Views differ about Petraeus' assessment

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday the military assessment of progress in Iraq and projected troop drawdown was "more of the same."

During two days of testimony before House of Representatives and Senate committees, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said he has recommended U.S. combat forces be lowered to the pre-surge level of about 130,000.

But Reid, D-Nev., said at a news conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the general's projected reduction in combat troops was "more of the same" rhetoric indicating an extended U.S. combat troop involvement.

During his news briefing, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said, "I think what you have seen ... (is) a series of trend lines that have been promising" in reducing the violence and building support for a democratic system of government.

"All of these are signs that the Iraqis want peace," Snow said, adding he did not know what Bush's comments on the assessment by Petraeus and would be.

Pelosi, when asked about the Democrat-controlled Congress' inability to change the course of the war, said, "We have changed the debate on Iraq ... and are holding this administration accountable."