Petraeus Calls for Suspension of Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

Gen. David Petraeus, appearing in Congressional hearings this morning, called for an open-ended suspension of U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, citing still-fragile security gains since last year's troop surge. Provided the pullout of 20,000 troops goes as scheduled this July, Petraeus recommends a wait period of 45 days to reassess conditions on the ground.

According to the latest Gallup poll on U.S. troops in Iraq, Americans are divided when it comes to timing; just 18 percent favor an immediate withdrawal, 41 percent support a timetable for gradual withdrawal and 35 percent want to maintain a presence in Iraq until conditions improve. But when forced to choose between a timetable for removing U.S. troops and an indefinite military commitment, 60 percent favor setting a timetable.

The last edition of Public Agenda's Confidence in Foreign Policy Index, released after Petraeus' last testimony before Congress, showed roughly 7 in 10 Americans supported a withdrawal of troops. But 57 percent said we have a moral obligation to the Iraqi people, with only one-third saying the U.S. should act in its own interest without regard to how it affects the Iraqis. Half (51 percent) said there's "not much" the U.S. can do to create a democratic Iraq or to control the violence there.