and we're told that the c.i.a. ran into so many logistical and legal and political obstacles that this thing just never flew. >> rose: go ahead. >> all i was going to say is the other thing that's really... the reason it's creating so much controversy, asere's an issue at oversight. basically, under law, the c.i.a. is supposed to inform congress of any major intelligence operations that it is planning. not necessarily just ones that are already under way. and so the hill... congress was already furious with the c.i.a. for what some members up their felt was not adequately telling them about the interrogation and detention programs of that the c.i.a. rap during the bush years. that's why you have noeps saying she didn't understand or was not told about... was not told about waterboarding. you've had senator white house from rhode island saying that they lied and said that torture was necessary and only done as a last resort and in fact they jumped to it right away and it didn't work. there have been many allegations

she basically said it is the c.i.a. in general. you have the democratic congress at war with the democratic white house over the intelligence authorization bill, about whether or not you should brief just the top ranking members of the intelligence committees or whether the whole committee should be briefed and the white house has issued what is its only veto threat, its first veto threat over this. this is what the democrats doing about intelligence right now, which doesn't seem to be the message that they want to send. >> what we have here is a truth issue, and it is a politics issue. on the truth, we need to hear from the head of the c.i.a., what he said, but he's not going to tell us in detail, obviously, what he said in a closed session, but what was the general area, where in the world, what time, was something concealed or lied about? he is the one who would know. meantime, the politics puzzling. the only advantage i can see that democrats gain is to blacken the name of the bush administration, which is, of course, an exerci

he is trying t bring the c.i.a. into a new day without lowering its morale by psecuting people for pastrenls you behavior. >> rose: the her thing that cos up, scott,the c.a. received a lot of criticism, obviously because of wpons of mass desuction, also because the neoconservativ didn't trust the c.i.a. have all those things been fixed? whatever t complaints were r whatever reason? is the c.i.a.... despite all this, operating a a level of more productive, more professional, better? >>ell, that' a very tough judgment call. you kn,ometimes you forget that ty're given very, very difficult jobs too. it's sort of the. it's secret work, often the kind of stuffno one else wants to deal wit and often underintense political pressure fro the white house. somemes from congss. sometime contradictory pressure. but i don't really know. the hasn't been a cleaning of the house at c.i.a. by myeans. i think it's yone's guess as to how the c.i.a. is reall operating athis point. rose: it's a guess. you don't really know. we don'teally k

i left the c.i.a. in 1975, at the height of the congressional hearings in the agency, which i felt were really eroding the capability. and i testified in early 1976 against the nomination of george h.w. bush as director on grounds that he had been the republican chairman. i have nothing against the man personally. i had every respect for him. >> eric: you're talking about the -- >> i thought it was a bad precedent. >> eric: you're talking about the church intelligence committee hearing, that some say demoralized the c.i.a., hampered the c.i.a. and tied its hands. others say the c.i.a. can't do black bag jobs, they can't go out and assassinate foreign leaders and they can't do stuff that's against the law. >> that's true. there was word that the c.i.a. crossed the line, there is no question about that. i think the congress crossed the line, too, in emasculating the agency. when it -- >> eric: do you think that they are trying to do it again now? do you think it's happening again right now? >> i don't thi

other important issues that came up was the c.i.a. detention program. e lawyer for ben al shiv talked about sleep deprivation now because he is having trouble sleeping but also sleep dep spryvation prior to september 2006. it was at that point that the military sensor stepped in and cut the audio to the gal i where all were sitting. prior to 2006, ben al shiv and high-value detainees were held at the sec ket prison. they believe any o trial of the conspirators will be a trial within the trial, a trial of the prosecution and then a trial of the c.i.a. program n closing, if there was one detainee who heaped insult on the process, it was wall lead bin atach. i saw him make an airplane like this one and shoot it at the other detainee in the courtroom. this summed up the disdain and contempt that these men feel for the process here at guantanomo. bret. bret: catherine, that is fascinating reporting. thank you very much. catherine herridge live in guantanomo bay, cuba. >> you're welcome. bret: congressional democrats are still pressing for more answers about a

