By Alan Silverleib, CNN

Washington (CNN) - Almost seven and a half years ago, President George W. Bush launched a blistering "shock and awe" invasion of Iraq.

The goal: eliminate a perceived threat of weapons of mass destruction while replacing a hostile, tyrannical regime with a friendly democracy in the heart of the Middle East.

On Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET - at a cost of more than 4,400 U.S. military personnel killed and 30,000 wounded - America's combat mission in Iraq will officially draw to a close.

The quick removal of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ushered in years of grinding sectarian violence, war, terrorist attacks and, according to some observers, increased Iranian influence in the region. But it also paved the way for nationwide elections and increasing economic development.

Whether the war was worth the price remains a subject of fierce debate both at home and abroad.

President Barack Obama, who based much of his campaign for the White House on growing public exhaustion with the conflict, will announce the conclusion of the combat mission in a speech to be delivered from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET. He spent the day meeting with troops at Fort Bliss, Texas - a base which has supplied soldiers at all stages of the conflict.

Obama called Bush for a "few minutes" from Air Force One while en route to Texas, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton. The White House has not said if Obama will give Bush any credit during his speech for the controversial 2007-08 military "surge," believed by some observers to have helped curtail Iraqi violence.

Read more…

Filed under: Iraq • Larry King Live • Politics • President Obama

While we're still waiting on the jury to decide the fate of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in his corruption trial, as well as what will come of the ethics charges against NY Representative Charlie Rangel, the political chatter this week has been about one thing...

The upcoming wedding of Chelsea Clinton.

So many questions are out there: Who will design her dress (Vera Wang?), where will it be (Rhinebeck, NY?), who will be there (Oprah?), and will she change her last name (Chelsea Mezvinsky)?

We'll know much more after Saturday's ceremony, and in the meantime, check out some of these other stories you might have missed this week:

*Erin Andrews, of ESPN and DWTS fame, was on Capitol Hill this week pushing for tougher laws against stalking. You probably knew this from watching LKL on Tuesday night.

*President Obama knows every detail about the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and whether or not Area 51 does indeed house aliens… but during his visit on “The View,” he admitted he doesn’t know who “Snooki” is... (NYDaily News)

*Will former Florida Governor Jeb Bush follow his brother's and dad's footsteps and run for President in 2012? He answered it HERE (The Hill)

*What does comedian/actor Bill Murray watch on television?  While it should be CNN, his answer may surprise you. (Mediabistro)

Posted by: LKL Producer Hunter Waters
Filed under: Politics is King • President Obama

America's top military commander in Afghanistan is unlikely to survive the fallout from remarks he made about colleagues in a magazine profile to be published Friday, according to a Pentagon source who has ongoing contacts with the general.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal will likely resign Wednesday, the source said. McChrystal's fate is expected to hinge on a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Obama, who was "angry" after reading the general's remarks in Rolling Stone.

The "magnitude and graveness" of McChrystal's mistake in conducting the interview for the article were "profound," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said McChrystal had "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment."

McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which he and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone.

"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened," McChrystal said in a Pentagon statement. "Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard."

READ MORE

NOTE: We'll be discussing this tonight on LKL!

This all started because of an article that appeared in 'Rolling Stone' magazine – Click HERE to read the full article

We had Lt. Col Tony Shaffer and Capt. Jon Soltz on the show last night talking about the fallout – here's a clip:

Filed under: Afghanistan • President Obama

Filed under: Larry King Live • LKL 25 • Politics is King • President Obama

This is the official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.  Be sure to watch the entire interview with President Obama tonight on LKL!.

Filed under: Larry King Live • President Obama

President Obama goes one-on-one with Larry King on Thursday night to talk about the oil spill, economic turmoil and war. Watch"Larry King Live," at 9 p.m. ET.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama told CNN's Larry King on Thursday that he is furious about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but his job is to fix things instead of just yelling at people.

In a White House interview for the 25th anniversary of "Larry King Live" on CNN, Obama called the oil spill an unprecedented crisis for the country but added it could have been worse.

