At Long Last
Some highlights from Gen. David Petraeus' and U.S. Amb. to Iraq Ryan Crocker's testimony this afternoon before a joint session of the House Armed Services and Foreign Relations Cmtes:
- "To summarize, 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 security. As a result, the United States will be in a position to reduce its forces in Iraq in the months ahead."
- On the recommendations that he has made: "The recommendations I provided were informed by operational and strategic considerations. The operational considerations include recognition that military aspects of the surge have achieved progress and generated momentum. Iraqi security forces have continued to grow, and have slowly been shouldering more of the security burdens in Iraq. A mission focus on either population security or transition alone will not be adequate to achieve our objectives."
- "Political progress will take place only if sufficient security exists."
- "I have recommended a drawdown of the surge forces from Iraq. In fact, later this month, the Marine expeditionary unit deployed as part of the surge will depart Iraq. Beyond that, if my recommendations are approved, that unit's departure will be followed by the withdrawal of a brigade combat team without replacement in mid-December, and the further redeployment without replacement of four other brigade combat teams, and the two surge Marine battalions in the first seven months of 2008, until we reach the pre-surge levels of 15 brigade combat teams by mid-July 2008."
- "I would also like to discuss the period beyond next summer. Force reductions will continue beyond the pre-surge levels of brigade combat teams that we will reach by mid-July 2008. However, in my professional judgment, it would be premature to make recommendations on the pace of such reductions at this 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. The events of the past six months underscore that point. When I testified in January, for example, no one would have dared to forecast that Anbar province would have been transformed the way it has in the past six months. ... Beyond that, on a less encouraging note, none of us, earlier this year, appreciated the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq, something about which we and Iraq's leaders all now have greater concern."
- "In view of this, I do not believe it is reasonable to have an adequate appreciation for the pace of further reductions and mission adjustments beyond the summer of 2008 until about mid-March of next year. ... I will then ... also take into consideration the demands on our nation's ground forces, although I believe that that consideration should once again inform, not drive, the recommendations I make."
- On shifting the U.S. role from one that emphasizes security/counterterrorism/transition to a purely transition/counterterrorism role: "Making that change now would, in our view, be premature."
Immediately following Petraeus' opening statement, two members of the anti-war group Code Pink began shouting: "The American people don't believe you anymore!" Both women were removed from the hearing -- one had to be practically dragged from the room -- still screaming. House Armed Services Cmte Chair Ike Skelton (D-MO): "This is intolerable. ... We won't allow it."
Crocker, asked why the next six months should provide any different results: "I am frustrated every day I spend in Iraq. ... It is going to be difficult, it is going to take time." More Crocker: "I frankly do not expect that we are going to see rapid progress through these benchmarks. It is important to remind ourselves that the benchmarks are not an end to themselves; they are a means to national reconciliation. And I think it is very important that we maintain a sense of tactical flexibility and encourage the Iraqis to do the same, to seize opportunities to advance national reconciliation when they arise, as we have seen in Anbar, and as we have seen in the government's response to Anbar."
More Crocker: "So, while I would certainly share disappointment that progress has been slow onlegislative benchmarks, that, to my mind, doesn't mean that there has been no progress toward reconciliation. There has been. And finally ... I think it is important for all of us to remember that the surge hit its full stride just in the month of June. Sectarian violence has diminished, but it has not stopped" [MAURA O'BRIEN].