Obama sticks to plan for Iraq troop drawdown despite obstacles

The Obama administration says the planned drawdown of 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq is moving forward on schedule. There are currently around 94,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and a September 1 deadline is looming large for American officials. This comes despite post-election violence across the country and delays in the formation of the Iraqi government.

Joost Hiltermann, an Iraq analyst with the International Crisis Group, joins us to look at how the drawdown is proceeding thus far and whether or not it is feasible for 44,000 troops to get out of Iraq by early September.

And we turn to the homefront, where tens of thousands of military families continue to wait anxiously for their loved ones to return. Caitlin Waters’ husband, Mark, is serving in southern Iraq. She says she’s getting by on a mix of hope, humor and sleepless nights.