Despite the challenges posed by the oil spill, global threats involving North Korea and Iran and political battles with Congress, Obama called being president "the best job on Earth."

"It's an extraordinary privilege to wake up every day and know you have the opportunity to serve the American people and make life better," he said.

King noted that the latest CNN Poll of Polls showed Obama at 48 percent support among the American people, which the president called pretty good, considering the circumstances.

"Given everything that's going on, my poll numbers are all right," Obama said.

Asked about his anger toward the oil spill situation, Obama said he was furious because "somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions." Obama also said he had not seen enough of a rapid response from BP to the environmental catastrophe.

"I would love to just spend a lot of my time venting and yelling at people, but that's not the job I was hired to do," Obama said. "My job is to solve this problem and ultimately this isn't about me and how angry I am. Ultimately this is about the people down in the Gulf who are being impacted and what am I doing to make sure that they're able to salvage their way of life."

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Larry King Live • LKL 25 • Politics is King • President Obama

TUNE IN TONIGHT AT 9pmeastern/6pmpacific FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA!!

Filed under: Larry King Live • Politics is King • President Obama

President Barack Obama will return to the Louisiana Gulf Coast on Friday "to assess the latest efforts to counter the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill," according to a White House statement.

Meanwhile, after every effort to contain the undersea oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico failed or fell short, BP devised a new strategy Thursday to cap the ruptured well, though the new plug will not be as tight as previously hoped.  The oil giant said it would try again to slice off a damaged riser pipe and then place a containment dome over the well.

But after an attempt to sever the pipe with a diamond-embedded saw failed Wednesday, the company will have to use shears that will not be able to make as precise a cut. Even if the attempt is successful, then the cap will not be as snug and oil will still be flowing out into the Gulf.

(Read More)

Don't forget to tune in tonight and watch our interview with PRESIDENT OBAMA at 9pmeastern/6pmpacific!!

Filed under: Larry King Live • LKL 25 • Politics is King • President Obama

(Via NYTimes)

The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well?

Decades ago, the Soviet Union reportedly used nuclear blasts to successfully seal off runaway gas wells, inserting a bomb deep underground and letting its fiery heat melt the surrounding rock to shut off the flow. Why not try it here?

The idea has gained fans with each failed attempt to stem the leak and each new setback — on Wednesday, the latest rescue effort stalled when a wire saw being used to slice through the riser pipe got stuck.

(Read more HERE)

Tune in TONIGHT at 9pmet to see our EXCLUSIVE interview with President Obama – we'll be discussing the oil spill and what can be done to stop the leak!

Filed under: Larry King Live • Politics is King • President Obama

The week in politics began in a frenzy, with the focus on Times Square in NYC after an attempted car bombing plot was thwarted and the suspect arrested. Meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico, oil continues to spew out with hopes it will be under control early next week.

While you may have been paying close attention to these 2 big political stories, we're here to make sure you don't miss out on these other ones.

Also – heads-up – Mother's Day is this Sunday so don't forget to call Mom!

1. One famous mother had her first tweet this week – and her office says it could possibly be her last.  CHECK OUT WHO IT WAS! (Politico)

2. Another famous mama is heading to DC this Saturday night to attend the annual 'Ball on the Mall.'  Are you more curious about WHO THIS WOMAN is, or what the 'Ball on the Mall' is? (The Hill)

3. Domestic sex trafficking of children was on the mind of THIS HOLLYWOOD MOM when she came to DC this week, meeting with members of congress. (The Hill)

4. If you wanted to meet THIS FORMER FIRST LADY, you had to show your Costco card. (Yeas & Nays)

5. What should President Obama give Mrs. Obama for Mother's Day?  60% of America THINKS THIS, while 9% thinks the best gift he can give her would be to weed the garden. (US News)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM LKL!

Posted by: LKL Producer Eleanor McManus, LKL Producer Hunter Waters
Filed under: Demi Moore • Laura Bush • Michelle Obama • Politics is King • President Obama • Whitney Houston