FINAL CHICAGO TRIBUNE Senate defies Iraq veto...

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ONTHETOWN Step up to the mic Our guide to karaoke—in all its glory FINAL 50¢ City & Suburbs; $1.00 Elsewhere FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2007 B CHICAGO 160TH YEAR NO. 117 CHICAGO TRIBUNE SPECIAL SECTION Character counts Teams give conduct closer look Weather: Rain; high 59, low 49 Index, Page 2 Online at chicagotribune.com INSIDE OBITUARIES Creator of film rating system Jack Valenti worked for President Johnson, was longtime lobbyist for Hollywood. METRO, PAGE 12 By Karoun Demirjian Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — The Senate took the rare step of attempting to end a war Thursday, calling on President Bush to withdraw most American troops from Iraq by next April on the same day that the top U.S. commander in Iraq gave a notably cautious assessment of the military cam- paign’s progress. The Senate’s action outlines an exit strategy but also pitches the nation into a period of politi- cal brinkmanship and uncer- tainty as Congress and Bush dig in for what is likely to be a pro- tracted showdown over terms of the bill that would pay for con- tinuing war operations. The president has promised to veto the legislation as soon as it crosses his desk, probably early next week, saying that set- ting dates for withdrawal will embolden the insurgents fight- ing U.S. troops. War opponents in the House and Senate do not have enough votes to override such a veto, and neither side has shown a willingness to compromise, at least not publicly. Senate defies Iraq veto threat Reid: Bring war to end MORE INSIDE U.S. prison camp officer faces misconduct charges. PAGE 24 PLEASE SEE IRAQ, PAGE 24 By Alex Rodriguez and Kathy Bergen Tribune staff reporters BEIJING — While America thinks of Chicago as Daley and Ditka and home of the blues, much of the world draws a blank, not unlike the puzzled wince Beijing’s Sun Chen makes as he tries to summon up his image of the Windy City. “Famous for being the auto- mobile city, right?” he offers, be- fore adding his best guess for where Chicago is. “It’s in the western district.” Sun can be forgiven for his dearth of knowledge. The 25- year-old gangly Chinese school- teacher lives in a capital and culture 6,600 miles away from the Magnificent Mile. Still, his misperceptions give organizers of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics an idea of the baseline as they begin market- ing Chicago’s identity to a world relatively unfamiliar with America’s third-largest city. “Chicago has a good story to tell, but we’re not in the same league as [rivals] Tokyo or Ma- drid in terms of recognition and understanding of what we Tribune illustration by Phil Geib On world stage, city is a big unknown PLEASE SEE OLYMPICS, PAGE 25 By Michelle S. Keller, Carlos Sadovi and Angela Rozas Tribune staff reporters As she got ready for her night shift at O’Hare Airport on Wednesday, Quince Jack- son spoke soothingly to her children, telling them not to wait up for her. Her job as a se- curity officer often meant late hours, and her youngest son, Marquise, 12, had trouble sleeping when she was away. When she finished up at work, she began her commute home at 1 a.m., making it to her apartment on the 7900 block of South Ellis Avenue two hours later. A sense of unease struck the 35-year-old single mother when she noticed a light on at her first-floor apartment and the door open. Her boyfriend, Brian Gilbert, was standing outside. He told her the boys had gone to the store—some- thing they would never do at that time of the night, she said. They looked briefly for the boys, then Gilbert left. When Jackson returned to her apart- ment, her sense of alarm heightened when she saw po- lice inside. Marquise and his brother Quinton, 14, had been stabbed to death in their apartment Thursday morning. A 13-year- old female relative was sexu- ally assaulted and taken with stab wounds to Jackson Park Hospital and later to the Uni- versity of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, police said. Late Thursday, prosecutors charged Gilbert with the ‘I saw my youngest slumped in the side of a closet.’ —Quince Jackson, recounting how she discovered her sons had been slain Tribune photo by Milbert O. Brown Quince Jackson talks Thursday about her two sons, who were found stabbed to death in their South Side apartment. PLEASE SEE SLAYING, PAGE 20 Mother’s night of grief Woman’s boyfriend is charged in stabbings and assault while she was away at work By Judy Peres Tribune staff reporter Buoyed by last week’s victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, abor- tion opponents in various states are dusting off old laws and drafting new ones to curb access to the nation’s most controver- sial medical procedure. In the past week, North Da- kota’s legislature passed a law that would ban virtually all abortions, the Missouri House voted to tighten regulation of abortion clinics and two federal appeals courts were asked to lift injunctions blocking enforce- ment of state abortion bans. At the same time, state and federal abortion- rights advocates are stepping up their efforts as well and an- nounced plans to seek laws guaranteeing women the right to terminate a preg- nancy. More than 70 members of Congress—including Demo- cratic Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Rahm Emanuel, Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky of Illi- nois—have signed on as co- sponsors of the federal Freedom of Choice Act. The bill would codify the protections con- ferred by the Supreme Court in its 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision— protections the sponsors say have been eroded over the inter- vening years. States see new fights on abortion Both sides expect push for restrictions MORE INSIDE Illinois House re- jects easing parental notification law. METRO PLEASE SEE ABORTION, PAGE 22 measure their behavior at the zoo’s ape sanctuary without them catching on, a 24-year-old zoo office worker with girl-next- door looks would have to slip on quieter shoes, wear muted col- ors and follow people in secret by watching their reflections on glass. Starting last spring, conser- vation assistant Katie Gillespie spent a year clocking visitors’ stays in the Regenstein Center By James Janega Tribune staff reporter The animal behaviorists at Lincoln Park Zoo have given simple tools to gorillas and taught chimpanzees to navigate computer touch screens, but their latest experiment in- volved a primate so intelligent and cagey, it was going to take work to outsmart it. The subject was people and to for African Apes, noting where people loiter and what they look at. With her boss, Steve Ross, she frowned when people ignored interpretive signs and took smug comfort when subjects were captivated by apes. For months, she and Ross hoarded statistical glimpses into how humans prefer to learn about That researcher in the ape house? She was studying you. Tribune photo by Candice C. Cusic Katie Gillespie surreptitiously watches people watching apes at Lincoln Park Zoo. PLEASE SEE APE, PAGE 24 METRO Suburbs’ tallest building planned Evanston may approve a 523-foot condo tower, 105-feet higher than any area structure outside Chicago. The first Democratic presi- dential debate of the 2008 race was somewhat raucous and rather revealing Thursday night. One candidate slammed “blow-dried” politicians. An- other said the front-runners “frighten” him. Among the per- sonal revelations: Only three of the eight participants said they had never had a gun in their house as adults. Those three: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. STORY, PAGE 3 Tribune photo by Pete Souza Democratic presidential candidates (joined by Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, fourth from left) gather before their televised debate Thursday evening in Orangeburg, S.C. DEMOCRATS DEBATE 1 issue they all agreed on: Iraq 2016 OLYMPICS Product: CTMAIN PubDate: 04-27-2007 Zone: C Edition: HD Page: CMAIN1-1 User: rhochgesang Time: 04-27-2007 00:32 Color: C M Y K

