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Hillary heads to Middle East for troop visit
As Bush faces more criticism for his new plan
Eyewitness News
(Washington - WABC, January 11, 2007) - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will join two other prominant politicians in a four-day Congressional Delegation visit to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clinton will travel with Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and New York Congressman John McHugh to meet with U.S. forces from both Indiana and New York serving in the region. They also plan to meet with government officials from both countries, as well as top U.S. military and civilian leadership.
Senators Clinton and Bayh are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Bayh also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the third trip to the region for each of them. Congressman McHugh is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is his seventh trip into Iraq and his third into Afghanistan.
All three politicians plan to speak at a press conference to discuss their trip on Tuesday, January 16th.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Bush's top military advisors were back in the hot seat for a second day of questions about the president's new strategy.
Political reporter Dave Evans has more.
Today we're hearing a lot from the Bush White House, trying to sell a skeptical Congress on this new plan to send more troops to Iraq.
Lawmakers are strongly resisting the president, and now we're seeing bills being drafted in opposition.
As the debate intensifies over sending 22,000 extra troops, New York Congressman Jerry Nadler is sponsoring a bill to get troops home by the end of this year. He also wants a limit on how American money is spent in Iraq.
"Here are the funds," Nadler said. "But you can only use it A. protect the troops and B. to withdraw them quickly. That's supporting the troops."
In the Senate, though, John McCain parted company with Republican lawmakers blasting the president. He questioned those pushing for quick change.
"Do they not fear Iranian, Saudi and Turkish involvement in Iraq?" McCain asked. "A wider regional war? A haven for terrorists? A humanitarian catastrophe? Do they truly believe that we can walk away from Iraq?"
At the Senate hearing, Hillary Clinton was absent. She's headed the Middle East on a Congressional trip. She would have heard Bush's top diplomatic and military advisors talk of why they believe withdrawal is so dangerous.
"When we announce a withdrawal, I think our enemies just hold their breath and wait for us to get out of town," said General Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We should not announce a withdrawal. We should announce our intent and resources to see it through."
Although today's criticism was muted compared with yesterday's dramatic hearing, Democrats and many Republicans continued their critique that the Bush plan is a mistake.
"Sending more troops to Iraq will have a negative affect on our soldiers and their families," Michigan Senator Carl Levin said.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said if lawmakers think they have a better plan on Iraq then they should step up and share it. Also, he said there's already enough money in the budget to pay for Bush's latest plan.
Quotes from Senator Clinton and other Congressional Delegation members:
"As I travel across Iraq, I want to hear from Iraqi officials about how they plan to stem the violence there and start making some of the tough decisions necessary for this country to succeed," Senator Bayh said. "I'm also looking forward to speaking with our military leaders and troops to thank them for their service and get feedback from them about the situation on the ground."
"Our nation continues to face serious and growing challenges in both Iraq and Afghanistan," Senator Clinton said. "At this critical juncture, I am eager to express my gratitude to our troops on the ground, many from New York, who continue to serve and sacrifice, performing magnificently and bravely. I am eager as well to hear from our commanders on the ground a frank assessment of our missions in those countries. I am also looking forward to meeting Iraqi leaders and American civilian officials to hear their view on the current situation in Iraq."
"Iraq is at the forefront of our nation's collective thoughts, from concerns for our brave men and women in uniform to beliefs about the way ahead for U.S. military involvement," Congressman McHugh said. "I am looking forward to meeting with Iraqi leadership to hear directly from them that they are committed to making the hard decisions and taking the tough actions necessary on the ground. Also, I have other critical questions for our own U.S. military leaders, particularly about whether they support this new strategy and are convinced it can succeed."
Senators Clinton and Bayh are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Bayh also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the third trip to the region for each of them. Congressman McHugh is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is his seventh trip into Iraq and his third into Afghanistan. All three politicians plan to speak at a press conference to discuss their trip on Tuesday, January 16th.
