Extemp Questions 30 Aug 2007

• Are centrist politics dead in the Democratic Party?
• Should the US embrace globalization?
• Should the US increase the H1-B visa quota?
• What impact will the resignation of Karl Rove have on the Presidential election in 2008?
• What will the political legacy of Karl Rove be?
• How will the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales change the priorities of the US Justice Department?
• Does Congress need to overall its ethics regulations?
• Seriously now, what’s with all the “I’m not gay” conservative Republican congressmen loving the cock?
• What will Saudi Arabia’s growing leadership role in the Middle East mean for the region?
• Will Saudi Arabia continue to remain friendly to US interests in the Middle East?
• Is growing American secularism a result of Americans turning away from conservative right politics?
• How can Democrats gain support among religious voters?
• How long can China maintain its rapid industrial and manufacturing growth?
• Is outsourced manufacturing to china bad for the US economy?
• Can Americas economy continue to compete effectively against global economic forces?
• What will it take to have open religion flourish in China?
• Will Republicans in Congress use the war in Iraq to diverge from President Bush in the 2008 election?
• Will competition for global resource become a major point of tension between the US and China?

Oratory/Expos - Stories

A very nice talk from TED by Chris Abani on storytelling and the importance of stories. This would be a great topic for someone to write an oratory about. The importance of telling the stories so that we can learn from them. For Hawaii, where I live, this is importnat because the stories that are not told are lost. For a family, it's equally so, how did you come to be. Joe Galloway, a reporter in Vietnam used to tell a story about how his great-grandparents had met in a shoe store because each one of them had lost a leg in the civil war, so they would meet and buy a pair of shoes together. More recently the stories of the history of the British Empire in the Middle East could have told us a great deal about how stupid American expectations about Iraq were. The stories of our lives are our history and when we forget them, we forget ourselves. when we refuse to tell them because we think it might be painful to hear or painful to tell, we rob others of their history. Remember that the root word of history is STORY and that story should be told.

Extemp Questions 6 Aug. 2007

• Should the US raise its minimum fuel efficiency standards?
• Is the war in Iraq breaking the Army?
• Will Congress’ push to control the war in Iraq harm military readiness?
• Has the troop surge in Iraq worked?
• Is Hillary Clinton’s experience a help or a hindrance in her Presidential bid?
• Can alternative fuels reduce America’s foreign oil dependence?
• Has American intelligence gathering improved sinne Sept. 11, 2001?
• What would the outcome be for Iraq if Amerian troops are redeployed out of the country?

Rives

Rives is probably one of the most interesting poets and storytellers I've seen in some time. I saw something on HBO that had him which got me interested, but then he poppsed up on TED. 

TED, if you're not familiar with it is sort of a bunch of geniuses who have way too much free time to think up some really cool shit.

Anyway, Rives on Ted talking about 4 A.M. Probably one of the best examples of an expository ever. Highly entertaining and where else are you going to get a Polish writer in the same monolouge as Bill Clinton and Judy Dench.

Rives profile on ted.com

More extemp questions 19 July 2007

• Should Presidential campaigns be publicly funded?
• Are Presidential campaigns too expensive?
• Is the US military stretched too thin?
• Is project BioShield ready to save American lives in response to a terrorist attack?
• How sick is the ailing US housing market?
• How can Americans curb the rising trend of credit spending?
• Does the low US savings rate pose a serious strategic risk?
• Is the present Iraqi leadership incapable of maintaining stability?
• Is the price of withdrawal from Iraq too high for the US to consider?
• Is the US commitment to Iraq insufficient?
• Is Vice President Cheney a liability to the Bush Administration?
• Should the UN increase sanctions against Iraq?
• How big of a problem is China and the trade deficit for the US?
• Will taxes have to be raised to fund Social Security?
• Should the Alternative Minimum Tax be abolished?
• Should the US set a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq?
• Does the US need too increase legal immigration quotas?
• What is the most practical path towards America’s energy independence?
• Has the Iraq war hurt Republican’s chances for the White House in 2008?
• Is it time to end the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy?
• Should the US engage Syria in discussions about the global war on terror?
• Will the UN impose sanctions on Iran because of it’s nuclear development program?.
• Would a Passenger’s Bill of Rights actually help airline passengers?
• Has the US airline industry lost its focus on customer service?
• Does the Evangelical right still control the Republican Party?
• Which of the Republican frontrunners will be acceptable to the mainstream right as a Presidential candidate?
• When will the US housing market recover its strength?
• Should the US put more effort on the exploration of deep sea oil reserves?
• Should the question of whether or not to permit same sex marriage be left to individual states?
• Hass Russia under the control of President Putin helped or harmed America’s security interests worldwide?
• Should Russia’s membership in the G8 be revoked?
• Does America need to reinstate the military draft?
• Can Maliki effectively preside over a unity government in Iraq?
• Can the Maliki government in Iraq survive a no confidence vote?
• Is it time to set a timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq?

