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The War & The Way Ahead: Top U.S. Leaders in Iraq Testify

Aired April 08, 2008 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Aren't we in there to battle al Qaeda?
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDING GENERAL, MULTINATIONAL FORCES, IRAQ: Basra, Senator, is...

KENNEDY: I understand how Basra is Shia.

PETRAEUS: ... a Shia area, and does not have a Sunni -- it has a small Sunni community, but has not traditionally had...

(CROSSTALK)

KENNEDY: But we're over in Iraq to take on al Qaeda, and here we've got the Maliki government moving in to battle intersectarian violence that's taking place which many believe can enhance the possibilities of civil war.

Let me ask you a question. Were you at any meetings with the vice president -- or Ambassador Crocker -- where the issue of the Basra invasion took place?

RYAN CROCKER, AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: It was not discussed.

KENNEDY: It wasn't discussed at all during the vice president's visit to Baghdad, the possibility of Maliki going into Basra? It was not discussed? You were not at any meetings where the vice president was present or where this was discussed in his presence?

CROCKER: It was not discussed in any meeting I attended, no, sir.

KENNEDY: General?

PETRAEUS: The same, Senator.

KENNEDY: Thank you. My time is up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much.

Senator Warner.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Gentlemen, I commend you for your public service. And I mean that in a very sincere way. I've had the opportunity to meet with you and work with you in country, and back here in the continental United States.

I also want to say that I felt your statements were very informative and strong and clear. And it reflects your own compassion for our forces. And you added the civilians who are abroad, Mr. Ambassador. And their families here at home. And I should also like to add a word for all of those thousands and thousands of Americans who are trying to care for the wounded and to provide compassion for their families.

I want to go back to your statements and frame a simple question.

Gentlemen, you said the following; "With this approach, the security achievements of 2000 and 2008 can form a foundation for the gradual establishment of sustainable security in Iraq. This is not only important to the 27 million citizens of Iraq, it is also vitally important to the gulf region." And then you added parenthetically, "To the citizens of the United States."

Mr. Ambassador, you said the following: "Americans have invested a great deal in Iraq in blood as well as treasure. And they have to right to ask whether it's worth it."

I would hope that you could frame a short message at this moment, both of you, to the American people in response to the same question I asked of you last year, General. Is all this sacrifice bringing about a more secure America?

PETRAEUS: Well, I've thought more than a bit about that, Senator, since September. And though I continue to think it's a question perhaps best answered by folks with a broader view and ultimately will have to be answered by history, I obviously have thoughts on it, and on the importance of achieving our objectives in Iraq.

Iraq has entailed huge costs. Our men and women in uniform have made enormous sacrifices. Over 4,000 of them, the ultimate sacrifice. And the expenditure has been very substantial in numerous other respects, including the strain on the overall force and the opportunity cost in terms of not being able to focus more elsewhere.

Having said that, there is no longer a ruthless dictator in Iraq who threatened and invaded his neighbors and who terrorized his own people. Beyond that, the seeds of a nascent democracy have been planted in an Arab country that was the cradle of civilization. And though the germination of those seeds has been anything but smooth, there has been growth.

All of this, again, has come at great cost.

I recognize that the overall weighing of the scales is more than difficult, and believe it is best done at this point by someone up the chain with a broader perspective. Ultimately, it can only be answered by history once the outcome in Iraq has been determined.

Having said all of that, I believe the more important question at this point is how best to achieve our important interests in Iraq, interests that do have enormous implications. As I mentioned, for the safety and security of our country, 27 million Iraqis in the Mideast region, and the world, with respect to al Qaeda, the spread of sectarian conflict, Iranian influence, regional stability, and the global economy.

I do believe that we have made progress in important areas in Iraq over the past year. And I believe that the recommendations Ambassador Crocker and I have provided are the best course to achieve our important objectives.

(CROSSTALK)

WARNER: My time clock is moving fairly quickly. It was fairly simple question.

Does that translate into a greater security for those of us at home? I point out this morning indications that up to 80 percent of the Americans just don't accept the premise at this point in time that is worth it. Can you now just in simple language tell us yes, it is worth it and it is making us safer here at home?

PETRAEUS: Senator, do I believe it is worth it or I would not have, I guess, accepted -- you know, you do what you are ordered to do, but you sometimes are asked whether you would like to or are willing to take on a task. And I took on the task of the privilege of command of multinational force of Iraq because I do believe that it is worth it, and I do believe the interests there are of enormous importance, again, to our country. Not just to the people of Iraq and the people of that region and the world.