tonight, is the c.i.a. lying? some democrats say yes, but are they just covering up for nancy pelosi? also, the endorsement of a supreme court nominee and how it affects next week's hearings, plus cap and trade and healthcare reform, are they a double whammy to small business? i will explain. if you believe this is a great country but the government is driving us down the wrong path, it's time to pull over. come on, follow me. leon panetta apparently told the house committee in closed door testimony that the c.i.a. has misled congress for the past eight years about classified operations, and if this sounds somewhat familiar, there's a good reason. house speaker nancy pelosi accused the agency of not coming clean about their use of waterboarding of terror suspects back in 2002. so, who's telling the truth and who's not? in washington is michael scheuer, former c.i.a. senior official and author of "marching towards hell, america and islam." thank you for being with us. >> thank you. steve: i watched pelosi's news con

from the dawn of the c.i.a. and there has been the slow trickle of revelations so maybe there's not as much to actually come out of one of these committees because it's been dribbling out for eight years. so i think they're going to weigh that. gwen: as i say, pandora's box, you're going to be busy covering the ninth year of the bush administration for some time to come. thanks, everybody. we got to go. but the conversation continues online. we'll take your questions in our web exclusive washington week q&a. join in by logging in at pbs.org/washingtonweek. keep up with daily developments on the newshour with jim lehrer. on monday jim sits down with president obama and on wednesday, the president holds a prime time news conference. before we go tonight, we want to send our condolences. we've been told there are many news reports tonight that a legendary cbs newsman walter cronkite has passed away. we send our condolences to those at cbs and to the con cite family. we will see you next week on "washington week." go

bret: house democrats up the ante over the c.i.a. n to assassinate terrorists and is the stimulus really working? the friday lightning round is next. my doctor told me something i never knew. as we get older, our bodies become... less able to absorb calcium. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones. some people like to pretend... a flood could never happen to them... and that their homeowners insurance... protects them. it doesn't. stop pretending. it can happen to you. protect your home with flood insurance. call the number on your screen... rrd d ou naing onon ud r. weotototatatininci on us cars for everybody anont cfidedence ininin o. caususususlendnds s ve a a a t tcks. ququq n . >> the allegations are that after 9/11, the c.i.a. and other parts of the government looked at ways to either capture, detain, contain or kill al qaeda leaders. that's not all that shocking. i think most americans would think that that's something that w

the c.i.a. did or did not share with congress; a report from california on how the economic downturn is affecting the price of milk; and a debate about making it easier for labor unions to organize workers. major funding for the newshour with jim lehrer is provided by: >> we are intel, sponsors of tomorrow. >> oil, energy, the environment, where are the answers? this isn't a liberal or a conservative issue. it's a human issue. as an energy company, chevron has a great responsibility, so we've improved our own energy efficiency 27% since 1992. and now we ask you to join us in one of the most important efforts of our time: using less. will you join us? chevron, human energy. the national science foundation. supporting education and research across all fields of science and engineering. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. th

they mislead us all the time. >> reporter: if vice president dick cheney did say to the c.i.a. "don't tell congress," is that against the law? >> it's probably skirting the law. the question is, what do you do with that? i don't think there's going to be any will on congress to prosecute him. >> reporter: potentially more serious is a criminal probe being considered by the attorney general who says he'll decide soon whether to investigate the bush administration's harsh interrogation tactics. katie? >> couric: nancy cordes reporting from the capitol tonight. now turning to the war on terror in afghanistan. the taliban has launched a new offensive to destabilize the country and intimidate voters before the upcoming august elections. after the taliban captured one small town in eastern afghanistan, u.s. and afghan forces engaged them in a dramatic fire fight to take it back. cbs news has an exclusive look at the operation as mandy clark reports from the front line. ( gunshots ) >> reporter: this is the battle for barge matal. it started at dusk yesterday. insurgents high on ridges

they reported the plan on monday after c.i.a. director leon paneta informed the congress that he had scrapped the plan. the plan had been on and off since 2001. leon paneta found out about it he cancels it but immediately it's in the press. is it any wonder there are people he wanted to keep it secret? >> that's true. but the timing is this. the republicans were about to rest recollect nancy pelosi accusing the c.i.a. of lying to her. they were going to use the opportunity of the intel authorization bill. to head that off, democrats jumped up and said, couple weeks ago paneta briefed us about secret program. think was from khairn any. so the focus now is talking about the evils of cheney. >> media manipulation? >> i think the media has swallowed hook, line and sinker. >> think the media has not bought it. from the ufg ton post on the left to andrew mccarthy and national review everybody is raising questions about what is the big deal here. this was a plan, into the program. the president signed an executive order. it's been known

