Reed: Petraeus ready to change direction

WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. coalition commander in Iraq is eager to change policy direction there, a U.S. senator told C-SPAN.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said on C-SPAN's "Newsmaker Sunday" program he had returned just a few days before from visiting Iraq. "The prospect of anything changing over the next several weeks or months, certainly through September, are very bleak indeed," he said.

As a result, Reed said, "We're ready, I think, for a vote on the policy. I don't think we have to wait."

Reed said that Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. and coalition commander in Iraq appeared eager to come out with new ways to respond to the continuing security problems there.

"I got the impression from Gen. Petraeus that he wasn't waiting. Now he might be overruled by people in the White House and, you know, wait until September. But he seemed very eager to come forward as quickly as possible with a new direction and policy," the senator said.

C-SPAN noted that the U.S. Senate "is currently debating amendments on Iraq war policy during its two-week consideration of the 2008 Defense Authorization Bill" and that "Sen. Reed is co-sponsoring legislation aimed at the pullout of U.S. combat troops" by April 2008.

Reed's trip to Iraq was the 10th he has taken to assess conditions there.