General Petraeus Reports to Washington on the 'Surge'
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General David Patraeus' long-awaited testimony finally gets off to a
very slow start, but the partisan wrangling had already begun. Today,
he and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are facing a joint committee of
Congress; tomorrow they'll talk to the Senate. We update their
testimony and hear the reaction from across the political spectrum. On
Reporter's Notebook, Pakistan's former Prime Minister re-enters the
country is deported almost immediately.
US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus (L) and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker (R) confer before testifying to a joint US House Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee.
Photo: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images
Main Topic
General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill ()
Before General David Patraeus or Ambassador Ryan Crocker said a word to a joint committee of Congress, Democrats and Republicans were exchanging partisan charges. Democrat Tom Lantos said he respected the witnesses personally, but felt they were sent to convince Americans that victory is at hand. Republican Duncan Hunter—a presidential candidate—said he was outraged that some of his colleagues had attacked the witnesses' credibility. When Petraeus finally got underway, he emphasized that he had neither been scripted nor told what to say by the White House or Pentagon. He said that improved security means US forces can be reduced sometime in the future. But the essence of the message has been telegraphed, and polls show public skepticism that either man is independent of the Bush White House. As the debate on Iraq continues, will the Bush Administration define its objectives?
Guests:
- Julian Barnes: Pentagon Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @julianbarnes
- Michael Abramowitz: Staff Writer, Washington Post
- Michael O'Hanlon: Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Dennis Ross: Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Eli Pariser: Director of the political arm of MoveOn.org, @elipariser
- Pete Hegseth: Executive Director of Vets for Freedom
Links:
- Ambassador Crocker's statement
- Barnes' article on expectations over Petraeus' report
- Abramowitz's article on battle brewing over Iraq assessment report
- O'Hanlon/Pollack (New York Times) op-ed on the Iraq War
- MoveOn's 'General Betray Us' ad
- Vets for Freedom's response to MoveOn's ad
- Government Accounting Office (GAO) report on Iraq
- Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq (Jones Report)
- National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on terrorist threat to US
Reporter's Notebook
Former Pakistani PM Deported on Return from Exile ()
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned to the country today for the first time since 1999, when he was overthrown and exiled by General—and President—Pervez Musharraf. Almost immediately, Sharif was deported back to Saudi Arabia after being charged with money laundering and corruption. Today's deportation defies a recent decision by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which affirmed that Sharif has the right to return. Haroon Rashid, chief reporter for the BBC's Urdu Service, has an update on Pakistan's developing political crisis.
Guests:
- Haroon Rashid: Chief Reporter for the BBC's Urdu service in Pakistan
Links:
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