Transcript of FINAL CHICAGO TRIBUNE Senate defies Iraq veto...

Page 1: FINAL CHICAGO TRIBUNE Senate defies Iraq veto threatkaroun.org/wp-content/uploads/Senate-Defies-Iraq... · to death in their apartment Thursday morning. A 13-year-old female relative

ONTHETOWN

Step up to the micOur guide to karaoke—in all its glory

F I N A L

50¢ City & Suburbs; $1.00 Elsewhere F R I D AY , A P R I L 2 7 , 2 0 0 7 B C H I C A G O160TH YEAR NO. 117 CHICAGO TRIBUNE

SPECIAL SECTION

Character countsTeams give conduct closer look

Weather: Rain; high 59, low 49Index, Page 2

Online at chicagotribune.com

I N S I D E

O B I T UA R I E S

Creator of filmrating system

Jack Valenti worked for

President Johnson,

was longtime lobbyist

for Hollywood.

M E T R O, PAG E 1 2

By Karoun DemirjianWashington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The Senatetook the rare step of attemptingto end a war Thursday, callingon President Bush to withdrawmost American troops fromIraq by next April on the sameday that the top U.S. commanderin Iraq gave a notably cautiousassessment of the military cam-paign’s progress.

The Senate’s action outlinesan exit strategy but also pitchesthe nation into a period of politi-cal brinkmanship and uncer-tainty as Congress and Bush digin for what is likely to be a pro-tracted showdown over terms ofthe bill that would pay for con-tinuing war operations.

The president has promisedto veto the legislation as soon asit crosses his desk, probablyearly next week, saying that set-ting dates for withdrawal willembolden the insurgents fight-ing U.S. troops.

War opponents in the Houseand Senate do not have enoughvotes to override such a veto,and neither side has shown awillingness to compromise, atleast not publicly.

Senate defies Iraq veto threatReid: Bring war to end

M O R E I N S I D EU.S. prison camp officer facesmisconduct charges. PAGE 24

PLEASE SEE IRAQ, PAGE 24

By Alex Rodriguez and Kathy BergenTribune staff reporters

BEIJING — While Americathinks of Chicago as Daley andDitka and home of the blues,much of the world draws ablank, not unlike the puzzledwince Beijing’s Sun Chenmakes as he tries to summon uphis image of the Windy City.

“Famous for being the auto-mobile city, right?” he offers, be-fore adding his best guess forwhere Chicago is. “It’s in thewestern district.”

Sun can be forgiven for hisdearth of knowledge. The 25-year-old gangly Chinese school-teacher lives in a capital andculture 6,600 miles away fromthe Magnificent Mile.

Still, his misperceptions giveorganizers of Chicago’s bid forthe 2016 Olympics an idea of thebaseline as they begin market-ing Chicago’s identity to a worldrelatively unfamiliar withAmerica’s third-largest city.

“Chicago has a good story totell, but we’re not in the sameleague as [rivals] Tokyo or Ma-drid in terms of recognition andunderstanding of what we

Tribune illustration

by Phil Geib

On worldstage, cityis a bigunknown

PLEASE SEE OLYMPICS, PAGE 25

By Michelle S. Keller, Carlos Sadovi and Angela RozasTribune staff reporters

As she got ready for hernight shift at O’Hare Airporton Wednesday, Quince Jack-son spoke soothingly to herchildren, telling them not towait up for her. Her job as a se-

curity officer often meant latehours, and her youngest son,Marquise, 12, had troublesleeping when she was away.

When she finished up atwork, she began her commutehome at 1 a.m., making it toher apartment on the 7900block of South Ellis Avenuetwo hours later.

A sense of unease struck the

35-year-old single motherwhen she noticed a light on ather first-floor apartment andthe door open. Her boyfriend,Brian Gilbert, was standingoutside. He told her the boyshad gone to the store—some-thing they would never do atthat time of the night, she said.

They looked briefly for theboys, then Gilbert left. WhenJackson returned to her apart-ment, her sense of alarmheightened when she saw po-lice inside.

Marquise and his brotherQuinton, 14, had been stabbedto death in their apartmentThursday morning. A 13-year-old female relative was sexu-ally assaulted and taken withstab wounds to Jackson ParkHospital and later to the Uni-versity of Chicago’s ComerChildren’s Hospital, policesaid.

Late Thursday, prosecutorscharged Gilbert with the

‘I saw my youngest slumped in the side of a closet.’ —Quince Jackson, recounting how she discovered her sons had been slain

Tribune photo by Milbert O. Brown

Quince Jackson talks Thursday about her two sons, who were found stabbed to death in their South Side apartment.

PLEASE SEE SLAYING, PAGE 20

Mother’s night of griefWoman’s boyfriend is charged in stabbingsand assault while she was away at work

By Judy PeresTribune staff reporter

Buoyed by last week’s victoryin the U.S. Supreme Court, abor-tion opponents in various statesare dusting off old laws anddrafting new ones to curb accessto the nation’s most controver-sial medical procedure.

In the past week, North Da-kota’s legislature passed a lawthat would ban virtually allabortions, the Missouri Housevoted to tighten regulation ofabortion clinics and two federalappeals courtswere asked to liftinjunctionsblocking enforce-ment of stateabortion bans.

At the sametime, state andfederal abortion-rights advocatesare stepping uptheir efforts aswell and an-nounced plans toseek laws guaranteeing womenthe right to terminate a preg-nancy.