the head of the house intelligence committee has asked the c.i.a. to provide documents about the now cancelled proposal. democrat hastings, who is on the committee -- >> president bush needs to step forward and say what he knew and when he knew it. did he know that the vice president directed us not to be informed? >> senator dieian feinstein heads the senate intelligence committee. >> the thing that i think is out there that is of deep concern to us is the fact that the committee should have been notified when the program -- before it commenced, and then we could have watched the program. >> michael hayden, the former head of the c.i.a., told n.p.r. yesterday that former vice president dick cheney never told him not to brief congress about the fledgling proposal, despite the fact that c.i.a. director leon panetta reportedly told the house and senate intelligence committees that he found notes in cheney's hand writing to that effect. cheney's daughter liz defended her father. >> you had general hayden yesterday come out publicly and say it's just not

he kept the c.i.a. a program a secret from congress. >> the best selling cars on e-bay but could be a tough sell for auto dealers. a tantrum. they're closed. the animal rights folks attacking again. this time it's over dead fish. remember this debate. our slowing began this morning comes from one of our wounded warriors, manny pina of pennsylvania. if we feel any better in the morning it would be illegal. >> this very early 6 a.m. on sunday. >> get your stuff together. >> i'm running a little behind on that. a little bit. >> an hour early than you usually -- >> i didn't know. they output more to fill in for allison. normally the show starts at 6:00. it's great. the weekend it's 6:00. the great thing, you get an extra hour sleep. >> making sure. a little extra caffeine. >> i am not complaining. i love being here. this is not a complaint. >> this ray of sunshine. i'm clayton morris. so many coming up on the show. breaking news overnight and future stuff we're looking forward to. sonia sotomayor, the hearin

we have one now looking into the obstruction of c.i.a. tapes but this would be, at least as i read the stories, very specific and focused. obviously eric holder is a superb attorney general. he's going to make up his mind what is the best thing to do. i just don't want to see an instance where if the higher-ups gave the order to break the law that the ones who get punished are the people basically on the front line, the lower-level troops. >> schieffer: what does that mean? does that mean you're for a special prosecutor or not? >> i'm not going to interfere with the special prosecutor. that's entirely up to the attorney general. >> schieffer: would you advise him to do that? >> i would love to see... my advice to him i keep private. usually it's more worthwhile. but i will... i would like to see the inquiry... i that i this they may have some problems because the commission of inquiry i talked about would have given immunity to go into all this. obviously we won't want to do that if there's criminal prosecutions being looked at. maybe some

we often forget that the c.i.a. exists really to systematically viote the laws ofther countries. >> ifill: but no our own aws. >> but no our own laws but i do think that on question as we think about the stakes... theistakes that the c.a. made a the they tellabout thisr that, an abiding question f me is do we have the kindof intelligen agency need in a wodike this, that is dangerous? how is c.i.a. performance being aected by these investigations, by the thrts of prosecutio my sensis that this is tough time for the c.i.a. and that perfoance is suffering. >> ifll: the obama administration has said th don' particularly want to looback at this oruestions about detainee teor orator tr, interrogations. arehey changing their mds now? >> ll, it depends whh partthe administration you're talkin about. i mean the political team around president obama reall does not want t open up this c of worms. theyee this as a distraction that will get in the way of the own priories which are thin like health care. they just donot want this

did former vice president cheney order the c.i.a. to keep from congress a program to target top al qaeda operatives, and if so, does this disclosure take the heat off of nancy pelosi's inflammatory accusations that the c.i.a. misled congress? there is no credible explanation of what the c.i.a. program was designed to do or more importantly, if it was ever fully operational. what appears clear is that c.i.a. director leon panetta cancelled the program, whatever it was, on june 23 and subsequently briefed house and senate democrats about its demise. house democrats complained they had been kept in the dark. the senate intelligence committee's top democrats said the lack of notification might have broken federal law. >> we were kept in the dark that. is something that should never ever happen again. >> republicans said it was too early to jump to conclusions but said house democrats may be trying to help pelosi. >> this looks to me suspiciously like an attempt to provide political cover to her and others. >> today the speaker offered thi

