JIM LEHRER: The next commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East called today for a new direction in Iraq. Admiral William Fallon has been nominated to lead the U.S. Central Command.
He told his Senate confirmation hearing, "What we have been doing has not been working, and we clearly have to do something different." He also said the U.S. may have to "redefine the goals" in Iraq. But he warned there isn't much time left to act.
Senators in both parties maneuvered today to build support for resolutions on the war. Democrats pressed for a nonbinding measure opposing the president's call to send more U.S. troops to Iraq. Republicans said that would hinder the new U.S. commander in Iraq.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader: There are many Republicans, myself included, who don't think any resolution is particularly helpful, having just confirmed General Petraeus 81 to nothing, and then passing something that indicates we think he's not got a great chance of success.
It strikes me as not the best way to go. But if we're going to do a resolution, I think some benchmarks for the Iraqi government might well be helpful.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader: Democrats and Republicans think what's going on there is wrong. And what I've heard from the other side is they're going to come up with a resolution calling for benchmarks. Now, where have you folks heard that before? You've heard it from us. So even the Republicans are very timid in their support for the (inaudible).
JIM LEHRER: Democratic leaders said they now expect the full Senate to begin debating Iraq next week. House Democrats plan to take up their own resolution after that. We'll have more on the Iraq war debate, including extended excerpts of today's hearings, right after this news summary.
Fresh violence killed at least 58 Iraqis today, most of them Shiite pilgrims. The attacks came as more than two million Shiites in Iraq marked their most important religious holiday.
The worst was northeast of Baghdad. A suicide bomber there killed 26 Iraqis, wounded dozens more, but heavy security prevented major incidents in Najaf, one of the Shiite holy cities.
On Monday, Iraqi and U.S. forces killed scores of cult members there before they could attack Shiite leaders. We have a report on the aftermath of that raid, narrated by Jonathan Miller of Independent Television News.
JONATHAN MILLER, ITV News Correspondent: The Soldiers of Heaven have come down to Earth with a thump, their doomsday cult doomed, their self-styled messiah dead, along with 263 of its acolytes in a fierce and bloody battle that came out of the blue. More than 500 arrested, 200 wounded.
Irrigation trenches where the obscure renegade group was holed up now filled with the dead. U.S. attack helicopters and F-16 bombers pummeled these positions, top cover provided by British Tornados.
Pictures of aftermath finally emerging, too. Dead bodies littering the wrecked village of Zarkah. Reports of dead women and children. The whole area now sealed off by U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops, amid a swirl of contradictory government statements, counterclaims by the cult, and questions about how a large and well-armed paramilitary unit have been able to set up such elaborate defenses and dig in right under the noses of the Iraqi security forces.
The dead leader of the Soldiers of Heaven, an Iraqi Arab, accused of plotting to kill Najaf's Iranian-dominated Shia hierarchy during Ashura, the holiest festival of the Shia Muslim calendar. So, as sectarian violence rages between Sunni and Shia in Iraq, signs now of a civil war within a civil war, insurrection by a sect within a sect.
JIM LEHRER: Also in Iraq today, the U.S. military reported the deaths of two more American troops.
At the CIA leak trial today, the vice president's former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, faced a new challenge in his perjury-obstruction case. Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller testified Libby discussed Valerie Plame in June of 2003. That contradicts Libby's account.
Plame was a CIA officer whose name came out when her husband challenged pre-war claims on Iraq. We'll have more on this story later in the program.
A top House Democrat charged today the Bush administration has tried to mislead the public on global warming. Congressman Henry Waxman of California chaired a hearing on claims of political interference with scientists. He said he and Republican Tom Davis have asked repeatedly for White House documents.
REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), California: I would never want scientists to manipulate research so that they can tell me what they think I want to hear. I don't want politically correct science; I want the best science possible.
In this instance, the committee isn't trying to obtain state secrets or documents that could affect our immediate national security. We are simply seeking answers to whether the White House's political staff is inappropriately censoring impartial government scientists.
JIM LEHRER: No administration officials testified at the hearing, but Republican Congressman Darrell Issa of California came to their defense.
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), California: The hinterland watching this, and even the people in the gallery here today, understand that global warming is not a secret hidden from the American people by the government.
There have been huge amounts of money, huge amounts of awareness as to global warming. There is a debate going on as to what part the human being plays in it and how much of it is simply us coming out of a mini-ice age. And I believe good science should be used, employed, paid for, and deliver us answers so that we can make intelligent decisions.
JIM LEHRER: Two private advocacy groups presented a survey of government scientists to the committee. Two in five said their scientific papers on climate change have been edited to change their meaning.
A truce between the Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah held today, for the most part. Gaza remained relatively calm after five days of fighting that killed at least 36 people.
But Israeli planes bombed a tunnel Palestinian militants dug near the Gaza border. It was retaliation for the suicide bombing in Eilat on Monday. Three people were killed in that attack.
The African Union struggled today to build a peacekeeping force for Somalia. Leaders at a summit in Ethiopia tried to round up pledges of 4,000 more troops, for a total force of 8,000. They would replace Ethiopian troops who helped crush Islamic militias.
But a militia Web site released a video message today, vowing to fight any outside force. A hooded gunman said peacekeepers would be considered "invaders."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it will issue report cards on drug safety. They would list unexpected side effects from newly approved medicines. The agency also plans to restructure internal communications about drug issues.
The FDA was heavily criticized over its handling of Vioxx. The painkiller was pulled in 2004 after findings it raised the risk of heart attack and strokes.
In economic news, consumer confidence ticked up slightly in January. The private research group the Conference Board reported that today.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 32 points to close at 12,523. The Nasdaq rose 7.5 points to close at 2,448.
