General David Petraeus has finally given his testimony before Congress. Of course, you would have thought he already had were you to listen to the Democrats, who had pre-labeled his testimony as nothing more than a spin job by President George W. Bush’s administration. Or if you had read the Moveon.org advertisement in The New York Times, un-cleverly twisting the general’s name to call him a national traitor.
The testimony the general delivered was his own, and it didn’t paint the rosy picture of Iraq that many Democrats assumed. Petraeus fairly described the situation in Iraq as “complex, difficult, and sometimes downright frustrating,” adding, “It is possible to achieve our objectives in Iraq over time, though doing so will be neither quick nor easy.” Showing a series of charts and graphs, he explained to Congress that sectarian deaths are down sharply, as are car bombings and IED attacks. He noted that since the beginning of the troop surge, the number of security incidents had declined significantly—to the lowest level since June of 2006—and he recommended that troop levels in Iraq could be reduced to pre-surge levels by next summer, beginning with a full division before Christmas. He even stated that troop reductions should continue after pre-surge levels are reached, but refused to suggest a precise date or number, saying it was too far into the future to say right away. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did comment on this, however, saying that he would like to see the rate of troop reduction continue through 2008, leaving only 100,000 troops in Iraq by the time the next president takes office.
Along with Petraeus, Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker testified about the situation in Iraq as well. He also gave a fair assessment of the situation, noting not only the good in Iraq, but also the bad. He mentioned the disappointing level of gain in the Iraqi government and the continuing ethnic tensions. However, like the general, he also saw some progress in Iraq. For example, despite the lack of an oil sharing law, he noted that oil revenues are being equitably distributed by the government in its budgets. He was also able to report that the Iraqi economy as a whole is expected to grow about 6 percent in the coming year, a pace faster than that of the United States.
Bush quickly agreed to the plan submitted by Petraeus, giving American forces and the Iraqi government more time to take advantage of the progress we have seen since the surge began. However, Democrats are sticking firmly to their demands for rapid evacuation, as if conditions had actually deteriorated in Iraq over the past few months. Democrats are beginning to look like the caricature they drew of Bush not too long ago, stubborn and unwilling to listen to the facts on the ground.
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