thedrifter
07-19-07, 07:35 PM
Odierno: September too soon to assess Iraq
By Barbara Slavin - USA Today via Gannett News Service
Posted : Thursday Jul 19, 2007 20:00:55 EDT
WASHINGTON — The No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq said July 19 that it would be at least November before he could fully assess whether the military strategy in Iraq is working.
The Bush administration has urged Congress to wait until a report in September from Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker before considering a reduction of the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, Petraeus’ deputy, told reporters at the Pentagon via video link from Baghdad that there had been “significant success in the security arena” in recent weeks but that September might be too soon to say with certainty whether the progress was “just a blip.”
“In order to do a good assessment, I need at least till November to do that,” Odierno said.
In a separate session, Crocker told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that political benchmarks set by President Bush for the Iraqi government were not necessarily the best way to measure progress. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., asked whether the administration was “moving the goalposts” in an effort to prolong U.S. involvement in the war. Crocker denied that intention.
He acknowledged that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was having “significant difficulties” achieving goals of political reconciliation among Iraq’s rival factions.
“The challenges are immense,” Crocker said, also via video link from Baghdad. He cited a legacy of fear left by the regime of Saddam Hussein that is intensified by sectarian fighting.
“It’s pretty hard to make sweeping compromises ... because you have a constituency out there that is significantly scarred,” he said.
Also July 19, Crocker and Petraeus briefed about 200 U.S. lawmakers invited to the Pentagon for a classified question-and-answer session. There wasn’t new information in the briefing, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
Crocker spoke a day after Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a Democratic proposal that called for withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by next April. However, several Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee were critical of U.S. policy.
“We’re putting our troops in a terrible position, overburdening them with an almost impossible task,” said Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. “We’re buying time for what? ... We’re in our fifth year, and we still see no political reconciliation occurring. Actually, I think we’re going backward.”
“The American people’s patience is running out,” said George Voinovich, R-Ohio.
“It is likely that there will be changes in military missions and force levels as the year proceeds,” said Richard Lugar, of Indiana, the committee’s ranking Republican.
“Time is running out in a big way,” committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., told Crocker.
Speaking July 19 in Nashville, Bush again urged patience.
“We’ll succeed unless we lose our nerve,” he said.
Odierno and Crocker both described progress in recent weeks since 30,000 additional American troops arrived in Iraq. They pointed to increased resistance to al-Qaida by Sunnis in Anbar, Diyala and Ninevah provinces.
Ellie
By Barbara Slavin - USA Today via Gannett News Service
Posted : Thursday Jul 19, 2007 20:00:55 EDT
WASHINGTON — The No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq said July 19 that it would be at least November before he could fully assess whether the military strategy in Iraq is working.
The Bush administration has urged Congress to wait until a report in September from Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker before considering a reduction of the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, Petraeus’ deputy, told reporters at the Pentagon via video link from Baghdad that there had been “significant success in the security arena” in recent weeks but that September might be too soon to say with certainty whether the progress was “just a blip.”
“In order to do a good assessment, I need at least till November to do that,” Odierno said.
In a separate session, Crocker told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that political benchmarks set by President Bush for the Iraqi government were not necessarily the best way to measure progress. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., asked whether the administration was “moving the goalposts” in an effort to prolong U.S. involvement in the war. Crocker denied that intention.
He acknowledged that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was having “significant difficulties” achieving goals of political reconciliation among Iraq’s rival factions.
“The challenges are immense,” Crocker said, also via video link from Baghdad. He cited a legacy of fear left by the regime of Saddam Hussein that is intensified by sectarian fighting.
“It’s pretty hard to make sweeping compromises ... because you have a constituency out there that is significantly scarred,” he said.
Also July 19, Crocker and Petraeus briefed about 200 U.S. lawmakers invited to the Pentagon for a classified question-and-answer session. There wasn’t new information in the briefing, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
Crocker spoke a day after Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a Democratic proposal that called for withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by next April. However, several Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee were critical of U.S. policy.
“We’re putting our troops in a terrible position, overburdening them with an almost impossible task,” said Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. “We’re buying time for what? ... We’re in our fifth year, and we still see no political reconciliation occurring. Actually, I think we’re going backward.”
“The American people’s patience is running out,” said George Voinovich, R-Ohio.
“It is likely that there will be changes in military missions and force levels as the year proceeds,” said Richard Lugar, of Indiana, the committee’s ranking Republican.
“Time is running out in a big way,” committee chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., told Crocker.
Speaking July 19 in Nashville, Bush again urged patience.
“We’ll succeed unless we lose our nerve,” he said.
Odierno and Crocker both described progress in recent weeks since 30,000 additional American troops arrived in Iraq. They pointed to increased resistance to al-Qaida by Sunnis in Anbar, Diyala and Ninevah provinces.
Ellie