Petraeus, the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told the Senate Armed Services Committee a 45-day pause in troop drawdowns after July would allow commanders to assess conditions in Iraq after the extra troops leave, he said.

After the 45 days, Petraeus said, commanders will continue to assess conditions in Iraq to see when they can withdraw more troops.

President Bush ordered the troop increase in January 2007 as part of an overall change in U.S. strategy in Iraq. That strategy, which moved U.S. troops out of large bases and into neighborhoods throughout the country, has helped reduce violence in Iraq.

Bush has said he intended to accept Petraeus' recommendation. On Thursday, the president will make a speech about the war, now in its sixth year, and his decision about troop levels.

"This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable," Petraeus said. "However, it does provide the flexibility those of on the ground need to preserve the still fragile security gains our troopers have fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve."

Committee Democrats expressed skepticism throughout the hearing. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the committee chairman, called Petraeus' recommendation a "clear, open-ended pause."

Virginia Republican John Warner, a former chairman of the committee, interrupted Petraeus during a long answer about whether the war was making the U.S. safer.

"My time on the clock is moving pretty quickly," Warner said. "Can you now, just in simple language, tell us, yes, it is worth it and it is making us safer here at home?"

"I do believe it is worth it," Petraeus replied.

The testimony by Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker comes against a backdrop of a combative presidential election, in which the Iraq war plays a central role. All three presidential candidates are on the committees hearing testimony Tuesday.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, said the extra troops have reduced violence and prompted some political reconciliation. The political fortunes of McCain, a major supporter of Petraeus' strategy.

"We're no longer staring into the abyss of defeat," McCain said.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, one of the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates, called a continuation of the Bush policies "irresponsible." The additional troops, she said, have not provided security to allow Iraq's government to bring the nation's various factions together. Instead, the United States should begin an "orderly process of removing troops" from Iraq.

"I think it could be fair to say that it might well be irresponsible to continue the policy that has not produced the results that have been promised time and time again at such tremendous cost to our national security," Clinton said.

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who leads the Democratic presidential race, was set to question Petraeus and Crocker Tuesday afternoon when they testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Petraeus and Crocker appeared just days after violent clashes between Iraqi forces and Shiite militias. That fighting has raised questions about the effectiveness of Iraqi security forces and the fragility of the political and ethnic balance in Iraq.

While security has improved in Iraq, the gains are "fragile and reversible," Petraeus said.

He said violence has decreased and al-Qaeda and some other extremist groups have been dealt "serious blows."

Petraeus and Crocker also highlighted the role Iran is playing in supporting Shiite extremist groups. Petraeus said the recent flare up in violence also highlights "the destructive role Iran has played in funding, training, arming and directing" some Shiite militia groups.

Iranian politicians, however, told USA TODAY March 31 that Iran had helped broker the end of fighting between Shiite militias and government forces.

Levin questioned the effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces and whether Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had given U.S. commanders enough notice of his plan to attack Shiite militias.

"It could have been much better planned," Petraeus said. "It was not adequately planned or prepared."

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers fought the Iraqi government, remains a "wildcard" in the aftermath of the recent fighting, Crocker said.

A ceasefire called by al-Sadr last year has led to a reduction in violence, but it is not clear now whether it will hold, Crocker said. He said there are also troubling signs of a "reunification" between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and Iranian-backed extremist Shiite militias.

The recent violence "underscore the fragility of the situation in Iraq," Crocker said, "but it would be wrong to conclude that any eruption of violence marks the beginning of an inevitable backslide."

Political progress has been "uneven and often frustratingly slow," said Crocker, who testified after Petraeus.

"Five years ago, the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad," Crocker said. "The euphoria of that moment evaporated long ago."

However, Crocker highlighted new laws that allowed lower-level members of Saddam's ruling Baath Party to enter government service and called for provincial elections in October.

"Iraq's political progress will not be linear," Crocker warned.

War critics pressed Crocker on Iraq's financial situation.

Iraq has an estimated $40 billion in reserves in Swiss and American banks, and yet Americans continue to dump huge sums into Iraq's reconstruction.

"We need to find a way for Iraq to fund more of its own present and future," said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. "It doesn't make sense for us to be financier of first resort."

Crocker said Iraq's economy is making strides and warned against cutting off important development projects before they have borne fruit.

Testimony on the status of the war began in a packed hearing room. Dozens of people lined up outside the room, waiting to get in.

Inside, anti-war protesters held up signs saying "Surge of Sadness" and "Surge of Sins."

A couple of people tried to start a chant of "Stay Out of Iran."

Some of the protesters wore black abayas and had white paint on their faces and their palms were painted red.

During McCain's opening statement, demonstrators were asked to sit down by Chairman Levin or be removed from the hearing room.

McCain, the committee's ranking Republican, said that had happened to him before, referring to hecklers at his previous speeches about Iraq during his campaign for president.

Earlier in the morning huge cheers went up for McCain as he walked down Independence Avenue to a rally of veterans at a Capitol Hill park.

Most veterans know "there is no substitute for victory!" McCain said to appreciative shouts and hoo-ahs on a chilly, misty morning.

He spoke less than an hour before the hearing and praised Petraeus as one of America's greatest generals.

Contributing: John Yaukey, Gannett News Service

Enlarge By Mark Wilson, Getty Images Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, left, committee Chairman Carl Levin, center, and Sen. John Warner prepare for Gen. Petraeus' testimony.

		U.S. Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus, left, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. Petraeus pointed to a number of security gains in Iraq, while Crocker cited Iraq's political progress. By Jonathan Ernst, Reuters

ADVERTISEMENT

Iconocast is about learning and teaching without borders; we offer eMarketing, Internet Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Online Branding, and eMarketing News Services.

Iconocast Home Page

Contact Iconocast

Iconocast Health Articles

© 2003-07. ICONOCAST is a trademark of iconocast.com.