WARNER: Mr. Ambassador, how do you answer? Is it providing greater security here at home?

CROCKER: Sir, I will try and answer that at two levels.

First, in the little over a year that I have been in Iraq, we have seen a significant degradation of al Qaeda's presence and its abilities. Al Qaeda is our mortal and strategic enemy. So, to the extent that al Qaeda's capacities have been lessened in Iraq -- and they have been significantly lessened -- I do believe that makes America safer.

The second level at which I would try to answer that is that Iraq remains a work in progress. I said in my statement that I believe that there has been significant progress. I believe that it is worth continuing our efforts there. And I believe very strongly that any alternative course of action to that that we have laid out deserves the most careful scrutiny by the American people and their representatives, because the consequences could be extremely grave.

WARNER: Let me quickly ask a second question, if I may.

On the strategic forces agreement and status of forces agreement, both very important -- and you said, and I took this note, the strong interest in benefits that flowed to Iraq -- are we utilizing this framework of negotiations to leverage a greater acceleration, a greater momentum by the Iraqi government towards achieving the basic goals, be they legislative or military?

CROCKER: I think the negotiations of the strategic framework agreement, which is the broad agreement that covers political and economic and other aspects, will be an opportunity to have that kind of discussion. Those talks are not yet under way. We are awaiting the Iraqi decision on who their negotiators will be on that, but I certainly see that as an opportunity.

WARNER: To advance the reconciliation that is needed -- we all recognize a military solution is not possible here. It's only through a political one. And I look upon this as an opportunity to say to the Iraqis, this is your chance, and we want a greater momentum towards political reconciliation.

Can you tell us that that will try and be an element in the negotiations?

CROCKER: It certainly would be my intention to make it so in the context of the strategic framework agreement.

WARNER: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Senator Warner.

Senator Lieberman.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You have been listening to Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the situation in Iraq. And if you would like to continue watching, you can of course go to CNN.com and watch that in its entirety.

We, of course, will continue to follow that and dip in and out throughout the day. But as I just mentioned, you can continue to watch it at CNN.com, live as it happens.

Well, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's what's on the rundown.

The top Iraq war commander in front of Congress right now. A pause on troop withdrawals. Patience from the American people.

Our live coverage continues.

NGUYEN: Politics and war. And the next president among the senators with strategy questions for the general.

HARRIS: Bound for Beijing, but in the middle of protests here. The Olympic torch arrives in San Francisco today, Tuesday, April 8th.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Billions of dollars, thousands of lives, countless questions. We are hearing some of them today. Where do we stand in the Iraq war? And where are we headed?

I want to give you a live look right now on Capitol Hill. The view from the top two U.S. officials in Iraq. Right now you are looking at Senator Lieberman. General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, they are testifying right now about fighting, politics, and the future.

HARRIS: CNN correspondents are covering all the angles to walk us through this. CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. Zain Verjee at the State Department. Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Jill Dougherty in Baghdad. And Jamie McIntyre at our fact desk.

Let's start with CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, General Petraeus questioned closely by Chairman Levin on what he views as a description from General Petraeus on an open-ended engagement in Iraq. Talk to us about these recommendations from General Petraeus for a 45-day period of evaluation and then a reassessment or consolidation period.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: A lot at words there, Tony, from the general. But what he is basically saying is what we've long expected. When the surge ends in July, when they finish bringing home the five brigades of about 30,000 or so extra troops that went to Iraq last year, when that all ends, they will take a 45-day pause, look at the situation, and see how the security looks on the ground.

Here's a little bit of what General Petraeus had to say about explaining all of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETRAEUS: At the end of that period we will commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and over time, determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions. This process will be continuous, with recommendations for further reductions made as conditions permit.

This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable. However, it does provide the flexibility those of us on the ground need to preserve the still fragile security gains our troopers have fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So there is the key words, no set timetable after July. They certainly hope they can bring more troops home, but they will have to see how it goes.

The Democrats say, fair enough, OK. But the question that Chairman Levin and others on the Democratic side of the aisle kept asking was, when will Iraqi forces be ready to take on the full burden, when will the Iraqis be paying their own way on this war? Because it is beginning to cost the U.S. government dearly, more than $400 billion at this point -- Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

And Barbara, we will get back to you shortly. Thanks.

