Minnesota lawmakers react to Petraeus report

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Norm Coleman, until recently a critic of the troop surge in Iraq, said Monday that he is inclined to give Gen. David Petraeus the time he wants to make it work.

Freshman Sen. Amy Klobuchar, an anti-war Democrat, was much less inclined.

Minnesota lawmakers reflected the larger partisan divide awaiting Petraeus' report, which called for a continuing U.S. military commitment to Iraq, while permitting the drawdown of American troops to pre-surge levels by next summer.

"His assessment that the 'surge' troops may be home by next July underscores the fact that progress is being made," said Coleman, adding that "America's commitment, while long-term, is not open-ended."

Klobuchar was less hopeful. "I think we should start bringing our troops home, I still continue to believe that," she said. "I understand it isn't going to be fixed overnight, but overall, we need a deadline."

Either way, the report of Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker proved to be something less than the milestone some in the delegation had expected.

Democrat Betty McCollum, a longtime House critic of the war, called it a "dramatic moment," but nothing that would dispel her view that Iraq remains "a pathetic, violent, failed state."

Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, elected as an anti-war veteran, said nothing in the general's report made him change his position on a troop withdrawal, which he said will happen inevitably with a military so over-extended.

"Our forces, quite frankly, are stretched to the breaking point," Walz said. "The general can say all he wants, but he knows, we know and any single person that looks at the classified documents or knows military readiness knows that we can't maintain this."

On the other side, Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann, a strong Bush supporter, reacted optimistically to the Petraeus report, saying the troop surge has improved security in Iraq.

"That's important because a secure environment paves the way for political progress, and ultimately an Iraq that can govern itself," she said.

Minnesota Republican John Kline stuck to his position that it would be a mistake to withdraw prematurely.

But Kline said it is a testament to the success of the troop surge that Petraeus was able to forecast a drawdown of as many as 30,000 troops. "It's very good news that he's able to say that," Kline said.

For Minnesota Republicans who've challenged parts of the White House's policy, Petraeus' testimony provided some hope for a new phase in the war.

Rep. Jim Ramstad, one of 17 House Republicans who voted against the surge, said he is pleased with Petraeus' prediction of troop reductions in the near future, which he called a step in the right direction. But he remains opposed to setting deadlines for withdrawal.

"The remainder of our troops should be withdrawn when commanders in the field determine enough Iraqi forces are trained to secure their own country," Ramstad said.

Coleman's reaction Monday underscored the stance he has taken since his Labor Day weekend trip to Iraq. A longtime supporter of the war, Coleman returned home endorsing a token drawdown of U.S. forces, even as he rejected Democrats' calls for a fixed withdrawal date.

Coleman also returned with praise for the gains of the months-long troop surge, saying he had been wrong to question it earlier in the year, when he called for greater emphasis on counter-insurgency, and less on combating Iraq's warring religious and ethnic factions.

Coleman, facing a tough reelection battle next year, has been talking for months about a possible new administration strategy come September. On Monday, he restated his call for a "diplomatic surge."

Petraeus and Crocker outlined no new military or diplomatic strategy Monday. But their testimony suggesting a downtick in some measures of violence, along with an uptick in the capacity of Iraqi security forces, held out the hope that a new phase in the war is already unfolding.

Kline argued that while some are waiting for a new strategy to emerge, the successes cited in Petraeus' report suggest "we've been trying something different."

Democrats, however, remained unimpressed. Jim Oberstar, the dean of the Minnesota delegation, described the gains in Iraq as "ephemeral." He pointed to the result of the Vietnam War, where military objectives were met, but the lack of a political solution created a "disorganized, chaotic end."

kdiaz@startribune.com • 202-408-2753