Report from General Petraeus

By U.S. Senator Jon Kyl The U.S. commander of Multi-national Forces Iraq, General David Petraeus, recently testified before Congress that there is progress in the war in Iraq as a result of the troop surge. And that progress will enable us to begin drawing down our forces. Though General Petraeus acknowledged that the mission was far from over and much work remains to be done, it was encouraging to hear that key areas of Iraq are being secured. Places like Anbar province, which earlier this year saw some of the worst levels of violence in Iraq, are experiencing a dramatic decrease in attacks. Not only has the increased troop presence helped bring the violence levels down, but as General Petraeus stated, "this dramatic decrease reflects the significance of the local rejection of al Qaeda and the newfound willingness of local Anbaris to volunteer to serve in the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police Service." The effective work and dedication of our military is creating the climate for success in Iraq. And the more we succeed, the more can redeploy our forces out of the battlefields in Iraq. President Bush has accepted General Petraeus's recommendation that 2,200 Marines scheduled to leave Anbar province later this month not be replaced. Petraeus also believes an Army combat brigade could return home before the end of the year, for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops by Christmas. I believe anyone who supports bringing our troops home ought to support the surge policy because its yielding successes and enabling our military leaders to draw down some of our troops. General Petraeus's appearance, however, was marred by a black spot. On the day his much anticipated report was to be delivered to Congress, Moveon.org, a liberal advocacy group, ran a despicable advertisement in the New York Times impugning the reputation, integrity, and honor of General Petraeus. The ad, which read, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us? Cooking the Books for the White House?," slandered the very general the Senate unanimously confirmed just earlier this year to carry out the mission of leading our brave men and women in Iraq. We're beginning to see real, measurable progress in Iraq since the increased troop levels earlier this year; yet Moveon.org chose to engage in slanderous, partisan, personal attacks on the commander of our troops on the ground. It seems Moveon.org was unable to contest the facts, so it instead chose to attack the messenger because it didn't like the message. Even more disturbing was that Democrats, who receive support from Moveon.org, declined to repudiate the ad. I commend General Petraeus for leading our troops in this difficult mission, and appreciate his forthright assessment of the situation in Iraq. He made it clear that a premature withdrawal from Iraq would cost us the progress that has been achieved. It would allow al Qaeda in Iraq to regain the ground we have taken from it and allow it to gain the freedom to maneuver in Iraq and elsewhere. The way forward is clear. We will achieve success by supporting the strategy that has produced the progress we can now see on the ground, not by reversing course or beginning a full scale retreat.