Posted by David Lerman at 5:05 pm CST
Virginia Sen. John W. Warner, a key supporter of the 2003 Iraq invasion, publicly questioned the credibility of top military commanders today, saying he felt “misled” by years of assurances that Iraqi troops were being trained to take over for American soldiers.
One day after introducing a resolution opposing President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq, Warner used a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee to suggest that generals had not been candid about their progress in building a new Iraqi army.In unusually combative language, the Republican senator demanded to know why an Iraqi military of 150,000 troops was still considered ill-equipped to restore security to Baghdad after years of training.
“The overwhelming reality is that those Iraqi security forces cannot take on the lion’s share of this mission by themselves to be able to deal with the level of violence that’s there,” said retired Gen. Jack Keane, the former vice chief of staff of the Army.
David Lerman reports from Washington for the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Va., a Tribune Co. newspaper.
