Iraq Withdrawal

This past week, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) called for an immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. His proposal sparked a heated debate on Capitol Hill about the Iraq War; Republicans, like Rep. Duncan Hunter, argued that American credibility was at stake, and many Democrats, like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. John Kerry, disagreed with their Democratic colleague and called for a more gradual withdrawal. What do you think would happen if American forces withdrew immediately from Iraq? Since America captured Saddam Hussein and helped establish a new democratic government, is America's responsibility in Iraq over (as Murtha argues)? Would the situation in Iraq deteriorate into civil war (as Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, has argued)? What is America's obligation to Iraq at this point? In your post, draw from our readings in class over the last couple of weeks. Also, here are links to the complete transcripts of Murtha's speech and the Republican response.

Transcript of Rep. Murtha's call for withdrawal

Republican response

CIA Leak

Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case, has indicted Lewis “Scooter” Libby on charges of obstruction of justice, making a false statement and perjury (for the exact charges, see Fitzgerald’s website: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/) For a summary of the investigation, I suggest you go to cnn.com and read the Gallery: Key Players and Timeline (as of Friday, 1:00 p.m., this is located on the CNN home page under “Breaking News.”) The Daily Show, as usual, as a satirical summary of the events: http://movies.crooksandliars.com/The%20Daily_Show_Rove_Leak.mov

After you read up on the investigation, check out the political spin of Fitzgerald’s announcement. Sunday morning shows like Meet the Press, This Morning (with George Stephanopoulos), and Face the Nation are great places to start. Here are some sites on the internet:

Right:

http://www.michellemalkin.com/
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/
http://www.therealitycheck.org/Political.htm
http://wizbangblog.com/
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Weblogs/
http://www.freerepublic.com (conservative discussion forum)


Libertarian

http://boortz.com/ (Atlanta’s own Neal Boortz—listen live)

Left:

http://www.dailykos.com/
http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/index.php
http://www.airamericaradio.com/ (liberal talk radio—you can listen live on online or find podcasts of older shows (Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Randi Rhodes)
http://www.foxliberal.com/
http://mediamatters.org/
http://www.newshounds.us/
http://www.democraticunderground.com (liberal discussion forum)



Be sure to look at several different sites to get a variety of opinions. Also in your post, discuss how this case relates to topics you’ve discussed in our Media and Politics class AND Professor Barke’s course (For my 3:00 class, obviously ignore the part about Professor Barke). For example, what is the relationship between the media and government? Is this James Madison’s idea of the role of the press in a democracy? Don’t limit your discussion to these questions—for example, comment on the political analysis. Already on CNN, Joseph DiGenova, a Republican and former federal prosecutor, speculated that Libby’s trial will lead to serious questions about the manipulation of CIA intelligence in the build-up to war. Other pundits and reporters believe the trial will be a public battle between the CIA and the White House.