More than 70 members ofCongress—including Demo-cratic Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr.,Rahm Emanuel, Danny Davisand Jan Schakowsky of Illi-nois—have signed on as co-sponsors of the federal Freedomof Choice Act. The bill wouldcodify the protections con-ferred by the Supreme Court inits 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision—protections the sponsors sayhave been eroded over the inter-vening years.

Statessee newfights onabortionBoth sides expectpush for restrictions

M O R EI N S I D EIllinoisHouse re-jects easingparentalnotificationlaw. METRO

PLEASE SEE ABORTION, PAGE 22

measure their behavior at thezoo’s ape sanctuary withoutthem catching on, a 24-year-oldzoo office worker with girl-next-door looks would have to slip onquieter shoes, wear muted col-ors and follow people in secretby watching their reflections onglass.

Starting last spring, conser-vation assistant Katie Gillespiespent a year clocking visitors’stays in the Regenstein Center

By James JanegaTribune staff reporter

The animal behaviorists atLincoln Park Zoo have givensimple tools to gorillas andtaught chimpanzees to navigatecomputer touch screens, buttheir latest experiment in-volved a primate so intelligentand cagey, it was going to takework to outsmart it.

The subject was people and to

for African Apes, noting wherepeople loiter and what they lookat.

With her boss, Steve Ross, shefrowned when people ignoredinterpretive signs and tooksmug comfort when subjectswere captivated by apes. Formonths, she and Ross hoardedstatistical glimpses into howhumans prefer to learn about

That researcher in the ape house? She was studying you.

Tribune photo by Candice C. Cusic

Katie Gillespie surreptitiouslywatches people watching apesat Lincoln Park Zoo.PLEASE SEE APE, PAGE 24

M E T R O

Suburbs’ tallestbuilding plannedEvanston may approve

a 523-foot condo tower,

105-feet higher than

any area structure

outside Chicago.

The first Democratic presi-dential debate of the 2008 racewas somewhat raucous andrather revealing Thursdaynight. One candidate slammed“blow-dried” politicians. An-other said the front-runners“frighten” him. Among the per-sonal revelations: Only three ofthe eight participants said theyhad never had a gun in theirhouse as adults. Those three:Hillary Clinton, Barack Obamaand John Edwards. STORY, PAGE 3

Tribune photo by Pete Souza

Democratic presidential candidates (joined by Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, fourth fromleft) gather before their televised debate Thursday evening in Orangeburg, S.C.

D E M O C R AT S D E B AT E

1 issue they allagreed on: Iraq

2 0 1 6 O LY M P I C S

Product: CTMAIN PubDate: 04-27-2007 Zone: C Edition: HD Page: CMAIN1-1 User: rhochgesang Time: 04-27-2007 00:32 Color: CMYK

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24 CHICAGO TRIBUNE Ô FROM PAGE ONE Ô SECTION 1 Ô FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2007

chimpanzees and gorillas.It was all very scientific, not

to mention fun and kind ofsneaky.

In the course of 476 observa-tion sessions over 12 months,Gillespie and Ross learned thateverybody likes watching apesand nobody likes reading signs.They found people love to posewith ape sculptures, and thatparents all too often make up an-swers for their children.

And they proved the best wayto fool people is to let them foolthemselves.

“I’ve had people ask me whatI’m doing,” Gillespie said. “I tellthem I’m taking behavioraldata. Then they ask me ques-tions about the animals.”

Gillespie, who has a bache-lor’s degree from the Universityof Wisconsin-Stevens Point,trained in natural resourcemanagement and has a day jobas exotic as her office cubicle.

As for zoo experience, shemade signs for a raptor walk atthe Marshfield Zoo near Wau-sau. Her real job at Lincoln Park

Zoo involves administrativetasks at an office a few minutesaway from the ape building.

But on Feb. 21 last year, sheclimbed into an unlit, concretemezzanine at the RegensteinCenter, looked out windows tai-lored for watching animals, andlistened as Ross told how to fol-low people without them know-ing.

It was a slow morning in theape center, a tough time to avoidnotice. But there are tricks ofthe trade, Ross reassured her.

