By host Tom Ashbrook:
The frustration was palpable. The questions were sharp and with a new edge. The general in the hot seat looked anything but happy.
In the first testimony on the Iraq War before Congress since the thunderclap of the midterm elections, General John Abizaid, the top US commander in Iraq, said yesterday that we have a four-to-six-month window before chaos swamps Baghdad. Train the Iraqis, he said.
But Democrats and Republicans – including front-running presidential contenders — were not calmed. Hope isn’t enough, said Hillary Clinton. The status quo isn’t working, said John McCain.
This hour On Point: the grilling of a general. We’ll go inside the first post-election testimony on Capitol Hill.
Quotes from the Show:
“If you live in Iraq, you have no choice but to make it work.” Anthony Cordesman
“The Congress has every reason to question what is has been told about Iraq because the reporting is so politicized that it has no integrity.” Anthony Cordesman
“This is a very high risk operation, but the risk of doing nothing or very little are even greater.” Anthony Cordesman
“A phased-out withdrawal [of the troops in Iraq] is delusional.” Jonathan Broder
“The predominant theme among the Democrats, with the exception of Joe Lieberman, is a beginning of withdrawal of the troops.” Jonathan Broder
Guests:
Jonathan Broder, Defense and Foreign Policy Editor at Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C.
Anthony Cordesman, Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