Hillary heads to Middle East for troop visit
As Bush faces more criticism for his new plan
(Washington - WABC, January 11, 2007) - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will join two other prominant politicians in a four-day Congressional Delegation visit to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clinton will travel with Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and New York Congressman John McHugh to meet with U.S. forces from both Indiana and New York serving in the region. They also plan to meet with government officials from both countries, as well as top U.S. military and civilian leadership.
Senators Clinton and Bayh are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Bayh also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the third trip to the region for each of them. Congressman McHugh is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is his seventh trip into Iraq and his third into Afghanistan.
All three politicians plan to speak at a press conference to discuss their trip on Tuesday, January 16th.
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Bush's top military advisors were back in the hot seat for a second day of questions about the president's new strategy.
Political reporter Dave Evans has more.
Today we're hearing a lot from the Bush White House, trying to sell a skeptical Congress on this new plan to send more troops to Iraq.
Lawmakers are strongly resisting the president, and now we're seeing bills being drafted in opposition.
As the debate intensifies over sending 22,000 extra troops, New York Congressman Jerry Nadler is sponsoring a bill to get troops home by the end of this year. He also wants a limit on how American money is spent in Iraq.
"Here are the funds," Nadler said. "But you can only use it A. protect the troops and B. to withdraw them quickly. That's supporting the troops."
In the Senate, though, John McCain parted company with Republican lawmakers blasting the president. He questioned those pushing for quick change.
"Do they not fear Iranian, Saudi and Turkish involvement in Iraq?" McCain asked. "A wider regional war? A haven for terrorists? A humanitarian catastrophe? Do they truly believe that we can walk away from Iraq?"
At the Senate hearing, Hillary Clinton was absent. She's headed the Middle East on a Congressional trip. She would have heard Bush's top diplomatic and military advisors talk of why they believe withdrawal is so dangerous.
"When we announce a withdrawal, I think our enemies just hold their breath and wait for us to get out of town," said General Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We should not announce a withdrawal. We should announce our intent and resources to see it through."
Although today's criticism was muted compared with yesterday's dramatic hearing, Democrats and many Republicans continued their critique that the Bush plan is a mistake.
"Sending more troops to Iraq will have a negative affect on our soldiers and their families," Michigan Senator Carl Levin said.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said if lawmakers think they have a better plan on Iraq then they should step up and share it. Also, he said there's already enough money in the budget to pay for Bush's latest plan.
Quotes from Senator Clinton and other Congressional Delegation members:
"As I travel across Iraq, I want to hear from Iraqi officials about how they plan to stem the violence there and start making some of the tough decisions necessary for this country to succeed," Senator Bayh said. "I'm also looking forward to speaking with our military leaders and troops to thank them for their service and get feedback from them about the situation on the ground."
"Our nation continues to face serious and growing challenges in both Iraq and Afghanistan," Senator Clinton said. "At this critical juncture, I am eager to express my gratitude to our troops on the ground, many from New York, who continue to serve and sacrifice, performing magnificently and bravely. I am eager as well to hear from our commanders on the ground a frank assessment of our missions in those countries. I am also looking forward to meeting Iraqi leaders and American civilian officials to hear their view on the current situation in Iraq."
"Iraq is at the forefront of our nation's collective thoughts, from concerns for our brave men and women in uniform to beliefs about the way ahead for U.S. military involvement," Congressman McHugh said. "I am looking forward to meeting with Iraqi leadership to hear directly from them that they are committed to making the hard decisions and taking the tough actions necessary on the ground. Also, I have other critical questions for our own U.S. military leaders, particularly about whether they support this new strategy and are convinced it can succeed."
Senators Clinton and Bayh are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, while Bayh also serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the third trip to the region for each of them. Congressman McHugh is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is his seventh trip into Iraq and his third into Afghanistan. All three politicians plan to speak at a press conference to discuss their trip on Tuesday, January 16th.
