In hours, the top U.S. general in Iraq and U.S. ambassador to Iraq will report to the Congress on the situation in Iraq.
Even though the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, which begins at 12:30 p.m. (1630 GMT), dominated all major U.S. media coverage Monday morning, there were not high expectations for their report.
Petraeus is expected to say the troop surge is working, and to recommend it be given more time before any substantial troop withdrawals are considered.
Democrats and other skeptics are already speaking out against such a course.
ABC News said even before Petraeus' report to Congress, Democrats have already delivered their report card on him.
Sen. Joseph Biden described the report as "dead, flat wrong" while Sen. John Kerry declared that "none of us should be fooled."
NBC said Petraeus is likely to tell Congress that keeping U.S. forces at current levels until spring is the only way to keep Iraq from descending into chaos.
The New York Times reported on its front page that Petraeus "has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months."
The Los Angeles Times headlined its story, "No Surprises Expected In Petraeus' Iraq Report," saying, "Since spring, President George W. Bush has publicly staked the future of his troop buildup strategy" on the report.
The newspaper said Petraeus' report "may not have as much impact as the White House had hoped, because his message already has been widely anticipated -- and even previewed by the general himself."
Meanwhile, opinion polls found that the American public do not expect much from the testimony, either.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll taken last month found that about two-thirds of Americans -- 64 percent -- oppose the Iraq war, and 72 percent say even if Petraeus reports progress, that will not change their opinion.
The poll also found a great deal of skepticism about the report, with 53 percent saying they do not trust Petraeus to give an accurate assessment of the situation in Iraq.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday found that most Americans think the Bush administration's upcoming Iraq report will exaggerate progress, and few expect it to result in a major shift in the administration's policy.
Source: Xinhua
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