President Obama accepts the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and names Gen. David Petraeus to command forces in Afghanistan. Obama restates commitment to achieving goals in Afghanistan. Lieberman details why winning this war is essential and hails the selfless service of Petraeus. McCain wants clarification on what July 2011 withdrawal date really means.
Good Change, Bad Policy
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis says President Obama had little choice but to give Gen. Stanley McChrystal the boot, and he applauds the choice of Gen. David Petraeus to succeed McChrystal. But what about the current policy in Afghanistan? What does Maginnis see as major problems? And when we will we know whether our current strategy is working? We ask Col. Maginnis.
Still the Right Mission
President Obama accepted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Wednesday and replaced him with Gen. David Petraeus. How significant is this move? How much is our mission helped by putting Petraeus on the job? Are we following the right policy in Afghanistan? And how vital is victory there? We ask South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Thank God for the Rule of Law
Louisiana Rep. Bill Cassidy is praising a federal court ruling overturning President Obama’s offshore drilling ban and determining the economic impact of a drilling ban could be greater than the oil leak itself. How significant is this decision for workers in Louisiana? Has the the federal response to the oil crisis improved much in the past couple of weeks? What’s his assessment of BP’s response to the disaster? We ask Rep. Cassidy.
Irresponsible and Arrogant
House Democrats say they will not pass a formal budget resolution but will deem one to have passed? Where have we heard that before? Dem leaders also say a formal budget should not be passed until a presidential commission makes its recommendations. Will this shield Democrats from election year accusations of fiscal irresponsibility or just prove they aren’t even trying to cut spending? We ask Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, member of the House Ways & Means Committee and top House Republican on the Joint Economic Committee.
Judge Shoots Down Moratorium
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled against the Obama administration and ordered an end to the moratorium on deep offshore drilling. Why did the judge side with the plaintiffs in this case? What will happen when the administration appeals the decision? How soon does the drilling need to start again if the oil companies are going to stay in the gulf? And will workers be OK during the moratorium because of the money Obama is ordering from BP to compensate workers? We ask Texas Rep. Ted Poe, a strong opponent of the moratorium.
It’s All True
The senior commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is on his way to Washington to face the music after ripping President Obama’s national security team in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Retired U.S. Air Force General Tom McInerney says Gen. Stanley McChrystal severely breached protocol but his negative assessments of members on the Obama national security team were completely accurate. Listen here for McInerney’s evaluation of what went wrong on the Obama approach to Afghanistan and why his national security team has underperformed.
More Dem Budget Gimmicks
House Democrats confirmed on Tuesday that they do not intend to pass a budget resolution for the coming fiscal year. Why? Texas GOP Rep. Mike Conaway says the majority doesn’t want to admit to voters just how bad our nation’s fiscal health has deteriorated under its watch. He also says this move allows Democrats to spend even more than usual. We also get Rep. Conaway’s reaction to the controversy surrounding Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
New Plan to Kill Political Speech
Democrats in Congress are working feverishly to impose new campaign finance restrictions before the midterm election season hits full stride. So what new rules would the new legislation impose before interest groups could get their ads on the air? Why could this bill make people think twice about getting involved in a political effort in any way? And why would it discourage new organizations from trying to buy airtime? We ask John Samples, director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute.
The News
The Supreme Court votes 6-3 to uphold laws banning any assistance or advice to terrorist groups, White House denies Obama reluctant to secure borders before bill is passed, CBO shows uneven tax burden and Obama raises fury over Father’s Day message.