Weekend Watchdog Wrap-Up

With Sen. Hillary Clinton on all four major network Sunday shows, chances were better than usual that our Watchdog question would get asked.

And it was. Both ABC's This Week and CBS' Face The Nation essentially asked if she expects to leave troops in Iraq indefinitely.

On both shows she ticked off a list of "remaining missions" - such as counterterrorism, protecting US civilians and protecting the Kurds -- which she said could be achieved with far fewer troops than we have now, but would not give a specific number. ABC's George Stephanopoulos estimated it take 40,000 to 75,000, and the New York Times' David Sanger (on CBS) estimated at least 100,000.

When asked specifically by Stephanopoulos if she would "pledge" to have "all US troops ... home over the course of your first term as president," Clinton responded she would not "get into hypotheticals and make pledges."

Watchdog questions to Republicans fared less well.

Fox News Sunday didn't bother to question Gingrich why he is out of step with most of America and nearly half of Republicans by attacking Democratic health insurance plans which guarantee coverage for everybody.

And NBC's Meet The Press did not ask Alan Greenspan why his position that we should have attacked Iraq to maintain a stable supply of oil is undermined by the widespread instability caused by the occupation.

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