Up to the Minute (CBS) snippet - 2005-11-23 (Iraq War)

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[0:03] The State Department [music] says it has

[0:04] no quarrel with a recent call by Iraqi

[0:07] leaders for a timetable for the

[0:09] withdrawal of foreign troops. Shiite,

[0:11] Sunni, and Kurdish leaders adopted the

[0:13] statement after a reconciliation

[0:14] conference in Cairo. In a statement

[0:16] released Tuesday, the State Department

[0:18] said the US-led coalition remains

[0:20] committed to fostering stability and

[0:22] security in Iraq and will leave as soon

[0:24] as those goals are achieved. Is a

[0:26] timetable a good idea or would it

[0:28] empower insurgents to wait? Joining us

[0:31] this morning with some insight is

[0:32] retired Army Colonel and CBS News

[0:34] military analyst Jeff McCausen. Good

[0:35] morning, Colonel. How are you?

[0:37] >> I'm fine. Listen, how are you?

[0:38] >> Good, good. The call by Iraqi leaders.

[0:40] Why now? Does it have anything to do

[0:42] with what's been going on the past week

[0:44] uh in Washington, the criticism and

[0:46] suggestions of timets?

[0:48] >> I don't think it has much to do with

[0:49] going on in Washington. I think it has

[0:50] to do what's going on in Baghdad. And

[0:52] that is the upcoming elections here in

[0:54] December will be key. we have a new

[0:55] constitution and now an election in

[0:57] accordance with that constitution. So I

[0:59] think it's an effort in particular by

[1:00] the Shia majority to reach out to Sunnis

[1:02] and others to encourage them to

[1:04] participate in that process. So in many

[1:06] ways this was a concession of those

[1:08] folks and now we have a call for a

[1:10] timetable but no real specified dates

[1:13] for that timetable.

[1:14] >> How important is it for a young

[1:15] government like this to be perceived as

[1:17] as standing on its own at this point?

[1:19] >> Well, I think it's absolutely key. I

[1:20] mean this is a matter of legitimacy of

[1:22] that government once it's established in

[1:24] January without some kind of discussion

[1:26] by this after the election of course it

[1:29] would be looked upon as being mere

[1:30] puppet of the United States and that

[1:31] would be an accusation it opponents the

[1:33] insurgents who I think would use

[1:34] frequently.

[1:35] >> Well certainly there's been discussion

[1:36] of an early uh withdrawal or a

[1:38] withdrawal in general uh going on in

[1:40] Washington while the president was on

[1:41] his Asian tour. Let me get your reaction

[1:43] to that. First of all, um, from John

[1:45] Murtha, um, his statements, he is a

[1:48] very, uh, honored, uh, vet and certainly

[1:52] knows what he's talking about. How does

[1:53] the military take it when you have

[1:55] somebody suggesting a timetable like

[1:58] that?

[1:58] >> Well, I think most of us thinks this is

[1:59] a sign of a healthy democracy, the

[2:01] healthy democracy, they can have a

[2:02] discussion. And as you say, John Murphy

[2:05] is highly respected. He was a Marine

[2:06] Colonel, served in Vietnam, Bronze Star,

[2:09] two Purple Hearts, and so I think

[2:11] they'll take his remarks quite

[2:12] seriously. And of course, Bertha also

[2:14] speaks for a lot of people in the

[2:15] Pentagon and he may have gotten some of

[2:17] those ideas from those discussions.

[2:18] >> Do they don't see this criticism though

[2:20] coming from, you know, you're not down

[2:21] in the trenches with us.

[2:22] >> No, I don't think so at all. I mean,

[2:24] Murtha stays very connected. He's

[2:25] visited Iraq. He talks frequently of

[2:28] military leaders. I think he feels very

[2:30] strong about this and very emotional

[2:31] about this and and just part of this

[2:33] ongoing debate.

[2:34] >> So they you think they do give his

[2:36] thoughts weight then?

