And you'll see why in a second. Give me a shot of this. Now, just so they can see it really well, take it full screen and I'll tell you the story. This was shot in Kuwait not by a professional photographer, by a contract worker there who does this work every day, loads the American fatalities on an airplane to be brought back home.

And she describes the great care with which the people working on those big cargo planes do their craft. It's a picture in yesterday's "Seattle Times," "Seattle Post-Intelligencer," a combined paper on Sunday, one of those deals.

"The Philadelphia Inquirer." "Bush Tells Pennsylvania He Wants Specter Reelected." This is a pretty significant political story, Arlen Specter, the moderate Republican senator from Pennsylvania, being challenged by a more conservative congressman there. And the president has taken sides in that.

Look at this picture. Speaking of pictures, the headline of "The Press of Atlantic City," "Naked City Bouncer Admits Slaying." Now, man, I don't know if he's guilty or not, OK -- well, he admitted it, so I guess he is -- but just looking at that guy scares the heck out of me, don't you think? What's his name? Don't know. I'm staying away from him, in any case.

How much time left? One more good one. "Families Struggle to Remain Strong," the headline in "The Detroit Free Press." It's a story about families waiting for their loved ones, troops, and relatives to come back from Iraq.

And we'll do "The Chicago Sun-Times." Why not? "Gang Bangers Banned From Being Together. Judge Says 14 Suburban Gang Members Can't Hang Out With Each Other." There you go, not a bad strategy, that. "Hit or miss," the weather in Chicago tomorrow.

We'll wrap up the day by updating our top story in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A quick recap of our top story tonight, the book everyone is talking about, Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack." We expect it will be news all week.

The book chronicles the months, even years leading up to the war with Iraq. Critics of the president see it as proof the president decided on war long before he said he said he had, at expense of the war on terror in Afghanistan. Supporters see a very different picture, a president that is thoughtful and careful and torn by the prospects of war, the book giving a lot of people something to talk about.

Tomorrow on this program, remembering Columbine. Five years ago, the country saw one of the bloodiest periods of school-related violence in history. So what did we learn and what is being done to prevent it from happening again? That and much more tomorrow on NEWSNIGHT, 10:00 Eastern time.

Here's Bill Hemmer with a look "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Aaron, thanks.

Tomorrow here on "AMERICAN MORNING," actress Jessica Lange, her real-life role as UNICEF goodwill ambassador, trying to bring attention to a worldwide crisis, exploiting children, millions forced into pornography and prostitution. She'll join us, talking about what can be done about it, tomorrow morning, 7:00 a.m. Eastern time here on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Aaron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Bill, thank you.

And thank you for joining us. For most of you, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" is next.

We're all back tomorrow, 10:00 Eastern time. We hope you'll join us. Until then, good night for all of us at NEWSNIGHT.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 19, 2004 - 22:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, HOST: Good evening, everyone. That Bob Woodward is something, isn't he? The guy gets access. The guy gets material. The guy writes a book that everyone is talking about. And to make things even more perfect, everyone sees in it exactly what they want to see in it.
Critics of the president see it as proof the president decided on war long before he said he had. That he was -- that he was never even briefed on the possible post-war security problems in Iraq; he wasn't even curious about it. And that all of this was driven by an almost obsessive vice president.

The president's supporters see in it a man who is an idealist, a man who answers to a higher power than conventional political calculation. They see in the book a president who is thoughtful and careful and torn by the prospects of war, tears in his eyes, the moment he made the decision to launch war with Iraq.

They like the book so much, it is on the campaign's Web site as selected reading. Mr. Woodward's book will be news all week long and maybe longer. It leads the program tonight and begins "The Whip."

Our senior White House correspondent John King is at the White House tonight.

So, John, a headline from you.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the White House says the book is wrong when it says there were some secret deal with the Saudis to keep gas prices down. It says the book is wrong when it suggests that perhaps Bush did something improper in taking money appropriated for Afghanistan and spending it to plan war in Iraq.

And it says the book is wrong to suggest Secretary of State Powell is out of the loop. But beyond that, the White House advice is, read it.

BROWN: John, thank you.

On to Iraq, there is a new cease-fire in Fallujah tonight. And a lot riding on it. Karl Penhaul has the watch tonight in Baghdad. A headline from you.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Aaron. Indeed a new deal to end the fighting in Fallujah. The only question now can the city's politicians persuade the insurgent gunmen to hand in their guns.

BROWN: Karl, get back to you shortly, too.