Downstairs, other conserva-tion assistants were using PalmPilots to study apes. Hold one,and people will assume you’rewatching chimps, he said. Getahead of people and let thempass you. Use reflections and pe-ripheral vision.

He used the word “spy.” Gil-lespie got the job after biologiststold Ross they’d rather watchapes, not people.

Ross had done this before, in2000, but inside the old, round,dark Great Ape House, a cinchcompared with the RegensteinCenter’s bright, open floor plan.This new place, built in 2004,upped the ante. You could getcaught.

“I’ve had an awful time get-ting people to do this,” Ross toldher.

Gillespie stuffed printed ex-planations of the study in herpocket that included Ross’phone number, to hand out incase she was confronted. Inthose first days, she wondered ifit was going to work.

“It’s almost impossible,” sheexclaimed early on. As a prac-tice subject approached the en-trance, she hurried down themetal stairs to the floor below,her high-heeled pumps clang-ing on each step. The ringingsubsided just as the subjectopened the door below the mez-zanine.

“We gotta get you some sneak-ers,” Ross told her later.

By May and June, whenschool groups crowded the floorso thoroughly it was hard tomove, Gillespie was an expert.She followed kids in campgroups in July, vacationers inAugust and September, andaborted an observation onlyonce—when a young couplestarted making out.

It turned out the challengewasn’t getting caught, shefound. It was battling exaspera-tion. People complained whenthe apes sat around, in the mid-dle of rest cycles clearly definedon nearby signs. Parents madeup answers to kids’ questions.People made mistakes, and noone corrected them.

“You hear people asking ques-tions that are written all overevery sign everywhere,” Gilles-pie said of those moments. “Butyou can’t influence them.”

So she just observed—alwaysthe fifth person to enter afterthe last subject left. The ses-sions were always anonymous.Regulars were ignored.

Her shortest follow came on asunny Sunday afternoon inJune: a girl in an organized

group who stayed 2.3 minuteswhile a heavy crowd shovedthrough the air-conditionedbuilding. The longest visit wasin December, a woman withchildren who relaxed for 116minutes. January brought visi-tors in a steady, unhurriedrhythm. Often, the subjectsstood at Gillespie’s elbow with-out knowing.

One was the man in the bluecoat. At midday on Jan. 24, 2007,Gillespie, wearing moccasins,padded down the stairs from hermezzanine perch to beat him tothe chimp enclosure.

Behind her, the man watchedJoJo’s gorilla troop, thenbreezed past an interpretive dis-play to study Hank and hisgroup of chimps, where heplanted himself in front of Gil-lespie to do it.

She wore a zoo badge and ap-peared to watch the animals.Every 15 seconds, her Palm Pi-lot chirped a reminder to notethe man’s behavior: “Loco-mote,” “Watch Chimps,” “PhotoChimp.”

The terminology was borrow-ed from animal behaviorists,and the man in the blue coat hadno idea the soft beeping was forhim.

Over 29 minutes, Gillespietook two pages of behavioralnotes. The man watched bothgorilla troops, talked to docents,took more pictures and left. Thelist recorded only movement, lo-cation and activity.

But on the floor it looked likemore. It seemed like deep fasci-

nation.A full analysis is months

away, but some things are clear. Watching apes was the most

popular behavior, and visitorslingered more in the airy natu-ralistic environment than in theprevious concrete-and-steelbuilding.

The most popular exhibit el-ements were life-size hands andbusts of various apes, whichpeople touched and photo-graphed regularly. The averagevisit was 15.5 minutes.

But many zoo interpretivestandbys fell flat. Just about ev-eryone ignored a looping videodescribing behavioral researchon apes at the adjoining LesterE. Fisher Center. They likewiseignored graphics beside actual

apes that described a “day in thelife” . . . of apes.

People learned by watchingapes that acted as they do in thewild.

It was an epiphany for Gilles-pie that came on one of her lastobservations. In February, ayoung mother brought her 1-year-old daughter to the chimpenclosure where Kipper, ayoung male, showed off for thegirl through the glass. Themother and daughter were de-lighted by the connection.

“You knew that this was sucha special moment that theywould remember,” Gillespiesaid. “And maybe that would bemore impactful. Even thoughthey weren’t reading signs.”

[email protected]

APE:

Generally,people don’tread the signsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tribune photo by Candice C. Cusic

Courtney Plante, 11, and her mother, Debbie, of Lockport, watchthe apes in the Regenstein Center at Lincoln Park Zoo.

By Edmund SandersTribune Newspapers

BAGHDAD — A U.S. militarycommander who helped overseethe prison camp that once heldSaddam Hussein has beencharged with aiding the enemy,mishandling classified infor-mation and engaging in “inap-propriate” relationships, offi-cials said Thursday.

Lt. Col William Steele was ar-rested last month and accusedof nine violations of U.S. mili-tary code, which included keep-ing classified information in hisliving space, failing to monitorfunds, disobeying an order andpossessing pornographic vide-os, the military said.

The most serious accusationof aiding the enemy arose fromallegations that Steele providedan unmonitored cell phone todetainees between October 2005and October 2006.

He also was accused in a for-mal statement of charges withwrongfully fraternizing withthe daughter of a detainee andgiving special privileges to aninterpreter with whom hemaintained an “inappropriaterelationship.” Steele is beingheld at a detention facility inKuwait pending the outcome ofan Article 32 military hearing,which is roughly equivalent to agrand jury inquiry.

“The results of the Article 32hearing will determinewhether it goes to court-mar-tial,” said Lt. Col. Josslyn Aber-le, a military spokeswoman.

Steele was a senior command-er at Camp Cropper, a large U.S.detention facility near BaghdadInternational Airport. Thecamp is best known for holdinghigh-value detainees, includingHussein before he was executedlate last year.

The camp now holds severalthousand detainees, includingmany transferred from AbuGhraib prison.

U.S. supervision of AbuGhraib was phased out after the2004 scandal in which U.S. sol-diers abused and humiliatedIraqi detainees.

Steele would not be the firstofficer of his rank to be chargedwith misconduct while workingat detention facilities in Iraq.Last year, Lt. Col. Steven Jordanwas charged with 12 counts re-lated to the abuse scandal atAbu Ghraib. He is awaitingcourt-martial.

Steele, whose age was not re-leased, was the commander ofthe 451st Military Police De-tachment. In that role, he wasone of a handful of senior mili-tary officers who reported to thecommander of Camp Cropper,Aberle said.

Meanwhile Thursday, two sui-cide bombers targeted the head-quarters of the KurdistanDemocratic Party in Zumar,about 40 miles west of Mosul.Three people were killed and 13injured, police said.

Kurdish party officialsblamed a recent rise in violencethere on the U.S.-Iraqi securitycrackdown in the capital.

Los Angeles Times

U.S. officeraccusedof aidingenemy

“It is amazing that legislationurgently needed to fund ourtroops took 80 days to make itsway around the Capitol,” saidWhite House spokeswomanDana Perino. “Democrats haveknown that if the bill was sent to[Bush] in its current form, hewould veto it. … It is their re-sponsibility.”

But Democrats say the presi-dent’s unwillingness to discussan exit strategy is out of touchwith the country. A recent pollconducted by the Pew ResearchCenter found that nearly 60 per-cent of Americans support theidea of a troop withdrawal fromIraq by August 2008.

“This is a responsible plan forredeployment, not a precipitouswithdrawal,” said Senate Ma-jority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “For a president that tookus to war under false pretenses,he now needs the courage to ad-mit his policies have failed andwork with us to bring the war toa responsible end.”

The $124.2 billion spendingbill, approved by the Senate 51-46 after House passage Wednes-day on a vote of 218-208, providesmore than $90 billion for warspending in Iraq and Afghani-stan over the next severalmonths. The measure also in-cludes a variety of domesticventures, including an increasein the minimum wage from$5.15 an hour to $7.25, aid for

Gulf Coast states hit by Hurri-cane Katrina in 2005 and addi-tional health-care assistance forveterans and children.

In both chambers, votes weresplit largely along party linesand correspondingly differinginterpretations of the situationin Iraq.

