Top general warns against Iraq timetable
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. general in Iraq, on Wednesday warned against setting timetables for withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Democrats -- who will take control of the House and Senate in January -- have criticized the war effort in Iraq and some have called for a phased reduction of U.S. troops to begin in as little as four months.
Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Abizaid said, "At this stage in the campaign we'll need flexibility to manage our force and to help manage the Iraqi force. Force caps and specific timetables limit that flexibility."
In opening remarks, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said responsibility for Iraq's future should be put "squarely where it belongs: on the Iraqis. We cannot save the Iraqis from themselves.
"The only way for Iraqi leaders to squarely face that reality is for President Bush to tell them that the United States will begin a phased redeployment of our forces within four to six months," Levin said.
Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said he was encouraged by what he saw when he visited the region last month.
"I remain optimistic that we can stabilize Iraq," he said.
"While sectarian violence remains high and worrisome, it's certainly not as bad as the situation appeared back in August," he said.
"I wouldn't say that we have turned the corner in this regard, but it's not nearly as bad as it was back in August, and I was encouraged by that."
Abizaid's appearance before the Senate panel was the first congressional appearance by a commander since the midterm elections and the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. (Watch why Abizaid was walking into a political hornet's nest -- 1:54)
The last time Abizaid testified before Congress in August, he didn't mince words.
"I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war," Abizaid said then.
Fueling this possibility, he said, was the combination of "sectarian violence, al Qaeda terrorists, insurgents and Shia militants."
As Abizaid appeared before the committees Wednesday, the news from Iraq was not encouraging.
Confusion surrounded the fate of dozens of Iraqis kidnapped from a research institute on Tuesday, and a car bomb killed eight people and wounded 32 in Baghdad. (Full story)
Earlier this week, Abizaid met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad and told him the Iraqi government must quickly take more responsibility for security.
In his August testimony, Abizaid warned that "failure to apply coordinated regional and international pressure ... will further extremism" and could lead to a widening and more perilous conflict.
That day, Abizaid was joined by Gen. Peter Pace, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Rumsfeld, whose exchanges with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, were polite but testy.
After the hearing, Clinton called for Rumsfeld's resignation, telling The Associated Press he had "lost credibility with the Congress and with the people."
Rumsfeld resigned on November 8, the day after the midterm elections shifted power in Congress to the Democrats, an outcome widely seen as a repudiation of the Iraq war policies of Rumsfeld and President Bush.
Also affecting the atmosphere as Abizaid testifies is anticipation of a report from the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan advisory group led by Republican and Bush family friend James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton that is assessing Iraq policy and options for the future. Its report is expected next month. (Full story)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/15/senate.abizaid/index.html
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. EST, November 15, 2006
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. general in Iraq, on Wednesday warned against setting timetables for withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Democrats -- who will take control of the House and Senate in January -- have criticized the war effort in Iraq and some have called for a phased reduction of U.S. troops to begin in as little as four months.
Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Abizaid said, "At this stage in the campaign we'll need flexibility to manage our force and to help manage the Iraqi force. Force caps and specific timetables limit that flexibility."
In opening remarks, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said responsibility for Iraq's future should be put "squarely where it belongs: on the Iraqis. We cannot save the Iraqis from themselves.
"The only way for Iraqi leaders to squarely face that reality is for President Bush to tell them that the United States will begin a phased redeployment of our forces within four to six months," Levin said.
Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said he was encouraged by what he saw when he visited the region last month.
"I remain optimistic that we can stabilize Iraq," he said.
"While sectarian violence remains high and worrisome, it's certainly not as bad as the situation appeared back in August," he said.
"I wouldn't say that we have turned the corner in this regard, but it's not nearly as bad as it was back in August, and I was encouraged by that."
Abizaid's appearance before the Senate panel was the first congressional appearance by a commander since the midterm elections and the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. (Watch why Abizaid was walking into a political hornet's nest -- 1:54)
The last time Abizaid testified before Congress in August, he didn't mince words.
"I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war," Abizaid said then.
Fueling this possibility, he said, was the combination of "sectarian violence, al Qaeda terrorists, insurgents and Shia militants."
As Abizaid appeared before the committees Wednesday, the news from Iraq was not encouraging.
Confusion surrounded the fate of dozens of Iraqis kidnapped from a research institute on Tuesday, and a car bomb killed eight people and wounded 32 in Baghdad. (Full story)
Earlier this week, Abizaid met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad and told him the Iraqi government must quickly take more responsibility for security.
In his August testimony, Abizaid warned that "failure to apply coordinated regional and international pressure ... will further extremism" and could lead to a widening and more perilous conflict.
That day, Abizaid was joined by Gen. Peter Pace, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Rumsfeld, whose exchanges with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, were polite but testy.
After the hearing, Clinton called for Rumsfeld's resignation, telling The Associated Press he had "lost credibility with the Congress and with the people."
Rumsfeld resigned on November 8, the day after the midterm elections shifted power in Congress to the Democrats, an outcome widely seen as a repudiation of the Iraq war policies of Rumsfeld and President Bush.
Also affecting the atmosphere as Abizaid testifies is anticipation of a report from the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan advisory group led by Republican and Bush family friend James A. Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton that is assessing Iraq policy and options for the future. Its report is expected next month. (Full story)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/15/senate.abizaid/index.html