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Out of Iraq or More Troops? A Debate on Withdrawal with Fmr.
Senator George McGovern, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and AEI's
Joshua Muravchik
Battle Brewing in Congress as Bush Admin Seeks Closure of
Iraq Reconstruction Corruption Monitor
Out of Iraq or More Troops? A Debate on Withdrawal
with Fmr. Senator George McGovern, Congressman Dennis Kucinich
and AEI's Joshua Muravchik
As leading Democrats call on President Bush to soon begin
withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq some Republicans are calling
on more troops to be deployed. We host a debate on the issue
with former Democratic presidential candidate and South Dakota
senator, George McGovern, Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich
and the American Enterprise Institute's Joshua Muravchik.
[includes rush
transcript]
The military's top commander in the Middle East, General
John Abizaid, is heading to Capitol Hill today to testify
about the war in Iraq. Abizaid's testimony before the Senate
Committee on Armed Services comes a week after the Democrats
swept to power. Leading Democrats are now calling for President
Bush to soon begin withdrawing troops.
On Sunday, Senator Carl Levin said a phased redeployment
of forces from Iraq should begin in four to six months. Levin
is set to become the chair of the Committee on Armed Services.
However President Bush has dismissed the calls.
On Monday he met with James Baker and other advisers from
the Iraq Study Group. Bush has given little indication over
what was said at the meeting but he has rejected calls for
setting a timetable for withdrawing troops.
- President Bush: "General Pete Pace is leading investigations
within the Pentagon as to how to reach our goal, which is
success, a government which can sustain, govern, and defend
itself, and will serve as an ally in this war on terror.
I believe it is very important, though, for people making
suggestions to recognize that the best military options
depend upon the conditions on the ground."
Meanwhile some Republicans are calling on President Bush
to send more troops to Iraq. The leading proponent of this
idea is Senator John McCain, who will become the ranking member
on the Armed Services Committee next year. On Sunday he spoke
with Tim Russert on Meet the Press.
- Sen. John McCain (R - AZ): "The question is, what's
the solution. And I believe that a withdrawal, or a date
for withdrawal, will lead to chaos in the region. And most
military experts think the same thing. I believe that there
are a lot of things we can do to salvage this, but they
all require the presence of additional troops."
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is also planning to
meet to address the situation in Iraq. Addressing them on
Thursday will be former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate
George McGovern.
We host a debate on troops on U.S. troops in Iraq with three
guests:
- George McGovern, former South Dakota Senator and Democratic
presidential candidate. He was a leading opponent of the
Vietnam War. McGovern has co-authored a new book titled
"Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now."
- Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D - OH), of Ohio. He is a member
of the Out of Iraq Congressional Working Group and is set
to become the Chair of the Government Reform Subcommittee
on National Security, Emerging Threats and International
Relations.
- Joshua Muravchik, resident scholar at the American Enterprise
Institute. His most recent book is "The Future of the
United Nations: Understanding the Past to Chart a Way Forward."
Battle Brewing in Congress as Bush Admin Seeks Closure
of Iraq Reconstruction Corruption Monitor
A new battle is brewing in Congress over how the US government
monitors the billions of dollars it spends on the reconstruction
of Iraq. Leading Congressional Republicans recently passed
legislation that would close the Office of the Special Inspector
General for Iraq Reconstruction. The special agency has uncovered
several cases of waste and abuse, and has helped indict several
American officials on charges of corruption. [includes rush
transcript]
A new battle is brewing in Congress over how the US government
monitors the billions of dollars it spends on the reconstruction
of Iraq. The Bush administration and leading Congressional
Republicans are trying to close the Office of the Special
Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. The special agency
has uncovered several cases of waste and abuse, and has helped
indict several American officials on charges of corruption.
The termination order comes in an obscure provision attached
to last month's defense authorization bill. It says the Inspector
General's office must close on October 1st of next year. The
language was inserted by Congressmember Duncan Hunter, a California
Republican who currently leads the House Armed Services Committee.
Starting next week, Democrats say they will introduce new
legislation to restore the agency's authority and keep its
investigations on track.
- Antonia Juhasz, author of "The Bush Agenda: Invading
the World, One Economy at a Time."
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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