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Rumsfeld's Self-Defense

Aired April 12, 2006 - 13:38   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A couple more stars lining up against Donald Rumsfeld. A two-star general, retired, joining calls for the defense secretary to step down. Let's go live to the Pentagon and Barbara Starr.
Barbara, what do you make of all of this.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, let's explain to people a little bit what's been going on for the last couple of weeks. Until now, we've had three retired generals now publicly coming out, objecting to the war, calling for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to resign. One was General Newbold, an operations planner here in the Pentagon. One was General Tony Zinni, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, and the other was General Paul Eaton, who'd been in charge of training Iraqi forces in Iraq.

But today, someone who came out against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was Major General John Batiste. General Batiste commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in combat, had thousands of troops under his command, and frankly, surprised a lot of people this morning when in an interview with Miles O'Brien on AMERICAN MORNING, he called for the secretary to step down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. JOHN BATISTE, U.S. ARMY (RETIRED): I believe that we need a fresh start in the Pentagon. We need a leader who understands teamwork, a leader who knows how to build teams, a leader that does it without intimidation, a leader that conforms and practices the letter and the law of the Goldwater/Nichols Act.

Conversely, I think we need senior military leaders who understand the principles of war and apply them ruthlessly and, when the time comes, they need to call it like it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Well, he was then asked if he thought that the secretary should step down and he said yes in that interview. That has caused -- all of this is causing a bit of dismay here around the Pentagon, because officials say that these generals, if they had objections to the war, they should have voiced them while they were on duty, per standard procedure, which is, you voice your objections behind closed doors.

And then if you can't live with what the decision is, you retire. Yesterday, here in the Pentagon press briefing, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Pace, made his views very clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We had then and have now every opportunity to speak our minds. And if we do not, shame on us because the opportunity is there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Pace, again, Kyra, making it clear his level of dismay about this is that these generals, while they were on duty, he feels, had an obligation to voice their objections. He says he never heard any objections.

But an awful lot of these generals are saying that when they were on duty, they did voice their views and they felt that, still, things are not going the way they would have wanted -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I wonder too, behind closed doors, do they think, well, if I stand up and go against the president, or even generals that are one step or one level above me, it could cost me my job, my role? I mean, things tend to get political at times.

STARR: You know, absolutely. It's a very interesting culture to those of us who are civilians on the outside looking in at this very high-level military culture. And, you know, there are rules of the road for these guys -- there's no question about that -- which is if you have objection, you voice them privately, you voice them behind closed doors, you don't get really to say that you don't like the secretary of defense and you wish he'd move on.

That's not something you get to say when you're a general in the United States Army. That's not your job. That's the president's job. And if you voice objections to something that is under your responsibility and the higher-ups overrule you, you either salute smartly and carry on with the job, or you choose to retire.

So one of the very interesting questions lurking out there now is will there be more generals who do retire who voice these objections? But, clearly, it really should be emphasized there are still hundreds of generals and admirals on duty in the U.S. military who clearly support the current national policy on Iraq -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.

Let's get straight to Carol Lin. She's got a developing story out of Iraq. Carol, what do you have?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, out of Baquba, we have a car bombing in a Shiite mosque in a town north of Baghdad. Early reports, according to Reuters Wire Service, is that at least 20 people were killed, an unknown number of injuries.

This blast targeted worshipers at a mosque in the town of Hawaider (ph), and hospital officials say that there are dozens of casualties that are being treated right now.

Kyra, just to give a quick context, last week, a triple suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed 90 people. We're still working on this story. As soon as we get more information, we're going to bring it to you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Carol

LIN: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a big trip may leave you with a big bill this summer. Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, what the government says about gas prices for the next few months and why carmakers are paying attention.

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PHILLIPS: Rising gas prices as much a part of summer as heat waves, and just about as pleasant. The Energy Department says it expects an gallon of regular to cost an average $2.62 between now and September. That's 25 cents more than last summer.

It shouldn't come as a shock though. Prices are that high or higher in parts of the country already. Pricey gas is driving many people to hybrids, but that's not the only way the car industry is trying to lessen the pain at the pump.

Joining me now from the New York International Auto Show, automotive analyst Lauren Fix. Hi, Lauren.

LAUREN FIX, AUTOMOTIVE ANALYST: Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So are you standing -- are you purposely standing in front of your favorite car? Is that why we're taking you live at this spot?

FIX: Well, it's one of my favorite cars. There's a lot of really phenomenal cars here this year, I have to say. I just watched them launch the new Shelby Hertz car. They're going to be at places we can rent and I'm going to go rent one.

PHILLIPS: All right, you've got to school me, what's the Shelby Hertz car?

FIX: Well, Ford just launched a Shelby GT350, and you can't even get the GT350s, but they just launched the Hertz car, one of those retro stylings that are coming out. And it's really great because the people that loved these cars when we were kids -- the Challengers, the Camaros and the Shelbys -- well, they're coming back.

And it's a big resurgence here at the show, and Ford just launched a Shelby GT350-H -- being H, Hertz -- for collectors out there. And Hertz is going to rent these cars to consumers. So you can go out and rent a 330-horsepower Shelby GT350 to drive around.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my goodness. FIX: So, I'm going to go get one.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you're taking me back. Yes, the Camaro T-top, remember that, with the suped-up engine?

FIX: Yes, I do.

