Schwartz, others
pay visit to Iraq

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who recently traveled to Iraq, described Army Gen. David Petraeus as an articulate, impressive commander who has a clear strategy.
At the same time, Schwartz (D-13th dist.) is hoping congressional Republicans join Democrats in holding the Bush administration accountable for its war strategy and demanding information on what is happening on the ground.
Schwartz has voted to fund the war effort but doesn’t support an open-ended commitment.
"It is not acceptable to say that we’re there forever," she said.
Schwartz joined fellow Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson (Mississippi), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and G.K. Butterfield (North Carolina) on the trip.
The trio were in Iraq on Jan. 25 and met with Petraeus, head of U.S. military operations, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, for more than an hour.
The trip was the second to Iraq for Schwartz, who visited the country in March 2007. She also met with Petraeus on that trip.
Schwartz opposed President George W. Bush’s surge of roughly 35,000 troops into Iraq last year.
Today, she sees "a semblance of normalcy" in Iraq, but notes that there is still mortar fire in the so-called International Zone (formerly the Green Zone), the heavily guarded area of central Baghdad. And five U.S. troops were killed on Jan. 28 in a roadside bomb in Mosul, in northern Iraq.
According to Schwartz, Petraeus and Crocker have a positive outlook on Iraq. They believe the level of violence has been reduced and that the nation is becoming more stable, but they acknowledged that the Iraqi government wasn’t functioning up to par.
Schwartz wants the bulk of the troops withdrawn but she believes the U.S. needs to maintain a presence to protect its embassy, train the Iraqi military and fight al-Qaeda.
In the end, Schwartz doesn’t believe there will be a military solution to the nation’s woes. She thinks the Iraqi citizens have to stand up to the insurgency and demand a safer future.
"It has got to be a political solution," she said.
Schwartz is concerned about the cost of the war, which is estimated at $10 billion a month. The troop surge is expected to end in July, and the lawmaker thinks that is a good first step to a transition to Iraqi control of its government, military and economy.
The congresswoman is much more upbeat about the troops she met.
"Our military is fantastically skilled," she said.
Schwartz described the morale of the military personnel as good, even though they are separated from their families during deployments that generally last about 14 months.
"It is really impressive how committed and how strong our troops are," she said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com