The Pentagon next, with the rising death toll in Iraq is not what anyone anticipated. Jamie McIntyre with the duty again.

Jamie, a headline from you.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, with each passing day, the month of April is etching itself into the record books as the deadliest month for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq. If you count the combat deaths on a deadly weekend, the number for this month now exceeds 100.

Aaron.

BROWN: Jamie, thank you.

In Washington today, the government said it is creating a new anti-terrorism task force. Jeanne Meserve covers that.

So, Jeanne, a headline.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: They have formed this interagency working group because of the large number of high- profile events on the nation's calendar. Though there is no specific and credible intelligence that any of them have been targeted by terrorists. Officials say there is particular concern about political events.

Aaron?

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. Back to you and the rest shortly.

Also on the program on this Monday night, a valuable and important new military weapon with a future that is literally up in the air. Why can't the military get these vehicles or their operators fast enough for the troops in Iraq?

Plus a professional hockey play we are icing on the mind. And this type of icing has nothing to do with hockey.

And later, your favorite -- or perhaps it is just ours -- morning papers. All that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with Iraq and the behind the scenes history. There is much in Bob Woodward's book worth talking about. "Plan of Attack" contains much detail of the months and even years leading up to the war.

It shows an isolated secretary of state, an obsessive vice president. It talks of money spent without congressional approval or notification, and important people saying things that arguably were not true when they were spoken.

It is classic Woodward. And given the history and reputation he has, few will argue with the facts, many will argue with what the facts mean.

Case in point, the book says the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar, was briefed on the final war plan before Secretary of State Powell was briefed. This is what Mr. Woodward had to say a short time ago with Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "PLAN OF ATTACK": On January 11, the Saturday, Cheney and Rumsfeld, the Defense secretary, called Bandar in with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- who, by the way, has said my account is correct, publicly -- and presented the war plan. And Don Rumsfeld is on the record, if you look on the Pentagon Web site, saying that he said this war plan, you can take it to the bank, it is going to happen.

LARRY KING: Bandar was there.

WOODWARD: Bandar was there.

(END VIDEO CLIP )

BROWN: Bob Woodward.

Tonight, Secretary of State Powell, for one, is disagreeing with that account. For more on the agreements and disagreements, is our senior White House Correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice over): A new ambassador for post-war Iraq, and new question about the administration's secret planning that led to war in the first place. John Negroponte, currently the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is the president's choice to be the White House point man in Baghdad when a new Iraqi government assumes power June 30th.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No doubt in my mind he'll do a very good job and there is no doubt in my mind that Iraq will be free and democratic and peaceful.

KING: The announcement came as the administration faced questions about journalist Bob Woodward's new book, including a charge the White House secretly diverted $700 million in funds appropriated for the war against al Qaeda to plan for war in Iraq.

Some Democrats in Congress want an accounting. The White House says it did nothing wrong and that it kept key members of Congress informed.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: We followed the law. We followed the custom in how we brief, particularly on sensitive national security measures and those measures were followed. KING: The book also says Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States was briefed on the final war plan before Secretary of State Powell. Not so, says Powell.

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I was briefed (ph) with the plan and aware that Prince Bandar was being briefed on the plan.

KING: Another controversial book nugget: A suggestion the Saudi ambassador promised his country would pump more oil and drive down gas prices before the November election.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A secret White House deal, that is outrageous and unacceptable to the American people.

KING: The White House says there were talks with the Saudis about the war's likely impact on oil prices but no secret deals.

BARTLETT: There was no promise or quid pro quo any sort about oil prices for the election.

KING: And the Saudi government issued a statement from Riyadh that said: "The allegation that the Kingdom is manipulating the price of oil for political purposes or to affect elections is erroneous and has no basis in fact."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: But while forcefully taking issue with a few key points, overall senior White House officials say they like the book. They say it portrays the president to ask tough questions before making the decision to go to war. And as you noted, Aaron, go to the Bush-Cheney campaign Web site, click where it says suggested reading and there it is, "Plan of Attack" by Bob Woodward.

BROWN: I want to try two quick questions. One on the book, and one on something else. Is there any one particular charge in the book that they think has legs?

KING: They're worried a bit about this gas prices allegation, which has nothing to do, if you will, with the major issues of how the president decided to go to war in Iraq. But does have a lot to do with an issue that is gaining some steam in the presidential campaign.

That's why they came out so forcefully today. That one because it is both a war issue and a pocketbook issue they think could have some power. But they -- and Democrats in Congress tonight -- saying they want an explanation. The White House says it didn't happen. We'll see how that plays out.

BROWN: Now, on the other matter, King Abdullah of Jordan was expected at the White House in Washington. He canceled a trip. This is a problem for the president in some respects.

KING: It is a problem. The White House fully expects that King Abdullah will come sometime in early May. But make no mistake about it, Kind Abdullah, a very close ally of this White House, perhaps even the closest ally of this White House, right now in the Arab world, sending a message.

He was supposed to be here on Wednesday. His foreign minister will stay behind. But a statement issued by the palace in Amman tonight said the King decided it was not the time to meet with the president until the administration could answer his questions about U.S. policy in the Middle East right now, specifically about U.S. policy, the U.S. endorsement of Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza and the some of the West Bank.

Perhaps the biggest ally of the United States in the region, right now, hitting the pause button saying he wants some answers from this White House.

BROWN: John, thank you. Our Senior White House Correspondent John King tonight.

This new debate over the hows and whys of the war in Iraq comes in the middle of the deadliest month since the invasion began. The past few weeks has shaken the resolve, it seems, of several coalition partners.

Tonight the president of Honduras said its nearly 400 troops will leave Iraq as soon as possible. This following yesterday's announcement by Spain's new prime minister that all of its soldiers will be withdrawn. Spanish defense minister said it should take six weeks to complete the pullout.

Spain's decision were not unexpected. These are blows to the coalition at a crucial time. In Fallujah, tonight, a new cease-fire agreement to report on and a new ultimatum as well. All of this now reported by CNN's Karl Penhaul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL (voice over): The bullets have stopped ricocheting along this Fallujah street long enough to allow this man to take a stroll with his family. And things may be staying quiet if a new cease-fire deal holds.

Coalition authorities announced the pact Monday after days of talks with the city's civic and religious leaders. The key condition . . .

DAN SENOR, CPA SPOKESMAN: The parties agree to call on citizens and groups to immediately turn in all illegal weapons. Illegal weapons defined as mortars, RPGs, machine guns, sniper rifles, ID making materials, grenades and surface-to-air missiles.

PENHAUL: But there is a question mark. Are the estimated 2,000 guerrilla fighters including al Qaeda loyalists, the coalition says are holed up in Fallujah, ready to toe the line? If they do, several concessions to allow the city to mop up after two weeks of fighting between Marines and insurgents. SENOR: Coalition forces will allow unfettered access to the Fallujah general hospital to treat the sick and injured. The parties also agree to arrange for the removal and burial of the dead and the provision of food and medicine in isolated areas of the city.

PENHAUL: Coalition authorities say the legal system will be rebuilt. And now, they say, they'll leave it to the Iraqis to hunt down those responsible for mutilating four U.S. contractors on March 31, murders that sparked the coalition crackdown. If Monday's deal doesn't hold, the coalition warning is blunt.

SENOR: In the absence of a true cease-fire, major hostilities could resume on short notice.

PENHAUL: And Marine tanks like these will be rolling back on to the war path.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: Now in the light of this new cease-fire deal, coalition sources are telling us they expect humanitarian supplies to begin moving back into Fallujah as early as this week. And that itself could prove an early test for the value of the cease-fire, depending on whether those insurgent gunmen decide or not to attack those aid convoys together with any coalition military vehicles that may be traveling alongside those convoys, Aaron.

BROWN: What is the deadline for turning over the weapons?

PENHAUL: In what we have been told so far, withdrawing that information from a press briefing by the coalition authorities, they have set no specific deadline. They haven't said that insurgents must turn over those guns by X hour, by X date, no word on that.

What they have said, though, is that those insurgent gunmen that turn in weapons can then walk away without any form of prosecution. Though there is a question mark about whether they will allow the so- called foreign fighters to do that. The thought is that they will apprehend the foreign fighters.

BROWN: Karl, thank you.

Karl Penhaul in Baghdad.

As we said earlier April has earned a place in the record books as the deadliest month so far for the United States in Iraq. Attack on U.S. Marines over the weekend pushed the death toll since the 31st of March to the level the Pentagon and most of the rest of us did not imagine a year ago. Here is our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice over): The death of 10 U.S. troops in combat over the weekend, including five Marines ambushed near the Syrian border after a 14-hour fire fight, has pushed the U.S. death toll to over 100, since March 31st, the day four U.S. contractors were killed in an attack in Fallujah.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And it is a difficult mission. It is tough work. It is incredibly hard, as we have seen on our television screens the last couple of weeks.