the dispute between congress and the c.i.a. opened a new and angry chapter today when democrat jan shahkowski of the house intelligence committee claims that panetta killed a covert program after she said it had been did deliberately hidden from congress for eight years. now, the congresswoman is calling for hearings. >> there is really two issues. there is the issue of the substance of the program, and we will look at that as a member of the intelligence committee but the serious question of a decision not to brief the congress on something very important. it may be a breach of the law. >> the serious charge is not where the accusations ended. the congresswoman claims there is a broader problem that boils down to attitude. >> what i felt when i came to the intelligence committee that the leaders of the intelligence community, not all, but several of them, actually were contemptuous of the congress, like we were an annoyance, like why do they have to answer all of our questions, and you know, this is a waste of time and why are

we'll take a look and james rosen talks with hillary clinton about north korea, the c.i.a. and her political future. all that, plus the all-star panel, right here, right now. welcome to washington. i'm bret baier. while president obama pushes healthcare reform, the unwelcome issue of race has come thanks to comments he made wednesday night. he reacted to the arrest of harvard professor henry louis gates who was charged last thursday with disorderly conduct. wendell goler reports on the policemen, the professor and the president. >> having said he didn't know what role race played in his friend henry gates' arrest, the president weighed in anyway in a primetime news conference. >> i think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry, number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> the fraternal order of police reacted sharply, saying in a statement, quote, it's unfortunate that mr. obama chose to say anything. as he traveled the next thing, aides said mr. obama wasn't

>> well i guess what we know now is because the new director of the c.i.a. who told the committee what we know is that former vice president cheney specifically wanted the committee not to be briefed on a particular program in the war on terror. and that's unusual. i mean we knew that he really disliked the oversight part of congress. he's always been against it but to cut them out on purpose is, you know, it's going to create an obvious huge fight, a big problem. >> ifill: david, what do we know, if anything, about what that program may have been? >> we don't know much. it appears that this was a program seeking to go after probably assassinate senior al qaeda leadership after

the current c.i.a. director says that he learned about the program last month and immediately cancelled it. >> a day in court for a d.c. mother accused of killing her four daughters then living with their bodies for months. jacks will go on trial after the bodies were found in january, 2008, authorities say the girls were dead for nearly seven months. a judge, not a jury, will decide her fate. >>> and new developments in two mother-daughter murders in largo earlier this year. an fbi profiler says they're not connected. police found karen lofton and her daughter inside their home back in january. well, two months later, another case similar in another neighborhood. the bodies of dolores dewitt and her daughter, ebony found in a similar car. they say it was just similar incidents, no suspects in either case. >>> and the space shuttle endeavour was supposed to blast off tonight but the launch was scrubbed because of bad weather for the second straight day. the launch team came within minutes of sending the

using radio intercepts and other intelligence, the c.i.a. bin laden in the mountains near the border of pakistan. following the strategy of keeping an afghan face on the war, fury's delta team joined the c.i.a. and afghan fighters and piled into pickup trucks. they videotaped their journey to a place called tora bora. fury told us his orders were to kill bin laden and leave the body with the afghans. >> fury: right here, you're looking at, basically, the battlefield from the last location that we had a firm on osama bin laden's location. >> pelley: this ridge line is at about 14,000 feet? and back this way toward me is pakistan? >> fury: that's right. >> pelley: on a scale of, say, one to ten-- ten being the toughest-- how tough a position is this to attack? >> fury: in my experience, it's a ten. >> pelley: delta developed an audacious plan to come at bin laden from the one direction he would never expect. >> fury: we want to come in on the back door. >> pelley: you were going up over the tops of the peaks? >> fury: that's right. the origina

members of congress want an investigation into reports the c.i.a. withheld information about a secret counter terrorism program. former vice president dick cheney reportedly ordered the spy agency not to reveal anything about the program. abc news is reporting that it was only in the planning and training stages before c.i.a. director leon panetta canceled it last month. >> we were kept in the dark. that's something that should neverr happen again. >> and the c.i.a. should brief the congress. congress should exercise responsible oversight. >> mr. cheney has not commented on these reports in the past though he has said the bush administration's intelligence gathering methods were legal. a woman accused of killing her four daughters and living with theirecomposing bodies for several months will go on trial tomorrow. the bodies were found inside her southeast d.c. home in january of 2008. authorities believe the girls had been dead for several months. a judge will be the one to decide her fate. the case led to changes in how d.c. handles its social work

