September 10, 2007

Reporting to Congress

A general and an ambassador deliver a progress report on Iraq to Congress

By Nellie Gonzalez Cutler

General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testified before Congress on Monday. Petraeus, a four-star general, is the top U.S. commander in Iraq. He and Crocker gave Congress their assessments of the four-year-old war in Iraq. Occasionally, shouts from anti-war protestors interrupted the hearing.

Ike Skelton, a Democratic congressman from Missouri and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, began the session. He informed Petraeus and Crocker that it was up to them to tell Congress "why we should continue sending our young men and women to fight and die if the Iraqis won't make the tough sacrifices leading to reconciliation."

Congress has set 18 benchmarks that U.S. and Iraqi forces must meet in order to guarantee continued Congressional funding and support.

The Surge

In March, President George W. Bush ordered an additional 28,829 forces to Iraq. That brought the total military force in the country to almost 160,000. The goal of the "surge" is to stop violence and stabilize the country. Since the additional troops arrived in Iraq, Baghdad, the capital, has become more secure. But violence continues throughout the country.

Presenting charts and graphs, Petraeus told Congress that the surge was succeeding in curbing violence. "I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve," he said. But Petraeus also warned that securing Iraq was "not an easy effort."

Why the U.S. Invaded Iraq

In March 2003, the U.S. went to war against Iraq. The U.S. wanted to remove Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, from power and find and destroy dangerous weapons that the U.S. believed he had amassed. Hussein was brought to trial for crimes against his people and executed. But U.S. forces did not find stockpiles of the dangerous weapons.

Since the invasion, Iraqis have voted in free elections and elected a government. Still, differences between ethnic and religious groups have torn the country apart. American forces have been caught in the crossfire. More than 3,700 Americans have died in the war.

What's Next for Iraq?

In his testimony, Ambassador Crocker pointed to the problems caused by Iraq's ethnic differences. He acknowledged that in 2006 Iraq began to "unravel" and that Iraqis still struggle with how to share power. "I can not guarantee success in Iraq," said Crocker. "I do believe that it is attainable."

President Bush is expected to give a televised address to the nation later this week. He will announce whether the course of the U.S. policy will change. "After consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security team, members of Congress and Iraqi leaders, I will speak directly to the nation about the recommendations General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have presented to me," Bush said in a radio address on September 8. "I will lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq--one that I believe the American people and their elected leaders of both parties can support."

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