Senate hears an overall downbeat report on Iraq - The GAO isn't sure the Iraqis can pick up where the U.S. leaves off.
WASHINGTON — As Congress opened a monthlong showdown with President Bush over Iraq, Senate war critics on Tuesday demanded evidence that the security improvements claimed by the White House could be sustained once American forces hand off the task of maintaining order to Iraqi military units.
Establishing a theme likely to be repeated during upcoming hearings, Democratic senators pressed the nation's senior legislative analyst for indications that security gains could last. But David M. Walker, head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, said it remained unclear whether Iraq's military and police were capable of maintaining the improvements brought about since an additional 28,500 U.S. troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year.
Bush and U.S. commanders repeatedly have pointed to declines in both sectarian killings and attacks on security forces in underscoring the need to continue stepped-up U.S. efforts. But Democrats on Tuesday sought to highlight the country's continuing instability.
"Do you think that the Iraqi security forces will be able to hold neighborhoods cleared by American forces?" Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) asked Walker. "Is there any reason to think that any gains that have been made during the recent surge will actually hold in the long run?"
Replied Walker: "I think there's serious question as to whether or not they on their own will be able to hold these neighborhoods for an extended period of time."
The new environment "is an improvement, but it's separate and distinct as to whether it's sustainable," Walker told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in rolling out a generally bleak report on the U.S. mission.
With Army Gen. David H. Petraeus expected to deliver a more upbeat progress report to Congress on Monday, war critics are trying to use a series of hearings this week to frame the issue. Reviewing the GAO report, they pointed out that government auditors disputed the administration's contention that the troop buildup has improved security overall and pointed out that progress toward political reconciliation has been scant.
The GAO report found that of 18 designated benchmarks set out for Iraqi leaders last year, the country has met three, partially met four and failed to meet 11. The agency's findings that benchmarks had not been met were widely reported last week.