at what point does the c.i.a. s particular idea has reached the threshold we should notify congress? or is this something we can keep internal because it's something we're hashing out in the brainstorming session? that's what's interesting about this, i think the fact that the vice president personally intervened to say, keep this secret, tells you it was something that was more than notional. it must be something rather significant he felt it needed to be kept from the oversight committees. host: this issue came up on yesterday's abc's "this week" with george receive knopp los. here's part of what they had to say. >> this allegation of the vice president ordering it to be kept secret, do you believe that should be investigated? >> the vice president and the vice president are the two people who have responsibility, ultimately, for the national security of the country. it is not out of the ordinary for the vice president to be involved in an issue like this. >> to order it to be kept secrete screth? >> what if it's

that was not the case because we were kept in the dark. >> reporter: c.i.a. director leon pen eta found out about the program on june 23rd and killed it on june 24th and kill informed cong -- informed congress that day. some c.i.a. say it never got to the fully operational stage. so there wasn't a need to tell congress. part of the worry seems to be the more people who know about it, the bigger chance of a leak. some republicans point to the timing of the report. >> this comes to a statement unproven of speaking pelosi that the c.i.a. had lied to her about interrogation techniques and this looks like it's providing coverage by her. >> reporter: lawmakers say they were kept in the dark. caroline shively, fox news. >>> sonia sotomayor will appear before the judicial committee tomorrow. the prident complimented her by making calls to 89 senators and is confident she will win senate confirmation. if confirmed she'll become the first hispanic on the supreme court. >>> and two british newspapers report michael jackson's sister la toya believes his brother was murder

the c.i.a., do you think we're just beginning? we've got... perhaps eric holder is going to do an investigation or appoint a special prosecutor. perhaps the congress is going to be looking into whether the vice president told them not to disclose things to congress about this initiative to assassinate al qaeda. i mean, is that, maybe, going to be at some point an emerging and converging story? >> it could be. i wrote stories for the "washington post" after 9/11, big headlines that said "bush orders c.i.a. to kill osama bin laden." and that, you know, i don't think there was much secret about that. now, whether they were thinking as these teams and so forth i think is rather logical. but we'll see. you don't know what's hidden. you don't know what people won't tell you or that they don't put in documents. so i think there should be inquiries or investigations into all those matters. they're important. but i don't find it surprising that bush wanted to kill osama bin laden. it turns out, as we know, bill clinton wanted to and actually tried to ki

the issue continues regarding the c.i.a. and some who say it never got to the fully operational stage so there was not a need to tell congress. part of the worry see to have been if the more people know, the bigger chance of a leak. some of the republicans point to the timing of the report. >> of course this comes on the heels of the statement, unproven, by the way by speaker nancy pelosi, regarding the c.i.a. lying to her regarding tactics of the army. >> reporter: former c.i.a. head michael hayden talked about the surveillance video programs. hayden said he personally briefed top lawmakers. so far, president obama is silent on the controversy, but has repeated opinions about the bush abuses. >>> and tomorrow, confirmation hearings for sonia sotomayor. she will appear before the senate committee. she will face tough questioning, and president obama called to wish her good luck before the questioning. and tonight, others weigh in regarding the hearings. >>> and to maryland, where two mother-daughter murders in largo this year

had a hook to get back at the c.i.a.. >> julie: what does she have against the c.i.a.? >> we found a month ago they had briefed her on abusive interrogation techniques. she denied that. c.i.a. says no, we have a record of that. unless there is a shoe to drop, i just don't see the purpose of this investigation. contingency planning all the time with the approval of the white house and it doesn't need to tell congress. >> julie: after 9/11 c.i.a. was responsible for tracking down osama bin laden. why is it that the democratic congress people are trying to pick a beef with the c.i.a. that is supposed to be responsible for tracking down terrorists? if we don't have the c.i.a. to do it, who is going to do it? i don't get it. >> i don't get it either. we already assassinating people with hell fire is missiles and it's authorized with congress. six people were killed in a car in yemen. there has been assassinations,. it's just a minute difference what we're doing already. >> julie: and there is a controversial issue, vice president dick cheney, what did he know about it and wh

