Washington – After listening to testimony from the top military commander in Iraq on Monday, Democrats in Colorado’s congressional delegation repeated their call to withdraw troops while Republicans largely backed President Bush’s timetable.
“My deep fear is that every additional day, every additional month our troops continue to referee the civil war in Iraq, we lose more U.S. lives,” said Rep. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, who sat on one of the House committees hearing Gen. David Petraeus.
Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican, said he heard proof of progress in the war.
“I was reassured not only that the surge is working, but that we will succeed as long as we give our troops a realistic opportunity to meet their goals,” Lamborn said.
Petraeus pointed to successes, said Republican Sen. Wayne Allard.
“The U.S. military has dealt significant blows to al-Qaeda, disrupted Shia militia extremists, helped reduce ethno-sectarian violence, and lowered civilian casualties,” Allard said.
Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, heard the opposite.
“Gen. Petraeus’ progress report confirms that President Bush’s war strategy has failed,” DeGette said.
Petraeus, DeGette said, “concedes that both the high level of civilian casualties and high profile violence throughout Iraqi neighborhoods are still too high.”
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave came down closer to the middle.
“Petraeus’ report was detailed and candid,” the Fort Morgan Republican said. “It shows progress is being made, but there are still areas where it is insufficient, which is disappointing.”
Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Littleton Republican, said he was pleased that Petraeus reported progress in achieving security in Iraq.
“This progress will allow us to begin disengaging from our lead role without withdrawing,” said Tancredo.
Rep. John Salazar, a Manassa Democrat, said that troops must return “as soon as it is realistically possible.
“We cannot continue to stay the course of a failed policy,” Salazar said.
Petraeus’ testimony spurred strategy conversations between senators, said Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar.
“There is overall a sense of frustration and a desire to come up with a new way forward,” Salazar said.
Salazar in the Senate and Udall in the House have legislation that would make the Iraq Study Group recommendations law. Salazar is talking with co-sponsors of the bill about adding language to start troop withdrawals by December.
But he said he doesn’t know whether he’ll succeed in passing the legislation this year.
Allard and Tancredo decried an anti-war advertisement by liberal activist group that appeared Monday in The New York Times. It asked whether Gen. Petraeus was “General Betray Us.”
Allard joined many other senators in asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to “repudiate” the ad.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Golden Democrat received $5,000 in 2006 from ‘s political action committee.
Perlmutter, when he ran for his seat, called for an end to the war. His stance has not changed.
“After more than four years since the beginning of the war, we are no closer to ending our involvement and our military is stretched to the breaking point,” he said Monday. “It is time for a change in direction in Iraq.”
