ryan crocker

Sinking Into the Quagmire

Apr 11, 2008
Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's congressional check-in about Iraq this week didn't offer much hope for America's overseas entanglements, and as coverage of the overseas wars wanes, the media isn't holding politicians' feet to the fire -- or telling the real story about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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CNN Reporter: Iraq Update ‘Frighteningly Disappointing’

Apr 9, 2008
The questions leveled by Senate members at Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus during Tuesday's update session about Iraq failed to make the grade for Michael Ware, CNN's "Situation Room" correspondent. Ware declared the session "frighteningly disappointing," telling host Wolf Blitzer, "I just see a lot of oxygen being wasted here."

The Petraeus and Crocker Show

Apr 9, 2008
Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, President Bush's preferred spokesmen for his Iraq policy, found themselves in the middle of the presidential campaign Tuesday as they testified before two Senate committees on which candidates sit.

No Exit (Yet)

Apr 8, 2008
Gen. David Petraeus dug in his heels during a Senate hearing Tuesday, refusing to give specifics about additional U.S. troop withdrawal plans after July, recommending a "pause" instead and taking heat from congressional opponents like Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton in the process. Meanwhile, John McCain spoke of "real hope and optimism" for Iraq's future.

More Trouble for Iraq’s PM

Apr 4, 2008
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faced a crisis last week when 1,000 to 1,500 of his troops, including from several dozen to more than 100 officers, refused to fight in the battle against Shiite militia members in Basra, raising questions about Iraqi security force readiness.

Crocker Sounds Alarm on Iraqi Refugees

Sep 17, 2007
In a terse State Department memo, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker admonishes America's acceptance of Iraqi refugees as critically slow Crocker estimates that it would take the U nearly two years to process and admit 10,000 refugees referred for resettlement to the U.

Feingold Sheds the Kid Gloves

Sep 12, 2007
Sen. Russ Feingold didn't wait long after the obligatory declaration of respect to lay into Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker during Tuesday's testimony before the Senate. One particularly contentious moment occurred after the senator asked, "When can we expect the troop deaths to decline in Iraq?"

Petraeus Grilled by Congress

Sep 10, 2007
It seemed like a case of "hate the war, but hail the general" as the U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, faced criticism and tough questions during his and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's congressional check-in on Monday about the current status and future direction of the Iraq war.