Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

General opposes timetable

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned Congress on Wednesday against setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, rejecting the arguments of resurgent Democrats who are pressing President Bush to start pulling out.

Gen. John Abizaid instead urged quick action to strengthen Iraq's government, predicting that the vicious sectarian violence in Baghdad would surge out of control within four to six months unless immediate steps are taken.

"Our troop posture needs to stay where it is," and the use of military adviser teams embedded with Iraqi army and police forces needs to be expanded, Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was the first hearing on Iraq policy since last week's elections gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress starting in January.

The hearing put a spotlight on Democrats' view that the administration's Iraq policy is broken, but it produced no new proposals for fixing it.

In one of the more contentious exchanges, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a possible presidential candidate in 2008, challenged Abizaid's analysis and accused him of sticking to a failed course.

"I'm of course disappointed that basically you're advocating the status quo here today, which I think the American people in the last election said that is not an acceptable condition," McCain said.

In response, Abizaid said he was not arguing for the status quo. He said the key change that is needed now is to place more U.S. troops inside the Iraqi army and police units to train and advise them. Having visited Iraq as recently as this week, Abizaid said he remained optimistic that the Iraqis are capable of overcoming sharp internal differences and creating conditions for stability.

Abizaid later testified to the House Armed Services Committee, where Democrats delivered angry rebukes of the war and took a more partisan tack.

Abizaid said that when he visits the U.S. capital he senses a "despair" that does not exist in Iraq when he visits with Iraqi officials or with American troops and their commanders.

[Last modified November 16, 2006, 00:28:08]