Senator Obama says a messy sloppy status quo is an achievable goal

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says he's not suggesting that we yank out our troops all the way, but the problem that he has is that the definition of success is so high with no traces of al-Qaida, no possibility of reconstitution, a highly effective Iraqi government, a functioning democracy, no Iranian influence (the kind we don't like), and so that gives the possibility of us staying for twenty or thirty years. If our criteria is a messy, sloppy status quo but there is not a huge outbreak of violence, and its not a threat to its neighbors, that is an achievable goal within a measurable time frame, and that is what I think the committee is trying to get to. (1:10)
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General Petraeus says we have our teeth in their jugular

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" General David Petraeus says if the progress [in Iraq] revolves around al-Qaida regaining lost ground and gaining influence and using that as a base to spread further, [questioned by Senator Richard Lugar, (R-IN)] we will stay after them tenaciously and stay after them every day. We've got the forces we need, I believe, and we've got our teeth into their jugular and we need to keep it there. (:41)
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Ambassador Crocker says the gains in Iraq are fragile

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Ambassador Ryan Crocker says everything in Iraq is hard, and it will continue to be hard. But hard does not mean hopeless, he says, and the progress is significant. The gains are fragile and they are reversible. (:24)
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If God came down and chose which section of al-Qaida to eliminate, what section should it be?

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) says "In a choice, the Lord Almighty came down and sat in the middle of the table there and said, 'Mr. Ambassador, you can eliminate every al-Qaida source in Afghanistan and Pakistan or every al-Qaida personnel in Iraq,' which would you pick?" U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, says he would choose al-Qaida in the Afghanistan Pakistan border area. "That would be a smart choice," Biden says. (:33)
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Petraeus: al-Qaida is farther from their goal

Answering questions from Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Forces Iraq says that al-Qaida is further from their goal of establishing a base in the Middle East because of the surge in U.S. forces in 2007. (0:42)
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Obama says no to 100 years in Iraq

At the CWA conference, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says he has opposed the Iraq war since the beginning, and is the one candidate who can stand up to John McCain with credibility and say no to a “hundred year occupation of Iraq and a George Bush third term.” (0:26)
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Obama says to stop spending money in Iraq, rebuild American infrastructure instead

At the CWA conference, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says America must focus on rebuilding its own infrastructure and proposes a national infrastructure reconstruction bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years for that purpose. He says if America can spend $400 million per day in Iraq and $10 billion a month rebuilding a foreign nation, it can spend $10 billion domestically to put citizens back to work and restructure the economy. (1:00)
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McCain addresses veterans

McCain speaks about the sacrifices of veterans and states, "we will never surrender to the extremists." (0:35)
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Skelton: Afghanistan should be our number one priority

During a press conference with the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Ike Skelton (D-MO) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, says that the military priorities of the United States need to be reversed. (0:54)
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General disappointed at the quality of the U.S. soldiers

Retired General Barry R. McCaffrey discusses the quality of the U.S. army and its soldiers that serve in Iraq.
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Money Well Spent? Professor Linda Bilmes Discusses the Cost of War In Iraq

Professor and author Linda Bilmes of Harvard University discusses the cost of war in Iraq. (0:47)
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Bush: The Surge Is Working

President Bush explains how "the surge" of U.S. troops in Iraq has succeeded. (0:38)
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Bush on the Decisions Behind Invading Iraq

President Bush reflects upon the difficult decisions he has made in the five years our nation has been at war and commends American troops. (0:47)
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Iraq Commander: Our biggest problem is traffic

Army Col. John Charlton, commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, briefing the Pentagon press about conditions in Western Iraq paints an optimistic picture of conditions in Ramadi, saying that the economy is booming and his biggest security problem is traffic on the roadways. (0:43)
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Congressman Delahunt says if we don't treat refugees with respect it creates a breeding ground for terrorists

At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on "Neglected Responsibilities: The U.S. Response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis," Congressman William Delahunt (D-MA) says that we cannot allow a breeding ground for terrorism to fester in the Middle East, and he says he suggests the vast numbers of refugees will produce terrorist of the future unless they are treated with respect and dignity. (:27)
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Congressman Ackerman says we have not seized the moment to rehabilitate our image in the Middle East

At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on "Neglected Responsibilities: The U.S. Response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis," Chairman Gary L. Ackerman, (D-NY) says that at the hearing last year, a witness said that the U.S. response to the refugee crisis could be the first step to rehabilitating our image in the Middle East and globally, but a year later, we have yet to seize that moment. (:23)
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Gen. Conway says that military families are tired of repeated deployments

Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway, says that there is a significant issue with military families being "tired" and that family support programs need to be adjusted for war time. (0:27)
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Gen. Conway says that Marine Corps healthy despite repeated deployments

Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway says that despite one-to-one deployments have "virtually no chances of changing before the fall" the Marine Corps is a healthy force. (0:34)
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Chairman Ackerman Questioning Honorable Satterfield about the Administration's cooperation with Congress

Chairman Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), the middle east and South Asia subcommittee, asking the senior adviser of the secretary of state and the coordinator of Iraq, David Satterfield, about the lack of administration's collaboration with the Congress, and questioning whether or not it is Constitutional. (01:31)
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Admiral Fallon says we are not going to solve problems within Iran without assistance

At the Senate Armed Forces Committee review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2009, Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Central Command, says the reality is that Iran shares a long border [with Iraq], and he says that it is a mixed blessing. He says that on the other hand, there are lethal weapons training support being used not only against our people, but also against moderate Iraqis, and so it's a "mixed bag," and from his perspective, we are not going to be able to help to solve the problems within that country without assistance from the outside. (1:06)
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