THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ: TAKING SIDES IN THE DEBATE - A potential minefield for both parties - Democrats may lose steam in pushing for a big pullout; the GOP could face public anger over troops who stayed.
WASHINGTON — With his proposal to end the troop "surge" by next summer, the top U.S. commander in Iraq may have upended the debate in the Capitol, causing both parties to recalibrate their positions.
Democrats, who have been struggling all year to force President Bush to begin pulling troops out of Iraq, now face the prospect that he will agree with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and do just that. The proposed drawdown would not be as fast or large as Democrats have wanted; it could undermine support for their push to order a major withdrawal.
Republicans, meanwhile, will have to decide whether to continue to stand by the White House for at least another year as tens of thousands of U.S. combat troops remain in the center of a volatile civil war in the run-up to next year's elections.
Bush, who has said he will rely heavily on Petraeus' advice, is expected to make a major policy announcement on Iraq later this week.
Democratic and Republican leaders each tried Monday afternoon to use the testimony from Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker to bolster positions their party had held for much of the year.
Senior Democrats pronounced the troop buildup a failure, highlighting a lack of progress by Iraqi leaders in taking concrete steps to bring together warring ethnic and religious communities.
"The situation in Iraq cries out for a dramatic change of course," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Burlingame). "It is time to go and to go now." Democratic leaders said an end to the 30,000-troop surge was far too drawn-out.
GOP leaders derided Democratic withdrawal demands, instead emphasizing increasing stability in Anbar province, where U.S. commanders have highlighted recent efforts by Sunni tribal leaders to help drive out Islamist terrorists.
"Pushing for a precipitous withdrawal now, just as security gains are being realized and as the first critical steps toward political reconciliation are being taken, would thrust the Middle East into chaos and place our national security at substantial risk for generations to come," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
But the spin masked the deeper challenges that the general's withdrawal proposal might present both parties.
Congressional Democrats are striving to restart their legislative campaign to end the war after months of conflict with the White House and its GOP allies.
