Hotline After Dark -- Gates Unplugged

Iraq continues to dominate the TV talk:

ABC's Moran interviewed Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL), Joe Biden (D-DE) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) about their positions on Iraq.

Obama: "I'm not calling for complete withdrawal tomorrow. What I am suggesting is that if we send a signal to them that we will not be there for perpetuity. Then they've got to start making some decisions about what is this country gonna look like?"

More Obama: "We have no good options at this point. We have bad options and worse options. And each option we exercise, carries with it risks. There is no doubt that if we begin a phased withdrawal, there's a possibility that you would see a spike initially in violence in Iraq. I think we have a responsibility to exit as carefully as we were careless in going in. But there has to be something to change the dynamic in a fundamental way."

Graham: "When I say we need more troops, I know what that entails. That means more Americans are gonna get killed and injured." More: "If we can control the violence ... if we can give the politicians in Iraq a little breathing space from the violence, I am still convinced that there are more people in Iraq who want to live as one nation, not three nations. And they wanna embrace the rule of law. And they want their country to be different and better than Saddam Hussein created for them. I still believe that."

Biden: "We need a political solution." More: "Keep the central government, controlling currency, the borders, their national army, and the distribution of the oil. Give them control over their local police, as their constitution calls for. Control over their local laws. Control over the local education. Control over the local distribution of funding. Control over those social laws. Just like we have the difference between California and Maryland. Those differences" ("Nightline," 12/5).

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) was on "Hardball" to talk about the situation in Iraq.

Kerry: "It seems as if the Iraq Study Group under Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton is moving in the direction that I and others have been arguing we should be moving in."

More: "I think this commission gives everybody an opportunity to step back, hopefully, and move in the right direction. And my hope is the president will look for bipartisan support to do that. I don't think you can do it any other way."

Asked if he's going to vote for Gates: "Yes, I will. And I think that that's a refreshing statement, just having a secretary of defense, potential, who has now acknowledged that we've got to do better and we've got to change" (MSNBC, 12/5).

HEARING THE BLUNT TALK

Lots of talk on the Robert Gates' hearing:

FNC's Garrett: "Gates gave the Senate Armed Services Committee, especially it's Democratic members, just what they sought on Iraq, unvarnished candor" ("Special Report," 12/5).

CNN's McIntyre: "Gates was showered with plaudits for his candor from the senators, especially for his candid admission the U.S. is not currently winning the war" ("AC 360," 12/5).

MSNBC's Shuster: "On Iraq, Gates showed enough contrition on behalf of the Bush administration and signaled enough flexibility to all but assure his confirmation" ("Hardball," 12/5).

CNN's Henry: "The president is obviously thrilled that Robert Gates has cleared this first hurdle in the confirmation process, but the White House is already in an uncomfortable position because of that blunt assessment from the nominee" ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 12/5).

Newsweek's Wolffe: "There was nothing that Gates said today that wasn't thoroughly rehearsed and thoroughly vetted by the White House and by everyone in the administration" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 12/5).

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) was in the "Situation Room" to discuss the Gates nomination.

Bayh: "He impressed me as being more candid, more open-minded and more realistic than what we've been seeing out of the administration these last six years."

On WH '08: "I can tell you that I have a keen appreciation of the challenges that face our country, an agenda for dealing with those challenges, a proven track record of delivering the kind of results when I was governor or my state that the American people, I think, are hungry for in Washington. And perhaps more than anything else, ... our nation's capital has broken down. We need someone who can unite Democrats, Independents and Republicans in a politics of common purpose to move our country forward. That's not happening today. But it's something I demonstrated repeatedly an ability to do and I think that's something we're going the need in the next president."

On campaign cash: "We have about $10,700,000 on hand right now ... which is a good start. But there's still work to be done" (CNN, 12/5). [EMILY GOODIN]