Petraeus resists more troop pullouts

Calls Iraq progress fragile, reversible; Faces frustration on both sides of aisle

WASHINGTON - The top US commander in Iraq, General David H. Petraeus, told members of Congress yesterday that significant progress has been made toward stabilizing the country but that the situation there is still too precarious to allow for further reductions once the current drawdown of troops is completed in July.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services and the Foreign Relations committees, Petraeus said that the surge of 30,000 additional troops President Bush ordered into Iraq in January 2007 would all be home by summer. But he said he would need to reexamine the situation in September before deciding to withdraw any of the remaining 140,000 US troops.

"I have repeatedly noted that we haven't turned any corners," Petraeus said. "We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel. The champagne bottle has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator. And the progress, while real, is fragile and is reversible."

Petraeus and his diplomatic counterpart, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, both urged Congress to have patience, saying the American goal of a stable, democratic Iraq is within reach. But they also noted success is not guaranteed and would require continued sacrifice.

Political developments in Iraq are on a "positive trend," Crocker said, adding that the Iraqi parliament has passed a series of laws vital to reconciling warring factions in the country. But he also acknowledged that "significant challenges remain" and that the pace toward developing an effective government is far slower than Americans would like.

"Our current course is hard, but it is working," Crocker said.

Democratic lawmakers, however - and several Republicans - expressed frustration with the costs of the war and the seemingly open-ended US commitment.

"The American people have had it up to here," Senator George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, told Crocker at the hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, held yesterday afternoon.

The widely anticipated hearings took place against a backdrop of flagging US support for the war, fears of a looming recession, and a spirited presidential campaign. Senators John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois hold seats on the two committees before which Petraeus and Crocker appeared.

Their presence added to the drama of the marathon hearings, held in a Senate hearing room packed with reporters and spectators, as well as a handful of protesters wearing black burkas and white facepaint who raised their hands - covered in fake blood - throughout the four-hour hearing.

Underscoring the divisions within the country over the war, a handful of counterprotesters in military fatigues stood outside the hearing holding signs that read "America loves General Petraeus."

During the hearing, Petraeus displayed charts showing a dramatic drop in violence and US troop deaths over the past six months, although violence began rising since January.

Both Petraeus and Crocker argued that continued US commitment is necessary to avoid defeat and catastrophe in Iraq, even as they acknowledged success is not guaranteed. Despite touting achievements in Iraq, Petraeus and Crocker showed signs of their own frustration with the Iraqi leadership.

Petraeus praised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for taking on Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias in Basra last month, but said Maliki ignored his advice by launching last month's offensive prematurely. Petraeus said that Maliki's initial effort was disappointing but that operations are ongoing and it's too early to tell whether they will be successful.

Crocker told lawmakers that Iraqi politics has taken on a less sectarian bent, and he ticked off a list of accomplishments, including laws that give pensions and job opportunities to former members of Saddam Hussein's regime. But he acknowledged that even positive developments, such as a new a law setting a date for provincial elections, could spark violence.

"Americans have invested a great deal in Iraq, in blood as well as treasure, and they have the right to ask whether this is worth it, whether it is now time to walk away and let the Iraqis fend for themselves," Crocker said. "I remain convinced that a major departure from our current engagement would bring failure, and we have to be clear with ourselves about what failure would mean."

Republicans chided Democrats for refusing to acknowledge that the surge had helped reduce violence throughout Iraq, opening a more hopeful chapter for the country. McCain warned Congress not to push for an "irresponsible withdrawal, just as our troops are succeeding."

But both Democrats and Republicans pointed to the rising price tag of the war. Several lawmakers insisted that Iraq, which has a budget surplus of more than $25 billion because of the skyrocketing price of oil, shoulder more of the financial burden.

Senator Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, suggested that Iraq contribute to the cost of US military bases under construction in Iraq, while Senator E. Benjamin Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, suggested that future nonmilitary aid to Iraq come through loans rather than grants.

Even McCain, whose presidential campaign is staked on his staunch support for the war, suggested that Iraq contribute "significantly" to a fund US commanders use to pay for reconstruction and job creation projects.

Crocker and Petraeus said Iraq's government is willing to pay an increasing amount of the costs. The Iraqi government has purchased more than $2 billion in US military equipment and given $300 million to US military commanders for emergency reconstruction funds.

The Iraqi government has also allocated $163 million to pay the salaries of Sunni tribesmen who turned against Al Qaeda in Iraq, roughly half of what is needed to pay all 90,000 who are currently on the US payroll.

But Iraq's commitment still pales in comparison to the more than $20 billion the United States has spent on reconstruction in Iraq. "Our current open-ended commitment is a continuation of continued dependency," said Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who chairs the Armed Services Committee. Levin said Petraeus's refusal to set a timetable for withdrawal amounted to a "war plan with no exit strategy."

Some Republicans displayed a deep sense of unease with the war during the hearings.

"Is all this sacrifice bringing about a more secure America?" Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican, asked Petraeus. "Up to 80 percent of Americans don't accept at this point in time that it is worth it."

At first, the general answered stoically: "Ultimately, it can only be answered by history."

Warner pressed him again. Petraeus replied, "I do believe that it is worth it."