the c.i.a., do you ink we're ju beginning? we've got... perhaps eric holder is gng to do investigation or appoint aspecial precutor. perhaps the congss is going to be looking into whether the ve president ld them not to disclose this to congrs abouthis initiative to assassinate al qae. i mean, is that maybe, going to be a some point an emerging and converging story? >> it uld be. i wrote stories for the "washington post" aft 9/11, big headlinthat said "bush orders.i.a. to kil osama bin laden." and that, you know i don't think there was much secret out that. now, whether they were thinking as theseeams and so forth i thk is rather logical. t we'll see. u don't know what's hidden. you don' know what pple won't tell y or thathey don'tut in documen. i think there ould be inquiries orinvestigations into all the matters. they're important. but don't fd it surprising that bh wanted to kill osama bin laden. turns out,s we know, bill clinton want to and aually tried to kill osama n lad. >> rose: and y also have ggested that if vice president t vice

supreme court, y've written about the presidency you've written about the military, you've writtenbout the c.i.a. >> and in all of those books and stors, congress plays a role. and sometime it's a big role sometimes it's a role mor on the sideline. but it'suite evident that the presidency nowas concentration of power,iven all of the problems and ws and the financial...ngoing financial difficulties and economic difficulty and that that's where the action i t, you know, congressan do all kinds of things. i think that they are a player in this, but if you want to describe the era, just like i de an attempt to describe the bush era, you've got to understand the psident. you've got to understand how the president thinks, gsdvice, weighs it, makes decisions, who are e president listens to, who the president doesn't rlly lien to even if they're talkin because th's often the cas >>ose: yourassessment of bush. over the years, your sessment of him, your admirationfor him, yo judgment of him changed? >> well, you know people have talk about how he in the first book, respse the 9/11, going to war in afghast

the c.i.a. said we don't think the warheads are there yet. the first batch of 20 warheads are coming on a ship that will be there in two or three days. we'd had a contingency plan of attacked developed. the first day's air strike was planned with shorties, larger than any day in kosovo. we had 180,000 troops mobilized in southeast u.s. ports. we had the shipping there. we were ready to go. at 4:00 p.m., the chief said, mr. president, we recommend unanimously that you undertake this attack within two days. it wasn't until 29 years later in january, 1992, that we learned that at that moment the soviets had about 170 nuclear warheads on the soil of cuba. stup already there. >> roughly 90 tactical and roughly 80 to be used in the missile to attack 90 million americans. that's how you make mistakes. >> rose: or you have bad intelligence. >> well, but we had a damn good intelligence outfit. i have tremendous admiration for the c.i.a. >> rose: were they wrong about the number of nuclear warheads? >> you're damn right. but can intelligence people be

as the layers have been pulled back on that former director of the c.i.a. say that that is incorrect. the director of the national intelligence program, denny blair says it's not accurate. there is a lot of confusion out there. and, you know, remember, this is -- the democrats keep going. we now have the speaker of the house who says the c.i.a. lies all the time. the chairman of the committee says that they lie all the time. seven democrats on the committee have now basically made that same allegation against leon panetta. those are serious charges. off lot of people out there -- you have a lot of people out there working today to try to keep america safe. then you have the leadership in the house of representatives constantly attacking them without much evidence, if any evidence at all, of the charges that are being made against them. >> shannon: well, congressman, this latest investigation to come out of the house intelligence committee and also the talk by the attorney genre rick holder that there is still consideration about possibly going after some hea

it's not the c.i.a.'y number of time in the buildup of war and tries to sharpen their case for a war with iraq. and now we find out the vice president told them at some point don't release any information to congress because as cheney's daughters now talks for him says because they can't trust the democrats with hot stuff. we have a constitution where somebody without executive authority or constitutional authority called dick cheney is out there telling our intelligence's agency what's to do and what not to tell congress to do. your thoughts on this? >> well, my feeling is that the cia has no greater enemy, the cia professionalism had no greater enemy during the bush years that vice president cheney. he was leaning on him. he was beating up on him. he was, you know, way over the line. what we ought to want, what you ought to want, what bob bear wants because he worked there is for us to have a professional intelligence service the way we have a professional military, for the country to respect that. and