NGUYEN: Let's take you to the State Department and CNN correspondent Zain Verjee, who joins us live.

Zain, Senator Warner really got to a big picture question here. And that is whether the situation in Iraq -- what is going on there. Is that actually making America safer as we have been into this war for many years now?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And really the big picture that Ambassador Ryan Crocker painted back there was that Iraq is really a work in progress, and that the United States has to stick with the project.

He pointed out a number of legislative successes. He said that the Iraqi parliament has formulated and passed things, and legislation that was good for nation-building and for political reconciliation in Iraq. He also said that before there were a lot more sectarian groupings that were really barriers to progress in Iraq, and he said that, you know, right now, Iraqi leaders were being a lot more practical about things.

He added, too, that there was progress at the government levels -- at the local government levels, rather, in the provincial areas outside of the capital, and that State Department reconstruction teams were out there playing a crucial role. He did say that everything about Iraq is hard.

Here is more of how he said it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROCKER: But hard does not mean hopeless. And the political and economic progress of the past few months is significant.

These gains are fragile, however. And they are reversible.

Americans have invested a great deal in Iraq and in blood, as well as treasure, and they have the right to ask whether this is worth it, whether it is now time to walk away and let the Iraqis fend for themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Crocker added that over time, this would really become an Iraqi process. He said, too, that the real approach here was the bottom-up process. That's what the State Department has been telling us, that where there is progress at the grassroots level, they hope that it will filter up to the national level -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. At the same time, Zain, the ambassador also said, you know, while hard does not mean hopeless, if you look at Basra and the violence there, the situation there, if you take it as a snapshot, it's very hard to see the progress in Iraq.

VERJEE: Exactly. He said that that was one of the difficult areas, but he said that the progress, in the way he put it, was that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was committed to fighting criminal elements there in Basra.

Now, a lot of people in Iraq and critics will say that this was just a power grab by Nuri al-Maliki, and what this is, is that this is just dissolving into different Shia factions trying to grab power ahead of provincial elections and fight each other. But from Ryan Crocker's point of view, that that was also something that would get Nuri al-Maliki a lot of Arab support, a lot of regional support that he doesn't have, because a lot of people in his neck of the woods just don't like him or trust him. And that, he suggested, would be -- would be something to build confidence in them of Nuri al-Maliki.

NGUYEN: State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee joining us live.

Thank you, Zain.

HARRIS: CNN's Wolf Blitzer with us now, the hardest working man in television news. He has been watching the hearings and joins us from Washington.

Wolf, let's spend time together here. Let's go back to the point and the questioning pretty closely there from Chairman Levin, this idea from General Petraeus -- I mean, his recommendations to Secretary Gates and others of a 45-day period of evaluation. We are talking about two clocks here, a military clock, and we're talking about a political clock as well, and whether they are at odds or in sync.

It takes us to September. And then we are talking about a period of consolidation after that. It feels as though if anyone is looking for a quick resolution to this, or significant troop reductions beyond the surge level, that's going to be left to the next president.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely, Tony. There's no doubt that if they get down to that 140,000, maybe 135,000 to 140,000 level in July, approximately where they were before a year ago, when they moved in an extra 30,000, almost 40,000 troops into Iraq, supposedly for the temporary surge, if they get down to, let's say, 140,000, 135,000, it is going to be at least until the end of the year they can decide whether they want to go down.

I know that as far as the Army is concerned, which is pretty stretched right now, over-stretched, a lot of analysts suggest, they would like to get down to 100,000 U.S. troops by the end of the year, but that -- that may be overly optimistic right now given the level of violence, this uptick that we have recently seen. And remember, in the fall they have got these provincial elections that are scheduled, and there is going to be a lot of factions out there, whether Sunni or Shiite, Kurdish factions. They're all going to be vying for their own power.

One of the reasons why Nuri al-Maliki supposedly went in against Muqtada al-Sadr's anti-American radical Shiite cleric forces in Basra was to try to position himself for those elections. It may have backfired, because Muqtada al-Sadr's forces may have emerged even stronger politically than they were before the offensive, which you did hear General Petraeus acknowledge was not really planned, it could have been done a lot better, not a whole lot of consultation with the United States going into that latest military offensive in Basra.

HARRIS: Yes. He called it a disappointment, yes. He agreed that it was a disappointment.

