Lynn C. Woolsey: “many of my colleagues are eagerly waiting for General Petraeus's report on the situation in Iraq this September. But I…”

“many of my colleagues are eagerly waiting for General Petraeus's report on the situation in Iraq this September. But I don't know why we are waiting because we have already heard from General Petraeus in September; September of 2004, that is. On September 26, 2004, General Petraeus wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post giving his assessment of the situation in Iraq at that time. I think it would be very constructive for us to review that article, and I would like to read pieces from it. Near the beginning General Petraeus says: ``Eighteen months after entering Iraq, I see tangible progress. Iraqi security elements are being rebuilt from the ground up. The institutions that oversee them are being reestablished from the top down. And Iraqi leaders are stepping forward, leading their country and their security forces courageously . . . '' He goes on to recognize that the Iraqis face a violent insurgency, but he says: ``Nonetheless, there are reasons for optimism . . . Iraqi police and soldiers . . . are performing a wide variety of security missions. Equipment is being delivered. Training is on track and increasing in capacity. Infrastructure is being repaired. Command and control structures and institutions are being reestablished.''”