frm the dawn of th c.i.a. an there ha been the slow tricklef revelations so maybe thers not as much to actually come o of one of these committees becauset's been dribbli out for eight years. so i think hey're going to wei that. gwen: asisay, pando's box, you're goi to be busy covering theninth year of the bush administration for some time to come. thanks, everody. we got to go. but the conversatn continues online. we'll ta your questions in our web exclusi washingt weekq&a. jo in by logging in at pborg/washingtonweek. keep up with daily development on the newshour wih jim lehrer on monday jim sits dn with president obaa and on wednesday, the preside holds a prime time news confence. before we go tonght, we want to send our cndolences. we've bee told there are may news reports onight that legendary bs newsm alter cronkite has passed way. we send ur condolences to those at cbs and tohe con cite famly. we will see you next wee on "washington week." goodight. wnload our weeklypodcast and take us with you. it's the

the world. we're back now with former c.i.a. operative wayne simmons. have established the following -- you could get a baby through with bomb making materials through federal screeners. you could get bomb making materials themselves through federal screeners and very important federal offices in washington, d.c., and the people who do this are breather trained, better paid, more forceful than the people that are protecting us. how is it that we know this? how is it that this is now public knowledge that our security is so unacceptably weak >> great question, judge. the bottom line is they are -- they, meaning those who did these threat assessments. these are threat assessments and vulnerability solutions. the guys that are running these have made the public aware of those, and i think there is part of me that says, ok, that's good, but the flip side is, judge, we're also advising and warning our enemies that these types of things go on. let me jump back to one thing you said about the baby. i can tell you unequivocally that 30 years ago, there were time

we have new details tonight about the secret c.i.a. oposal to capture or kill al qaeda operatives. the big deal with all of this was that the vice president is accused now of keeping secrets from congress. a former senior intelligence official tells fox news the idea cam up several times under three different directors of the central intelligence agency. the proposed plan was first developed during the george tenet era in the days after the attacks of 9/11. but according to the official, tenet canceled the idea right before he left the agency in 2004. however, we're told his successor, porter goss, brought it back shortly thereafter, and that it continued under the following c.i.a. director, michael hayden. but we're told this proposal was just one of many ideas for dealing with al qaeda and that it never went past the planning stage, and this is key. because several lawmakers are acting upset after the current c.i.a. director leon panetta told them about it. he reportedly said he canceled the whole thing last month and he has notes ind

the fox report. democrats and congress calling for an investigation into a c.i.a. hat was allegedly kept secret by former vice president dick cheney. but some republicans question the timing of the report pointing out it comes on the heels of a firestorm of nancy pelosi claims that they lied to her about water boarding. >> president obama offering words of encouragement to sonia sotomayor expressing confidence she will win confirmation. tune in to a judging sotomayer anchored by brett baier and megyn kelly, takes place 8:00 p.m. eastern time. >> julie: today is a special day. we are paying a tribute to the a member of fox family, a man of unique talents and extraordinary character, press secretary tony snow. one year ago today, he sadly lost his vicious battle with colon cancer. he was a loving father and husband and loving friend. truly one of america's most gifted commentators. griff is live in washington. it was one year ago today, you and i were together on this very set when you were reflecting on your personal special memories with him and incredible to know t

the rash. >> there is a storm brewing on capitol hill over a country c.i.a. secret project. congressional leaders demand to know more about it, some want a full investigation. will unveiling the classified program pose a risk to our national security? >>> welcome back. taking a look at today's top stories. the fate of michael jackson's three children, it might be decided in two, not one, upcoming custody hearings. one will involve their grandmother, katherine jackson, set for july 20. and a conference call with mom, debbie roe planned for the 17th. >> the first family wrapping up their overseas trip today with a visit to a seaside fortress in ghana that was once used as slaves dungens in the 17th century. saying it proves cruelly and oppression can be overcome. >> in mississippi, 4500 people paid their last respects to steve mcnair. he was murdered by his girlfriend who then killed herself. >>> fire storm flairing up on the hill this week. democrats on house intelligent committee claiming the craig director told them that the agency concealed a secret program from congress fo