POSTED: 10:50 am EDT June 6, 2006
RALEIGH -- After a visit to war-torn Iraq in April 2004, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge said he hoped Iraqis would "get a handle on it real soon" and be able to run their country.
The North Carolina Democrat said Monday he didn't believe that two years later he'd still be waiting for that to happen.
"I still think there's a way to go from what we've seen and heard, but they've made a lot of progress," Etheridge said after a weekend visit to Iraq. Etheridge, one of four House members on the trip, said they were briefed by U.S. military officials and two Iraqi generals. Progress is most evident in the rebuilding of the Iraqi military, which they said is in far better shape than the federal government or police force.
"They really deeply believe in their country now and they don't want someone else doing it for them. They want to do it," said Etheridge, who also met with North Carolina-based troops stationed in Iraq.
Stability in Iraq will be further delayed until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi parliament agree on candidates to head the ministries that run Iraq's military and police, according to the Congress members.
"The generals were very candid with us," said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., a retired Marine colonel. "There's no question that they understand that until you get a functioning ministry of defense, until you get a functioning Pentagon -- Iraqi Pentagon -- they're not going to be able to reach their full potential."
As the November midterm elections get closer in the U.S., Democrats have stepped up their criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and intensified a call for a troop withdrawal. Etheridge said many Americans share the same beliefs.
"I think the issue is not so much a Democratic or Republican issue," Etheridge said. "The American people want it done quickly."
The delegation didn't provide any potential timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. Etheridge said getting the political, law enforcement, and military sectors on solid footing must be done before troops can begin coming home for good.
"All of us want it to end as soon as possible," Etheridge said. "The point is, life has challenges and you've got to work through it."
The delegation, which also included Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, and Del. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, a non-voting member of the House, said they met with Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli to discuss an investigation into allegations that Marines killed Iraqi citizens in Haditha.
The second-ranking U.S. general in Iraq told the delegation he will soon review a preliminary criminal report into the alleged massacre, Kline said.
"I was certainly reassured that the investigations are going to be very thorough," Kline said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.