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John Negroponte Nominated as Intelligence Chief; Antiwar Families; Interview With Congressman Peter Hoekstra

Aired February 17, 2005 - 14:00   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Director of national intelligence, the man who's had some tricky assignments, gets his toughest job yet. Is John Negroponte up to the task of being national director of intelligence?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Pill pushers. A CNN investigation into whether some pharmaceutical companies go too far to get your doctor to prescribe their drugs.

PHILLIPS: And soldiers' stories. A new documentary with a view of the war in Iraq like you've never seen it before.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.

PHILLIPS: Negroponte's his name, diplomacy's his game. But soon it will be intelligence, assuming Senate confirmation. And if you've been watching CNN, you know the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, is President Bush's choice for the top job in the overhauled U.S. intelligence system.

CNN's Elaine Quijano fills us in from the White House -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

President Bush said John Negroponte's years of experience in foreign service make him able to understand America's global intelligence needs. Of course, Ambassador Negroponte has served in a number of posts, including in Asia, Europe and Latin America. But the president today cited his experience over the past few months in Iraq, saying it will give the ambassador an advantage for an intelligence chief; namely, an up-close look at the enemy.

Now, this newly created job of director of national intelligence is an enormous one. It confirmed Mr. Negroponte will oversee the 15 intelligence agencies. And the president says, while he won't have an office in the White House itself, he will be the president's primary briefer on day-to-day intelligence matters. The president also making it clear that with concerns in the past over turf wars and control of budgets, that Mr. Negroponte will have the authority he needs to do his job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He will set the budgets. Listen, this is going to take a while to get a new culture in place, a different way of approaching the budget process.

That's why I selected John. He's a diplomat. He understands the -- and he's an experienced person.

He understands the power centers in Washington. He's been a consumer of intelligence in the past. And so he's got a good feel for how to move this process forward in a way that addresses the different interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Mr. Bush today also named the deputy to John Negroponte. That person is Lieutenant General Michael Hayden, the current director of the National Security Agency.

That choice may blunt some of the potential concerns about Mr. Negroponte, that while he has a lifetime of diplomatic experience, he does not necessarily have the extensive background in the intelligence field. But with Lieutenant General Hayden, a career Air Force intelligence officer, as the number two, that may quiet some of those concerns.

As for Ambassador Negroponte, his choice -- the choice of him for this position was surprising to many here in Washington. His name was not among those that was widely circulated -- that were widely circulated for this particular position. Nevertheless, President Bush making it clear today that he trusts John Negroponte's judgment -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano live from the White House. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Before Baghdad, Negroponte's long career in foreign service took him to Mexico, the Philippines, Honduras and U.N. headquarters, where we find CNN's Richard Roth who picks up the trail from there -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, a 40-year career of government service for John Negroponte, notably at the U.N. when the United States and 14 other countries of the Security Council passed that resolution, in effect, authorizing immediate action, serious consequences if Iraq didn't comply. Nevertheless, Negroponte was not able to rally a second resolution there at the United Nations.

He is well liked, trusted, straightforward. That's what you here at the United Nations by officials. Kofi Annan, the secretary- general, when John Negroponte went to Iraq, said he's an outstanding professional, a great diplomat and a wonderful ambassador there.

Of course, a lot of the concern about Negroponte from critics, even as he went to Iraq as the U.S. ambassador there, presiding over the U.S.'s largest embassy, 3,000 people or so, his term as ambassador in Honduras for four years, '81, '85, critics say he had to know about human rights abuses in Honduras and the arming of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Nicaragua, next door. He has denied many of those allegations.

Negroponte's been everywhere, as you mentioned, Miles, Mexico, Philippines, Honduras. He was even Vietnam and was a player there as Henry Kissinger tried to make peace there.

When he went to Iraq, he said it was his toughest challenge, steep learning curve. Now he's got what he said today is his newest and stiffest challenge.

He has five adopted children from Honduras with his wife. But otherwise, he's rather soft-spoken, but firm. Not a man who likes the television cameras, perhaps a perfect fit then for the intelligence community -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: It sounds like he has his hands full at home and at the office right now. Richard Roth, thank you very much.

CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

PHILLIPS: Well, Iraq is a step closer to a permanent government. Today officials certified the results of the landmark January 30 vote. There weren't any big surprises, though.

The Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance got close to 50 percent of that vote. It will hold the most seats in the new, parliament followed by the Kurds and the pro-U.S. prime minister, Ayad Allawi. Now, next, the national assembly will elect Iraq's president and then get to work on drafting a constitution.

The Iraq elections were roundly considered a success by the Bush administration, but officials say it's not yet time to withdraw U.S. troops. Some military families beg to differ. CNN's Dan Lothian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSE GONZALES, DAUGHTER OF NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE SOLDIER: It's hard.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rose Gonzalez digs out photos of her mother, Migdalia Cortez (ph)...

GONZALES: I know I have them up here.

LOTHIAN: ... a sergeant in the Army National Guard, now providing base security in Iraq. It's an emotional journey through one family's conflict with war.

GONZALES: It's every day. You know, it's a waiting game. When will I hear from her? Has something happened to her?

Just the other day, hearing that a roadside bomb kills three National Guard people, and that's all it says. And you're thinking, oh, my god. My mother isn't even listed on here. Se said it was somewhere near the city.

LOTHIAN: Gonzales keeps a map of Iraq on the wall of her home near Boston, a reminder of where her mother is and where she doesn't want her and other soldiers to be.

GONZALES: Bring the troops home. That's what I'd like to see. I'd like to see the military taken out of there.

LOTHIAN: At a recent anti-war rally in Boston, Gonzales, with one child and another on the way, joined other military families and some veterans in an emotional protest.

GONZALES: I'm going to be 30 this year, but I still need my mother and my children need their grandmother.

LOTHIAN: More tears as she read an e-mail from her mother.

GONZALES: I'm the front Humvee vehicle driver. I will be driving with an M16 out of the window in my arms. I hope I make everybody proud.

LOTHIAN: Cortez (ph), who was deployed for a year and a half, is proud to serve her country. Her daughter, who stays in touch by e- mail, stands equally tall in her opposition to war. But don't call her unpatriotic.

GONZALES: The rhetoric that you can't support the soldiers and be anti-war is false. And I feel like that's my experience. I feel like I can support her and I can support the soldiers without supporting the war.

LOTHIAN: Gonzales believes that in post-election Iraq, all of the military responsibilities should shift away from the U.S., allowing troops like her mother to come home.

GONZALES: It's not like she's on some vacation. She's at war every day, and that makes every day seem like a year.

LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: A teacher is accused of giving an explosive lesson to his students. That story tops our look at news "Across America."

An Orlando, Florida, teacher accused of giving his chemistry students instructions on bomb-making. Authorities say a chemical breakdown for a kind of explosive used by Mideast suicide bombers was found in David Pieski's classroom. And there was a can full of black powder as well. He faces charges, including culpable negligence.

In Kansas, the BTK serial killer appears to be at it again. The FBI confirming two earlier letters found in Wichita indeed from the serial killer. The agency still investigating the authenticity of a package received at a TV station just yesterday. Jewelry and notes believed to be from the killer were inside. In California, an elderly woman is refusing to leave her hospital bed, although she's not sick. Kaiser Permanente gave 82-year-old Sara Nome (ph) her discharge papers more than a year ago. But Nome (ph) won't leave because she says she has nowhere to go. The woman has racked up -- get this -- $1 million in unpaid medical bills.

PHILLIPS: Arnold Schwarzenegger flexes his political muscle in Washington. The California governor went to Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers to promote his plan to redraw congressional and state legislative districts. The governator says he's enjoyed his first term in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: I have been having the greatest time ever since I became governor. I love my connection with the people. I love the partnership that I've formed with the people of California.

