Petraeus, Crocker Offer Subdued Review of Iraq Mission

KWAME HOLMAN:

Last September, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker sat before a joint meeting of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees for a sometimes raucous and partisan day-long session.

Today, they met the committees separately, and the mood was subdued this morning at the Armed Services Committee on the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

Democratic Chairman Ike Skelton asserted the Iraq war itself had become a national security risk.

REP. IKE SKELTON (D), Mo.: This nation's facing record deficits, and the Iraqis have translated their oil revenues into budget surpluses rather than effective services. Under these circumstances and with a strategic risk to our nation and our military readiness, we and the American people must ask: Why should we stay in Iraq in large numbers?

KWAME HOLMAN:

But California's Duncan Hunter, the senior Republican on the committee and an unflinching war supporter, argued last year's troop increase had achieved its desired effect.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), Cali.: And it was 15 months ago when the president announced the surge. And even before — even a few days after it had been announced, some members of Congress were declaring failure of this increase in American forces going into country.

And yet I think, by all metrics, it's been a success. And I'm reminded that in Anbar province, where you had, by some accounts and by some statistics, the most dangerous of situations, the situation is extremely benign.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Petraeus and Crocker repeated the same opening statements they had prepared for their Senate appearances yesterday, citing security gains and some political reconciliation among the Iraqis.

But South Carolina's John Spratt, chairman of the Budget Committee, returned to the enormous financial outlays afforded to fight the war.

REP. JOHN SPRATT (D), S.C.: The total cost from the '09 through 2018 will come to about $1 trillion. If you add this $1 trillion for the out-year costs to the $608 billion already appropriated, the total comes to about $1.6 trillion.

And if you adjust that for debt service — and we are borrowing every dime of this, so you may as well add the interest to it — it's well over $2 trillion. Is this something that you two will weigh in your consideration as to what we should do for our continued deployment?

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, commander, U.S. forces in Iraq: Absolutely, Congressman. In fact, as I mentioned in my statement, that is one of the major strategic considerations that I offered.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Alabama Republican Terry Everett said the focus should be on the human toll exacted by terrorism.

REP. TERRY EVERETT (R), Ala.: If we're going to look at that $1 trillion, then we probably should also ask at the same time, how much is 3,000 lives worth? How much is 30,000 lives worth?

We've all agreed that we're fighting an enemy that is determined to kill Americans, and they will continue to kill Americans. They've been killing Americans for 20, 25 years prior to 9/11.