Debate: Old Debate Guide - Primarily for Judges

1. Overview of debate
The basic premise of all debate is that you are the judge. Literally and figuratively, you are the deciding factor. Yes, there are criterion fur judging, but it really boils down to who convinced you and who communicated their ideas to you better.
If one of the debaters makes an argument and it sounds flaky to you, call them on it. Write it down on the ballot. Just remember, that no matter what, the judge is always correct. Even if the competitors all think the judge is wrong, the judge is still correct. It’s even better than being a real judge because there’s no appeals process for them to overturn you.

2. Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln Douglass is a value and morality debate. The topic will change every couple of months (so usually each tournament we go to will use a different topic).
This category is truly about who can persuade you better. You will hear some terminology and I’ll cover that, but for the most part, it’s all about who has the best marketing. To decide this you can consider all sorts of things. First and foremost, their ideas should be clear to you. They can have best ideas and arguments, but if they can’t communicate them…oh well. The arguments should be constructed in such a way that you weigh the ethics of the situation and the given topic. The side has the greater moral justification for their claims wins.
They should have evidence, perhaps in the form of quotes from noted philosophers (you might hear names like John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Emmanuel Kant, Abraham Maslow, if you have no idea who these people are or what they stood for, that’s okay, most of the students don’t have much of a clue either). They may give you examples or hypothetical situations and say that, “well, under these conditions, the moral justification supports the affirmative.” They may throw statistics at you (although this is less common). They will do whatever they can to make their point, support their point and get you to understand their point. If, at the end of the debate, you don’t understand their point, don’t feel bad, just write “hey, you sounded good, but I have no idea why the Categorical Imperative says it’s immoral to impose an Orwellian state on students who only want to be involved in the Chess Club. I’m sorry, you didn’t make you’re point clear.” That’s all the justification you need. It is their responsibility to justify their moral ground. Not yours. While it is their responsibility to provide evidence, it is also your responsibility NOT to provide it for them. You aren’t allowed to connect the dots for them or add in your own ideas or ideology, just listen.
As for terminology, the first thing you will hear about, the most important thing you will hear about, is the VALUE. The VALUE is the kind of general concept, or moral idea that they will use to support their side. For example, you may hear one of the negative speakers say “my VALUE is Individual Privacy.” What that means is that the negative debater will try to prove that the affirmative side is not justified because we in America hold privacy to be one of our fundamental rights. There are all kinds of values. Some make sense, other don’t. Again, this is your call. If someone has the value of Bilingual Education, certainly, that’s a good value. It just has no place in a debate about Medical Privacy. The value and how well the debater supports it, is what determines the win/loss for the round.
The next big thing you’ll hear about is the VALUE CRITERION. I like to think of the VALUE CRITERION as the top of the Monopoly box. It’s essentially the set of rules that govern how we’ll play this little game called debate. Most of the novice debaters and some of the varsity debaters won’t know how to properly create, use and argue the VALUE CRITERION. Don’t let it disturb you. For example, the affirmative speaker may have a VALUE CRITERION of Educational Responsibility. That’s a pretty abstract concept. Most of us would stare blankly ahead and imitate Homer Simpson. What the speaker is attempting to tell you, is that each school, each education institution has a responsibility to its students. (“oh, okay”), We have to shape today’s debate in that context, (“losing me here….”). In order to have a fair debate, we need to look at the responsibility that a school has towards its students, and see which side best meets those responsibilities (“okay, you do your job, I do mine, whoever does the better job wins. Got it”) . The VALUE CRITERION (VC, or just CRITERION) is used to set the parameters in which the debate must take place. A good debater will know how to use this. A poor debater will rattle off something that sounds great, without really knowing what if means. It is up to you to decide, which set of rules is better to judge the debate by. Just as legal judges have to decide based upon the set of rules that is the law, LD debate judges must decided based upon the set of rules that is the VALUE CRITERION.
You will hear other terms, like CRYSTALIZATION (summary), FLOW (the notes they are constantly taking). The basic rules is, they have to make you understand, if they don’t, it’s their fault, not yours. Don’t let the terminology get the best of you.
Some things to look for in LD: The debate itself rests on the idea of a conflict. If there is no conflict in the debate, well, I can think of a number of things I would rather do on a Saturday. When you see this, note it on the ballot “I don’t see the conflict in this debate anymore, it seems you guys have gotten off track.”
One of the things we normally teach students is that the last speech they give should be a summary, a CRYSTALIZATION of the round. What were the key issues? Why, in a nutshell, should you vote for that particular side? Should you fall asleep during most of the round, listening to the crystallization at the end can be great. It is not required for competitors, but the more experienced ones will do it and it does make things a lot clearer.
Also judge them on delivery. Did they maintain eye contact with you? Could you hear them? Were they jumping around? Playing with pens? Doing anything unprofessional? You can rank them down for this to, or make note of it on the ballot.

