Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday on CNN's \Larry King Live"" he twice offered his resignation to President Bush in the midst of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, but Bush refused to accept it, according to CNN.com.
On the show, Rumsfeld said, ""I submitted my resignation to President Bush twice during that period and told him that ... I felt that he ought to make the decision as to whether or not I stayed on. And he made that decision and said he did want me to stay on.""
When photos of U.S. troops abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib surfaced, Rumsfeld went before Congress and said he would resign from his post if he thought he could no longer be effective.
The FBI is ""significantly hampered"" in its ability to prevent terrorism and combat other serious crimes because of its continued failure to overhaul antiquated and inefficient computer systems, the Justice Department's chief watchdog said Thursday.
Inspector General Glenn Fine's report also found poor planning and botched management were the main reasons the FBI may have to scrap a $170 million computer upgrade that has not performed up to standards.
The problems raise ""national security implications,"" Fine wrote, because FBI agents and analysts are still unable to adequately share and search for information.
FBI Director Robert Mueller III told an appropriations subcommittee Thursday he was ""frustrated and disappointed"" by the delays, but he disagreed with Fine's conclusion that the problems hampered FBI agents in doing their jobs.
The Israeli government on Thursday approved the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners and a gradual pull back of troops from five West Bank cities, but Palestinian officials said the number of prisoners was too low.
On a day when each side seemed to vacillate on several issues, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said militant groups had agreed to a cease-fire with Israel, but added that he wanted a reciprocal pledge from Israel before he meets Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday in Egypt.
A spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry said that both sides, during their meeting next week, could declare an end to military operations.
