CBS’s Couric: Maliki ‘Endorsement’ of Troop Pullout ‘Embarrassing’ to Bush

On Tuesday’s CBS "Early Show," co-host Harry Smith talked to "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric about Barack Obama’s trip to Iraq and asked: "He's had a very full plate here the last three or four days. Is it -- is there a way to sort of gauge what the Senator has been able to accomplish thus far?" Couric, who along with the other network anchors is following Obama on the trip, responded: "Well, I think in his time in Iraq, and as you know, Harry, he's still there, has been very, very productive."

Couric then went on to describe the Obama’s good fortune: "And let's say simply serendipitous that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, after some clarification over the weekend and going back and forth, virtually endorsed Senator Obama's plan to have a timetable for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, U.S. combat troops by the year 2010." She also pointed out that Maliki’s "endorsement": "...was somewhat surprising, disconcerting, and embarrassing to the Bush Administration." Couric concluded: "So in terms of a withdrawal strategy, he [Obama] and Prime Minister Maliki are definitely on the same page."

To her credit, Couric did point out Obama’s opposition to the troop surge, which she described as successful:

He also raised some eyebrows, by the way, when he said knowing what he knows now he would still not support the surge, the addition of some 36,000 additional troops last year. And that is largely being credited with bringing the level of violence in Iraq way down and ironically that's one of the reasons Senator Obama can even think about proposing the addition of up to three military brigade to Afghanistan, which he calls the front line in the war of terror.

At the end of the segment, Smith asked Couric about her upcoming interview with Obama: "You have your interview with Barack Obama a little bit later on today there in Amman [Jordan]. What's the most important thing on your mind?" Couric replied:

Well, gosh, Harry, there are so many things to talk to him about. Obviously I'm going to push him on the fact that he still opposes the surge despite evidence that it has been extremely effected. I'll talk to -- effective. I'll talk with him about this balancing act he'll have to perform when he is in the Middle East and about visiting what Donald Rumsfeld once called 'old Europe,' France and Germany, and what he hopes to achieve in Great Britain as well. I mean we have so many hot spots to talk about and to delve into. I'm really looking forward to it.

Despite the unwarranted shot at Donald Rumsfeld, Couric seemed to be prepared to ask some challenging questions, though the interview will speak for itself.

Here is the full transcript of the segment:

7:00AM TEASER:

HARRY SMITH: Withdrawing the troops. Barack Obama says he and military commanders can make his plan work, but is it realistic? We'll talk to Katie Couric, who's in the Middle East.

7:01AM TEASER:

SMITH: A lot of people paying attention to Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East. He's in Iraq now, heading off to Amman, which is where Katie Couric is going to stand -- is standing by. We're going to talk to Katie in just a sec. She's going to have a big interview with Barack Obama in just a little while.

7:04AM SEGMENT:

HARRY SMITH: Now back to Barack Obama in Iraq. Katie Couric of the 'CBS Evening News' will have an exclusive interview with the Senator this evening. She joins us now from Amman, Jordan. Good morning, Katie.

KATIE COURIC: Hey, Harry, good morning to you.

SMITH: He's had a very full plate here the last three or four days. Is it -- is there a way to sort of gauge what the Senator has been able to accomplish thus far?

COURIC: Well, I think in his time in Iraq, and as you know, Harry, he's still there, has been very, very productive. And let's say simply serendipitous that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, after some clarification over the weekend and going back and forth, virtually endorsed Senator Obama's plan to have a timetable for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, U.S. combat troops by the year 2010. Now, this was somewhat surprising, disconcerting, and embarrassing to the Bush Administration [inaudible] conditions-based withdrawal and General Petraeus agrees with that, as does the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen. So in terms of a withdrawal strategy, he and Prime Minister Maliki are definitely on the same page. This also puts him at odds, of course, as you know Harry, with John McCain. He also raised some eyebrows, by the way, when he said knowing what he knows now he would still not support the surge, the addition of some 36,000 additional troops last year. And that is largely being credited with bringing the level of violence in Iraq way down and ironically that's one of the reasons Senator Obama can even think about proposing the addition of up to three military brigade to Afghanistan, which he calls the front line in the war of terror.

SMITH: And it's very interesting because John McCain has been very loud and clear back here saying, 'hey, these conditions wouldn't even be ripe for these kinds of conversations were it not for the surge.' Let me move to the challenges Barack Obama faces. You've just come out of Israel. Now you're in Amman. He's got a long road to go here. What challenges does he face in the next couple of days?

COURIC: Well Harry, as you well know, it is such a delicate balance for him. He has to show he has solidarity with Israel, with the people there, not be pulled into the domestic problems that are plaguing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel. He also, when he travels to the West Bank, has to be open to the concerns of the Palestinians as well. I think what he'll be doing, mindful that he's there as a candidate and not as a president, he'll be doing a great deal of listening. He has to be careful not to side with anyone and to stay very impartial. But I think what both sides want to hear, or what most people we spoke to said, is that he is interested. He wants to engage in the Mideast peace process if he's elected and that he will in fact, hit the ground running.

SMITH: There you go. You have your interview with Barack Obama a little bit later on today there in Amman. What's the most important thing on your mind?

COURIC: Well, gosh, Harry, there are so many things to talk to him about. Obviously I'm going to push him on the fact that he still opposes the surge despite evidence that it has been extremely effected. I'll talk to -- effective. I'll talk with him about this balancing act he'll have to perform when he is in the Middle East and about visiting what Donald Rumsfeld once called 'old Europe,' France and Germany, and what he hopes to achieve in Great Britain as well. I mean we have so many hot spots to talk about and to delve into. I'm really looking forward to it.

SMITH: There you go. Katie Couric, live with us in Amman this morning. Will see all of that tonight on the 'Evening News.' Thanks for taking the time to be with us.

COURIC: Okay. Thanks, Harry.

SMITH: Alright, take care, Katie.