millions have cast their ballots, some risking or giving their lives to vote in free elections. the prime minister leads iraq s most inclusive government yet. iraqis are working to build institutions that are efficient, and independent. and transparent. economically, iraqi has continued to invest in their infrastructure and development, and i think it s worth considering some remarkable statistics. in the coming years, it s estimated that iraq s economy will grow even faster than china s or india s. with all production rising, iraq is on track to once again be one of the region s leading oil producers. with respect to security, iraqi forces have been in the lead for the better part of three years. patrolling the streets, dismantling militias, conducting counterterrorism operations. today, despite continued attacks by those who seek to
millions have cast their ballots, some risking or giving their lives to vote in free elections. the prime minister leads iraq s most inclusive government yet. iraqis are working to build institutions that are efficient and independent and transparent. economically, iraqis continue to invest in their infrastructure and development. and i think it s worth considering some remarkable statistics. in the coming years, it s estimated that iraq s economy will grow even faster than china s or india s, with oil production rising, they will be one of the region s leading oil producers. with respect to security, iraqi forces have been in the lead for the better part of three years, patrolling the streets, dismantling militias, conducting counterterrorism operations. today, despite continued attacks by those who seek to derail
by the end of the month. the president met with al maliki at the white house this morning to discuss iraq s future. only a short time ago, president obama announced the troops would leave with their heads held high. he also promised the u.s. would keep a strong presence in the middle southeast and defend u.s. partners and interests, reacting to criticism iraq may not be ready for u.s. troops to leave. the president said the country is more be ready to handle its own security. iraqi forces have been in the lead for the better part of three years. patrolling the streets, dismantling militias and conducting counterterrorism operations. today despite continued attacks by those who seek to derail iraq s progress, violence remains at record lows. and joining me now, nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel. we saw the emotional scene of the president with al maliki laying the wreath at the tomb of the unknown. i saw your tweet as well. saying just how emotional this moment is and we
this in an interview, cbs s 60 minutes , the president challenges the political partisanship. he says republican strategy cuts him off at the knees. i think the republicans made a different calculation, which was, you know what, we really screwed up the economy. obama seems popular. our best bet is to stand on the sidelines because we think the economy will get worse and at some point just blame him. so we haven t gotten the kind of engagement from them that i would have liked. all right. a lot of political buzz this morning that s centering on the weekend s gop debate. it was one to watch. at one point mitt romney criticized the frontrunner, newt gingrich, as being a political pro. then he markets himself as an outsider. this is an exchange, have you to see this, gingrich snapping off a comeback. we have differences of viewpoint on some issues, but the real difference, i believe, is our backgrounds. i spent my life in the private sector. i understand how the economy
forces in libya are free tonight. late word of a new kidnapping and last ditch battles that may be linked to moammar gadhafi s escape plan. and cnn goes inside the virginia nuclear power plant near the epicenter of that historic quake. we have a lot of questions about nuclear safety and whether the east coast is prepared if another big one hits. wolf blitzer s off today. i m joe johns. you re in the situation room. hurricane irene is bearing town on the bahamas with winds of up to 120 miles an hour right now, and the national weather service warns this category 3 monster could be upgraded, upgraded to a category 4 tomorrow. that means irene could be capable of catastrophic damage when it slams the east coast in the days ahead. the storm has been pounding the turks and caicos and other islands and gaining strength along the way. there are reports of damage but so far no serious injuries. we do have a view from space that gives you an idea of just how big the storm is. it