Petraeus shouldn't be a solo act

Today, the government of President Hamid Karzai controls less than a third of Afghanistan. Three independent reports released last month concluded that the security situation there has deteriorated to its worst level in two years. Fallon was understandably uncomfortable with the administration's focus on Iraq. He wanted and needed more troops in Afghanistan -- the true central front of the war on terror -- but could not get them unless the number of troops in Iraq fell well below 130,000.

So far, neither the acting head of Central Command nor any of the Joint Chiefs have been asked to testify when Petraeus does next month. That was not the case with the previous commanding generals in Iraq. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee with Gen. John P. Abizaid -- then Centcom commander -- once in 2004. Casey, who was commander in Iraq from June 2004 to February 2007, testified before the Senate and House Armed Services committees a total of four times, always with Abizaid. In fact, Petraeus was the first commander of U.S. forces in Iraq to testify on the war without the Centcom commander by his side. Moreover, Fallon never testified before either committee solely on Iraq during his yearlong tenure as Centcom commander.

The reason we need the head of Central Command and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the table was demonstrated last September. Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), a former secretary of the Navy, asked Petraeus, "If we continue what you have laid before the Congress ... does this make America safer?" Petraeus correctly responded, "Well sir, I don't know."

Mullen, Casey, Fallon or the next Centcom commander could tell Congress and the country that the answer to that question is no. Congress must demand the full military picture if it is to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense.