Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testified Monday on the future course of the war in Iraq while appearing before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq, outlined plans Monday for the withdrawal of as many as 30,000 troops by next summer but said it would be premature

Washington ? The top U.S. general in Iraq outlined plans Monday for the withdrawal of as many as 30,000 troops by next summer, drawing praise from the White House but a chilly reception from anti-war Democrats.

Gen. David Petraeus said a 2,000-member Marine unit would return home this month without replacement in the first sizable cut since a 2003 U.S-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein and unleashed sectarian violence.

Further “force reductions will continue,” he told a nationally televised congressional hearing that was frequently interrupted by anti-war protesters.

Petraeus said it would be “premature to make recommendations on the pace,” and he recommended that President Bush wait until March 2008 to make any decisions.

The cuts he outlined would return the U.S. force appoximately to levels in place when Bush ordered a buildup last winter to allow the Iraqi government time to forge a reconciliation among feuding factions.

The president invited congressional leaders to a meeting today at the White House, and is expected to make a nationwide speech on the war in the next few days. White House press secretary Tony Snow said Bush will place a lot of weight on his general’s recommendations.

Snow said Bush “liked what he heard last week” when he was briefed on Petraeus’ plans. “But he is commander in chief and it will be up to him to make final determinations about what he will recommend,” the spokesman noted.

Inside the crowded congressional hearing room, Rep. Tom Lantos, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Petraeus his proposal amounted to only a “token withdrawal” after years of war.

“What I recommended was a very substantial withdrawal,” the general replied evenly from the witness chair, his uniform adorned by four gleaming general’s stars and nine rows of medals. “Five Army brigade combat teams, a Marine Expeditionary Unit and two Marine battalions represent a very significant force.”

Political considerations

Petraeus referred only obliquely to political difficulties in Iraq, saying, “Lack of adequate governmental capacity, lingering sectarian mistrust and various forms of corruption add to Iraq’s challenges.”

As for the much-maligned Iraqi military, he said it is slowly gaining competence and gradually “taking on more responsibility for their security.”

Petraeus didn’t say so, but Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the day’s only other witness, strongly suggested that the administration’s troop buildup had prevented a debacle.

Crocker said 2006 was a “bad year for Iraq. The country came close to unraveling politically, economically and in security terms. 2007 has brought improvement.”

Petraeus is both the architect and the commander of last winter’s change in strategy, and said the buildup in U.S. troops had met its military objectives “in large measure.”

As a result, “I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level … by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve.”

Kansas reaction mixed

Sen. Sam Brownback said Monday that Gen. David Petraeus’ report on Iraq should be used as a springboard to develop a Sunni-dominated region of the country given the improved security situation in Iraq’s Anbar province.

The Kansas Republican has long supported legislation that would split Iraq, with a Kurdish region in the north and separate Shiite and Sunni regions in the south.

Kansas Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda praised Petraeus for improving the security situation in Iraq, but warned that the focus on Iraq has left U.S. forces stretched too thin to deal with terror threats in other parts of the world.

“Terrorists now have a foothold in over 60 countries worldwide, and they’re growing stronger every day,” Boyda said. “The question of redeployment from Iraq is no longer one of politics or opinion. It is a question of national security, and it is a critical question of our families’ safety.”

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., was still reviewing Petraeus’ report and his office said the senator would comment today.