September 2007
The Surge Status Report
"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.