Gibbs Says Surge Helped, Won't Say Whether It Worked

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs answers questions from reporters during his daily briefing on Wednesday.

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"Pieces Coming Together" In Afghanistan Says Gates

In remarks delivered from the Defense Department's Command Center, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says President Barack Obama's decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan gives the U.S. military "new opportunities" in its fight against enemy forces. (:37)
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Troop Surge Will Improve Afghan Governance, Says Analyst

Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says the poor level of governance in Afghanistan provides an argument for the surge, not against it. He says a larger American force in the area will improve stability. (0:16)
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McCain Approves National Defense Authorization Bill

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said today that he approves the National Defense Authorization Bill, saying it is his responsibility to provide U.S. troops with the equipment they need. (0:22)
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McCain Advocates Surge In Afghanistan

Senator John McCain said today during a press conference that he agrees with General McChrystal that there needs to be a surge of American troops in order for there to be success in Afghanistan. (0:31)
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McCain Says Core Military Strategies Used In Iraq Can Apply To Afghanistan

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says that while Afghanistan is not Iraq, the military principles on how to create strategies in the countries "still apply." :36
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Commander in Iraq: U.S. forces in Iraq doing more with less

Gen. Lloyd Austin, Commander of Multinational Corps Iraq and second in command of U.S. forces there says that the coalition has been trying to fight currently battles while reducing the size of the force there as surge brigades leave. (0:46)

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Army: Progress for the last surge brigade

Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the last surge brigade to leave Iraq says that the progress in his area of operation is sustainable in the future. (0:42)
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Senator Obama says we should be talking to Iran

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says he thinks the surge has reduced violence and given breathing room, but that breathing room has not been taken the way they would all like it to be taken. The political situation is complicated there, and we have to work vigorously to resolve it. In your own words Ambassador [Ryan Crocker], Obama says, if we increase pressure in a measured way, that, in my mind, includes a timetable for withdrawal. It has to be a diplomatic surge that includes Iran, because if Maliki can tolerate normal neighbor to neighbor relations in Iran, then we should be talking to them as well because I don't believe we are going to be able to stabilize the situation without them. (:28)
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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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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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Petraeus recommends a 45-day pause to evaluate troop reductions

Gen. David Petreaus, commander of Multinational Forces Iraq, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, calls for a 45-day evaluation period before continuing withdrawal of U.S. troops beyond scheduled draw downs in July. (0:46)
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Crocker: al-Qaida is our mortal enemy

Answering questions from Sen. John Warner (R-VA) Ambassador Ryan Crocker says that al-Qaida is the mortal and strategic enemy of the United States. (0:42)
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Petraeus: Iran is behind Iraqi extremists

Answering questions from Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Forces Iraq says that Iran is responsible for training and equipping some Iraqi extremist groups that target the American military. (1:17)
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Clinton: the purpose of the surge has not been achieved

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), a presidential criticizes the strategy of the Bush administration regarding the war in Iraq. She saysv that the longer the United States stays in Iraq, the more opportunities that are lost elsewhere in the world. (0:56)
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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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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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