By DENNIS CAMIRE
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, pressed Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, about why Iraq was not being held responsible for failing to meet the benchmarks established for measuring the success of the surge in U.S. troops.

Akaka, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that in January, President Bush said if the Iraq government did not meet the18 benchmarks, it would lose the support of the American and Iraqi people.

"Why are we not holding the Iraqi government accountable for this?" Akaka said.

Crocker said the Iraqi government's failure to fully meet all the benchmarks has been "frustrating."

"These are, in many cases, very complex legislative initiatives that are difficult to do, particularly in conditions of significant violence," Crocker said. "The reality has been that in many cases, it has been simply too hard to do as a straight-up national-level initiative."

But Crocker said the Iraq government has been meeting the underlying goals without meeting the benchmark of passing national legislation on reconciliation.

"We should not lose sight of that as a measure of progress," he said.

Petraeus, lead ground commander in Iraq, said the Iraqis have done better in meeting security-related benchmarks.

But Akaka said he remained unconvinced that enough progress has been made to justify further American lives and spending, especially since the Iraqi government is unable to reach political reconciliation.

"I remain committed to finding a new direction," he said.

Listen to Akaka's Q&A with Petraeus and Crocker at the Senate hearing on progress in Iraq

For video of Petraeus' testimony, see:

http://www.c-span.org/resources/iraq_Sept2007.asp

Original article:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/11/br/br0598173246.html