Berkley upbeat about progress in Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Visiting Iraq for the first time, Rep. Shelley Berkley said Monday the U.S. military and Iraqi police have made more progress than she expected in quelling violence that had beset portions of the country.

Berkley delivered a generally upbeat report on Iraq in the midst of a weeklong trip to the Middle East with a half-dozen other members of Congress.

The Las Vegas Democrat has been a war critic and had disapproved of the troop "surge" when President Bush announced it early this year on the recommendation of Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

But on Monday she acknowledged the infusion of 28,500 U.S. soldiers had a positive impact. The visiting delegation was given a tour of Ramadi, a city about 70 miles west of Baghdad that largely has been cleansed of insurgents.

"This is a difference from what I anticipated," Berkley said. "I did not anticipate the progress and the extraordinary morale of our troops.

"They believe they are turning the corner," Berkley said. "Nobody is doing a victory lap at this point, but the reality is the military has done an extraordinary job."

Berkley's praise extended to the Iraqi police who are assisting U.S. troops in patrolling neighborhoods.

"For years we had heard they weren't ready to take over, but at this point there is such a significant difference," Berkley said. "The Iraqis are truly stepping up to the plate and that accounts for the lowering of violence.

"Wherever you go, Iraqis and our American servicemen are telling us that the difference is dramatic," Berkley said. "The violence is down 60 percent from last year."

Despite apparent progress, Iraq remains a "terrible" place still in the midst of war, Berkley emphasized.

"I was wearing 40 pounds worth of armor," she said. "It is not a walk in the park on a Sunday afternoon."

At a dinner Sunday night, Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker told the House members it may take another year or longer to determine if Iraq has truly stabilized.

"The general and Ambassador Crocker believe the next 19 months would give us a good idea of the situation," Berkley said. "Whether they have really turned the corner, or whether this is just the insurgency biding its time," waiting for the United States to leave before resuming its activities.

The House lawmakers, led by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., Armed Services Committee chairman, are spending Christmas in Iraq. Berkley said she planned to have lunch with two sets of Nevada soldiers.

The lawmakers then plan to fly to Turkey to meet with President Abdullah Gul before returning to the United States this weekend.

Berkley said she could not say how this week's trip would affect her position on the war. She said Congress is unlikely to take any votes before Petraeus delivers a progress report in March.

Berkley said Monday that military progress will be only part of what Congress considers in debating the U.S. commitment to Iraq.

Congressional votes also will consider whether Iraqi leaders have made progress in building a consensus for how post-war Iraq will be governed among the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurdish groups.

And, Berkley said, "nobody is putting any hard money on that."

In the year coming to an end, Berkley voted against the surge and generally in favor of speeding redeployment of U.S. troops.

Berkley voted in November for a bill that would have tied $50 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to a troop redeployment beginning within 30 days and continuing to completion by Dec. 15, 2008. The anti-war effort failed in the Senate.

In October, Berkley voted to require Bush to report to Congress every 90 days on his planning for withdrawing U.S. forces, a strategy bill sponsors said was aimed at pressuring the president.

In May, the Nevadan voted for a bill that released a portion of Bush's funding request for Iraq and withheld the remainder until generals delivered a progress report on the surge.

But on what was considered the most stringent anti-war measure of the year, Berkley voted in May against a bill that called for U.S. withdrawals to begin within 90 days, and to be completed in 180 days.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or (202) 783-1760.