MCINTYRE: This month, April, has been the deadliest so far. And a disturbing image of U.S. casualties have been unrelenting.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I rise with the sole purpose of acknowledging the terrible, growing toll this war is taking on some of America's finest citizens and their families.

MCINTYRE: More than 700 Americans have died in Iraq since the U.S. invaded in March of last year. And with each death comes a heart- wrenching personal story.

DASCHLE: Private First Class Dustin Sakula graduated from high school just last year and gave up a full college scholarship to join the Marines. The father of a high school friend told his hometown newspaper, he was worth his weight in gold.

MCINTYRE: As the casualties mount, U.S. commanders respond with steely resolve.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Will the coalition remain here and remain resolved? Absolutely. Are we looking at pulling out? Absolutely not. Do we fear the terrorists? Hell no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: Every day, virtually every day, sometimes several times a day the Department of Defense puts out a release that begins like this, the Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, or Marine, supporting "Operation Iraqi Freedom".

When I checked two hours ago, when I wrote that, Aaron, there were five announcements on the Pentagon's Web site. Since then, there have been three more, eight today.

Aaron.

BROWN: This is an ugly month. Do they -- either privately or publicly -- acknowledge that that they have made mistakes in the post- war security issue?

MCINTYRE: It is hard to get anybody to acknowledge that they've made any mistakes here about that. They do acknowledge -- Secretary Rumsfeld acknowledged last week he didn't anticipate this level of casualties. But you still hear statements from very senior officials here, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs earlier this week or last week, saying that this is a sign of their success. That the fact that opposition is so desperate, and that the casualties are rising, just shows that they're succeeding.

But the problem is you can't take much more of this kind success.

BROWN: Yes, that is exactly right. That is very well put, thank you.

Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon tonight.

Spain's withdrawal from Iraq, as we said earlier, is not unexpected. Spain's support was a contentious issue in its parliamentary elections last month, which you'll recall were held three days after the bombing in Madrid, that killed 190 people.

The timing of those bombings set off much speculation about the motives behind them and whether the elections themselves were the target of the terrorists. In an election year in this country there are also growing concerns about terrorism and a new anti-terrorism task force to deal with it. Here is CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice over): The terrorist bombing of trains in Madrid just before the Spanish elections may have influenced the results, and has certainly influenced the thinking of U.S. intelligence analysts.

According to an administration official, this summer's political conventions, the election, the inaugural, as well as the G8 Summit in Georgia, which will bring together world leaders, are now of more concern to security officials than other large symbolic events like the Fourth of July Celebration on the National Mall.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says that U.S. elections cycle might prove too tempting a target for terrorists to pass up.

TOM RIDGE, DIRECTOR, HOMELAND SECURITY: But this time, obviously, we do not have specific threat information around any of these events. But, ladies and gentlemen, we do have our common sense. And we don't need a change in the threat level to make us safer and more secure.

MESERVE: To improve the nation's preparation for all the high- profile events on the calendar, Ridge announced a new interagency working group to include his own department, the Departments of Justice, Energy, Transportation and others.

It will pay particular attention to critical infrastructures such as chemical plants and the electrical grid. Increasing coordination with state and local governments and the private sector. Some are asking why this wasn't done sooner.

REP. CAROL MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: My question is what has he been doing all this time. His job is to protect the American people. I don't see how what he's proposing is any different from what he's been charged with from day one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: That's not to say the potential for attack isn't real. An intelligence intercept led to a warning to law enforcement on April 9 about possible attacks over Easter and Passover. The advisory warned of in-place persons posing threats to soft targets like shopping malls. Though the information was not specific or corroborated, it was another reminder that the nation must prepare.

Aaron?

BROWN: You want to answer Congresswoman's Maloney question there, how is this different? Isn't this what they're supposed to do all along?

MESERVE: Aaron, some of it has been taking place. There have been many efforts to pay attention to the critical infrastructure in this country. There has been communication amongst the different agencies. What they say is needed here, though, because of this very crowded events calendar coming up is even more collaboration.

This is an effort to sort of fill in the gaps between the special planning that has been done for a specific event and also to ratchet up the pressure. It is sort of a call to action, to state and local governments, as well as the federal government to pay more attention to preparedness.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. Good to have you with us again tonight.

Ahead on the program we have more on the Woodward book coming up. Also coming up, the military's new favorite secret weapon. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them and we'll explain that.

