Levin: Goals Of Bush 'surge' Have Not Been Achieved

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) had a stern warning for the White House in opening today's hearing with Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker - a "pause" in U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq will not go unchallenged by Democrats in Congress.

"This new increase in violence raises questions about the military success of the surge," Levin said. "But, more significantly, the purpose of the surge as announced by President Bush last year - to give the Iraqi leaders breathing room to work out a [political] settlement - has not been achieved. This leads many of us to once again challenge President Bush's policies."

"An open-ended 'pause' starting in July would be just the next page in a war plan with no exit strategy," Levin said. "The Bush administration strategy has been built on the assumption that, so long as we continue to provide the Maliki government with plenty of time, military support and financial assistance, they will take responsibility for Iraq's future. But the major political steps have not yet been taken by the Iraqis, including establishing a framework for controlling and sharing oil revenue,adopting an election law so an October 1 provincial election will take place, and considering amendments to the constitution."

Levin added: "An announcement of an open-ended pause in troop reductions starting in July would simply send the wrong message to Iraqi leaders. Rather we need to put continuous and increasing pressure on the Iraqis; to settle their political differences; to pay for their own reconstruction with their oil windfalls; and to take the lead in conducting military operations."

Levin said, "The way to do that is to adopt a reasonable time frame for a change of mission and redeployment of most of our troops. Promptly shifting responsibility to the Iraqis for their own future - politically, militarily, and economically - is the best hope for a successful outcome in Iraq and represents, finally, an exit strategy for most of our troops."