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U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops in the war-torn country, gave a largely positive assessment Monday of the much-debated troop surge but also said difficult tasks lie ahead. Petraeus told lawmakers during the highly anticipated hearing, which was interrupted repeatedly by anti-war protesters, that he believes a significant number of U.S. troops could be withdrawn from Iraq by July of next year. This would return the number of U.S. soldiers to pre-surge levels. The general warned Congress that it would be premature to make plans beyond that time. “In fact, our experience in Iraq has repeatedly shown that projecting too far into the future is not just difficult, it can be misleading and even hazardous,” Petraeus said. He touted the successes of the surge, saying that its military objectives are “in large measure being met.” However, he added, “There are no easy answers or quick solutions,” and he said it will take time to allow Iraq to become a stable democracy. Democrats expressed their doubts about the efficacy of the surge. “The surge was intended to provide breathing space, breathing space for the Iraqis to bridge sectarian divides with real political compromises,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) said. “But while our troops are holding back the opposing team to let them make a touchdown, the Iraqis haven’t even picked up the ball.” Skelton acknowledged that it “looks … as if there has been technical progress in the security area” but added, “We should, at this point, temper any enthusiasm with the caveat that this is Iraq. Nothing has been easy there.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) was more critical in his view on the surge. “The administration’s myopic policies in Iraq have created a fiasco,” Lantos said in his opening remarks. “The current escalation in our military presence in Iraq may have produced some technical successes. But strategically, the escalation has failed.” Lantos added that the slow drawdown that Petraeus is advocating is “nowhere near enough.” “We need to send [Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki’s government a strong message, loud and clear,” Lantos said. “As long as American troops are doing the heavy lifting in Iraq, there is no reason, none at all, for the Iraqis themselves to step up … It is their country, and it is their turn. Prime Minister Maliki and the Iraqi politicians needed to know that the free ride is over and that American troops will not be party to their civil war.” Throughout the hearing, Republicans attempted to tie Democrats to a controversial ad from MoveOn.org, which called Petraeus “General Betray Us” and accused the military leader of not giving the country an accurate picture of the situation in Iraq. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs panel, called on Democrats to use the hearing “to distance themselves from the despicable ad.” However, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) rejected the assertion that the ad had anything to do with the Democrats. “Nobody has to distance themselves from something they weren't associated with,” Abercrombie fired back at Ros-Lehtinen. |
