Presidential candidates on Petraeus

What the leading presidential candidates and those on Senate committees that heard from General David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker are saying about their testimony:

Democrats

Joseph R. Biden Jr. : "We're still talking about 1,000 - over 1,000 weekly attacks - 1,000. And we're calling that success. Granted it is down from 1,680 or thereabouts, but 1,000 a week. . . . The American people will not support an infinite war whose sole remaining purpose is to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming worse than it is."

Petraeus report: "The level of security incidents has decreased significantly since the start of the surge of offensive operations in mid-June, declining in eight of the past 12 weeks, with the level of incidents in the past two weeks the lowest since June 2006 and with the number of attacks this past week the lowest since April 2006."

Hillary Clinton: "I give you tremendous credit for presenting as positive a view of a rather grim reality. And I believe that you, and certainly the very capable people working with both of you, were dealt a very hard hand. And it's a hand that is unlikely to improve, in my view."

Petraeus report: "The security situation in Iraq is improving, and Iraqi elements are slowly taking on more of the responsibility for protecting their citizens. Innumerable challenges lie ahead; however, coalition and Iraqi security forces have made progress toward achieving sustainable security."

Chris Dodd: "In the eight months since President Bush announced the surge, we have spent tens of billions of dollars, over 700 American servicemen and women have sacrificed their lives, and nearly 4,400 have been wounded - all to provide breathing space for the Iraqi government to engage in political reconciliation. And by General Petraeus' own admission there has been little or no political progress."

Petraeus report: "The fundamental source of the conflict in Iraq is competition among ethnic and sectarian communities for power and resources. This competition will take place, and its resolution is key to producing long-term stability in the new Iraq. The question is whether the competition takes place more or less violently."

John Edwards: "We heard that we'd still have 130,000 troops in place next summer, policing a civil war, when this is where we started in the first place. . . . For over a year, I have been saying we need to immediately withdraw 40,000-50,000 troops to jump-start a political solution, launch a diplomatic surge including all local and regional parties, including Iran and Syria, and withdraw all our combat troops within a year and bring our brave troops home to the heroes' welcome they deserve."

Petraeus report: "I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the presurge level of brigade combat teams by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains that we have fought so hard to achieve."

Barack Obama: "We have now set the bar so low that modest improvement in what was a completely chaotic situation to the point where now we just have the levels of intolerable violence that existed in June of 2006 is considered success. And it's not. This continues to be a disastrous foreign policy mistake."

Petraeus report: "In recent months, in the face of tough enemies and the brutal summer heat of Iraq, coalition and Iraqi security forces have achieved progress in the security arena. Though the improvements have been uneven across Iraq, the overall number of security incidents in Iraq has declined in eight of the past 12 weeks, with the numbers of incidents in the last two weeks at the lowest levels seen since June 2006."

Republicans

John McCain: "Make no mistake, the consequences of American defeat in Iraq will be terrible and long-lasting. . . . Some senators would like to withdraw our troops from Iraq, so we can get back to fighting what they believe to be the real war on terror, which is taking place somewhere else. This, too, is inaccurate. Iraq has become the central front in the global war on terror and failure there would turn Iraq into a terrorist sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East, a host for jihadists planning attacks on America."

Petraeus report: "Coalition and Iraqi forces have dealt significant blows to Al Qaeda-Iraq. Though Al Qaeda and its affiliates in Iraq remain dangerous, we have taken away a number of their sanctuaries and gained the initiative in many areas. . . . [T]hese gains against Al Qaeda are a result of the synergy of actions by: conventional forces to deny the terrorists sanctuary; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to find the enemy; and special operations elements to conduct targeted raids. A combination of these assets is necessary to prevent the creation of a terrorist safe haven in Iraq."

Rudy Giuliani: "Today, General Petraeus provided the first look at a strategy that is getting results and an Iraq that is making progress. This is only the beginning, which is why we need to continue to listen to the assessment of General Petraeus and others on the ground so we can decide the best course of action going forward."

Mitt Romney: "Today's testimony from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker confirms the progress being made by our troops in Iraq. This is good news for Americans and Iraqis. The importance of a successful conclusion to Iraq must be weighed in light of the global threat of violent jihad and terror. America must continue its commitment to the strategy General Petraeus is executing."

Fred Thompson: "General Petraeus's report strengthens my conviction that we can achieve our objectives in Iraq and that we must not withdraw precipitously. He and Ambassador Crocker gave a candid assessment, and I believe General Petraeus when he says that the security situation is improving and momentum is now on our side."

SOURCE: Compiled from campaign statements, and staff and wire reports of US Senate committee hearings