Foreign Affairs Hearing With Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker

The Foreign Affairs Committee is currently hearing testimony on the status of the war and political developments in Iraq from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

Watch the hearing live via committee webcast on C Span 3.

Rep. Robert Wexler (FL-19) questions the witnesses:

Rep. Wexler: "Then in a horrific turn of events, two of my constituents, Esther and Leonard Wolfer of Boca Raton, Florida, learned that this past Sunday their son had been killed this month... his family was relieved that he was in the Green Zone, for they hoped that he would be safe there. He was not. I spoke to Mr. Wolfer yesterday, last night, who asked me to ask you, simply, "For what? For what had he lost his son?... And if I will, when Mr. Burton asks for a definition of failure, we get a litany of items, but when Mr. Ackerman asks for a definition of victory, we get little..."

Rep. William Delahunt (MA-10) questions the witnesses:

Rep. Delahunt: "I was extremely concerned about your response to a question that was posed to you yesterday by Sen. Clinton, specifically when she asked you whether the long-term agreements being between United States and Iraq -- which I would note are being negotiated with minimal consultation with US Congress -- when she asked you whether it would be submitted to the Iraqi parliament, you said it was unclear whether they would bring it to a vote of whether they would simply read it to the members of the Iraqi parliament. I'm sure you're aware, or maybe you aren't, but the Iraqi government has already committed to bringing this agreement before the Iraqi parliament... furthermore, according to the Iraqi Constitution, international agreements must be approved by a two thirds vote of the Iraqi parliament. In the so-called Declaration of Principles which was signed by President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki last November, the US and Iraqi governments committed to, and I'm quoting from the Declaration, "Respecting and upholding the Constitution as the expression of the will of the Iraqi people and standing against any attempt to impede, suspend, or violate it." If the Maliki government bypasses the Iraqi parliament and approves this agreement unilaterally, thus violating the Iraqi Constitution, will the Bush administration respect the commitment it made in the Declaration of Principles and reject any agreement?"