And I think because of that, we will do some really true reforms this year in many different areas. If it is the budget reforms, education reform, redistricting reform, and pension reform, all of that will be accomplished because the people of California are true partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Schwarzenegger's redistricting plan has its detractors. Some Republicans fear it could cost the party seats in Congress.

O'BRIEN: Thieves spot a weak point in a company system.

PHILLIPS: And now you may be the one being robbed. Ahead on LIVE FROM, concerns about the personal information of thousands of people falling into the wrong hands.

O'BRIEN: And drug companies under investigation for alleged overly aggressive marketing techniques. We'll have that story.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: No, that's not Jimi Hendrix. He's a soldier serving in Iraq, and it's a scene from "Gunner Palace," a new documentary on the war. We're going to talk about it just ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: John Negroponte thought he had it tough in Baghdad. But as we've told you, the veteran diplomat was nominated today to serve as the U.S. government's first intelligence director, or czar, if you will. As ambassador to Iraq he's been up against the insurgents; in Washington he's likely to be confronted by an entrenched security establishment.

We talked a short time ago with Representative Jane Harman, a Democrat. She hits on the House Intelligence Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JANE HARMAN (D), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I just talked to John Negroponte about half an hour ago. I was kidding with him. I told him he traded the Green Zone for the hot zone. And he sure did. And he's going to have his hands full.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Joining us now, the Republican chairman of the intel committee, Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan.

Congressman Hoekstra, good to have you with us.

REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: Well, thank you very much. Good to be with you.

O'BRIEN: All right. Green Zone, reference to Baghdad, of course. Hot zone, reference to the nature of the task that lies ahead.

Entrenched bureaucracies here. A lot of people who think they know a lot of things, a lot of smart people. Does he have the right levers of power, the right authority to try to reign all that in?

HOEKSTRA: Well, the characterization that he is going to be fighting with entrenched bureaucrats is absolutely right. The job that the president and Congress have assigned to John is to really transform the intelligence community.

He has had a reputation of making change happen in the past. He's obviously been successful in Baghdad. I think he's got the right tools and the right demeanor to be able to go into the intelligence community and give us the kind of intelligence community we need to keep America safe.

O'BRIEN: Well, now, you say "right tools." He's a diplomat, an ambassador. Does that necessarily give you the right tools for this job?

HOEKSTRA: Well, I think the right tools are, number one, he has the president's support. That is a huge tool, it is a huge lever.

Congress, I think, has given him a number of authorities. Primarily and most significantly, the ability to determine the budget for the entire intelligence community. And then I think his personal skills, the background, the diplomatic skills, and those kinds of things.

I think you've got a package here that indicates this guy can be successful in the assignment that this president has given to him.

O'BRIEN: All right. But having that budget authority over this disparate entity, which includes all kinds of command charts and chains of command, doesn't necessarily mean that when it comes time for that briefing with the president he will be able to give the president a clear picture of what's going on in the world, right?

HOEKSTRA: Well, that's exactly right. And that's why we're transforming the intelligence community.

One of the things that we'll have a hearing on later this -- this spring is what should the intelligence community really be able to provide to the president every morning in a daily briefer? And, you know, how do we kind the kind of clarity and how do we get the kind of information to the president from the intelligence community that the president needs? And I think that's one of the -- that's John's job, to transform the community, to make that a reality.

O'BRIEN: All right. But that's much easier said than done. If you were in that job, what would you do first to try to reign all that in?

HOEKSTRA: Well, the -- I'd do one of the things that John did early today, is he called me. He's talked to Jane Harman. And I think he recognizes that -- and not only does he need the support of the president to make this happen, but he also needs the support of Congress to make this happen.

You know, we do the oversight. We've written the legislation. And we are very supportive of creating a strong director of national intelligence.

We will do the oversight. And if we need, we will do the pushing to make sure that John has the necessary clout to get this job done and get it done successfully.