BLITZER: Yes. And he was being diplomatic. Remember, he may be a four-star general, but he's also a diplomat in many respects.

He has got to go back to Baghdad and deal with this Iraqi government, so there are restraints on how far he can go publicly. Although, I can assure you privately they were pretty irate (ph).

HARRIS: Yes. I know that -- one other point here, Wolf. I know that folks at home are wondering about what the framework for our long-term relationship with Iraq might be. And we heard some discussion of that from Ambassador Crocker on this idea of a status of forces agreement. And politically, that it would be an executive order signed by the president, and not sent to Congress for advice and consent.

I think we can both see that that is a fight that's just waiting to happen.

BLITZER: Right. This is going to be a huge battle, because even though technically there is a lot of precedence where they have these status of forces agreements, nothing as sensitive and as potentially volatile and as potentially deadly and expensive as status of forces agreement between the United States and Iraq.

The U.N. mandate expires at the end of this year. So they need some authorization to maintain 140,000 or 100,000, or whatever number of troops the U.S. is going to have in Iraq. And they would like do this in this bilateral agreement between the United States government and the Iraqi government.

The Bush administration now wants to do it, and you heard Ambassador Crocker say as an executive order, if you will, as an executive agreement. They'll keep Congress fully informed, they'll brief Congress on this status of forces agreement, but Congress will have no say in either ratifying it, approving it, rejecting it. And there are going to be a lot of Democrats who are going to be uneasy, to put it mildly, about that. They want to have a much more significant role, and this is going to be a contentious issue.

HARRIS: Wolf Blitzer, anchor of "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And Wolf, thank you for your time. We will get back to you in just a couple of minutes.

Thanks, Wolf.

NGUYEN: Well, with all this talk about Iraq, let's take you now straight to Baghdad and CNN's Jill Dougherty who joins us now live.

Jill, as we listened to Senator Carl Levin talk, he really had a lot of questions about the situation in Basra. And when General Petraeus responded, I mean, there was no question. He said that Basra could have been better planned and that al-Maliki did not follow the in Basra.

How is that playing out with the troops there in Iraq?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, when you look at that answer, he was pinned down to give that answer. And he did say, it could have been better planned and he did not take my advice. But if you look at the overall testimony, both his and from Ambassador Crocker, what they are saying is, don't take that snapshot and turn it into the entire movie of what is happening in Iraq.

What they are saying is, it changes very quickly and the forces that are alive in this -- as Crocker himself said, violence does not necessarily mean backsliding. So their positive take on this is that the prime minister, who has a crucial role, is trying to take the fight to the enemy. And that actually, it may have backfired, it didn't work as well, but he is taking action. So that's kind of the positive side of it.

But you'd have to say that their overall message is coming at a time of increased violence, and increased violence here in the capital. So, it is very easy to see what's going on.

Today and yesterday, and a couple of days before, the very embassy where Ambassador Crocker works was under fire with mortars coming right outside from Sadr City. So it's very direct concern to him, and it was something that he had to answer when he got to Washington.

NGUYEN: And as we also hear about this 45-day pause with troop drawdowns, and then after that there's a reassessment period, you are there in Baghdad, you're on the ground. How do you think that's going to be perceived by the troops?

DOUGHERTY: Well, nobody really knows the answer to what they are going to find out. So, I'm sure that among some people there would be some trepidation.

What does it mean? Will it be more pulling out of troops, which, of course, U.S. forces would like to see, or would it mean that they decide that it's simply too fragile, too fluid, the pulling out has to stop? Or could you have to put people back in?

That's -- that certainly wouldn't be very likely. But I'm sure that with the lack of an answer -- and you saw he -- they tried to pin the general down. But there was no answer. Nobody at this point can say that the answer to that.

NGUYEN: Yes, there's a lot of decisions still to be made.

Jill Dougherty joining us live from Baghdad.

Thank you, Jill.

HARRIS: More questions for General Petraeus. He wants more time for Iraq and patience from Congress. He is outlining strategy live.

A bit of a break in the proceedings. More to come in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And live pictures again of the hearing room on Capitol Hill right now. The Senate Armed Services Committee taking testimony right now. The question and answer portion of the program this morning.

General Petraeus, Ambassador Crocker offering a progress report on the war in Iraq. When Senator Clinton begins her questioning of the general and the ambassador, we will, of course, get you back for that.

