U.S. Army General David Petraeus testifies in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the state of the war in Iraq on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 11, 2007.
"I don't know, actually."
—Gen. David Petraeus,
when asked by the Senate Armed Services Committee whether the Iraq war is making America safer
During a much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill, Gen. David Petraeus reports on the progress of the new "surge" strategy, testifying that a drawdown in troop numbers may be possible in the future. Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, offers a more grim assessment, testifying at the same hearing: "I frankly do not expect that we will see rapid progress." Neither men offer concrete timetables for troop withdrawal. In a nationally televised address just days after the sixth anniversary of 9/11, President Bush echoes Petraeus' testimony by announcing a reduction in troop levels by July 2008, from a current high of 169,000 to 130,000.