3. Controversy / TTD / Public Forum
As the new category, I honestly can’t tell you much about this. If you are at all familiar with extemporaneous speaking, that’s what I personally expect from controversy teams. They shouldn’t necessarily have everything memorized, but they should be maintaining eye contact with you most of the time. The style isn’t much like debate at all. It’s centered more on who can form the better ideas. The topic will be given to them ahead of time, so they should be reasonably prepared. To be honest, this one is real simple. It comes down to who convinced you the best. This category was specifically devised with the intention of helping novice JUDGES get their feet wet in debate and though there are ground rules the category is still in infancy.

4. Policy Debate
There are different levels of Policy debate. This category, I warn you, is a sure cure for insomnia. Policy debate is based primarily on evidence. While the competitors can make some arguments based on logic, I’d be wary about anything they say is “common sense.” It’s been my experience that “common sense” isn’t all that common. There are different judging criteria based upon judges personal preference, but here in Hawaii, most of the judging is based upon stock issues (things like (SOLVENCY, INHERENCY, TOPICALITY, terms which will be explained below).
Since the policy debaters have the same topic over the course of the whole year, you may find yourself hearing the same case (or a pretty close copy) several times over. Over time, you should see cases improve and evidence get updated for information that becomes available. When deciding between conflicting pieces of evidence, I’ll usually opt for the most credible and most up to date source provided. You can ask to see a piece of evidence if you like.
There is a lot of terminology associated with policy debate. Rather than telling you how to judge, I’d like to go over some of the terms you’ll come across. I’m sure I’ll forget some of them, and I apologize. But this is a pretty decent list to start with.
HARMS: This is pretty straightforward. The HARMS of the case outline the problem in the status quo that we are debating today. For example, under this year’s resolution, HARMS may be things like overfishing, reef killing algae or Eskimos molesting salmon.
SOLVENCY: Is directly related to HARMS in that the affirmative team’s plan or the negative team’s counter-plan has to be proven to solve the HAMRS that they bring forth. If they cannot reasonably prove that they solved for those things then the plan should lose, because it’s not going to work. Solvency is simply the proof you present that you plan can and will do what you say it will. It’s what separates the marketing aspects of debate and the engineering aspects of debate.
WORKABILITY: Not to be confused with SOLVENCY. WORKABILITY deals with whether the plan can reasonably be put into action. For example if the plan calls for an increase in taxes for funding, how reasonable is it that the public would go along and approve an increase in taxes? Or if the plan required that Congress pass a Constitutional Amendment, is it proven that Congress would be willing to do so? WORKABILITY asks not about whether the plan would work, but whether the plan could be put into action at all. This is directly connected to INHERENCY.
INHERENCY: In policy debates, the teams create plans on the. First off, their plans should not be something already in place or on the planning table at the moment. Second is that usually this plan is one which faces difficulty being put into place. Both of these concepts are related to INHERENCY. What INHERNECY asks, is whether there is some barrier in place for getting he plan enacted. The barrier can take many different forms. The students will use terms like ‘attitudinal barrier’ (the people don’t want to change). All of these really boil down to the fact that there is something in the status quo that would require prodding to put the plan into action (sometimes you might have to beat a few people with a really big stick). Maybe people don’t want their taxes increased for funding the plan, or Congress would disagree and not pass the plan, or the President is strongly against it because it doesn’t bomb someone. For whatever reason, the debaters plan must account for some barrier to implementation.
TOPICALITY: In order to have a proper debate at each tournament, the teams should both adhere as closely to the resolution as possible. This is where topicality comes in. For example, the resolution may contain the term ‘establish’. If we define it as “to create something new,” than any plan presented must be new and cannot copy something already in place in the real world. Or you may find the term ‘significantly’. Well, what is ‘significant’? How much of a difference do you need to make? One fish? Two fish? Red fish? Blue fish? While the ultimate decision is up to you, the teams should present evidence and numbers to back up their competing claims about the significance of the plan.
Your job in determining topicality is to listen to the definitions provided by both sides, determine which (if there are opposing definitions) is the more appropriate, and then decide whether the plan abides by those definitions.
Hints and Tips
You’ll see a lot of differences between JV and Varsity policy. The varsity policy teams for example tend to speak quicker. If they go too fast for you, put your pen down and stare straight ahead. This is a sign to them to slow down.
You’ll also notice that they tend to follow the flow more. You should expect better organization from the more experienced debaters. If you ever get lost in the organization of the debaters, it’s their fault, not yours. Make note of it on the ballot.
You may come across topic specific terms in these debates. There are terms that are relevant to the topic but not to debate in general that you are not familiar with. You’re not supposed to be. The debaters are supposed to explain it. Any acronyms they use, they are supposed to define. All of this goes back to being able to communicate their ideas to you. The most important thing I can express to you is that the judges is never wrong, the debater is just unable to communicate the idea effectively.

