Meet The Press - 6/12

[Roland99]

Biden just said there's a huge reality gap between the rhetoric from the WH and what is going on in Iraq. We're losing support from Americans for the war.


Rep. Weldon now saying the Iraqi troop training is being represented as more effective to the American people. "It's not as high as is reported back home."

Biden: "3 battalions" are effectively trained...not divisions...battalions.


Q: How long until 150,000 trained Iraqis.

Weldon/Biden: About 2 years from now. "Nothing less than a year. Some say 3 years."

[Roland99]

1. Al Anbar: "We've got all the toys, but not enough boys"

Russert reading LATimes 5/24 article.

Biden: "We don't have enough forces and we keep missing opportunities. We should be going to the EU."

[Roland99]

2. Russert to Weldon: "Little thought given to post-war"

Weldon: "I think the troop level is adequate...I agree with Joe originally we should have had more...the problem is increased activity by Syria and Iran that, for some reason, our intelligence doesn't want to acknowledge."

:wtf:


He's completely avoiding the question and going on about Iranian government and saying it's fomenting unrest in Iraq.


Russert: "Are in the last throes of the insurgency?"

Weldon: "No." And goes on about Iranian involvment.

[pstans]

3. I just turned it on.

It just started in my area and Rep. Weldon (R-PA) are talking about how Iran is the where are the insurgents are coming from. They also mentioned Syria, but they said the majority are from Iran. It sounds that they are making the case for attacking Iran this summer. Now he is attacking the cuts to the military that happened in the 90's.

This guy is a neo-con puppet that needs to get voted out of office.

[Roland99]

4. Russert questioning Weldon on recruitment

Weldon: "Numbers are troublesome...looking into incentives to get more people to volunteer...this is not something we'd anticipate...obviously there's a strain."


Russert: "We are lowering the standards...no hs grads...drug problems"

Weldon: "I trust they will not lower standards enough to hurt morale."


Russert: "Would you consider going to a draft?"

Weldon: "No."


Biden: (on shortfall) "Truth would be the best incentive. We have to level with the American people...if the President would just level and tell people how hard this will be...the problem they have is the people think Iraq is becoming a black hole...52% think war on terror is not being helped by actions in Iraq...they figured it out."

[pstans]

7. Biden sounds like he feels our pain

The Republican sounds like he is focusing on remembering the talking points and thinking about the all you can eat buffet he is going to when the show is over.

[pstans]

5. Biden is on Meet the Press every other week

Let's get Feingold on there. Feingold is on the Foreign Relations committee. Obama is on the foreign relations committee. I would much rather have them talking for me than Biden.

[Roland99]

6. Russert: "Do american people have the will to stay the course in Iraq?"

Biden: "No...but the President needs to level...will take at least a year, probably 2 years...I'm asking you to help me...it's important for the following reasons...the american people will stick."

[Roland99]

8. Russert to Weldon on armor

Weldon: "soldiers feel confident...they have maximum protection...the difficulty is the insurgency is...using armor-piercing projectiles...I am convinced today we have the level of protection."


Biden: "I agree...it's not just about the # of troops, it's what we're doing on the ground to rebuild the country. we've got to change the country...fix sewage...fix 12 hrs of electricity....we have been incompetent in the way we've been distributing that $18 billion...have to work on changing the way people in Iraq look to the future"

[Roland99]

9. Russert on Gitmo detainees (TIME mag article)

Russert: "Close down Gitmo?"

Weldon: "Call for add'l hearings...come to a determination...has this facility lost its viability."

Biden: "Status quo is dangerous...we're going to be holding hearings on it...we're going to show rest of world how difficult it is...get a commission setup."



Russert on Weldon's new book about terrorism. "This book is an act of desperation...couldn't get intel community to act on it." "CIA is hopping mad about the book" "Bill Murray said Weldon's never given them credible information"

Weldon: "It's interesting the CIA is able to spin things that till now have been classified. I asked them to release a 2-page classified letter...it was official response from CIA...if we follow words of former CIA employee, how could he say my source lied"

[Roland99]

10. Russert to Weldon on "Ali"

About plans to hijack planes and attack nuclear reactors...Canada arrested 19 men but they were released or charged on immigration...not terrorism.


Weldon: "this gets down to whether or not the CIA will be totally trusted...they failed in 1992 over KGB defector...failed to predict 9/11...failed to understand N.K. had 3-stage missile."

[Roland99]

11. Russert to Weldon on WMDs in Iraq

"True identity of 'Ali' is former shah minister of commerce..linked to Iran-Contra figures...'Ali' is actually Ghorbanifar."

Weldon: "CIA created Ghorbanifar...CIA created Chalabi...if 'Ali' is lying, show me where he's lying."

[Roland99]

12. Weldon says Porter Goss needs support

Weldon is getting a bit hot under the collar.

(Correction...Russert reading article claiming 'Ali' was Mahdavi...not Ghorbanifar)

[Roland99]

13. Weldon: "CIA still wants info from 'Ali'"

[BiggJawn]

14. It's ARVN all over again, folks...

The idea was that we were going to train the South Vietnamese to fight for their own country....

THAT was a rousing success...

So we train these Iraqis, and they disappear as soon as they get their sign-up check, or they take their US-provided kit and run off and join Sadr or Al-Zakawri...

Weldon says "No Draft" but has no other answers. Guess we'll have enough boys when we offer them $100,000 to sign up to die.

[Roland99]

15. Russert to Biden: "Should policy be regime change in Iran?"

Biden: "No...how prevent them from becoming irritant...focus on nuclear technology...we have to get in the game."

Weldon: "No. I called specifically for no war against Iran. The problem is the Council of Nine....Putin play a more important role....watch the vote carefully in Iran...last time only 9% voted...problem is Ayatollah Khomaini."



Russert: "Do you believe bin Laden in Iran?"

Weldon: "I was told he was 10km inside Iran near Pakistan...I gave two leads to the CIA."

[Roland99]

16. Ok...I'm going to get some breakfast...someone else can do the rest

:D

[goclark]

17. I like your posting style- excellent!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

18. What I noticed

I was distracted through the whole show by the 2 odd little symetrical flaps/tufts of hair over each of Tim Russerts ears. I thought it might be a subtle homage to Judy Woodruffs usual do, but I am uncertain.

Anyway, at the roundtable with Judy, David Broder, Gwen Ifil, and the WSJ guy whose name I can't remember they discussed a very good Hillary Clinton quote where she lambasted the media: "it's only the Constitution - get a spine" where they all pretty much agreed that she was insane and they were doing a wonderful job. Broder offered as evidence TODAY's story in the WP about the DSM. We guffawed watching as we all know that the MSM has been dragged kicking and screaming to this story and has been shamed into coverage because of the relentlessness of many many websites.

They went over the recent Gallup numbers that reveal that the American public is pretty disgusted with everyone and Bush in particular and than discussed how this wouldn't really matter much anyway anyhow in the grand scheme of things. That is when I realized that they covered, Bush's poll numbers (domestic, war, war on terror, etc.) and they covered the numbers on Congress, but they DID NOT cover the same poll that shows America reserves it's greatest disgust and lack of approbation for THE MEDIA.

You know, reporters are supposed to look grungy, have dirty fingernails and drive Gremlins. You have only to look at this roundtable to see where American journalism has gone wrong. You can't cover the people who attend the same cocktail parties you do and do it in meaningful fashion.