But in the meantime, let's get you to Jamie McIntyre, CNN's Pentagon correspondent -- Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, a couple of things that come to mind here.

General Petraeus saying that progress is being made but it is slow. Significant, but uneven security progress. Seems to be indicating that more time is needed. Progress is fragile and reversible.

The question being, when will it be firm and sustainable? But you take it where you want to go and what you heard from the hearing this morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, you know the old saying that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts. And General Petraeus came armed with a loft facts today in the form of a dozen charts and graphs.

We thought we'd take a look at some of them and see what the facts are behind them.

Let's start with one that he pointed to that was pretty important, which is the provincial Iraqi control. These are how many provinces are under Iraqi control. And notice they're making a big about the fact that since between February and March, there is a big difference.

But take a look at this chart over here, right here in the Basra area. You can see they've included that as an area where they say there has been significant progress. But as we heard in the testimony, the performance of the Iraqi troops there was substandard. Under questioning from Senator McCain, they -- he also admitted that was a real disappointment.

General Petraeus, he explained that it was a lot of green troops and also intimidation. But also, they have included a lot of these areas up in the north here as areas where there has been progress. And under a statement -- testimony from Senator Levin, it was revealed that although a lot of Iraqi forces are ostensibly in the lead there, they're really only leading about 10 percent of the operation.

Take a look at the overall Iraqi force numbers. This is another thing that General Petraeus was citing as a sign of progress.

And you can see here that he's saying that the number of Iraqi troops way up, under uniform. But as we saw just in the operations yesterday in Sadr City, it takes a lot of convincing sometimes to get those Iraqi troops into battle. We saw an excellent report from Nic Robertson showing just how that works.

Another big factor was the Sons of Iraq. These are the so-called concerned local citizens. And the Pentagon pointing to them as an example of things that -- an example of how they are making progress in the Iraqis taking control of their own situation.

But again, these people are under a payroll, and General Petraeus testified that the U.S. is paying them a sum of about -- you can see here it says on the chart, $16 million. Now, he still says that's a lot cheaper than some of the security measures that would be needed if they didn't have these people on the payroll. And he testified that Iraq is going to start taking over some of those payments. But again, the loyalty of some of these people is in question simply because they are paid -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Jamie, once again, we heard -- and I think maybe for first time for a lot of folks watching, we heard this terminology of this group Sons of Iraq. Remind us again of who they are and what their work is, in fact.

MCINTYRE: These are local Iraqis, often, they're Sunnis, who have volunteered to take responsibility for security in their neighborhoods. And General Petraeus pointed out some of them are actually fighting and dying in greater numbers than U.S. forces. But they're also people who are on, again, on a payroll.

HARRIS: Yes.

MCINTYRE: Sometimes getting about $300 a month. These are people who need to feed their families. And the question is once those payments stop, where will their loyalties lie and will they revert to the kind of ethno-sectarian violence that we've seen in the past. It's a good question.

HARRIS: And you talk about -- it is, and you talk about the -- as is, the battle worthiness of the Iraqi security forces. You pointed to the piece from Nic Robertson, I remember there was a moment in the piece when the fight was engaged and a number of the Iraqi forces decided this was the perfect moment for lunch.

MCINTYRE: Yes, in the Pentagon, they refer to that as a "in Shalah" moment, you know, "in Shalah" means God willing. And sometimes, the attitude in Iraq is you know, we'll get around to it when God is willing.

HARRIS: Yes.

MCINTYRE: And you really saw, a very telling moment in that piece ...

HARRIS: Yes.

MCINTYRE: ...where the U.S. commander is really trying to light a fire under the Iraqi forces and in that very small moment, you saw the big picture problem ...

HARRIS: Absolutely.

MCINTYRE: ...that the Iraqi forces -- that the U.S. is facing in motivating these Iraqi forces.

HARRIS: Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre for us. Jamie, appreciate it, thank you.

NGUYEN: We're going to take now you to Congressional correspondent Dana Bash who is on Capitol Hill. And Dana, when we talk about the politics of this hearing today, specifically Senator John McCain, what did you see in his questioning?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was really interesting, Betty. first of all, when you talk about all of the three major candidates who are here questioning General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker all day.

First, an illustration of the difference even in seniority between Senator McCain and Clinton and Obama given the fact at this first hearing, the Armed Services Committee, because Senator McCain is the ranking or most senior Republican on the committee, he got actually to offer an opening statement.

