Commander Cites Progress in Iraq

President Bush would remove needed pressure on the Iraqi government if he decides to halt the drawdown of U.S. troops, a leading Democrat said Tuesday at the outset of a series of congressional hearings on the prospects for fully stabilizing Iraq and further reducing the U.S. military commitment.

"An announcement of an open-ended pause in troop reductions, starting in July, would simply send the wrong message to the Iraqi leaders," said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Before the committee were Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad. Petraeus was expected to testify that while security has generally improved over the past several months, he wants to temporarily halt the drawdown of U.S. troops in July.

Levin was followed by the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

"Much more needs to be done, and Iraq's leaders need to know that we expect them to show the necessary leadership to rebuild their country, for only they can," McCain told the committee. "But today, it is possible to talk with real hope and optimism about the future of Iraq and the outcome of our efforts there."