General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker Testify Before Congress On Iraq

Dear Friends,

This week General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees in the House and Senate about the situation in Iraq.  Although I no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee, I closely followed the testimony and would like to share my thoughts on U.S. involvement in Iraq.

In their testimony, General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker described the fundamental nature of the conflict in Iraq as a competition among ethnic and sectarian communities for power and resources. Insufficient Iraqi governmental capacity, lingering sectarian mistrust, and corruption add to Iraq’s problems. This competition continues, and is influenced by outside actors such as Iran, and its resolution remains the key to producing long-term stability in Iraq. I am hopeful in that most parties involved in unrest in Iraq are acknowledging that political engagement and dialogue has proven more productive in recent months to attaining their goals than street fighting and violence.

The recent flare up in Basra, where Iraqi forces took the lead in quelling the violence, demonstrates that we continue to face resistance.  In order to secure the nation of Iraq, our interests in the region, the United States’ presence is still required.  Many people may wonder why securing Iraq - 6,000 miles from our shores - is in the interest of the United States.  If Iraq were to become a failed state – a probable outcome of a premature U.S. withdrawal – the Middle East would be thrown into turmoil.  Failed states, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban, were attractive havens for terrorists.

Last summer, U.S. military forces reached the highest levels in Iraq since the beginning of the war.  Today, we are seeing the positive results of the troop surge.  General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testified that civilian and coalition deaths have decreased by more than 70% since last June; there are now 531,616 members of the Iraqi Security Forces: of all formed Iraqi Army units, 77% are rated as being able to plan, execute, and sustain operations with minimal or no assistance from coalition forces. The Iraqi government has met 12 of the 18 benchmarks set for it. 

Our service members have done an incredible job under very difficult circumstances. I do not believe there should be an immediate withdrawal of troops at this time, but instead believe that General Petreaus’ recommendation of managing troop levels is a more prudent course.  His recommendation is that once the last of the surge combat forces rotate out of Iraq, there be a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation. At the end of that period, there will be an assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and if there can be further reductions as conditions permit. I believe this approach will not embolden insurgents and military extremists, as a withdrawal timetable would, but instead it provides the flexibility to preserve the still fragile security gains our military has fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve.

It is unfortunate that many of my colleagues refuse to acknowledge any positive progress our military has made in Iraq.  Despite the positive changes in the situation on the ground, they continue to call for timetables and early withdrawal.  They conveniently ignore the possible consequences of a rapid U.S. drawdown which would likely include the disintegration of the Iraqi government and an increase in violence which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.  Iraq critics also refuse to accept that this is 2008 and we are in Iraq - not 2003 when the decision was made to go to Iraq.  We cannot go back in time and change past decisions; nostalgic rhetoric is counter-productive.  We must face the reality – a reality that has drastically improved under General Petraeus and our troops – that we are in Iraq and we should remain until we can leave with assurance that the Iraqi Security Forces can properly enforce the security of the country and support the government.  To do otherwise is to ensure that we will once again return to Iraq at a future date and at perhaps higher costs.

In closing, it is impossible to mention Iraq without expressing gratitude to the incredible men and women of the United States Military.  On Tuesday, President Bush awarded posthumously a young man from Orange County the highest honor of our country – the Medal of Honor.  Petty Officer 2^nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL from Garden Grove, threw himself on a live grenade to save the lives of his brothers.  He is only the fourth service member from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to receive the Medal of Honor.  Please take the time to read about this extraordinary man and U.S. hero (Garden Grove SEAL Awarded Medal of Honor – OC Register link).  This is just one example of the extraordinary service of our military.  I encourage you to find out how you can help our troops and their families by visiting www.americasupportsyou.mil.

Please fill out the survey on the left hand side of this e-newsletter and tell me your thoughts on Iraq.

Sincerely,

KEN CALVERT

Member of Congress