And later, a whole new type of voter. One that definitely moves to the beat of a different drum. From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The trouble that is brewing in Fallujah is not a surprise. It is a tough town. And has been, even under the old regime. Here is CNN's Jim Clancy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. troops in Iraq couldn't see it coming a year ago. As small faces looked up and begged soldiers for autographs, Fallujah looked like it was going to be a textbook case of cooperation and goodwill. Today U.S. Marines are looking at Fallujah through the telescopic sights of their sniper rifles.

"I think it has come to this point for two reasons," says this former mayor. "The people absolutely hate the occupation and the U.S. troops have intimidated the people."

One year ago Fallujah residents were seething after U.S. troops opened fire killing 17 people and wounding 70 more. An attack the U.S. says was in defense after being fired upon from the crowd. Human rights watch investigated and found no conclusive evidence to support the U.S. claims. That incident began a pattern of what Iraqis say has been excessive force and random fire that has killed innocent civilians.

Images of U.S. troops holding a boot on even common criminals wasn't likely to charm the residents. Though it has been described as a company town for Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence, even he found it rebellious.

WAMID NAZMY, POLITICAL SCIENTISTS: They were somehow the only town who opposed him in the open when he executed one of their very brave officers in the Iraq-Iran war.

CLANCY: Beyond the city, Iraqis gave more to Fallujah than just convoys of food, blankets and medical supplies when it was besieged this month by coalition troops. The city that fought the British in 1941, that defied Saddam, and was now defying the Americans, was a source of pride.

NAZMY: As if they were ashamed of the quick way which Baghdad fall to the invaders. Now the fighting for Fallujah, they proved that they are capable of defending their towns their cities.

CLANCY: The coalition must now decide whether talks that aim to diffuse the situation will lead to a handover of foreign fighters and weaponry. They also want those who killed four civilian security guards and desecrated their bodies. Senior coalition officials say no one appears willing or able to negotiate those issues or agree to such terms.

(on camera): Without that, the U.S.-led coalition will have to decide whether to end the siege, keep up the stalemate, or renew the attack. All of those options pose risks.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And, again, right now at least there is a cease-fire. There are terms on the table. And the next few days will determine what happens in Fallujah. One of the great challenges for the military now is getting supplies to soldiers in the field, the right supplies.

They can't make armored Humvees fast enough. They didn't have enough when the war started. They didn't think they needed them. And that was a mistake. Body armor has been a problem, too.

And when we were there a few weeks back, we heard an army general ask why there weren't enough surveillance robots, small pilotless planes, that can spot the enemy long before soldiers encounter them. They are lifesavers and the fact is there are just a handful in Iraq. He wondered why. So did we.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Begin countdown, five, four, three, two, one, launch, launch, launch.

BROWN: These are anxious and eager young soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard, anxious because the simulations they are going through now will turn into real combat in Iraq very soon.

MARK FARRAR, INSTRUCTOR: We can handle a maximum of five classes in session under normal circumstances. We currently have seven shadow classes and 100 classes in session. Significantly more than we thought we could ever handle.

BROWN: That's because after a year of war in Iraq, despite repeated requests for more men and more machines, only four army units are currently operating this small unmanned reconnaissance plane called the Shadow, or its larger cousin called the Hunter, that is 12 planes for the entire country of Iraq. And 12 sets of eyes that could spot the enemy long before the enemy can spot the army, just 12.

FARRAR: We're currently operating 72-hour scheduled work week. That's for the staff out here. And then of course, the soldiers have additional things they have to accomplish, do PT those types of things, as well as soldiering skills. So we're working on a 12 on, 12 off, six days a week.

BROWN: Commanders want three or four times as many of these UAVs, these unmanned aerial vehicles, as they have now. So the Arizona complex is a busy place these days. But the planes are very expensive and they are also a bit delicate and Iraq is an inhospitable place.

CAPT. HILTON NUNEZ, U.S. ARMY: Based on the type of environment we were in, the temperatures, the sand, it took every effort of a soldier to continue his maintenance throughout the night just so we can accomplish our mission.

BROWN: And things go wrong here, as well. The day we were there, only two Shadows out of four were successfully launch. There was a motor problem with one. It was brought back four hours ahead of schedule. But the Army needs them desperately in what soldiers call the "Sand Box" on the ground in Iraq. And everyone from the generals down to the privates knows why.

PVT. BENJAMIN MEJIA, U.S. ARMY: It is the eyes. We can see what they're doing before we send people in there to find out. So definitely gives us an advantage, saves lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Still to come on the program tonight, secretary of State and the "Plan of Attack". The plan of attack, some say he had no idea existed. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: It would be tempting to dismiss much of what is revealed in Bob Woodward's new book as just inside-the-beltway new gossip, if it didn't involve things like declaring war, hundreds of millions in government dollars just inner motivations of the some of the world's most powerful people. At this level, it is not gossip. It is foreign affairs. It is history.