So right off the bat, Senator Clinton -- she is actually the ninth ranking Democrat. She hasn't even spoken yet. But right off the bat, Senator McCain got to give, really, his political argument for why he thinks U.S. troops should stay in Iraq. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R)M, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not want to keep our troops in Iraq a minute longer than necessary to secure our interests there. Our goal, my goal, is an Iraq that no longer needs American troops. And I believe we can achieve that goal perhaps sooner than many imagine. But I also believe that the promise of withdrawal of our forces regardless of the consequences would constitute a failure of political and moral leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, what was also interesting, Betty, in watching Senator McCain because he has already had about six minutes of questioning with both of the witnesses, is the way he is clearly trying to walk a fine line. Obviously, he is very supportive of the current military strategy, but he also prides himself and touts himself on the campaign trail as somebody who asks tough questions, as somebody who is -- who questions and knows how to question military strategy.

So, Jamie McIntyre referred to this before the fact that he asked General Petraeus about the fact that -- about a thousand Iraqi military and police officers, they either deserted or they underperformed in this last -- this last conflict in Basra and whether or not he's -- General Petraeus is disappointed in that.

So that was, again, Senator McCain trying to show himself as somebody who's not entirely supportive of the way things are going and somebody who understands that it's not always great.

But he also asked some leading questions, most in particular, Betty, that was most most telling in terms of where Senator McCain needs this to go politically. He wanted General Petraeus on record as making clear that al Qaeda in Iraq still is a major threat and he got General Petraeus to do that. That is a big, big part of Senator McCain's political argument on the campaign trail about why it's important to stay in Iraq.

We will hear from Senator Clinton as you mentioned, in just a short while.

NGUYEN: Yes, but quickly, back to McCain. He also went to say that if the U.S. withdraws before adequate security, al Qaeda will claim victory, Iraq could go into civil war and even lead to genocide. And then shortly after that, we heard from a protester inside the testimony area. So, talk to us about that and how people are really taking this moment to speak thier minds.

BASH: Absolutely, look, I mean, just following Senator McCain on the campaign trail, there are protesters at a lot of these events. It's sort of standard fare and it's something that he even alluded to in there. There is no question about it that this is how this -- I mean, it's -- it goes without saying that this is such a huge dividing issue between Senator McCain and the Democrats.

And it is a big question mark for Senator McCain as he, frankly, tries to argue against public opinion. That is what he is trying do here. In this campaign season, argue against public opinion which pretty much states overwhelmingly that they want troops to come out of Iraq. He is saying no, that's the wrong thing to do and he's trying to argue that American voters should trust him because of his experience.

And what you're seeing on display in the Armed Services Committee is him trying to show that, not only by sitting next to the chairman and showing that he is the ranking Republican, but also in terms of the kinds of questions that he's asking. And you can bet that Senator Clinton is going to try to undermine that when she starts to take her questions and same with Senator Obama later this afternoon in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- Betty.

NGUYEN: And of course, when Senator Clinton does speak, we will be taking that live. Dana Bash joining us right now live. Thank you, Dana.

BASH: Thank you.

HARRIS: As Betty referred to just a moment ago, war protesters making noise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you could please ...

WAR PROTESTER: Bring them home!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're asking the audience ...

WAR PROTESTER: Bring them home!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Ah, the U.S. commander in Iraq in front of Congress and taking fire in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Once again, the hearing room, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing from that man, the lead commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Also by his side to his left, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. The general saying that there has been significant but uneven security progress in Iraq, that progress is fragile, and reversible.

If you'd like to watch the hearing live right now, just go to CNN.com/live. There, you can watch the hearing as it progresses and, again, just another reminder. When New York Senator Hillary Clinton gets her moment to ask questions of the general and the ambassador, we will bring that question and answer session to you live.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: At the White House today, President Bush will award the Medal of Honor to a Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. During a firefight in 2006 Petty Officer Second Class Michael Monsoor threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades. Monsoor is the first seal to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq.

NGUYEN: Well, more questions for General David Petraeus. He wants more time for Iraq and patience from Congress. He's outlining his strategy live right now before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Take a live look. Where do we go from here in Iraq? That's what is on the table. As General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. If you would like to watch this live, all you have to do is go to CNN.com/live and watch it as it happens, but of course we will continue to follow this, and as soon as Senator Clinton begins her questioning, we will bring that to you live.

