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Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, President Bush’s nominee to become vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that al Qaeda in Iraq seems “to have an unlimited pool” of fighters. “In other words, as we defeat, others come in behind,” Cartwright said during his Senate confirmation hearing in response to a question from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as to whether the ongoing troop surge is diminishing al Qaeda’s presence in Iraq. “We are challenging it,” Cartwright said. “And in that challenge, in areas we are diminishing it, for sure.” In a frank confirmation hearing, Cartwright and Adm. Michael Mullen, the nominee to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were peppered with questions about Iraq and whether U.S. military forces were stretched too thin. Graham asked both nominees about the likelihood of the U.S. winning in Iraq. Mullen, who said he worries about terms such as “winning” and “losing,” said, “Based on the … lack of political reconciliation at the government level, obviously — although I spoke earlier about some of it going on at the local level, which I think is important — I would be concerned about whether we’d be winning or not.” Mullen stressed that the conflict is one that the U.S. must win, stating that otherwise Iran, Islamic theocracies and radicals would benefit. In response to questions from Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mullen acknowledged that the surge would have to end by April 2008 unless troop rotations are extended, because the military would not have enough manpower to keep the troop presence in Iraq at the current level of 160,000. |
