David Sanger

The troop drawdown in Afghanistan is scheduled to begin in July, but we don't yet know how many will be taken out of the country. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that a slower drawdown is needed when he spoke from Afghanistan on his farewell visit to troops before his retirement. David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times analyzes the situation. He says we haven't yet heard from the new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta. It is likely, says Sanger, that President Obama do what he did in Iraq, essentially setting a date for the ultimate drawdown and leave the pace of the withdrawal up to the commanders. 

President Obama made a subtle, rhetorical shift in his Libya policy on Wednesday in London. After nearly three months of stating that U.S. priorities were to protect civilians from massacres, The President now says the goal is to make sure that the Libyan people will be "finally free of 40 years of tyranny,” at the hands of Col. Moammar Gadhafi. The President spoke to British Parliament at Westminster Hall, and in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron. For more on what this means for transatlantic relations, we turn to David Sanger, Chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times.

In his speech on the Arab world on Thursday, President Obama evoked images of the American Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement and the Fall of the Iron Curtain to parallel American values and the Arab uprisings. The speech comes nearly six months after the uprisings began in Tunis, and the state of democracy in Tunisia and Egypt is precarious at best. But what concrete steps is Obama promising — and can he come through?

Since the shooting death of Osama bin Laden, the news has been dominated by stories of the former al-Qaida leader; but, the country’s foreign policy priorities do not end with the discover of his Abbottabad compound. By the time that Leon Panetta takes the stand for his Senate confirmation hearing, politicians on the Left and the Right will be clamoring for their chance have their foreign policy issues back in the limelight. To preview some of the issues we that will make their way back into the news we speak with David Sanger, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.

David E. Sanger, the Chief Washington Correspondent for the New York Times, discusses what kind of impact the death of Osama bin Laden will have on the Arab World, a region where protests continue.

The day after Sept. 11, 2001, journalists from around the world flocked to the Middle East to cover what would be become the defining story of the decade. Osama bin Laden instantly became a household name and Al Qaeda was America's new enemy. Now, nearly ten years later, the U.S. has achieved its original mission in Afghanistan — to find and kill bin Laden. To mark this historic moment, we talk with two veteran reporters who've been covering the story from day one: David Sanger and Rod Nordland, reporters with our partner The New York Times.

The Associated Press reports this morning that President Obama will name current CIA director Leon Panetta as the replacement for Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He'd also make General David Patreaeus Panetta's replacement at the CIA. The changes are expected to take effect this summer, after a Senate confirmation. David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times speaks with us about this news.

The meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin last week solidified the main objective to end Colonel Moammar Gadhafi's regime. But big questions remain — including where Gadhafi could seek refuge if he left Libya. It turns out that the U.S. and its allies have been hard at work to find a country that will accept Gadhafi — and where he might willingly go.

President Obama has faced criticism from the left and the right regarding his decision to join coalition forces in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya. The President addressed those critics last night in a speech to the nation, saying he was committed to keeping American troops off the ground. He also appealed to our morality by saying, “I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.” David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, dissects Obama's speech in terms of policy and how it might play in the capital.