Can Congress Be 'The Decider' on Iraq Troop Surge?

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Can Congress Be 'The Decider' on Iraq Troop Surge? ()

President Bush says he's "the decider" when it comes to Iraq, but even many Republicans disagree. While such dissent has generated a raging battle in Washington over the Constitutional separation of powers, what clearly matters most to both parties is politics. For the moment, Senate Democrats are unified behind a resolution criticizing the increase of troops in Iraq. Republicans are divided over at least five different measures, amid predictions that their party will be politically damaged for generations. If Democrats don't come up with a more acceptable alternative for Iraq, will they still be able to capitalize politically?  We get perspective from Democratic consultant Doug Schoen and Republican strategist John McLaughlin.  (An extended version of this discussion was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.)

Guests:

• Doug Schoen: Democratic strategist and pollster
• John McLaughlin: Republican pollster and strategist

Links:

• Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Congress' Constitutional power to end a war

Reporter's Notebook

Germany Seeks Arrest of 13 CIA Agents in Kidnapping Case ()

A German court has issued arrest warrants for 13 Americans, thought to be CIA agents or contract operatives. The case involves "extraordinary rendition," in which American agents seize terror suspects in a foreign country and transport them to a third country for interrogation. US insistence that they have not been tortured has been met with great skepticism. The 13 warrants were issued in the case of a German citizen seized in Macedonia. We hear more from Jane Mayer, who's written on the story for The New Yorker, and Jumana Musa, an attorney with Amnesty International.

Guests:

• Jane Mayer: staff writer for The New Yorker
• Jumana Musa: ACLU Advocacy Director for Domestic Human Rights, International Justice