How Fast Can We Exit Iraq?

24:09

February 02, 2009

Election officials check the seals on a ballot box after the polls closed in the country's provincial elections in central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor-wire cordons to vote Saturday in provincial elections that are considered a crucial test of the nation's stability as U.S. officials consider the pace of troop withdrawals. (AP) — Iraqi election officials check the seals on a ballot box after the polls closed in the country's provincial elections in central Baghdad on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009.(AP)

And once again, Americans look to the exits and ask: “Can we go now?”

Barack Obama promised combat troops out in 16 months. That’s summer, 2010. The Bush administration committed to an exit by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, it’s costing $10 billion a month, and we’ve got other problems.

This hour, On Point: Iraq — when can we go?Guests:

Sudarsan Raghavan, Baghdad bureau chief of The Washington Post.
Stephen Biddle, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His most recent piece for Foreign Affairs is called "How to Leave a Stable Iraq."
Judith Yaphe, senior research fellow at the National Defense University and a former CIA analyst. She testified before Congress on Iran-Iraq dynamics.

This program aired on February 2, 2009.