As expected, Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified that the benchmarks aren’t the only, or even the most important, indicators of political progress. “The seeds of reconciliation are being planted,” said Crocker, referring to Iraqis in government discussing federalism and oil-wealth revenue sharing.
That’s mightily convenient, given that Iraq isn’t meeting the benchmarks, according to the GAO.
Update: You can read Crocker’s opening remarks here.