Joining us to talk about it tonight, John Harwood, who writes politics for "The Wall Street Journal." He joins us from Washington tonight. And here in New York, Leslie Gelb, who is the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.

And it's nice to see you both.

Mr. Gelb, let me start with you.

Is Secretary of State Powell right now in an essentially untenable position? Can he do his job?

LESLIE GELB, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: He was in an untenable position for three years.

People basically knew that he disagreed with President Bush and most of the national security team on most national security issues all along. When Bob Woodward puts it down as the first cut at history, it carries more weight.

BROWN: And, John, what do you make of the denials? How should we see the secretary's denials of much of this today?

JOHN HARWOOD, POLITICAL EDITOR, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, I think substantially, Aaron, you've got to see it in the phrase that President Bush used it in describing his meeting with Powell. He said, you have got to put your war uniform on.

And Colin Powell despite the reservations that he had about this war plan, did that by going to the United Nations and making the case on weapons of mass destruction, did that in publicly supporting the president's policy once the decision was made. And today he put on that uniform again and came out and said, my support for President Bush was willing and complete. That's pretty loyal service and certainly Colin Powell is not the kind of guy to go out like Richard Clarke with a bang and take a real swipe at the president.

BROWN: So do you think in this there is any political gain for either side, then?

HARWOOD: Well, I think there are three things in the book which potentially could be problematic. One is the idea that there was early war planning much sooner than the White House acknowledged. I really don't think that's a problem, Aaron, because the American people want the president to be prudent and plan ahead.

You have the diversion of the $700 million from Afghanistan to the Iraq operation. That's potentially problematic because it goes with the grain of Democratic arguments and arguments that Clarke made that he in effect chose the wrong priority and diverted resources away from Osama bin Laden and toward the obsession that some of the administration had with Iraq.

However, Democrats on the Hill are not saying that that was illegal and Republicans are stepping forward today, backing up the president saying he had the flexibility. The third is, of course, the idea that the president isolated Powell and rolled over his opposition. That's something that essentially casts him as closer to John Kerry on the war than George Bush. The problem is when it came to crunch time and John Kerry had a chance to vote against this war, he didn't do it. And Colin Powell as we just discussed himself didn't do it. He put on the uniform and supported the president.

GELB: I would say there is a fourth.

BROWN: Yes.

GELB: It relates to the exclusion of Colin Powell from the deliberations, because the big thing to me was that the president never once pulled together his whole national security team and said, I am leaning toward a decision to make war in Iraq. Let's go over this from top to bottom. Let's talk about the diplomatic run-up to it to make sure we get the maximum number of allies. And let's talk about the aftermath of war, because I've been listening to you all. And you say you're going wipe the slate clean of those Iraqi troops pretty quickly. What happens thereafter?

They never all sat down and deliberated.

BROWN: It's not clear to me they ever asked or he ever asked that second question at all of anyone.

GELB: No. It didn't come up at all in any of these deliberations. And Woodward doesn't even mention it, as if it wasn't even an afterthought.

But at this point, these issues have political currency. We aren't sure what they mean exactly, whose vote they're going to affect. But they have political currency. And what is the story? Is it that Bob Woodward all of a sudden is a rookie reporter and doesn't know how to check sources? Is it that the White House is now looking at those words and they don't like them so they're rewriting history very quickly? Or is it that they don't speak the same language?

When Woodward writes it was a decision, they said, no, it was just a plan. It was vague thinking. Are they not speaking the same language? It seems to me that Bob Woodward's substantial credibility is on the line on this. And he's writing about key issues and he ought to push on with it, because if the White House is going to spin its way out of this, then, you know, there is no history, there is no truth in all this, nothing means anything. Anybody can just say whatever he wants.

BROWN: Nice to meet you, finally, for a long time. And, John, it's good to have you.

Mr. Woodward will be here Thursday. I must say he sounded very confident in his ability to back up what he is saying.

GELB: Sure did. Sure did.

BROWN: When I listened to him earlier today.

CNN, by the way, a lot of this centers -- or not a lot of this, but one sort of central issue centers around the Saudi ambassador, when he was told -- and he was on the phone with Larry a bit ago. And he will be with Wolf 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saudi Prince Bandar, the U.S. ambassador from Saudi Arabia with Wolf Blitzer tomorrow at 5:00 here Eastern time on CNN.