O'BRIEN: All right. But just one final thought here. I keep going back to this, because by my read of all the intelligence failings that led up to this invasion, the weapons of mass destruction problem, all of that, by my read of that it wasn't so much a problem at the top as it was right there on the front lines. Just an inability to get people on the ground and get good, solid, human intelligence.

Is an intelligence czar a cure to what ails intelligence in the United States?

HOEKSTRA: What we need is -- in this job, John's got to be the chief executive officer. That means he has to understand what the threats are to the United States, how we get information against those threats, and whether the intelligence community is properly structured and resourced to make that happen.

If we could have had this kind of strategic thinking going on in the 1990s, we would have known that we needed more human rather than less human intelligence if we were going to successfully understand...

O'BRIEN: We had a lot of smart people running all these agencies then. Why didn't they know that themselves then?

HOEKSTRA: I mean, they were not communicating. There was not a strategic plan in place. We knew that terrorism was developing during 1990s. But no one ever sat down and said, because -- the only way you're going to penetrate terrorist organizations is to have good human collection. And rather than building up human intelligence during the 1990s, we gutted it. And I think the failure for that is we did not have a person at the top responsible for planning and thinking strategically about what kind of intelligence community we needed.

O'BRIEN: Peter Hoekstra is a Republican from Michigan. He's chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Thanks for your time.

HOEKSTRA: Hey, great. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: How do you stop the enemies within?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorism is not just al Qaeda and international groups wanting to do this country harm. There is home- grown domestic terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: On the trail of Americans who turn to violence to promote their cause.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. It's day two of Fed chief Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress. I'll have his latest comments on Social Security and Medicare coming right up on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Day two on Capitol Hill with the Federal Reserve chair, Alan Greenspan. And he's had some tough words on the Social Security system.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I would say that was a -- he gave a rather tepid endorsement of the private accounts, because I think he's a little concerned about those deficits, right, Kathleen? Kathleen Hays, by the way.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, you mention the word "terrorism," and you think al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. But there's another kind of terrorism threatening the United States, ecoterrorism. And its foot soldiers are radical activists who torch and bomb to save the Earth, or so they say.

CNN's Ted Rowlands has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may not look dangerous, but the FBI thinks that 21-year-old Ryan Lewis is a terrorist. Lewis was arrested last week in Northern California for allegedly planting unexploded bombs at a construction site.

KEITH SLOTTER, FBI AGENT: And the bottom line is this is terrorism, no matter how you look at it. Terrorism is not just al Qaeda and international groups wanting to do this country harm. There's homegrown domestic terrorism and that's what this is, ecoterrorism.

ROWLANDS: Lewis is suspected being a member of the environmental group Earth Liberation Front, or ELF. The group is believed to be responsible for a string of attempted bombings near Sacramento over the past three months, including the discovery of a pipe bomb at a DMV office on Tuesday.

The FBI is analyzing a letter, signed ELF, which takes responsibility for the attacks, saying they are "a statement against work and the horror of the cubicle." The letter, which also promises more attacks, was sent to, among others, Sam Stanton, a Sacramento newspaper reporter who's been tracking ELF for years.

SAM STANTON, REPORTER, "SACRAMENTO BEE": Well, nobody knows who they are. The group itself doesn't have a hierarchy or an organization. It uses a Web site to announce its activities.

ROWLANDS: Over the years, ELF has claimed responsibility for millions of dollars of property damage. Targets have included housing developments, construction sites and car dealerships. Messages claiming responsibility are often left behind, like this banner, saying, "If you build it, we will burn it," which was found when the smoke cleared at a housing development fire in San Diego.

The ELF mission is to stop development and save the environment. Members, as can be heard on this old training tape, are encouraged to act on an individual basis on behalf of the group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take initiative, form your own cell, and do what needs to be done to protect all life on this planet.

