Countdown to General David Petraeus' Visit to Capitol Hill: 7 Days

The Cost of the War in Iraq on Our Fight Against Terrorism in Afghanistan

Next week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will testify before Congress about the Iraq war. As many media reports have made apparent, the intention of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker next week is simply to announce a continuation of the current strategy -- the decision to maintain at least 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely was made weeks ago.

The American people understand the enormous cost of the war in Iraq and are looking for more than running down the clock until the next president in 2009.

The Cost to Our Fight Against Terrorism in Afghanistan

· Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen: "So, should we be in a position where more troops are removed from Iraq, the possibility of sending additional troops [to Afghanistan] -- where we need them, clearly -- certainly it's a possibility. But it's really going to be based on the availability of troops. We don't have troops -- particularly in Brigade Combat Team size -- sitting on the shelf, ready to go." [3/28/08]

· Gen. James Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps: "[The Marines] cannot have one foot in Afghanistan and one foot in Iraq." [Washington Post, 2/2/08]

· It has been 2,393 days since the September 11th attacks -- Osama bin Laden remains free.

· In July 2007, a declassified version of a National Intelligence Estimate on "The Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland" concluded that al Qaeda in Afghanistan and the border area with Pakistan has regained its strength over the last few years and has now reached the strength it had before 9/11.

· 487 brave U.S. servicemembers have been killed and more than 1,900 have been wounded in Afghanistan since October 2001. [Department of Defense, 3/29/08]

· Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified in February that Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and his government control just one-third of the country -- the remaining majority is under the control of either the Taliban or local tribes. [AP, 2/28/08]

· According to a report released by the United Nations, "insurgent and terrorist violence in Afghanistan increased sharply in 2007, with over 8,000 conflict-related deaths and an average of 566 incidents per month." [AP, 3/10/08]