President Discusses War; Candidates React to Iraq Reports

KWAME HOLMAN:

Joe Biden today claimed President Bush last night offered no plan to win in Iraq and no plan to leave. Like all of the Democratic candidates for president, Biden is a strong critic of the war. And as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he took a lead role earlier this week in questioning and critiquing the testimony of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), Delaware: The surge is at best a stopgap that delays, but will not prevent, chaos. Its net effect will be to put more American lives at risk, in my view, with very little prospect of success.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Two other Democratic candidates followed, Chris Dodd of Connecticut…

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), Connecticut: … 93 percent of all Iraqi Sunnis think it's justifiable to kill Americans. How do we justify this continuation?

KWAME HOLMAN:

… and Illinois' Barack Obama…

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), Illinois: This continues to be a disastrous foreign policy mistake.

KWAME HOLMAN:

New York's Hillary Clinton ridiculed the Petraeus report from her seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), New York: I think that the reports that you provide to us really require the willing suspension of disbelief.

KWAME HOLMAN:

But the committee's top Republican and presidential candidate, John McCain, was equally as strong in praising what Petraeus had done.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), Arizona: It's the only approach that has resulted in real security improvements in Iraq.

KWAME HOLMAN:

And on the other side of the Capitol, California's Duncan Hunter, the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, cited other positive developments.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), California: You now see Shiites in leadership positions. You see Sunnis in leadership positions. You see Kurds in leadership positions. You see a military which is starting to emerge as a professional force.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Those presidential candidates who did not have the opportunity to question or comment during the hearings issued statements that for the most part reflected their earlier positions on the war.

Among the Republicans, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said, "The surge is working, and there's been significant progress." Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson said he was "encouraged by the reports" and that "momentum is on our side." And former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today said, "The president wants to make sure Iraq does not become a safe haven for al-Qaida and jihadist terrorists."

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo said the progress would "allow the U.S. to begin disengaging from our lead role without withdrawing." And Kansas Senator Sam Brownback was more specific, arguing the progress created "a unique opportunity to forge a Sunni region similar to the Kurdish region in the northern part of Iraq."

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani qualified his support, saying the surge had "worked better than anybody anticipated" but was not "perfect." Only Texas Congressman Ron Paul, a critic of the war since the start, called this week's action in Congress "a lot of politicking" and "grandstanding of both parties."

The other Democrats were even more critical. Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel criticized Petraeus for not being candid, saying, "Every independent study of Iraq demonstrates his statements are inaccurate." Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich denounced Petraeus' report as "a clear and unequivocal acknowledgement that we are in a no-win situation." And New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson reiterated his call "to get all our troops out of Iraq and leave no residual forces behind."

After the president spoke last night, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards released a video response urging the president to change course.

FORMER SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), Presidential Candidate: After General Petraeus reports the surge has produced no progress toward a political solution, what does the president want? More time for the surge to work, when all of us know it won't.

KWAME HOLMAN:

While all of the presidential candidates expect the war in Iraq to be a priority issue throughout the campaign, those serving in Congress could begin casting votes on the policy beginning next week.