Pentagon's Fallon May Be Called To Testify

Senate Democrats eager to reveal the divisions within the military and administration over the direction of the Iraq war are considering asking retired Adm. William Fallon, who quit as head of U.S. Central Command, to give his thoughts on the effort at an upcoming hearing.

Under consideration by Democrats is having Fallon join Gen. David Petraeus, head of the war effort in Iraq, to testify this spring. Fallon announced plans to retire recently after reports flared that he had different views about how the war and region should be dealt with and that they clashed with those of President Bush and the Pentagon. The division was sparked by an Esquire article that portrayed Fallon as opposed to Bush's Iran policy.

Senate Democrats call Fallon a strategic thinker and somebody who is mostly focused not on the war but instead on the broader U.S. situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, military insiders say that among those being considered for Fallon's post is Marine Gen. James Mattis, who commanded expeditions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

By Paul Bedard