Petraeus Talks Afghanistan Pull-Out Date, and More Sunday Talk Shows

Petraeus hedges on the July 2011 Afghanistan pull-out date, Rep. Peter King slams Obama’s mosque comment, and Howie Kurtz slides out of the Steven Slater story. That and more in our roundup.

Gen. Petraeus: “I Didn’t Come Out Here to Carry Out a Graceful Exit”

In an hour-long special filmed in Afghanistan, Meet the Press profiled Gen. David Petraeus in a candid interview. Or, well, as candid as military interviews are likely to get in the wake of the McChrystal imbroglio. At the top of the hour, shots of Petraeus engaging in his infamous workout regime were interspersed with the general talking about taking over the reins in Afghanistan. Other lighter moments included the general divulging what’s on his bedside table.

Petraeus Hedges on Afghanistan Pull-Out

But the interview quickly turned serious, as Gen. Petraeus hedged on President Obama’s proposed 2011 Afghanistan pull-out date. “I'm not bowed over by, you know, the knowledge that July 2011 is out there,” he said. “In fact the president has been very clear… that is conditions-based. And as the conditions permit, we transition tasks to our Afghan counterparts and the security forces and in various governmental institutions, and that enables a quote ‘responsible’ drawdown of our forces.”

Rep. King: Obama’s Waffling on Mosque

On State of the Union, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) came out against President Obama’s comments regarding the proposed New York City mosque over the weekend, saying the president was “trying to have it both ways. … If the president was going to get into this, he should have been much more clear, much more precise,” King said.

Howie Kurtz Not Facebook Fan of Steven Slater

Beleaguered JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater may have risen to the rank of folk hero after his dramatic job departure this week, but there’s one media pundit who isn’t having any of it: Reliable Sources’ Howie Kurtz. He called Slater a “clown,” chided the media for inflating the issue, and said “I’m gonna slide right out of this bogus story.”

Sen. Corker’s Economy Fix: “Calm Down”

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) has some unique advice for fixing the economy: “The best thing we can do is calm down," he told Christiane Amanpour on This Week. He says that the “sweeping changes” made by Congress have led to "an air of unpredictability." Corker suggested that Congress scaling back its interference would lead to company and familial balance sheets straightening themselves out.

Laura Tyson’s Economy Fix: Invest, Invest, Invest

Meanwhile, Laura D’Andrea Tyson, an economic adviser to President Obama, had another suggestion for getting the economy back on track: invest, invest, invest. Specifically, in our infrastructure, in education, and in manufacturing. “We, basically, are trying to get the research and development spending in this country up to 3 percent so we can again be leaders in the world in that,” she said. “Invest, invest, invest is really what we must do."

Sen. Cornyn: Two Cycles to a GOP House

On Fox News Sunday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) predicted it will take two election cycles before the GOP dominates the House again. Still, even a slightly more Republican House will be a positive thing, Cornyn said. “We think that will force President Obama to the middle … and we think that would be a good thing for the country,” he said.

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