PHILLIPS: Oh my goodness. All right, well let's talk about ...

FIX: Yes, they're going to be great.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. No doubt. I wish I would have kept that car. Gas prices, sky high. Some car companies paying attention to that, others are not. Who do you think is really taking the gas situation seriously?

FIX: I think that all the manufacturers are taking the gas situation very seriously. What you're seeing is a lot of hybrids and the leaders are Ford and Toyota, being -- Lexus is under the Toyota window. But what you're seeing is like this -- a real interesting mix.

Like, we've noticed in the last year, Lexus had the 400h, the SUV come out. Now you've got the 450, the sedan. You're looking at a car that's around $54,000 but it has got the performance, and it's got everything you would want in a hybrid.

But they still have the lower end cars where you're looking at the Prius and the Accord, where they're still great vehicle, but then Ford has also got their Escape. And of the domestic manufacturers, Ford has really taken some major strides, and they really want their market share back.

PHILLIPS: Yes, and who do you think is doing the best job with regard to some of the pitfalls concerning hybrids? I mean, our copy editor was telling us today, in California drivers are getting so frustrated with some of these hybrid drivers in the HOV lane because they go slow to maximize the gas mileage.

FIX: Well, I think that's a personal driver choice. But in reality, like, the 400h behind me, or the 450h behind me does zero to 60 in 5.2 seconds. So the cars have the capabilities. I think the drivers are almost making it a contest, and it is very frustrating when people really try to maximize their fuel economy. But in reality, if you drive what the cars are designed for, that's 55 to 60 miles an hour, you're going to get your best fuel economy using cruise control.

And then, of course, being car care aware, checking your tire pressure and that basic maintenance, is still consistent whether you have a hybrid or any vehicle you might driving today.

PHILLIPS: Lauren Fix, thank you for the update. We'll check in with you again. Thanks, Lauren.

FIX: Thank you, Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, he's the lieutenant formerly known as prince. Now Britain wonders, will Harry go to war? That story just ahead right here on LIVE FROM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Queen Elizabeth had a chat with her grandson today and 449 other graduates of Britain's elite Sandhurst Military Academy. Prince Harry is now a 2nd lieutenant in one of England's oldest and most prestigious military units. The question now, will the prince go to war?

CNN's Paula Newton joins me now from London. Paula, what are the prince's prospects?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very good for going to war, in fact. Now, I have to point out he chose this profession himself. And he has said in an interview months ago that, look, he wasn't going to put himself through this military training to, and I'm quoting him, "sit on my arse here back home while the boys are, you know, fighting for the country." So I think you have to take him at his word.

The Blues and Royals that he's going to join are a reconnaissance unit. He will be a commander of 11 soldiers. It will be a dangerous job. And at this point, it's causing a lot headaches for the Ministry of Defense. He's got a little bit more training. He wouldn't be heading out probably until early next year at the earliest, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So he definitely will be headed to Iraq or Afghanistan?

NEWTON: That's pretty much the most likely prospects. They could also see some action in the Balkans or other U.N. or E.U. missions. But, you know, he really has joined, for lack of a better term, a regiment that, you know, gets down and dirty. And they have been called on in past histories to go out to these very, very difficult missions. And he says he's going, and the Ministry of Defense is saying fine, go ahead.

PHILLIPS: All right, so you look at situations, say, with his girlfriend. We saw these pictures -- because she's coming in to attend this big ball tonight, Chelsy Davy. You see the airport with five armed guards around her. How are we going -- I mean, is he going to go overseas with no armed guards? What's the reality of that?

NEWTON: Well, look, this is incredible, you know. His girlfriend tries to fly in from South Africa yesterday just to attend the ball where he will graduate, and she needs five armed guards to protect her. Now, having said that, a lot of that is just from the photographers and not necessarily from any kind of security threat. But there are security threats as well.

So what the Ministry of Defense here is saying, look, can we really send this guy into Iraq and Afghanistan without extra protection? There are plans on the table right now for him to have some special forces guarding him, which a lot of commanders in the Ministry of Defense are saying look, that's just going to be counterproductive.

But, at the same time, you know that they're going to be extra vigilant. I know where he's going to be in certain military barracks right now. There's already a huge discussion about how to refortify them, make sure they are safe. This is going to be unprecedented and very, very complicated for the Ministry of Defense.

At the same, not only is the royal family willing to do this, meaning the queen has sent out the message, look, no one is too precious to fight for our country, but it's also going to be a great morale boost to those British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who really could the morale boost right now.

PHILLIPS: Sure. And you talk about this being unprecedented. I mean, this could really change his image in a -- well, move his image into a very -- in a powerful way.

NEWTON: Well, I think this is a royal family coming of age. And you do see him maturing. I mean, just in the last few days, we've had the reports that he went out to see lap dancers in order to celebrate his graduating from the military college. You have to give him credit for at least just being 21 years old.

And Prince Charles has always said he's tried to raise his boys to be average people. Unfortunately, when they turn out to be average, normal people, they get into a little bit of trouble. It is going to be interesting, though, to see him and how he matures in this new military role.

PHILLIPS: There aren't going to be any lap dances on the front lines overseas, that's for sure, Paula. Paula Newton, live from London, thanks so much.

Well, three letters that can make your case or break it: DNA. The Duke rape investigation has put it in the spotlight. Coming up on LIVE FROM, our Alina Cho puts DNA under the microscope.

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