George's Bottom Line: Petraeus Reactions

George Stephanopoulos says the November election will decide the war outcome.

ByABC News via logo
April 9, 2008, 9:07 AM

April 9, 2008 — -- Following the first day of Gen. David Petraeus' congressional testimony on Iraq and heading into the second, ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos says "it's very, very clear there's not going to be any real change in Iraq policy before the November election."

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What you saw yesterday, Robin, is basically those candidates talking to each other and regiving, really, their campaign speeches on the war. Because the bottom line here is that when you add up everything that happened yesterday, it's very, very clear that there's not going to be any real change in Iraq policy before the Novemeber election. The November election is going to be what's decisive. The tough question for John McCain and General Petraeus is can they answer what are the conditions that would finally lead you to withdraw, and the tough questions for Senators Obama and Clinton will be if either one of them is elected president and a year from now General Petraeus or his successor comes to Capitol Hill and says listen, we can't withdraw right now, the consquences would be too dire, what would they say? Would they stick to the time table or follow the general?

ROBIN ROBERTS: Also grabbing headlines, George, a report out of the Wall Street Journal, behind the scenes Bill and Hillary Clinton are at odds about the free trade agreement with Columbia that cost Mark Penn his job. He reportedly is for it. Yesterday on this program, Senator Clinton said she is strongly opposed to it but reportedly President Clinton received an $800,000 consulting fee with the Columbians. Does this put Senator Clinton on thin ice with union groups?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Another bad story for Senator Clinton, no question about it. I think these were speaking fees for speaking back in 2005 in Columbua and other Latin American nations. He is supporting the Columbian free trade agreement. The Clinton campaign says that's forth rightly. This is an issue that the president disagress with Senator Clinton but this comes at the worst possible time as you point out, Robin, in the wake of this meeting by the former cheif strategist Mark Penn with the Columbian officials. It will be hard for Senator Clinton to shake this issue an important one to a lot of labor unions in Pennsylvania.