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| Afghanistan |
| House Republicans Want David Petraeus To Testify |
| 2010-11-18 |
| House Republicans are about to open up a new front on the war in Afghanistan. The newly empowered GOP is preparing to flex its muscle and demand that Gen. David Petraeus fly to Washington to provide his assessment in person of progress in the Afghan war. GOP lawmakers believe the only way to get the ground truth about the war is to get the commander in a seat in the hearing room. They complain Congress has conducted little oversight since President Barack Obama announced his new Afghan strategy nearly one year ago. They will encounter stiff resistance from a White House unlikely to want to create the kind of spectacle that Petraeus did in September 2007 when he testified on Iraq. That won’t stop GOP leaders from trying to get Petraeus back. Next month, the National Security Council is scheduled to complete a much-anticipated review of the strategy in Afghanistan. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), in line to chair the House Armed Services Committee, says Petraeus should appear on the Hill soon thereafter. “During the December review, the American people deserve to hear from the new commander on the ground,” McKeon told an audience Monday at a conference hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative. McKeon acknowledged that only the commander-in-chief could make Petraeus available, but sought to assert the Republicans’ new power. “We are an equal branch of government,” he said. The pushback on bringing Petraeus back to Washington is part of an administration effort to down play the December review, sources told POLITICO. While officials point to initial signs of progress, the “surge” of forces just arrived there and officials believe next summer will be a far more logical inflection point to assess the strategy. “There’s no success reportable from Afghanistan of sufficient gravitas or importance to warrant making a big deal of this review,” said one administration source. But the official acknowledged Petraeus would likely have to make an appearance. “Petraeus will have to come back, and for him not to come back will raise flags,” the source said. Whether he does or he doesn’t, Republicans will attempt to use next month’s review to point up deficiencies in the Afghan strategy. But GOP concerns about the July 2011 deadline to being drawing down troops may have a little less bite. The administration has developed a plan to transfer security duties in parts of Afghanistan over the next two years and end the combat mission by 2014. That makes 2014 the new 2011, and may make it harder for Republicans to argue convincingly that Obama is overseeing a cut-and-run approach in Afghanistan. “If it’s true that the White House is shifting its focus to this date, that would provide our commanders more flexibility,” said one Republican staffer. |
| Posted by:Sherry |