ROWLANDS: Ryan Lewis is scheduled to make his first court appearance today in Sacramento.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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Aired February 17, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Director of national intelligence, the man who's had some tricky assignments, gets his toughest job yet. Is John Negroponte up to the task of being national director of intelligence?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Pill pushers. A CNN investigation into whether some pharmaceutical companies go too far to get your doctor to prescribe their drugs.

PHILLIPS: And soldiers' stories. A new documentary with a view of the war in Iraq like you've never seen it before.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.

PHILLIPS: Negroponte's his name, diplomacy's his game. But soon it will be intelligence, assuming Senate confirmation. And if you've been watching CNN, you know the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, is President Bush's choice for the top job in the overhauled U.S. intelligence system.

CNN's Elaine Quijano fills us in from the White House -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

President Bush said John Negroponte's years of experience in foreign service make him able to understand America's global intelligence needs. Of course, Ambassador Negroponte has served in a number of posts, including in Asia, Europe and Latin America. But the president today cited his experience over the past few months in Iraq, saying it will give the ambassador an advantage for an intelligence chief; namely, an up-close look at the enemy.

Now, this newly created job of director of national intelligence is an enormous one. It confirmed Mr. Negroponte will oversee the 15 intelligence agencies. And the president says, while he won't have an office in the White House itself, he will be the president's primary briefer on day-to-day intelligence matters. The president also making it clear that with concerns in the past over turf wars and control of budgets, that Mr. Negroponte will have the authority he needs to do his job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He will set the budgets. Listen, this is going to take a while to get a new culture in place, a different way of approaching the budget process.

That's why I selected John. He's a diplomat. He understands the -- and he's an experienced person.

He understands the power centers in Washington. He's been a consumer of intelligence in the past. And so he's got a good feel for how to move this process forward in a way that addresses the different interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Mr. Bush today also named the deputy to John Negroponte. That person is Lieutenant General Michael Hayden, the current director of the National Security Agency.

That choice may blunt some of the potential concerns about Mr. Negroponte, that while he has a lifetime of diplomatic experience, he does not necessarily have the extensive background in the intelligence field. But with Lieutenant General Hayden, a career Air Force intelligence officer, as the number two, that may quiet some of those concerns.

As for Ambassador Negroponte, his choice -- the choice of him for this position was surprising to many here in Washington. His name was not among those that was widely circulated -- that were widely circulated for this particular position. Nevertheless, President Bush making it clear today that he trusts John Negroponte's judgment -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano live from the White House. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Before Baghdad, Negroponte's long career in foreign service took him to Mexico, the Philippines, Honduras and U.N. headquarters, where we find CNN's Richard Roth who picks up the trail from there -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, a 40-year career of government service for John Negroponte, notably at the U.N. when the United States and 14 other countries of the Security Council passed that resolution, in effect, authorizing immediate action, serious consequences if Iraq didn't comply. Nevertheless, Negroponte was not able to rally a second resolution there at the United Nations.

He is well liked, trusted, straightforward. That's what you here at the United Nations by officials. Kofi Annan, the secretary- general, when John Negroponte went to Iraq, said he's an outstanding professional, a great diplomat and a wonderful ambassador there.

Of course, a lot of the concern about Negroponte from critics, even as he went to Iraq as the U.S. ambassador there, presiding over the U.S.'s largest embassy, 3,000 people or so, his term as ambassador in Honduras for four years, '81, '85, critics say he had to know about human rights abuses in Honduras and the arming of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Nicaragua, next door. He has denied many of those allegations.

Negroponte's been everywhere, as you mentioned, Miles, Mexico, Philippines, Honduras. He was even Vietnam and was a player there as Henry Kissinger tried to make peace there.

When he went to Iraq, he said it was his toughest challenge, steep learning curve. Now he's got what he said today is his newest and stiffest challenge.

He has five adopted children from Honduras with his wife. But otherwise, he's rather soft-spoken, but firm. Not a man who likes the television cameras, perhaps a perfect fit then for the intelligence community -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: It sounds like he has his hands full at home and at the office right now. Richard Roth, thank you very much.

CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

PHILLIPS: Well, Iraq is a step closer to a permanent government. Today officials certified the results of the landmark January 30 vote. There weren't any big surprises, though.

The Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance got close to 50 percent of that vote. It will hold the most seats in the new, parliament followed by the Kurds and the pro-U.S. prime minister, Ayad Allawi. Now, next, the national assembly will elect Iraq's president and then get to work on drafting a constitution.

The Iraq elections were roundly considered a success by the Bush administration, but officials say it's not yet time to withdraw U.S. troops. Some military families beg to differ. CNN's Dan Lothian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSE GONZALES, DAUGHTER OF NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE SOLDIER: It's hard.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rose Gonzalez digs out photos of her mother, Migdalia Cortez (ph)...

GONZALES: I know I have them up here.

LOTHIAN: ... a sergeant in the Army National Guard, now providing base security in Iraq. It's an emotional journey through one family's conflict with war.

GONZALES: It's every day. You know, it's a waiting game. When will I hear from her? Has something happened to her?

Just the other day, hearing that a roadside bomb kills three National Guard people, and that's all it says. And you're thinking, oh, my god. My mother isn't even listed on here. Se said it was somewhere near the city.

LOTHIAN: Gonzales keeps a map of Iraq on the wall of her home near Boston, a reminder of where her mother is and where she doesn't want her and other soldiers to be.

GONZALES: Bring the troops home. That's what I'd like to see. I'd like to see the military taken out of there.

LOTHIAN: At a recent anti-war rally in Boston, Gonzales, with one child and another on the way, joined other military families and some veterans in an emotional protest.

GONZALES: I'm going to be 30 this year, but I still need my mother and my children need their grandmother.

LOTHIAN: More tears as she read an e-mail from her mother.

GONZALES: I'm the front Humvee vehicle driver. I will be driving with an M16 out of the window in my arms. I hope I make everybody proud.

LOTHIAN: Cortez (ph), who was deployed for a year and a half, is proud to serve her country. Her daughter, who stays in touch by e- mail, stands equally tall in her opposition to war. But don't call her unpatriotic.

GONZALES: The rhetoric that you can't support the soldiers and be anti-war is false. And I feel like that's my experience. I feel like I can support her and I can support the soldiers without supporting the war.

LOTHIAN: Gonzales believes that in post-election Iraq, all of the military responsibilities should shift away from the U.S., allowing troops like her mother to come home.

GONZALES: It's not like she's on some vacation. She's at war every day, and that makes every day seem like a year.

LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: A teacher is accused of giving an explosive lesson to his students. That story tops our look at news "Across America."

An Orlando, Florida, teacher accused of giving his chemistry students instructions on bomb-making. Authorities say a chemical breakdown for a kind of explosive used by Mideast suicide bombers was found in David Pieski's classroom. And there was a can full of black powder as well. He faces charges, including culpable negligence.

In Kansas, the BTK serial killer appears to be at it again. The FBI confirming two earlier letters found in Wichita indeed from the serial killer. The agency still investigating the authenticity of a package received at a TV station just yesterday. Jewelry and notes believed to be from the killer were inside. In California, an elderly woman is refusing to leave her hospital bed, although she's not sick. Kaiser Permanente gave 82-year-old Sara Nome (ph) her discharge papers more than a year ago. But Nome (ph) won't leave because she says she has nowhere to go. The woman has racked up -- get this -- $1 million in unpaid medical bills.

PHILLIPS: Arnold Schwarzenegger flexes his political muscle in Washington. The California governor went to Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers to promote his plan to redraw congressional and state legislative districts. The governator says he's enjoyed his first term in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: I have been having the greatest time ever since I became governor. I love my connection with the people. I love the partnership that I've formed with the people of California.