Coming up on the program still tonight, more details come out about a pro hockey player who allegedly tried to hire a hit man. We'll tell you about that after the break.

This is NEWSNIGHT from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well, the case against National Hockey League player Mike Danton is going to get interesting, to say the least. Did he try and hire a Mitt man to kill another hit man? Was it all about a gay lover or just an argument between roommates?

CNN's Josie Burke lays out the complicated story of what appears to be a very disturbed young man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The arrest of 23- year-old NHL player Mike Danton last week on charges he tried to engineer a murder for hire scheme left his Saint Louis Blues teammates grasping for answers.

BRYCE SALVADOR, TEAMMATE OF DANTON: It is unfortunate because he's a great guy. And, hopefully, you know, something, you know, is misunderstood here and it just all works out.

BURKE: A criminal complaint alleges Danton used a friend, a 19- year-old college student Katie Wolfmeyer, to hire a hit man to kill an unidentified male acquaintance.

The plot failed, details contained in the FBI's affidavit, like the pair argued other Danton's alleged promiscuity and alcohol use, and according to an FBI wiretap -- quote -- "Danton also felt the acquaintance was going to leave him, unquote, left questions about a possible motive."

DERRICK GOOLD, "ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH": It implies on first read maybe a romantic entanglement, or maybe that's what we want to see there, but really it's something that you would say of many different people in your life.

MORRISON: His agent says Danton recently came to him for help with emotional problems, including paranoia. Danton was formerly named Mike Jefferson, but changed his name in 2002 after a long estrangement from his family.

GOOLD: He certainly has a lot of emotional baggage that he was carrying with him, and he was reluctant to talk about publicly. Privately with his teammates, he spoke about some of it, but even they had a sense that there was something much deeper going on. MORRISON: Danton was known as an agitator on the ice, instigating fights and drawing penalties from opponents. Both Danton and Wolfmeyer remain in custody on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

Josie Burke, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Here, quick items -- a number of quick items from the world of business before we go break here.

A change at the top today for one of the country's larger and struggling airlines. The CEO of U.S. Airways, David Siegel, resigned, because he said leaving would -- quote -- "be in the best interest of the company." They always say that, don't they? I think they do. Mr. Siegel had been at odds with union leaders at U.S. Airways. The unions need to make concessions, he believes, for the airline to survive.

Over at Coca-Cola, they say they're about to make a new version of their soft drink. They'll call it C-2. And the company says it will be the low-carb cola, promising half the sugar, carbohydrates and calories of its regular version. The new cola will be introduced first in Japan and then in the U.S.

And on Wall Street today,the Dow Jones was down a bit. The Nasdaq had a very good day. The Nasdaq has had a struggling month, however. But tech stocks like Intel and others did pretty well, after being battered last week.

Ahead on NEWSNIGHT tonight, hip-hop music and politics, if you think they have nothing do with each other, well, you're wrong, as it turns out, as you'll see.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We return to politics and the youth vote tonight. In this election year, as in years past, both parties are trying hard to woo young voters. Today, Democrats and Republicans joined forces with MTV for its Choose or Lose event at George Washington University. Young voters are hard, very hard, to catch.

In the 2000 election, turnout among them was less than 40 percent, the worst on record. This year, music mogul Russell Simmons is hoping to pump that number up a bit. His Hip-Hop Summit Action Network rests on the premise that millions of hip-hop fans can be turned into hip-hop voters. Hip-hop is a $10 billion a year industry. So the candidates are listening. Enemy No. 1

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSSELL SIMMONS, CHAIRMAN, HIS HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK: Hip-hop is the most unifying cultural phenomenon America has ever seen; 80 percent of those who buy hip-hop are not African-American in America alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hip-hop community is bigger than you know. If you can get the kids behind you, that's power.

SIMMONS: Registering to vote is your connection to community.

Our goal at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is to register over two million voters. We have registered hundreds of thousands of voters already. I think that empowering those who are locked out is my job and the hip-hop community is the voice of those who are locked out.

AKUA GOODRICH, YOUTH COORDINATOR: We are powerful. We are leaders. We are movers. We are shakers. And we need you to understand our plight.

SIMMONS: Old people have already twisted everything up. And the highest aspirations America can have are in the minds of young people. The Hip-Hop Summit is dedicated to that effort to use the artist's power and young people's power to make this country better.

LAYZIE BONE, MUSICIAN: The reason why I'm here is to raise awareness and show the importance of what it is to vote, what it means to select our own leaders.