Extemp: old extemp questions 2005 Thanksgiving

IX
Middle East
• A year after the death of Arafat, are Palestinians better off?
• Is Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon inevitable?
• Can Saddam Hussein get a fair trial?
• Can Chalabi gain the support he needs to administer Iraq?
• Is there anything that can stop the rash of bombings across Iraq?
• Can Ariel Sharon maintain his pullout of Gaza?
• Will Al Qaeda attacks against moderate nations like Jordan increase in the coming months?
• Will insurgent actions from Iraq spread to nearby Arab nations?
• Do Sunni’s have a political strategy for their role in the Iraqi government?
• Should Arab nations normalize relations with Israel?
• What does Saudi Arabia’s entry to the WTO mean for the nation’s economy?
• Can the Saudi government contain the growing support for militants?
• Should the US repay Iraq for work done by Halliburton?
• Will the December vote in Iraq find overwhelming support among the people?
• What role should Hamas play in Palestinian elections?
• How can the US shorten the growing reach of the Zarqawi network?
• What can bring together Iraq’s different political factions?
• Would a Palestinian State boost the security of Israel?
• What more should Saudi Arabia to do fight terrorism?
• Is Jordan’s King Abdullah out of touch with his own people?
• Is Iraqi reconstruction proceeding on schedule?
• Will looted Iraqi relics ever be recovered?
• How can the Sunni’s be encouraged to participate in the December Iraqi elections?
• Are female suicide bombings going to be an increasingly popular tactic by Al Qaeda?
• Can the US negotiate a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestine?
• Should richer, Persian Gulf oil states share the oil revenues with poorer Arab states?
• Is Iraq exporting terrorists?
• Will the movement of Moqtada al-Sadr towards mainstream politics encourage greater Shiite participation in the Iraqi government?
• Would the loss of Zarqawi end organized insurgency efforts in Iraq?
Europe
• How can France quell the Paris riots?
• Is Europe ready for the Bird Flu?
• Will the rest of Europe see civil unrest like that in France?
• What are the economic factors behind the riots in France?
• Is Viktor Yushchenko succeeding in his plans to repair Ukraine?
• What reforms are necessary in European immigration policy?
• Is Turkey’s accession to the European Union a good idea?
• Can the German coalition government meet its goals?
• Will the UK pass significant anti-terror legislation?
• Does the Labour Party in the UK face serious internal conflict?
• Is the British health care system failing?
• How should the UK address terror threats?
• Have Russia’s actions in Chechnya tarnished its relationship with the EU?
• Can Vladimir Putin keep Russia on course?
Asia
• How serious is the Bird Flu threat?
• How long can China keep up its huge trade surpluses?
• How can the US effective engage North Korea to stop nuclear development?
• Can multilateral talks work with regards to North Korea?
• Will China allow its currency to rise in value against the dollar?
• How can Japan improve its ties to the rest of Asia?
• Should China allow greater foreign access to its markets?
• Will Chinese money be the core of global capital funds in the coming decade?
• Can Afghani corruption be stopped?
• What is necessary to control the narcotics trade in Afghanistan?
• What agenda does Prime Minister Koizumi have for Japan?
• Is Japan’s economy on track for a continued rise?
• Will closer US-Japan military ties act as a deterrent against North Korea?
• Can sanctions work against North Korea?
• Is Japan ready to let go of its Imperial family?
• Would opening its markets be in the best interests of China?
•
Latin America
• Will free trade agreements provide enough economic stimulus for Latin America?
• Should the US end its Cuba embargo?
• Are Land Reforms a good idea for Venezuela?
• Can President Hugo Chavez effectively leverage Venezuela’s oil wealth to get what he wants?
• Can Colombia disarm right-wing paramilitaries?
• Will former President Alberto Fujimori be tried in Peru?
• Will a Free Trade Zone across the Americas benefit the United States?
• Will General Pinochet actually stand trial?
• How can Latin American better curb the narcotics trafficking?
•
Africa
• What more should the international community do to combat AIDS in Africa?
• Is debt relief a realistic solution to ending African poverty?
• Can Ethiopia prevent political unrest from turning into a civil war?
• Will elections in Liberia result in any significant reforms?
• Should the US intervene in Zimbabwe?
• Should the UN take action to stop deportations in Zimbabwe?
• Will Zimbabwe admit to failure on its land reforms?
• Does lack of infrastructure doom Sub-Saharan Africa to poverty?
• Is there a political solution to the problems in Darfur?
• Why isn’t more being done to combat famine and hunger in Africa?
• How can Ethiopia resolve the problems that are at the heart of its current crisis?
• How long can Robert Mugabe maintain control of Zimbabwe?
•
UN/Intl Orgs/Economy
• Is the world economy healthy?
• How has free trade changed the world economy?
• Can unanimous decisions continue to effectively run the UN?
• How can the international community better prepare for the next major natural disaster?
• Can global free trade work to aid developing nations?
• Has the developed world failed to offer acceptable amounts relief to victims of the Southeast Asian earthquake?
• Should the UN revoke its mandate for US troops in Iraq?
• Do IMF loan stipulations do more harm than good for developing nations?
• How can the WHO control a global outbreak of Bird Flu?
• Are global mergers still good business practice?
• What motivates suicide bombers across the world?
• Should the UN have greater control over the Internet?
• Do NGO’s do more harm than good in developing nations?
• What more should be done to reduce global deforestation?
• What should the world do to stave off an avian flu outbreak?
• What effects does global warming have on developing nations?
• Is global free trade losing steam?