And I think because of that, we will do some really true reforms this year in many different areas. If it is the budget reforms, education reform, redistricting reform, and pension reform, all of that will be accomplished because the people of California are true partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Schwarzenegger's redistricting plan has its detractors. Some Republicans fear it could cost the party seats in Congress.

O'BRIEN: Thieves spot a weak point in a company system.

PHILLIPS: And now you may be the one being robbed. Ahead on LIVE FROM, concerns about the personal information of thousands of people falling into the wrong hands.

O'BRIEN: And drug companies under investigation for alleged overly aggressive marketing techniques. We'll have that story.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: No, that's not Jimi Hendrix. He's a soldier serving in Iraq, and it's a scene from "Gunner Palace," a new documentary on the war. We're going to talk about it just ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: John Negroponte thought he had it tough in Baghdad. But as we've told you, the veteran diplomat was nominated today to serve as the U.S. government's first intelligence director, or czar, if you will. As ambassador to Iraq he's been up against the insurgents; in Washington he's likely to be confronted by an entrenched security establishment.

We talked a short time ago with Representative Jane Harman, a Democrat. She hits on the House Intelligence Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JANE HARMAN (D), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I just talked to John Negroponte about half an hour ago. I was kidding with him. I told him he traded the Green Zone for the hot zone. And he sure did. And he's going to have his hands full.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Joining us now, the Republican chairman of the intel committee, Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan.

Congressman Hoekstra, good to have you with us.

REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: Well, thank you very much. Good to be with you.

O'BRIEN: All right. Green Zone, reference to Baghdad, of course. Hot zone, reference to the nature of the task that lies ahead.

Entrenched bureaucracies here. A lot of people who think they know a lot of things, a lot of smart people. Does he have the right levers of power, the right authority to try to reign all that in?

HOEKSTRA: Well, the characterization that he is going to be fighting with entrenched bureaucrats is absolutely right. The job that the president and Congress have assigned to John is to really transform the intelligence community.

He has had a reputation of making change happen in the past. He's obviously been successful in Baghdad. I think he's got the right tools and the right demeanor to be able to go into the intelligence community and give us the kind of intelligence community we need to keep America safe.

O'BRIEN: Well, now, you say "right tools." He's a diplomat, an ambassador. Does that necessarily give you the right tools for this job?

HOEKSTRA: Well, I think the right tools are, number one, he has the president's support. That is a huge tool, it is a huge lever.

Congress, I think, has given him a number of authorities. Primarily and most significantly, the ability to determine the budget for the entire intelligence community. And then I think his personal skills, the background, the diplomatic skills, and those kinds of things.

I think you've got a package here that indicates this guy can be successful in the assignment that this president has given to him.

O'BRIEN: All right. But having that budget authority over this disparate entity, which includes all kinds of command charts and chains of command, doesn't necessarily mean that when it comes time for that briefing with the president he will be able to give the president a clear picture of what's going on in the world, right?

HOEKSTRA: Well, that's exactly right. And that's why we're transforming the intelligence community.

One of the things that we'll have a hearing on later this -- this spring is what should the intelligence community really be able to provide to the president every morning in a daily briefer? And, you know, how do we kind the kind of clarity and how do we get the kind of information to the president from the intelligence community that the president needs? And I think that's one of the -- that's John's job, to transform the community, to make that a reality.

O'BRIEN: All right. But that's much easier said than done. If you were in that job, what would you do first to try to reign all that in?

HOEKSTRA: Well, the -- I'd do one of the things that John did early today, is he called me. He's talked to Jane Harman. And I think he recognizes that -- and not only does he need the support of the president to make this happen, but he also needs the support of Congress to make this happen.

You know, we do the oversight. We've written the legislation. And we are very supportive of creating a strong director of national intelligence.

We will do the oversight. And if we need, we will do the pushing to make sure that John has the necessary clout to get this job done and get it done successfully.

