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To 'Surge' or Not to 'Surge' in Iraq

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The Bush White House reportedly is at odds with the Pentagon over a "surge" of more troops to fight in Iraq. We hear arguments for and against and look at the politics of an unpopular war in the US and in Iraq itself.   Plus, the latest on the International Space Station and, just in time for the holidays, a dispute over extended warranties.

Making News

Jammed Solar Panel on the International Space Station Corrected ()

At about 2 o'cclock this afternoon Eastern time, the shuttle Discovery was scheduled to undock from the International Space Station, with a return to Earth scheduled for Friday.

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Main Topic

To 'Surge' or Not to 'Surge' in Iraq ()

Today's Washington Post is the latest news outlet to report disagreement between the Pentagon and the White House.  The paper says the White House wants 15,000 to 30,000 more troops for a last-ditch "surge" to rescue Iraq from total chaos.  It says the Joint Chiefs of Staff are unanimously opposed, despite Army leaders warning that their active forces are already at the breaking point  All this as the new Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, plans a trip to Iraq and President Bush says he'll announce a new strategy early next year. We debate military realities in the short term and the foreseeable future.

Guests:
  • Fred Kagan: Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
  • Winslow Wheeler: Director of the Straus Military Reform Project, Center for Defense Information
  • Laith Kubba: Spokesman for then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari
  • Kevin Ryan: Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
  • John Mercurio: Senior Editor, The Hotline

Reporter's Notebook

Consumer Reports Campaigns against Extended Warranties ()

The North American Retail Dealers Association says it's getting a bad rap from nonprofit Consumer Reports magazine over the value of extended warranties. The magazine is campaigning with a full-page ad in USA Today and e-mails to almost a million subscribers. The North American Retail Dealers Association says the campaign is "unbalanced," because, "a simple fact of life is that everything eventually breaks."

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Transcripts of To the Point are available from The Transcription Company, (818) 848-6500, or www.transcripts.net. A CD copy is available by calling 1.888.600.5279

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