http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050322/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqmilitary&cid=1514&ncid=1480snip...
"There are no illusions we have passed the tipping point," said Senator Robert Bennett, Republican from Utah.
Outspoken Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat from California, said the US military assessment on Iraqi troops was in contrast to a rather bleak outlook provided by Jafaari during his one-hour meeting with the delegation.
"He says it takes a long time to build an army and I got the sense he is not as upbeat about how it's going like our people," she said.
"My own feeling was that he was certainly in no rush to hand over security to the (Iraqi) police force and army."
An aide to Jafaari reached by telephone said he had not sat in on the meeting and that the Shiite leader could not immediately comment on them because he was in a closed-door meeting.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, center, likely next Iraqi Prime Minister, center, speaks during a press conference after greeting a U.S. congressional delegation in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Tuesday, March 22, 2005. From left are U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (news, bio, voting record), D-CA, interim U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James F. Jeffrey at rear, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-CO, al-Jaafari, Sen. Robert Bennett (news, bio, voting record), R-UT at rear, Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-NV, Sen. Lamar Alexander (news - web sites), R-TN, and Sen. Patty Murray (news, bio, voting record), D-WA, obscured. al-Jaafari indicated to the delegation that he was in no hurry to have U.S.-led coalition troops leave. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)