Senator Jim Webb returned from an official trip to Iraq and Kwait this morning and held a press conference call. In his remarks, the Senator discussed his conversations with military and civilian personnel, both ours and those of the Iraqis. He said this trip was a time to sit and listen.
The first question posed to the Senator was about the surge. Webb emphasized that the military is doing its job, but reminded us that there would be other parts to this effort. The Iraqi government was supposed to step up and be in control of all providences and invest $10 million into the effort, neither of which has happened.
Discussing military readiness, the Senator said that he saw quality people everywhere. However, he said that he heard at every level that the repeated deployments have been burdensome. His dwell time amendment would have helped with this issue.
In response to a question about the Turkish army entering northern Iraq, Webb returned to what he has said all along: we have to look at the entire region. The region is “in chaos” and our entry into Iraq has increased the problems. Webb chided the administration for narrowing the debate to statistics on the surge while ignoring the bigger regional issues. As he has said all long, we need strong, diplomatic regional agreement.
One common theme amongst the Senators remarks was that the Iraqis and the Iraqi government need to step up. Our ability to reduce our presence in the Iraq is directly related to this.
On his way back, the Senator met with a Virginia National Guard unit stationed in Kuwait.
UPDATE: teacherken was also on the call and has posted a more detailed piece on the call today here. (I had to leave to go knock some doors for Philip Forgit š )
UPDATE2: Dale Eisman from the Virginian Pilot was also on the call and his report is here.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I’m glad to see Webb and Tester back home safely and no doubt with a lot to say about the situation there, particularly Webb. Remember, he will be on Meet The Press tomorrow morning. Fortunately, Webb is not impressed with dog and pony shows and would have asked a lot of questions, particularly of the ordinary GI Joes and Jills he was encountering. It seems to me that someone with his street cred would have no trouble getting military personnel who might otherwise worry about what to say to traveling muckety mucks to open up and tell him what they really think.
The Iraqis are stepping; just not in a manner to our liking.