On Monday, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered their much-awaited assessments of U.S. progress in Iraq. Those verdicts — especially Crocker’s — weren’t as downbeat as some war-weary Americans had anticipated. What had to strike listeners as most remarkable, though, was how often Petraeus and Crocker found themselves chronicling the progress not only of U.S. efforts, but of the Iraqi people’s self-help efforts as well.
Petraeus didn’t surprise anyone with his testimony to the evidence of modest success of the military surge he has implemented. His schedule for a drawdown of U.S. troops is, though, somewhat speedier than expected.
Crocker, though, came to Capitol Hill as the wild card. Would he offset Petraeus by voicing frustration with sectarian rivalries that have complicated Iraqi politics? Time magazine highlighted the prospect of disagreement between the two men with a provocative headline anticipating their Monday appearance: “The General vs. the Ambassador.”
Wrong. Instead, Petraeus and Crocker offered similar views of Iraq. If we had to choose one passage that typified their lengthy comments, it would be these words from Crocker:
“I will not minimize the enormity of the challenges faced by Iraqis, nor the complexity of the situation. At the same time, I intend to demonstrate that it is possible for the United States to see its goals realized in Iraq and that Iraqis are capable of tackling and addressing the problems confronting them today. A secure, stable, democratic Iraq at peace with its neighbors is, in my view, attainable. The cumulative trajectory of political, economic, and diplomatic developments in Iraq is upwards, although the slope of that line is not steep. …
“This is a sober assessment, but it should not be a disheartening one.”
Monday’s suggestions of progress in Iraq will ring hollow for many Americans — those who object to the war but especially those frustrated that they have been politically unable to end it. Nothing in Monday’s statements by Petraeus and Crocker will bolster Democratic efforts in Congress to draw down U.S. forces any quicker than Petraeus recommends.
But if some Americans don’t like Monday’s message, they needn’t pillory the messengers. Neither Petraeus nor Crocker has been a White House toady. And neither will have the luxury of abruptly rewriting his comments if the current trajectory of progress in Iraq reverses. For the rest of their careers, Petraeus and Crocker will be judged against the controversial words they speak in Washington this week.
The week is young; both men will face more hard questions as it proceeds. But on Monday, Americans who want a scheduled drawdown of U.S. troops got part of what they desire. And Americans committed to ending Al Qaeda’s deadly sway in Iraq got the sense that David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker will settle for nothing less than that.
