But Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, didn't like the idea of adding 30,000 more troops when President Bush first proposed it in February.

And he continues to call for a new plan, one that is centered on the Iraq Study Group report that called for a March 2008 redeployment of combat troops.

"I am worried about the wear and tear on our military," Matheson said in a statement. He wants combat troops redeployed and focused on counterterrorism, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rep. Rob Bishop was the only Utahn on either of the committees that heard the testimony of Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

Bishop missed the first two hours of the hearing, which Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., said may be "the most important hearing the year."

But Bishop said he didn't miss much.

"Unfortunately the hearings are more show than they ought to be," Bishop said. "There wasn't much gained in the questioning process. There was a lot of rhetoric out there . . . but there was not a lot of illumination."

Republicans and Democrats saw the testimony of Petraeus and Crocker as an opportunity to make political gains before the 2008 election by taking the lead in the Iraq War debate.

Democratic leaders have called for a significant change in strategy, including a much larger reduction in the number of combat soldiers in Iraq. They have criticized the statistics used by Petraeus, saying the White House has manipulated the facts.

Republicans, such as Sen. Orrin Hatch, have defended Petraeus and the surge, while touting the security advances made in areas like the Anbar province and asking for more time.

"General Petraeus gave us his professional military views - not political spin," Hatch said in a statement on Monday. "He gave us the truth about what is going on in Iraq. What is the truth? We are making progress."

Petraeus told House members that the surge has reduced civilian deaths.

He said troop levels would start dropping next month, returning to the pre-surge level by next July, which was the course many military and political leaders expected him to take.

Petraeus and President Bush expected the surge to create "breathing room" for the Iraqi government and military to establish itself, but that hasn't happened so far.

Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, said creating a democracy is not an easy thing to do.

"Ambassador Crocker correctly reminded all of us that 'freedom' in Iraq is a recent achievement and to compare institutions of democracy in Iraq to other free nations is unfair and counterproductive," Cannon said.

Sen. Bob Bennett's spokeswoman said he would withhold comment until the senator had a chance to more fully review the general's report.

mcanham@sltrib.com