NX
Politics
• Will Democrats win big in next year’s midterm election?
• Will Sam Alito be confirmed to the US Supreme Court?
• Will ethics questions be the legacy of the Bush Administration?
• Can the Bush Administration move quickly beyond the CIA leak case?
• Will Christian “values voters” continue to dominate the Republican Party?
• Is the US ready for a female President?
• Will the indictment of Scooter Libby pose a serious problem for the Bush Will Karl Rove be indicted?
• Administration?
• Is Sam Alito the most qualified person for Supreme Court nomination?
• Can the Republican Party appease right wing voters and not lose the moderates?
• Will the Democrats continue to pick up political victories?
• Is the ‘nuclear option’ practical in a Supreme Court fight?
• Will Democrats fight the nomination of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court?
• Can Tom DeLay get a fair trial in Texas?
• Should there be a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees?
• Should the White House replace some of the top Presidential staffers?
• Can President Bush reunite the Republican Party over budget issues?
• How is the Democratic National Committee doing under the direction of Howard Dean?
• How can the President turn around his approval ratings fall?
• Is the Iraq war a political problem for the President?
• Can the Bush Administration recover from the CIA leak investigation in time to assist the Republican Party in the midterm elections?
• Can the Democrats maintain secular support and still campaign on moral values?
• Can the Democrats develop and present real plans to American?
• Will Sam Alito be confirmed to the Supreme Court?
• What steps need to be taken to bring down the Zarqawi terror network?
• Will opinions on abortion hang up the nomination of Sam Alito?
• Would a Democratic filibuster of the Alito nomination backfire?
•
Economy
• Should the US end farm subsidies?
• How can the Congress get a handle on budget deficits?
• Should simplification of the tax code be a priority for the Bush Administration?
• Is Ben Benanke the right choice to follow Alan Greenspan in running the Federal Reserve?
• Is the federal government too reliant on foreign debt?
• Is the housing boom doomed to collapse?
• Should the federal government enact price controls on petroleum?
• Is the federal government giving enough in relief to Gulf Coast hurricane victims?
• Should the US take stronger trade actions against China?
• Is the economy facing a slowdown?
• Are US innovators losing their competitive edge against foreign companies?
• Is it time to reconsider a flat tax?
• Will businesses use bankruptcy as a way to avoid paying out obligations to retired employees?
• Will increased immigration increase American wages?
• When will the Fed end its increase in rate hikes?
• What can be done to reduce the rising costs of higher education?
• Can Ben Bernanke keep inflation at bay?
• Will the market see strong growth in 2006?
• How can the US reduce its foreign debt?
• What more should be done to close the trade gap with China?
Social Issues
• How serious is the threat from the Avian Flu?
• Is the US prepared for a large scale epidemic?
• Who should bear the costs of rebuilding the Gulf Coast?
• Can Congress develop an effective energy policy?
• Should the US be doing more to develop renewable energy resources?
• What role should the federal government play in establishing curriculum for schools?
• Should oil drilling be allowed in ANWR?
• What is necessary to secure the border with Mexico?
• Has American made all the progress it needs to in the areas of Civil Rights?
