Congress to Petraeus: Show us a withdrawal plan
By Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers
* Posted on Wednesday, April 9, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration had hoped that the testimony of the top two U.S. officials in Baghdad would educate Congress about the situation in Iraq. But by the time Congress gaveled the hearings to a close Wednesday evening, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Army Gen. David Petraeus had gotten an earful about political conditions at home.
After five years of war, the American public is exhausted by pleas for more time and doesn't feel the war is worth the cost, congressional leaders told Crocker and Petraeus. As for their advice that the situation on the ground should dictate any troop withdrawals, Democrats and Republicans said the U.S. needs an exit strategy.
The testimony and questioning turned into a battle over whose timeline would prevail.
Crocker and Petraeus outlined a strategy that could take years to fulfill, saying that a "precipitous withdrawal" would undermine the security gains of the past year. Legislators in both parties, however, called for shifting the burden to Iraqi security forces and politicians in the months ahead.
Even Petraeus' designation of Iran as "the biggest threat" to stability in Iraq failed to move Congress.
"These folks have been fighting for centuries. What are we going to do in the next six months to settle this?" asked Rep. David Scott, D-Ga.
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