Tonight On Countdown: Keith's Special Comment

[babsbunny]

Tonight on Countdown
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President Bush flirted with the idea that U.S. troop
strength in Iraq could be reduced during a whirlwind
visit to Anbar Province on his way to an Asia-Pacific
summit at which the debate over the war seemed sure to
follow him. Bush arrived here on a rainy Tuesday night
after an unscheduled detour to the dusty war zone and
the province that was once rife with insurgents. He
arrived ahead of a summit of 21 Asia-Pacific countries.
The president told reporters aboard Air Force One on
Monday night that his strategy sessions with U.S. and
Iraqi leaders and chats about morale with soldiers
and Marines at an air base in western Iraq left him
hopeful that positive change is starting in the 4-year-old
conflict. Despite military successes, political
progress - especially at the national level - is lagging
and Democrats and some prominent Republicans want troops
called home. Crocker and Petraeus are to testify
before Congress next week. Their assessment of the
conflict, along with a progress report the White House must
give lawmakers by Sept. 15, will determine the future
course of the war.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20585305/

In Book, Bush Peeks Ahead to His Legacy. For now,
though, Mr. Bush told the author, Robert Draper, in a
later session, "I'm playing for October-November." That
is when he hopes the Iraq troop increase will finally
show enough results to help him achieve the central
goal of his remaining time in office: "To get us in a
position where the presidential candidates will be
comfortable about sustaining a presence," and, he said
later, "stay longer." But fully aware of his standing in
opinion polls, Mr. Bush said his top commander in Iraq,
Gen. David H. Petraeus, would perhaps do a better job
selling progress to the American people than he
could.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/washington/02book.html?ref=books

Keith's Special Comment on the President's surprise
visit to Iraq and his intent... "playing for
October-November".

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Parliament reconvened Tuesday after a monthlong summer
break but took up none of the key benchmark
legislation demanded by Washington ahead of a report to
Congress on progress in Iraq.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20582773/

Bill Clinton has delivered 30 years' worth of campaign
stump speeches as a political candidate, governor and
president. His latest effort is his shortest yet at
about eight minutes long, and perhaps his most
challenging: boiling down, in the pithiest and warmest way,
why his wife should be in the White House.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20581383/

Kicking off the fall campaign season with her famous
husband at her side, Senator Hillary Clinton yesterday
portrayed herself as both a reformer and an
experienced insider, telling a rapt audience of more than 3,000
that the next president needs both qualities to
reverse the damage from eight years of what she called
"government of the few, and by the few and for the few."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/03/clinton_launches_fall_campaign_with_nh_stop/

Brad Pitt had a bit of a nervous moment when a crazed
fan got too close for comfort at the Venice Film
Festival taking place in Italy.

That's some of what we're planning for tonight.

-- Carey Fox

Countdown Home: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

The Daily Links:
Suicide bombers attacked an army bus and a commercial
district in a city near the Pakistani capital on
Tuesday, killing at least 24 people, the army and police
said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20578576/

In an embarrassing blow to the Israeli government, the
Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the state to redraw
the route of its West Bank separation barrier near a
Palestinian village that has come to symbolize
opposition to the enclosure.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20581935/

The Pentagon on Tuesday said computer hackers gained
access to an unclassified e-mail system in the office
of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but declined comment
on a report that the Chinese army was responsible.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20586967/

Two of Sen. Larry Craig's children said Tuesday they
questioned him explicitly about "what exactly happened
in that bathroom" where he was arrested in a sex sting
and believe his assertions that he isn't gay.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20585868/

Landmark studies published in 2001 indicated that the
DNA of any two people is about 99.9 percent alike. The
new paper suggests estimates of 99.5 percent to just
99 percent. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20582504/

Scientists discover 'skinny' gene. Certain flies,
mice and people are just born lucky (except in time of
famine). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20535978/

Rock stars - notorious for their "crash and burn"
lifestyles - really are more likely than other people to
die before reaching old age. A study of more than
1,000 mainly British and North American artists, spanning
the era from Elvis Presley to rapper Eminem, found
they were two to three times more likely to suffer a
premature death than the general population.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20581183/

Apple's iPhone outsold all smartphones in the United
States in July, its first full month on sale,
accounting for 1.8 percent of all U.S. mobile handset sales,
research group iSuppli said on Tuesday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20586534/

Eurostar set a new Paris-to-London rail speed record
of just over two hours on Tuesday with the first train
to use Britain's long-awaited high-speed track at over
186 mph. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20583224/

Even in her Caribbean hideaway, trainwreck R&B star
Amy Winehouse is causing concern. The UK's Daily Mirror
reports that the "Rehab" singer became violently ill
in her pricey suite, leaving maids "horrified by the
state of the room, which looked like a bomb had hit it."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20576410/

Maine and S.C. face off in sand castle dispute. World
record-holder says Myrtle Beach's 43-foot castle
doesn't follow rules.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20579952/

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