All eyes on Gen. Petraeus

The first day of much-anticipated testimony from Gen. David Petraeus, commander of military forces in Iraq, highlighted continued differences within the Democratic Caucus about the direction of American policy in the region and against Islamist terrorism.

Foreign Affairs panel Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) on Monday flatly called for U.S. withdrawal, saying Iraq’s political leaders had “squandered” the opportunity offered by the surge. “We need to get out of Iraq for that country’s sake and for our own,” he said. “It’s time to go, and to go now.”

But Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) was more cautious, asking Petraeus for a solid reason to keep troops in Iraq. “The witnesses must tell us why we should continue to send our young men and women to fight and die,” Skelton said.
Petraeus’s answer was that Iraq would quickly descend into chaos without American troops, allowing al Qaeda to regain lost ground and ceding influence to Iran.

“A premature drawdown of our forces would likely have devastating consequences,” Petraeus said.

But he also told lawmakers that the “surge” in American troop levels was working, and that levels of violence in important regions including Baghdad and Anbar province were being reduced.

In addition, he said troop reductions would soon follow. He intends to begin cuts in mid-December and reach pre-surge levels of around 130,000 by July 2008, he said.

House Republicans took the opportunity to go on the offensive against the Democrats, seeking to tie them to an advertisement paid for by the left-wing activist group MoveOn.org and published in The New York Times that made a play on Petraeus’s name, rhyming it with “Betray Us.”

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) called the advertisement “deplorable,” although she later commended Democrats for distancing themselves from it.

Democrats, like Republicans, heaped praise on Petraeus but did not accept his assurances about conditions in Iraq and his plans for troop withdrawals.

Lantos said that they would amount only to “token” reductions, but Petraeus challenged that characterization. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) said a reduction to pre-surge levels did not amount to a policy change because present levels cannot be sustained. “They may want credit for it,” she said, “but it’s coming anyway. I’m not interested in keeping pre-surge levels.”

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) saw political calculation in the way the general laid out his plans for limited withdrawals. “It’s almost like he’s giving a little bit in order to forestall what most of the Congress wants,” Crowley said.

The 107 representatives who make up the joint committee that heard Petraeus Monday constitute a fifth of Congress, and there were few apparent absences. The hearing was the most anticipated of the year, and some war opponents compared it to the Vietnam testimony of Gen. William Westmoreland in 1967.

The occasion did not, however, consistently live up to its big billing. As lawmakers completed their statements and turned their attention to Petraeus, the general’s microphone malfunctioned, rendering him inaudible. Skelton, who was evidently annoyed, adjourned the hearing until the problem was fixed.

Skelton also pointedly displayed his irritation with the six Code Pink anti-war activists who were at the head of the line to claim the limited number of public seats in the back of the Cannon House Office Building caucus room.

“Out you go,” Skelton said as the first was led out of the room after screaming “War criminal, war criminal.” Skelton even had one of the activists removed who had not yet shouted abuse at Petraeus. She took the opportunity of her eviction to remedy that omission, and shouted her way out of the room.

The Capitol Police reported arresting four activists at the hearing, including Cindy Sheehan, who began a campaign against the Iraq war after her son was killed there. She has announced plans to run against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) because of her belief that Pelosi is not doing enough to end American involvement in the conflict.

One of the four, whom police said refused to move to the end of a line, was taken to George Washington University Hospital to have an injury treated. He is charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer.