House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that she sees little support for sending more troops to Afghanistan. Pelosi is the highest-ranking Democrat to say a push for more troops will be resisted by Congress. (0:08)
General David Petraeus, Commander of the U.S Central Command, talks about the role of the military amongst the populations of the countries in which U.S troops are stationed. Petraeus says that troops must make sure the populations in areas where insurgents hide do not think the U.S military are against them but rather serving them, and that protection of the civilians must remain a priority, no matter what the conditions are like. (0:40)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen answering the question of when we could judge whether the mission in Afghanistan has been successful or not. Mullen explains that the upcoming elections are paramount in determining this deadline, but also the experience gained through policy learning from Iraq. (1:01)
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
“What happens on one side of the border affects the other side. Mexico and the United States are separated by a border, but both communities share a goal of helping all of our peoples,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the 13th Annual U.S. – Mexico Congressional Border Issues Conference, where panelists gathered to talk about topics such as Comprehensive Immigration Reform, drug and weapon trafficking, and the Merida Initiative.
Among the panelists was Geraldo Rivera, host of “Geraldo at Large” on the FOX News Channel who said that instead of sending troops to the U.S./Mexican border, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs to start focusing on catching criminals and stop raiding processing plants where people are just there to work. “The immigration debate in this country has been so poisoned, and it’s become so racist in many ways…. We have distorted policy so that it hurts our national security. We have a totally competent law enforcement agency to deal with these criminals,” Rivera said. Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed with Rivera saying that unnecessary ICE raids are not the American way and that they must stop.
Pelosi talked about the need for comprehensive immigration reform saying that we need it soon. “It would secure our borders, it would protect our workers, it would prohibit the exploitation of workers coming into our country, it would unite our families,” she stated. Pelosi said that she is sending Congressmen to Mexico to see how our nations can work together. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also be traveling to Mexico to show support.
Rivera also expressed his support for the Dream Act, which states that undocumented young people could be eligible for a conditional path to citizenship in exchange for a mandatory two years in higher education or military service. In order for the undocumented young person to have the chance to become an American citizen, they must demonstrate good moral character to be eligible for and stay in conditional residency. Rivera said, “You want to stimulate the gross domestic product? Let’s get these Latino youngsters graduating high school…. But to take kids who are getting A’s and say they can’t get in-state tuition in college because they’re not documented, It’s preposterous, it’s un-American, it’s Anti-American…. Get Dream passed.”
Pelosi also discussed the Merida Initiative, saying that $300 million would be given to Mexico as part of the omnibus bill that was passed last week. “Every person who comes here with that determination, with that optimism, with that hope, with those family values and sense of community and spirit of faith, every person who comes here, certainly from the Hispanic community, when they come here they make America more American,” she concluded.
By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service
Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, backed up President Obama’s statement today, in a conference cal,l that all U.S. combat troops will be out of Iraq by August 31, 2010 and that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq by 2011. Gates said that if Iraqi forces asked for U.S. troops to remain, he believed people “should be prepared to have a very modest size presence” remaining in Iraq.
By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hosted a conference call where he discussed Obama’s strategy to end the war in Iraq. Following the President’s lead, Gates said, that all combat troops will be out of Iraq by August 31, 2010, but the non-combat troops left in Iraq “will have combat capability.”
By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service
Following President Barack Obama’s address at Camp Lejeune, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hosted a conference call where he discussed Obama’s strategy to end the war in Iraq.
In his opening comments Secretary Gates said: “The atmosphere here at Camp Lejeune for the speech was very warm, very enthusiastic and I would also say that the welcome has been pretty extraordinary.”
“On the substance I am obviously very supportive of the option the President has chosen and the decision he has made as is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Frankly, this is where both the Chairman and I thought this should come out and it was a very thorough and deliberative process where a lot of different options and a lot of different analysis were examined,” said Gates.
Asked about Obama’s statement that all troops would be out of Iraq by 2011, Secretary Gates said: “Under the terms of the status of forces agreement which is what we are operating under now all U.S. forces must be out by the end of 2011. It will require a new agreement, a new negotiation, almost certainly at Iraqi initiative to provide for some presence beyond the end of 2011. So in the absence of that agreement and the absence of that negotiation, for such an agreement, it is in keeping with the sofa to say definitively that we will be out by 2011.”
Asked what would happen if Iraqi forces asked for the U.S. military to remain in Iraq to assist with training and strengthening, Gates said: “It’s a hypothetical the Iraqis have not said anything about that at this point…My own view would be, that, we should be prepared to have some very modest size presence, for training and helping them with their new equipment and providing perhaps intelligence support, beyond that.”
In his address Obama said that all combat troops would be out of Iraq by August 31, 2010. Asked whether the remaining non-combat troops would have combat capability, Gates said: “Those that are left will have a combat capability…there will be target counter-terrorism organizations, there will be continued embeds with some of the Iraqi forces, training capacities…but the units will have gone and the mission will have changed, so the notion of being engaged in combat, in the way we have been up until now, will be completely different.”
By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service
Former Secretary of Defense, Rt. Hon Des Browne MP, talked about “Transatlantic Security Post-Bush,” at the Center for American Progress today. He talked specifically about troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and the popularity of President Barack Obama in Europe.
President Bush meets with President Talabani of Iraq in the Oval Office. Mr. Bush describes their conversation about elections laws, the Strategic Framework Agreement, and troop reductions. President Talabani thanks the US for liberating their country saying that there is very little terrorism activity left, and now it is time for reconstruction. He also spoke of better relationships with Arab neighbors. (4:57)
Colonel Mohammad Asef, Battalion Commander, Training Khandak, 203rd Corps, Afghan National Army