• Who should be held responsible for flu vaccine shortages this year?
• Should the federal government open funding to more stem cell lines to scientists?
• Should the retirement age be raised?
• Will the new Medicare drug benefits really improve American health care?
• Has FBI abuse of the USA PATRIOT Act been overblown?
• Should the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools become an issue for the federal government to take up?
• Has No Child Left Behind been successful so far?
• Have the monies from tobacco settlements been misspent by states?
• Should the US enact a moratorium on capital punishment?
• What should the US do to prepare for the avian flu?
• Will there be significant social backlash if the Roe v. Wade decision is overturned?
•
Foreign Policy
• Is US foreign policy too unilateral?
• Should the US push China to enact religious tolerance reforms?
• How can the US entice Sunni’s to participate in the December Iraqi elections?
• Who should be held responsible in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal?
• Will a Free Trade Zone across the Americas benefit the United States?
• What role should the US play in nuclear negotiations with Iran?
• Will closer US-Japan military ties act as a deterrent against North Korea?
• How is John Bolton doing as Ambassador to the UN?
• How can the US establish closer ties with Saudi Arabia?
• What more can the US do to improve its image internationally?
• How should the US answer torture allegations from detainees?
• Can the US negotiate a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestine?
• How can the US encourage reconciliation between the different political factions in Iraq?
• Should the US push for closer international ties in space exploration?
• Should the US be doing more to help stabilize Afghanistan?
• How has American managed to keep its oil prices so low for so long?
• Should US negotiations with North Korea involve talks on human rights offenses?
• What can the US do to push for greater Mexican involvement in policing the border?
• Should the US consider a timetable for a troop withdrawal from Iraq?
Military/Defense/Iraq
• Is the American public support for the war in Iraq coming to an end?
• How is the US doing in the war on terror?
• What is necessary to gain local support for US efforts in Iraq?
• Did the White House misuse intelligence in pushing the case for war against Iraq?
• Will US support of Ahmad Chalabi be enough to stabilize his administration of Iraq?
• How have stories of US mistreatment of prisoners harmed the effectiveness of US military forces abroad?
• Will the public call to withdraw troops from Iraq continue to gain public support?
• What further steps are necessary to secure America’s seaports?
• Is increased airport security making flights more secure?
• Should the US be held accountable to the reports of Iraqi spending audits?
• How can US forces secure the December vote in Iraq?
• Do partisan critics hurt the war effort?
• How can the military improve its recruiting numbers?
• Is the US strategy against Iraqi rebels working?
• Can the US train up sufficient Iraqi military forces in time to successfully combat the insurgency?
• Has the US effectively dealt with the threat of terrorists obtaining nuclear weapons?
• Can America secure its rail transportation systems?
• How can the US shorten the growing reach of the Zarqawi network?
• Should Guantanamo detainees have their access to the courts limited?
• How will the war in Iraq impact future votes for war powers?
• Has America’s focus drifted away from finding Osama bin Laden?
• Why has public support for the war in Iraq fallen so quickly?
•