WASHINGTON, 11 September 2007 — The much-awaited Iraq Progress Report was delivered yesterday on Capitol Hill.
Viewed by many as a make-or-break moment for President George W. Bush, who is trying to convince Congress to keep troops in Iraq a while longer, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of the US forces in Iraq, testified before Congress on the progress made in Iraq since Bush expanded the US presence in the country.
Petraeus’ report is viewed as crucial in determining whether Bush can stem the growing opposition to the war and will likely focus the debate on whether the president should begin withdrawing some of the more than 160,000 US soldiers in Iraq.
Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker told the joint hearing of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees that the troop surge in Iraq is working, but needed more time.
Gray-haired Crocker, in a dark suit, sat motionless as Petraeus delivered his remarks before a packed audience, some of whom had lined up for hours to get into to the most eagerly awaited political showpieces in years.
Petraeus began his assessment of Bush’s war strategy by recommending a troop reduction of 30,000 by next summer, which indicated a reversal of Bush’s surge strategy launched in January.
At the start of his two days of testimony before Congress, Petraeus said: “We will be able to return to pre-surge levels by next summer, without jeopardizing the security gains we have been able to achieve.”
He insisted progress in Iraq had been “substantial” but acknowledged there had been setbacks, and that the situation could be “downright frustrating.”
He said that US troop levels in the country would decline further after a drawdown next summer but it was too soon to say how quickly.
Petraeus admitted improvements in Iraq were uneven, but said it should be possible to reduce the 168,000 US troop presence in Iraq to pre-surge levels by next summer. “As a bottom line, up front the military objectives of the surge are in large measure being met,” Petraeus told the joint hearing.
“I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of Brigade Combat Teams by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains that we have fought so hard to achieve.”
The four-star general had earlier sat poker faced in dress uniform in an ornate Capitol Hill office building as Democrats told him the current strategy to surge an extra 28,500 troops into Iraq was a failure and US troops should come home.
At least three anti-war protesters were ordered thrown out of the hearing room after heckling broke out before Petraeus started to speak.
The event then verged on farce as the general’s microphone failed and the hearing went into a five minute recess, further fraying already brittle tempers in the room, guarded by large numbers of Capitol police officers.
Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton said Petraeus, who entered the room to an explosion of flash-bulbs and cries from protesters of “Tell the truth, General,” was the right man for the job in Iraq. “But he’s the right person three years too late and 250,000 troops short,” Skelton said.
Pent-up political fury over the war spilled over even before Petraeus and Crocker appeared, with Republicans accusing Democrats of embracing “character assassination” tactics designed to discredit the general’s testimony.
The flare-up was sparked by a full-page advertisement in the New York Times placed by anti-war liberal campaign group MoveOn.org, reading “General Petraeus or General Betray US? Cooking the Books for the White House.”
White House spokesman Tony Snow called the ad “boorish and childish.” He also said the Crocker and Petraeus testimony had not been shaped by the White House.
House Minority Leader John Boehner led the Republican counterattack in Congress.“Democratic leaders must make a choice today: either embrace the character assassination tactics MoveOn.org has leveled against the four-star general leading our troops in the fight against Al-Qaeda, or denounce it as disgraceful,” he said.
Also yesterday, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki delivered a speech to Iraq’s Parliament claiming his government has prevented civil war but needs more time before taking over security.
An independent panel of generals reported last week Iraqis can’t yet secure the country alone.
A New York Times/CBS News poll out yesterday reflected the key role played by Petraeus as the public face of a war which has now killed more than 3,700 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
When asked to choose who could best end the war in Iraq, 68 percent of those polled said they most trusted military commanders, 21 percent said Congress, and a measly five percent said the Bush administration.