O'BRIEN: All right. But just one final thought here. I keep going back to this, because by my read of all the intelligence failings that led up to this invasion, the weapons of mass destruction problem, all of that, by my read of that it wasn't so much a problem at the top as it was right there on the front lines. Just an inability to get people on the ground and get good, solid, human intelligence.

Is an intelligence czar a cure to what ails intelligence in the United States?

HOEKSTRA: What we need is -- in this job, John's got to be the chief executive officer. That means he has to understand what the threats are to the United States, how we get information against those threats, and whether the intelligence community is properly structured and resourced to make that happen.

If we could have had this kind of strategic thinking going on in the 1990s, we would have known that we needed more human rather than less human intelligence if we were going to successfully understand...

O'BRIEN: We had a lot of smart people running all these agencies then. Why didn't they know that themselves then?

HOEKSTRA: I mean, they were not communicating. There was not a strategic plan in place. We knew that terrorism was developing during 1990s. But no one ever sat down and said, because -- the only way you're going to penetrate terrorist organizations is to have good human collection. And rather than building up human intelligence during the 1990s, we gutted it. And I think the failure for that is we did not have a person at the top responsible for planning and thinking strategically about what kind of intelligence community we needed.

O'BRIEN: Peter Hoekstra is a Republican from Michigan. He's chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Thanks for your time.

HOEKSTRA: Hey, great. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: How do you stop the enemies within?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrorism is not just al Qaeda and international groups wanting to do this country harm. There is home- grown domestic terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: On the trail of Americans who turn to violence to promote their cause.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. It's day two of Fed chief Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress. I'll have his latest comments on Social Security and Medicare coming right up on LIVE FROM.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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PHILLIPS: All right. Day two on Capitol Hill with the Federal Reserve chair, Alan Greenspan. And he's had some tough words on the Social Security system.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I would say that was a -- he gave a rather tepid endorsement of the private accounts, because I think he's a little concerned about those deficits, right, Kathleen? Kathleen Hays, by the way.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, you mention the word "terrorism," and you think al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. But there's another kind of terrorism threatening the United States, ecoterrorism. And its foot soldiers are radical activists who torch and bomb to save the Earth, or so they say.

CNN's Ted Rowlands has our report.

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TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may not look dangerous, but the FBI thinks that 21-year-old Ryan Lewis is a terrorist. Lewis was arrested last week in Northern California for allegedly planting unexploded bombs at a construction site.

KEITH SLOTTER, FBI AGENT: And the bottom line is this is terrorism, no matter how you look at it. Terrorism is not just al Qaeda and international groups wanting to do this country harm. There's homegrown domestic terrorism and that's what this is, ecoterrorism.

ROWLANDS: Lewis is suspected being a member of the environmental group Earth Liberation Front, or ELF. The group is believed to be responsible for a string of attempted bombings near Sacramento over the past three months, including the discovery of a pipe bomb at a DMV office on Tuesday.

The FBI is analyzing a letter, signed ELF, which takes responsibility for the attacks, saying they are "a statement against work and the horror of the cubicle." The letter, which also promises more attacks, was sent to, among others, Sam Stanton, a Sacramento newspaper reporter who's been tracking ELF for years.

SAM STANTON, REPORTER, "SACRAMENTO BEE": Well, nobody knows who they are. The group itself doesn't have a hierarchy or an organization. It uses a Web site to announce its activities.

ROWLANDS: Over the years, ELF has claimed responsibility for millions of dollars of property damage. Targets have included housing developments, construction sites and car dealerships. Messages claiming responsibility are often left behind, like this banner, saying, "If you build it, we will burn it," which was found when the smoke cleared at a housing development fire in San Diego.

The ELF mission is to stop development and save the environment. Members, as can be heard on this old training tape, are encouraged to act on an individual basis on behalf of the group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take initiative, form your own cell, and do what needs to be done to protect all life on this planet.

ROWLANDS: Ryan Lewis is scheduled to make his first court appearance today in Sacramento.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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