Is Obama Taking Credit for Iraq Too Soon?
After some R&R in Martha's Vineyard, President Obama will return to Washington with a primetime Oval Office address next Tuesday night, his second, focusing on the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces in Iraq.
On Thursday's Washington Unplugged, CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer asked CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante what to expect on Tuesday.
"This is a turning point speech. The president is going to point out that he kept a promise that people didn't think he could keep -- that combat troops would be coming out of Iraq at the end of August 2010," Plante said.
Plante continued that according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the president's speech had been in the works for months and that it wasn't planned to counter-attack dwindling approval ratings.
The administration is also careful not to call this a "victory speech" with 50,000 troops still in Iraq preparing for the next phase, "Operation New Dawn."
Schieffer turned to Brookings Institutions Michael O'Hanlon for his perspective on why the president is making this speech at this time.
"To be honest with you, I'm confused," he said. "I think it could actually work badly for him if he's not careful and I'm not convinced that the idea of taking credit at a moment when Iraq is in such peril is smart." Schieffer then asked O'Hanlon if he thinks it's a realistic goal that the U.S will completely withdraw all troops from Iraq by 2011.
"It's not a smart goal in my opinion," he said. "I think it's realistic in the sense that there's a binding agreement that would mandate that it happen. There are a lot of reasons why we probably shouldn't and why at least 20-30,000 troops for a few more years may be the more prudent way to go."
Watch Thursday's show above.
"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.
