Gen. Petraeus on Capitol Hill: Is it Smart or Dangerous to Pull U.S. Troops from Afghanistan on a Deadline?

June 29, 2010— -- As Gen. David Petraeus faces the Senate Armed Services Committee today for confirmation hearings to take over command in Afghanistan, he'll likely face some tough questions on his support of President Obama's plan to begin pulling troops from Afghanistan in July 2011.

Before Gen. Stanley McChrystal was ousted for raw comments about the Obama administration in a magazine profile and Petraeus was put into command, the general appeared before the same committee and expressed his support, saying that U.S. allies and enemies in Afghanistan should know that July 2011 "is not the date when we look for the door and try to turn off the light, but rather a date at which a process begins" that turns over security responsibilities to Afghan forces.

Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, have backed the withdrawal plan, calling it a smart and crucial idea for U.S. success.

"The only way you get things done is by setting dates," said Levin.

But Republicans argue that a withdrawal tells the Taliban that the U.S. is not in the fight and encourages them to simply wait the U.S. out.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told the Financial Times that President Obama should reconsider the drawdown plan, which he says "provides a mechanism for failure" in Afghanistan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, has expressed similar concerns about the plan, arguing on NBC's "Meet the Press" that it puts Gen. Petraeus "in an almost untenable position."