Well, in order to know where you are going, it's good to know where you've been. So let's look at the timeline of Iraq. President Bush declares war on Iraq March 19th, 2003. The Pentagon's Shock and Awe bombing campaign cranking up the next day. U.S. tanks and troops pour into Baghdad April 5th. The Pentagon declares the major fighting over on the 14th.

Now, May 1st, President Bush declares an end to major combat operations while standing on the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near that "mission accomplished" banner.

And in December Saddam Hussein is captured in what U.S. soldiers call a spider hole in his hometown of Tikrit.

April of '04, the Abu Ghraib prison scandal erupts with photos of Iraqi prisoners appearing in the news media. January '05, nation elections are held. Later in the year, millions of Iraqis turn out to approve a new constitution.

In February of '06 the bombing of a Shia shrine in Samara raises tensions the majority Shia and the minority Sunni Islam sects. Sectarian violence follows for months.

December of '06, following a trial before a panel of judges, Saddam Hussein steps into the gallows and is executed.

Now in January of last year, President Bush announces the so- called surge of U.S. troops into Iraq.

HARRIS: Just what has the Iraq war cost American taxpayers, you and me? According to the National Priorities Project, more than $508 billion. But Congress' Joint Economic Committee has a different take a November report included costs for borrowing funds, lost investments, long-term veterans health care, and disruptions to the oil market. It figures the cost at $1.3 trillion.

In 2003, the head of the U.S. occupation government there predicted it would cost $100 billion to get the country on track, and the spending is not over yet. The congressional budget office says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost as much as -- listen to this, $1.7 trillion by 2017. Iraq will account for three-fourths of that.

All this, while Baghdad holds $30 billion of reserves, as well as $10 billion in a development fund. But a U.S. government official says that Iraq's constitution and Iraq's agreement with the International Monetary Fund does not allow for the spending of the reserves.

NGUYEN: All right. Rising food costs worldwide, they are causing unrest and the World Bank says it is a trend that isn't going away any time soon. CNN's Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this. Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty. Well, the price of food is up all over the world. Including countries where food costs make up a much bigger part of the family budget. Now the president of the World Bank is warning that a serious risk exists of a big increase in worldwide poverty. Robert Zoellick blames strong demand, changes of diet and push for more biofuels for the price spike.

He says, for instance, over three-quarters of the poor in Indonesia import more rice than they sell, and an increase of the price of rice by 10 percent would result in an additional 2 million poor people. He is calling for a new deal for global food policy that aims to increase agricultural output by lending twice as much money for agriculture in Africa. Betty?

NGUYEN: In those higher prices overseas, don't they just end up hurting us here as well?

LISOVICZ: It all comes back here because we are such big consumers, Betty. For years, we have been importing cheap goods for many of these countries, especially those in Asia. But as poor countries face higher prices, they are likely to pass on those costs to the U.S. consumer.

The New York Times says one Vietnamese company recently raised prices on vases it sells to Pier 1 Imposts by 10 percent, because its labor costs had surged 30 percent. And a shoe importer tells us footwear prices will jump about 20 percent by the end of the year. It's the kind of trend the fed must watch as it cuts interest rates to spark the economy, and especially as jobs erode.

Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices projected a big drop in revenue, and a 10 percent staff reduction, it's about 1700 jobs. Its shares are falling more than 5 percent. Overall, three major averages falling as well. The Dow down 39 -- make it 40 points, or a third of a percent. The NASDAQ is down half a percent. Betty and Tony, back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, Susan, we do thank you. Keep watching CNN because our money team has you covered whether it is your job, housing, or savings. You can join us for a SPECIAL REPORT. It is called Issue Number 1, The Economy and it is coming up in just a few minutes at noon eastern only on CNN.

HARRIS: More questions for General Petraeus. He wants more time for Iraq and patience from Congress. He is outlining his strategy live in the newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: And again, we have been listening to the testimony this morning, the Iraq War progress report from General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. Again, if you want to follow the testimony live, you can do that just go to CNN.com/live. General Petraeus saying there has been significant, but uneven security. Progress -- progress is fragile and reversible in Iraq.

NGUYEN: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

HARRIS: Issue Number 1 is next with Ali Velshi and Gerri Willis. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And, I'm Betty Nguyen. We will see you tomorrow.

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NGUYEN: From the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.

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