A look ahead at 360° tonight
Good Afternoon bloggers,
It's all about Gen. David Petraeus today as the presidential candidates, who want to be his boss, question him and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the war. Or is it? Something tells me it'll also be all about them. Will light be shed.. or will there just be a scrum for the spotlight?
Here's what we're thinking for tonight:
Tom Foreman will look at the key points of the Patreaus hearing. Michael Ware will give us a reality check on the Surge: What did it accomplish? Can it be sustained? Must it be sustained?
Nic Robertson is live in Baghdad, just back from the front lines, as the U.S. Tries to get Iraqis to fight the fight. Is it working? Yes and no..not so well during the mid-battle lunch break.
Candy Crowley will look at the the three candidates while David Gergen and others deconstruct today's developments. What do you think: is it realistic or reckless for candidates to suggest we can get out quickly?
On a very different story– David Mattingly on the 401 children removed from the polygamist sect in Texas, and the struggle to persuade them to talk about what abuse happened on the compound built by jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.
Gary Tuchman with the personal story of a 6-year-old girl swept up in first major raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints – 55 years ago.
We'll talk with local reporter Mike Watkiss, who has been investigating the FLDS for years, and Kathy Jo Nicholson , a former FLDS member.
Thank you for joining us at 10p... See you tonight!
– Barclay Palmer, 360° Senior Producer
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Filed under: Barclay Palmer • Iraq • Polygamy • Raw Politics |
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Regarding the polygamy scandal,,,I know several hundred women and girls have been taken into custody, but where are the boys?? There was much publicity a few years ago about the "Lost Boys" from AZ and UT who were essentially thrown out on the streets once they reached their teens because they were competition for the older men of the FLDS group. What has happened to the boys who must have existed on this ranch?
Hi Anderson:
If you get a chance ask what the sect members do to support themselves.
Hi Barclay, Looks like a interesting show tonight. Hope AC is back, we miss him. On the war in Iraq, it seems to me that they are dragging it out longer with a 45 day waiting period until the new prez is elected. I don't think Bush & Co. know what to do next. Just stay the course...Also if the public were allowed to see the soldiers caskets coming home I think there would be even more pressure to end it. We see our soldiers coming home from Afghanistan and it is a way of honoring them and supporting their families.
See you tonight.
It looks like a well-balanced topic list for tonight, and I'm looking forward to watching the reports from Michael Ware and Nic Robertson, whom I've been tracking via CNN International.
Getting out of Iraq is a clear example of "easier said than done", I think. That America should get out, is a given – it has to turn over responsibility to the Iraqis, for better or worse, at some point in the history of this war, and let them stand on their own. On the other hand, it would hardly be expedient to leave Iraq with a power vacuum that all rival factions would exploit to their own advantage. That's not even taking into account the civilian population and their struggle for basic services: electricity, water, health care.
Cynthia M. Genato
Makati City
Philippines
Barclay,
I also agree with Cindy in Ga, I don't think so, I was watching on CNN news to see General and Amd. Crocker.War in Iraq very more dangerous than before. they will not improve in war since 2001, I wonder our troops will be safe in Iraq, I was surprised that General wants our troops stay more longer for one year, too many volience in Iraq, I hear that our troops up to 4,000 thousand troops killed. I disagree with General what he said to congress. I hope our troops will come home by July, or more. I can't wait see you tonight. Thanks for allowing my blog to share on AC360 tonight. See you later!
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa
Can someone explain to me why what is going on in this fundamentalist compound is not considered slavery, which if I am not mistaken was outlawed during Lincoln's administration? I have heard too many newscommentators express concern that our "invasion" of that compound is a serious violatlion of constitutional rights and even suggestions that by searching the church for documents, we may be destroying it's sacred value. Do we need a constitutional amendment to betow the same rights on women and children? Why did it take so long to do something and why are our Presidential Candidates not being asked questions like "what will they do to safeguard the rights of women and chilren in this country"?
Just a note on the gas prices – we've been paying $3.85/gallon for months in Southern CA so $4.00 will be no major shock.
Barclay, I look forward to all the reports and Michael's views. see u later.
Sounds like a great 360. Will Anderson be back??? Will Campbell be subbing again???
Gee I hope we can give these kids some time to adjust to their new lives instead of overwhelming them with media attention. They must be scared to death, even though life may be holding bigger promises for them in the future.
Hi Barclay,
I'd like to know more details about the so-called mid-battle-lunch-break.
It's not feasible to me that soldiers would decide to go for some rice and stew WHILE they are taking fire! That just can't be true! I'm sure this lunch break thing was misrepresented.
I'm very much looking forward to the Iraq oriented program tonight.
The sect story is interesting, but how much more can be said ? Hope it won't somehow become the center of the show tonight.
Anyway, thanks for having great people on this evening.
Barclay, I wouldn't call suggesting that we get out of Iraq quickly reckless, but I wouldn't call it realistic either. I also wouldn't call McCain's strategy of "staying the course" for a 100 years anywhere near realistic. How are we going to pay for that? Where will we get the troops? What if God forbid something happens in another part of the world? When it comes to Iraq, no candidate seems to be living in reality.
The fact of the matter is that what's going on in that country is more complicated than any soundbite or stump speech could portray. The democrats may be making promises they ultimately won't deliver, but at least they're not making speeches about how well the war is going while, meanwhile, the Green Zone is literally being attacked. We've had five years of that kind of magical thinking, we don't need four to eight more.
Barclay,
It sounds like an interesting and full evening – politics, the war, and polygamy. I'm especially interested in the war coverage as it seems to me that we are continuing on there with no goals set to know when we are done and can redeploy our troops whether that be to Afghanistan to finish what we started there or to bring them home. 5 years of fighting and the Taliban and al Queda is still out there.
The polygamy story is so tragic – so many children and women abused and treated like chattel to enhance the potential of the hereafter for the men. I hope that we can help these women and children not go back to what they knew so the cycle starts again. I'm looking forward to seeing what develops on this story and what we can do to help these people realize their full potential.
Annie Kate
Birmingham AL
I have a question, and I may have missed the answer already. The girls that are pregnant – they are of varying ages right? They include 13, 14, 15, 16, & up correct? Please clarify this for me.
As I kept reading some posts that implied all that was happening was statutory rape and this group was just being persecuted because they were different.
I personally don't agree with what they do but wondered about the charges as well. If the 16 year old had not called, would CPS have been able to have gone in there? She said she was forced to marry at 15 and that is the crime right? What if she were 16?
Obviously if there are pregnant girls under 16 – I would think that is an automatic rape charge in Texas (not statutory rape) but was not sure about the numbers & statutes.
Oh I think that all three candidates will try to score some major points when questioning Petraeus. They all want to have the one liner that all of the TV stations will play over and over. It's all about them definitely!! When is it not!?
Looking forward to seeing the run down of the whole event from Tom. And as always I love hearing from Mic and the reality of the surge and the situation in Iraq.
I think that it is unrealistic that any of the candidates suggest that we can pull out of Iraq and leave them to suffer the consequences of that. If we did that then the blood would really flow and the world would really hate us...even more than they do now!
It should be very interesting to see the report from Gary about the first little girl ever taken from the FLDS 55 years ago! I bet she has one heck of a story to tell.
C-Ya tonight!
Cynhia, Covington, Ga.