To the Point

St. Petersburg Summit: Mending Fences in Post-War Iraq

Our country, -like all democracies, is delighted at the fall of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.- That comment comes not from President Bush or Prime Minister Blair, but from French President Jacques Chirac, who led United Nations opposition to the war in Iraq. German Chancellor Schroeder and Russian President Putin also concede they-re glad to have seen the last of Saddam Hussein. The three leaders are in St. Petersburg for a meeting on what to do about the fall of the Iraqi government. Before the summit, President Putin downplayed -prospects for a military solution,- calling instead for a return to UN involvement. We look at what's likely to happen at the summit with staffers at the Russian Duma and German Foreign Office, a defense policy analyst with the American Enterprise Institute and an American journalist at France's Le Monde Diplomatique. Making News: Update from Kirkuk There is jubilation and celebratory gunfire in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk where American and Kurdish forces took control earlier today. Looting appears to have been limited to government buildings. Mohamad Bazzi, Middle East correspondent for Newsday, has an update from the oil-rich city. Reporter's Notebook: Secretary Paige on Religion in Public Education Is Secretary of Education Rod Paige advocating Christianity in the public schools? That question arose this week after Paige made comments to a religious news service that led to angry criticism from Jewish and Muslim groups as well as civil rights organizations. Today, Paige sets the record straight. (This is an extended version of the interview that aired on today's program.)