After last night's prime-time address, President Bush today went to the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, pushing what he calls "Return on Success." For the first time since the occupation began, he's saying that success may allow some troops to come home, but he's still not using the term "withdrawal." He's also saying American forces will remain in Iraq beyond his presidency. In drawing a distinction between "those who believe success in Iraq is essential to our security" and "those who believe we should bring our troops home," did the President redefine America's mission? Did he reach enough skeptical Republicans to prevent Democrats from forcing change? What about public opinion and the impact on the presidential campaign?
A New Strategy or More of the Same?
Credits
Guests:
- Andrew Kohut - Pew Research Center - @pewresearch
- Ron Brownstein - Senior Editor, The Atlantic; political analyst, CNN; author - @RonBrownstein
- Alissa Johannsen Rubin - New York Times - @alissanyt
- Fawaz Gerges - London School of Economics and Politics