Rumsfeld critic changes tune on Iraq

Rumsfeld critic changes tune on Iraq
Retired general told Congress Saddam likely had nuke program

The most prominent of the retired generals calling for the ouster of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appears to have reversed his estimation of the former Saddam regime's threat to the world.

Anthony Zinni, former CENTCOM commander in the Clinton administration, says now that in the Iraq, "What bothered me ... [was that] I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew. There was no solid proof, that I ever saw, that Saddam had WMD."

But as noted by Fox News Channel host Brit Hume, Zinni told Congress in 2000, "Iraq remains the most significant near-term threat to U.S. interests in the Arabian Gulf region."

The general told lawmakers that Iraq "probably is continuing clandestine nuclear research, [and] retains stocks of chemical and biological munitions."

Even if Baghdad "reversed its course and surrendered all WMD capabilities," Zinni said in 2000, "it retains scientific, technical, and industrial infrastructure to replace agents and munitions within weeks or months."

Zinni is one of six retired generals calling for Rumsfeld's resignation.

Today, President Bush defended his Pentagon chief, saying he's doing a "fine job."

The president told reporters in the Rose Garden after introducing his choice for budget director, Rob Portman, he was issuing a vote of confidence to stop the rampant speculation.

"I listen to all voices, but mine is the final decision," Bush said. "And Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He's not only transforming the military, he's fighting a war on terror. He's helping us fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld."

The president said he's aware of the opposition.

"I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation," he said. "But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Donald Shepperd, a CNN military analyst, said he will be at a meeting today with Rumsfeld along with other retired generals who regularly appear as media analysts.

Although similar meetings have been held, Shepperd said today's event was called late last week amid the calls for the defense secretary's resignation.

The generals accuse Rumsfeld of ignoring advice from senior officers on how to execute the war in Iraq. In response, four retired generals came to Rumsfeld's defense in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal Monday.