KEVIN LILES, PRESIDENT, DEF JAM/DEF SOUL RECORDS: We can't relate to George Bush. And we can't relate to a lot of the other politicians who never lived our plight and our struggle. We win our own war every day. They want to talk about what is going on in Iraq and we want to talk about what's going on in the hood.

SIMMONS: The fact that these young people look up to these artists and respect these artists more than they do the politicians. They trust them more than they do the politicians. The politicians rarely speak of their plight. The more of them that register, the more politicians will have to be accountable to them.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there is a lot of poetry in it. And I think you better listen to it pretty carefully because it is important.

ED GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I think we've got a great opportunity. We're going to work hip-hop hard.

SIMMONS: This is a nonpartisan effort. I think the candidates are becoming sensitive. They realize that we've registered voters all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Register to vote!

SIMMONS: These people will vote in one voice. Those who listen to hip-hop are sensitized to the plight of the poor. Whoever speaks to their agenda and helps them to uplift themselves are the ones who will get their vote.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: We'll see how it all turns out in November.

Morning papers after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check morning papers from around the country and around the country, as it turns out today.

We'll start with "The Christian Science Monitor," because it is published in Boston. And this is a big day in Boston. It's Patriots Day in Boston. And the Boston Marathon was today. And the Red Sox took three out of four from the Yankees. And we'll start with "The Christian Science Monitor." You're thinking, what does that have to do with anything."

"Will Others Follow Spain to the Exit? The order to pull 1,300 Spanish troops out of Iraq isn't militarily significant, but it may stop the U.S. effort to involve NATO." Honduras, as we told you earlier, also will take its troops out.

We saw this in "The Seattle Times" yesterday. This is "The Sunday Times." But I loved the picture as much. And I also hated the picture. And you'll see why in a second. Give me a shot of this. Now, just so they can see it really well, take it full screen and I'll tell you the story. This was shot in Kuwait not by a professional photographer, by a contract worker there who does this work every day, loads the American fatalities on an airplane to be brought back home.

And she describes the great care with which the people working on those big cargo planes do their craft. It's a picture in yesterday's "Seattle Times," "Seattle Post-Intelligencer," a combined paper on Sunday, one of those deals.

"The Philadelphia Inquirer." "Bush Tells Pennsylvania He Wants Specter Reelected." This is a pretty significant political story, Arlen Specter, the moderate Republican senator from Pennsylvania, being challenged by a more conservative congressman there. And the president has taken sides in that.

Look at this picture. Speaking of pictures, the headline of "The Press of Atlantic City," "Naked City Bouncer Admits Slaying." Now, man, I don't know if he's guilty or not, OK -- well, he admitted it, so I guess he is -- but just looking at that guy scares the heck out of me, don't you think? What's his name? Don't know. I'm staying away from him, in any case.

How much time left? One more good one. "Families Struggle to Remain Strong," the headline in "The Detroit Free Press." It's a story about families waiting for their loved ones, troops, and relatives to come back from Iraq.

And we'll do "The Chicago Sun-Times." Why not? "Gang Bangers Banned From Being Together. Judge Says 14 Suburban Gang Members Can't Hang Out With Each Other." There you go, not a bad strategy, that. "Hit or miss," the weather in Chicago tomorrow.

We'll wrap up the day by updating our top story in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A quick recap of our top story tonight, the book everyone is talking about, Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack." We expect it will be news all week.

The book chronicles the months, even years leading up to the war with Iraq. Critics of the president see it as proof the president decided on war long before he said he said he had, at expense of the war on terror in Afghanistan. Supporters see a very different picture, a president that is thoughtful and careful and torn by the prospects of war, the book giving a lot of people something to talk about.

Tomorrow on this program, remembering Columbine. Five years ago, the country saw one of the bloodiest periods of school-related violence in history. So what did we learn and what is being done to prevent it from happening again? That and much more tomorrow on NEWSNIGHT, 10:00 Eastern time.

Here's Bill Hemmer with a look "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Aaron, thanks.

Tomorrow here on "AMERICAN MORNING," actress Jessica Lange, her real-life role as UNICEF goodwill ambassador, trying to bring attention to a worldwide crisis, exploiting children, millions forced into pornography and prostitution. She'll join us, talking about what can be done about it, tomorrow morning, 7:00 a.m. Eastern time here on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Aaron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Bill, thank you.

And thank you for joining us. For most of you, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" is next.

We're all back tomorrow, 10:00 Eastern time. We hope you'll join us. Until then, good night for all of us at NEWSNIGHT.

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