[2:37] >> Absolutely. I mean, in many ways, like I

[2:38] said, he talks frequently to senior and

[2:40] Pentagon officials. uh I think they'll

[2:42] give his thoughts a lot of weight. The

[2:44] the question I think is the idea of the

[2:46] immediate quick time of withdrawal mura

[2:49] saying in 6 months as opposed to more

[2:51] phase withdrawal that would be keyed

[2:53] upon improvement Iraqi security forces

[2:56] expansion of the political process and

[2:59] some dampening down of the insurgency

[3:00] over a longer period of time.

[3:01] >> As far as the insurgency though, can you

[3:03] give a timetable at all with the kind of

[3:06] enemy that's being fought right now? I

[3:08] think eventually one will have to be put

[3:09] out just so again we can provide a

[3:11] degree of legitimacy to that Iraqi

[3:13] government while at the same time

[3:14] continue to say while at certain dates

[3:16] might be established they would still

[3:19] have contingent upon that progress

[3:21] politically improved in Iraqi security

[3:24] forces now over 200,000 and a military

[3:27] force of the United States could be

[3:28] moved out initially to Kuwait where they

[3:31] would still be readily available if

[3:32] things got difficult back in Iraq. So,

[3:34] do you think because of what's happened

[3:36] and the signals you're hearing, what

[3:37] you're hearing from your sources, the

[3:39] administration could take this seriously

[3:40] and release a timetable?

[3:43] >> Absolutely. In fact, there was a report

[3:44] this past week that a contingency plan

[3:46] has been created. I'm sure there has

[3:48] been to talk about a withdrawal of US

[3:50] forces. At the same time, I'm sure

[3:51] there's a contingency plan to rapidly

[3:54] reinforce Iraq if situation got worse.

[3:57] So, I'm sure military planners are

[3:58] thinking about these as we move into the

[4:00] time after the upcoming election. Is

[4:02] this a product of military strategy or

[4:04] is this a product of political pressure

[4:06] and elections coming up for you know

[4:09] lawmakers that they they're rushing to

[4:11] do this? There's been a lot of

[4:12] criticism. So,

[4:13] >> well, Carl Von Claus once said war is

[4:15] politics by other means. So, it's a bit

[4:17] of both. I mean, it's certainly part of

[4:18] the military strategy. The president

[4:20] said we're going to stay in Iraq until

[4:21] we're no longer needed and not one day

[4:24] longer. So, if that's the case, it'll be

[4:26] time for us to move on. Second of all,

[4:28] politically in Iraq to provide

[4:29] legitimacy to that Iraqi government as

[4:31] it stands on its own seats hopefully in

[4:33] January. And of course, we have to

[4:35] acknowledge certain political realities

[4:37] back in the United States. As you say,

[4:38] 2006 is election year.

[4:41] >> Is it possible that the administration

[4:43] has had a timetable and has been

[4:45] hesitant to release it? Or have they

[4:47] been waiting for things to happen in

[4:49] civil war that did they bank on the

[4:51] support uh faltering as as quickly and

[4:54] rap as it has? I don't think they banked

[4:56] on support falling as rapidly as it had.

[4:58] The administration's had a pretty tough

[5:00] fall between Katrina, Harriet Meyers,

[5:03] Scooter Libby being indicted and those

[5:05] things have got to affect the trust and

[5:06] confidence people have in the

[5:08] administration has to have an adverse

[5:09] effect on Iraq. So I think that's part

[5:11] and parcel of that. Again, I think there

[5:12] was always a contingency plan because

[5:14] that's what military planners do. And

[5:16] throughout this time, the administration

[5:18] has said withdrawal of US forces will be

[5:20] key to progress with Iraqi security

[5:22] forces and political developments. I

[5:24] mean, even Ambassador Kalazad in October

[5:27] said he could foresee US forces being

[5:29] out in two years.

[5:30] >> All right, Colonel Jeff Mccau, thanks so

[5:32] much for being with us. Pleasure to be

[5:34] with you.