Entrenched positionsFor Democrats—who were

joined in the Senate by Republi-cans Chuck Hagel of Nebraskaand Gordon Smith of Oregon—alack of evident political commit-ment and progress on the part ofIraqis has been key in theireroding patience with the on-going deployment of nearly30,000 more U.S. troops. Repub-licans, meanwhile, have re-mained willing to give the ad-ministration more time to seewhether the troop surge—which should be completed bymid-June—helps quell the vio-lence in Iraq and helps stabilizeits government.

Lawmakers from both partiesseemed eager this week to hear

the testimony of Gen. David Pe-traeus, who has been the leadcommander of operations inIraq during the first two monthsof the troop surge.

But Petraeus’ observationsdid little to change the course ofthe congressional debate. Thegeneral qualified even his mostpositive reports on recent devel-opments in Iraq, such as therelative peace achieved in An-bar province, the dismantling ofa car bomb network in Baghdadresponsible for the deaths ofmore than 650 Iraqis and a two-thirds reduction in sectarian vi-olence across the country.

“I want to be very clear: Thereis vastly more work to be donein many areas,” he said at a Pen-tagon news conference Thurs-day, acknowledging that cur-rent conditions on the groundare the “most complex and chal-lenging” he had yet observed inIraq. “This effort may get hard-er before it gets easier.”

Petraeus added that the in-volvement of several foreignagitators is a complicating fac-

tor. He described Al Qaeda asIraq’s “public enemy No. 1” andsaid it is responsible for the ma-jority of “spectacular” car bombattacks. He said Syria and Iranhave been aiding insurgent net-works.

The military had found proofof such links in at least one case,Petraeus added, citing a re-cently captured 22-page memodetailing plans for an attackcarried out by the Khazali net-work on Jan. 20 in Karbala thatkilled five U.S. soldiers. He saidthe attackers were being fundedby Iran.

“We think that records arekept so that the individuals car-rying out these attack can dem-onstrate what they did to those

providing the resources,” hesaid.

Petraeus, who promised law-makers a more detailed andthorough review of the U.S. wareffort by September, attemptedto steer clear of commenting onwhat he called the “politicalminefield” surrounding theIraq funding debate. But he de-fended the efforts of Iraqi PrimeMinister Nouri al-Maliki to pro-mote reconciliation.

Praise for Iraqi leader“He’s not the Prime Minister

Tony Blair of Iraq—he doesn’thave a parliamentary majority,”Petraeus said as he commendedal-Maliki’s efforts to engage thevarious tribal and religious fac-tions in the Iraqi governmentand defuse sectarian tensions.But he maintained that inter-factional relations are likely todeteriorate if a U.S. withdrawaloccurs within the next severalmonths.

“My sense is that there wouldbe a resumption in sectarian vi-olence were the forces to be re-duced,” he said.

Republicans said Petraeus’view of the effect of a withdraw-al justifies their opposition toan end to U.S. involvement.

“We were told in January bysome of our Democratic col-leagues to listen to the gen-erals,” Sen. Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.) said as he chided Demo-cratic senators. “Yet this week,with our top general in Iraqhere to report on progress, mostof those on the other side of theaisle covered their ears.”

Democrats said their spend-ing proposal is more responsi-ble because it would push theIraqis to assume control of thefighting and would soon bringU.S. troops home.

[email protected]

The congressional bill on thewars in Iraq and Afghanistansent to President Bush onThursday:■ Provides $124.2 billion,more than $90 billion ofwhich would go for the warsin Iraq and Afghanistan.■ Includes billions for do-mestic programs.■ Requires a troop with-drawal to begin July 1 if Bushcannot certify that the Iraqigovernment is making prog-ress in disarming militias,reducing sectarian violenceand forging political agree-ments. Otherwise the pulloutwould begin Oct. 1.■ Advises that the balanceof the pullback be com-pleted by April 2008.■ Allows for troops to re-main after that date to con-duct counterterrorism mis-sions, protect U.S. facilitiesand personnel and train Iraqisecurity forces.

Bill’s provisions

Getty Images photo by Joe Raedle

A U.S. soldier keeps watch over an Iraqi family Thursday during a raid on their home in Baghdad. President Bush says he will veto any bill that includes a withdrawal.

IRAQ:

GOP wantsto give Bushmore timeCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Getty Images photo by Chip Somodevilla

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), shown Thursday ata news conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),said President Bush must “bring the war to a responsible end.”

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