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Petraeus and Crocker: Back on Capitol Hill
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Petraeus and Crocker: Back on Capitol Hill

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General David Petraeus told a Senate Committee he wants 45 days after the "surge" ends in July -- and after that, still more time to determine when more troops can come home. Also, we talk to an athlete who plans to carry the Olympic torch and hear about security tomorrow in San Francisco.

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Petraeus and Crocker: Back on Capitol Hill ()

As a protester chanted, "Bring them Home," General David Petraeus refused to set any timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Democrats said his strategy added up to "a plan which has no end to it," while Republicans showed various degrees of support. Ambassador Ryan Crocker insisted there has been "progress" in reconstructing Iraq and reconciling sectarian factions. That led to partisan disagreement, too. We hear what John McCain and Hillary Clinton had to say on the recommendations President Bush will be getting from his command team, differing views on the rhetoric and the realities.

Guests:
  • Tim Grieve: Congressional Bureau Chief, Politico.com
  • Juan Cole: Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of Michigan
  • Laith Kubba: Spokesman, then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari
  • Richard Miniter: Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute
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Reporter's Notebook

Preparing for the Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco ()

The Olympic Torch has been greeted with protests during almost every leg of the relay on the road to Beijing. In Paris yesterday, it was extinguished four times. Tomorrow it's scheduled to run in San Francisco, where protesters scaled the Golden Gate Bridge to hang banners. On Friday, the International Olympic Committee will meet to decide if the international process should be called off. Meantime, heavy security is being planned in San Francisco.  Marilyn King is a two-time Olympic pentathlete who's planning to run a leg in tomorrow's torch relay in San Francisco. Mary Anne Ostrom reports for the San Jose Mercury-News.

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CD copies of To the Point are available by calling 1.888.600.5279.

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