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Pentagon Official to Resign
Stephen A. Cambone, the Pentagon's top intelligence official and a close ally of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, will step down at the end of the year, the first key department member to leave in the wake of Rumsfeld's resignation.
The Pentagon's intelligence-gathering came under fire during Cambone's tenure as undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Critics accused the Defense Department of trying to take expanded control over the nation's intelligence activities.
Cambone was in charge of intelligence when it was disclosed a year ago that a Pentagon database of suspicious activities contained the names of antiwar groups that had been found not to be security risks. Cambone ordered a review of the program.
Former CIA director Robert M. Gates, who has been nominated to replace Rumsfeld, did not request Cambone's resignation, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Todd Vician, said yesterday.
Records Preview Libby Trial
The classified documents that former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby wants to use in his upcoming perjury and obstruction trial discuss a diplomatic crisis in Turkey, the ousting of Liberian President Charles Taylor and the role of the Iraqi military after the fall of Saddam Hussein, according to newly released court records.
Libby, the former top aide to Vice President Cheney, is accused of lying to investigators and a grand jury about his conversations with journalists regarding former CIA operative Valerie Plame.
His defense is that he had other, more weighty issues on his mind and simply misspoke or forgot when interviewed by the FBI and the grand jury.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled last month that Libby must have access to some classified information at trial, but until yesterday the topics were sealed. Exactly what Libby might say about these subjects is unclear. Prosecutors and defense attorneys continued to argue those issues behind closed doors this week.
Bayh Plans Presidential Bid
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) intends to take the first official step toward a 2008 presidential campaign next week, officials said.
Bayh's plans include creation of a presidential exploratory committee, as well as appearances Monday in Iowa and next weekend in New Hampshire, two early states on the campaign calendar.
Bayh would be the second Democrat to take a formal step toward a presidential campaign. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is already in the race.
Among Republicans, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani have created exploratory committees, which permit fundraising to finance a candidate's travels.
-- From News Services
