wbur.org
support wbur today!
Listen to this story
The Candidates and Petraeus
photo

In the long parade of US senators questioning General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill yesterday, there were three who were not like the others.

Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama are running for president. One of them will almost certainly sit in the Oval Office next January as commander in chief. Patraeus’s commander. That gives their questions, their views, a different weight. Because Iraq will be waiting.

This hour, On Point: we listen closely as the three who would be president pose their questions on Iraq.

Guests:

David Ignatius, columnist and associate editor at The Washington Post.

Bernard Trainor, a retired U.S. Marine lieutenant general, he led combat commands in the Korean and Vietnam wars, was the military correspondent for The New York Times from 1986 to 1990, and is the co-author of “Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq.”

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

 

You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

 

Tags: , ,

 
 
Leave a comment

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. We ask that you stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.

While we encourage a robust, open debate on the topic at hand, these comment threads are moderated by On Point and WBUR, and we may delete comments that we judge to be off-topic, unduly repetitive, or that descend into personal, ad hominem attacks. 

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. On Point and WBUR cannot verify the accuracy of comments posted here.

Recent Shows
Dancing Back Into “A Chorus Line”
Friday, September 3, 2010

We look at the timeless stories behind the Broadway classic “A Chorus Line,” through the documentary “Every Little Step.”

Comments [5]
 
Week in the News
Friday, September 3, 2010 President Barack Obama walks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, Sept. 1, 2010. (AP)

Unemployment back up. Middle East peace talks. And bracing for Hurricane Earl. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

Comments [83]
On Point Blog
Wash Post: Elizabeth Warren Drops Harvard Class, Fuels More Speculation

The Washington Post reports that Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren — a candidate to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — has suddenly dropped out of her teaching duties this fall, prompting more speculation that she may take a job in the Obama administration.

More » | Comments [2]
 
VP Biden in Iraq, Changing Command

Following Pres. Obama’s Oval Office address last night, Vice President Biden spoke in Iraq today, on the occasion of Iraqi troops taking command. Here’s the text.

More »
 
Climate Skeptic Lomborg’s New Tune?

The U.K.’s Guardian reports that the world’s most prominent climate skeptic, Bjorn Lomborg, has taken a “U-turn” of sorts in his views. Lomborg spoke recently with On Point. Are his latest comments indeed a “huge boost” to flagging environmental efforts?

More » | Comments [7]