Noisy protesters, doubting Democrats greet Petraeus

WASHINGTON, Sep 11 (Reuters) Anti-war protesters in pink shouted at him to tell the truth. Democrats were doubters even before he spoke. His microphone failed to work for several tense minutes. And a full-page newspaper ad portrayed him as ''General Betray Us.'' Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is accustomed to taking flak and he got plenty of the political kind when he appeared before Congress yesterday.

Testifying in uniform with a chest full of ribbons and sitting on a raised platform in the cavernous hearing room under two chandeliers, Petraeus told lawmakers: ''There are no easy answers or quick solutions.'' The West Point graduate who holds a doctorate from Princeton University, recommended a drawdown of the extra forces President George W Bush sent to Iraq earlier this year.

Even before Petraeus got to make his case, the leaders of two powerful committees went on the attack, suggesting that he and his co-witness the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, were either mouthpieces for Bush or ''beating a dead horse,'' in in the words of Rep. Ike Skelton, the Missouri Democrat who heads the Armed Services Committee.

''This is not a knock on you, General Petraeus, or on you, Ambassador Crocker,'' said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

''But the fact remains, gentlemen, that the administration has sent you here today to convince the members of these two committees that victory is at hand,'' said the California Democrat. ''With all due respect to you, I must say ... I don't buy it.'' While the 54-year-old Petraeus waited to make himself heard, several demonstrators filled the void and were instantly ordered removed. One was Cindy Sheehan, a well-known figure in the anti-war movement whose son was killed in Iraq.

The microphone mess began when Petraeus leaned forward to open his testimony. His lips moved but his words were lost. An exasperated Skelton asked repeatedly for it to be fixed and then ordered a five-minute recess to rectify it.

''General Petraeus, the American people don't believe you any more!'' shouted a protester from the Code Pink anti-war group. As police officers dragged her out, she howled, ''No! No! No! I have a right to be heard!'' Some lawmakers arrived at the hearing with copies of a full-page ad by the Moveon.org liberal activist organization that asked ''General Petraeus or General Betray Us?'' It accused him of ''cooking the books for the White House.'' But Petraeus found some defenders. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California waved the ad in the air, telling lawmakers he was ''irritated'' by it and other criticism by Democrats.

''I think its an outrage that we spent the last week bashing the credibility of a general officer whose trademark is integrity,'' said Hunter.

The White House also came to Petraeus' defense over the ad.

''It is a boorish, childish, unworthy attack,'' said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

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