Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the future course of the war in Iraq today, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP Photos

WASHINGTON — A prominent Republican today said he remains deeply skeptical of the U.S. war strategy in Iraq, comparing the long and bloody military campaign to a farmer risking his savings to plant on a flood plain.

“In my judgment, some type of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledge that we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals,” Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the top U.S. military commander there.

Lugar, R-Ind., has called for a sizable drawdown in coming months, a plan that runs counter to Gen. David Petreaus’ recommendation. Petreaus says the United States should withdraw the 30,000 extra troops deployed earlier this year, but maintain the approximately 130,000 troops — who would be left there — at least through next summer.

“The surge (in military troops) must not be an excuse for failing to prepare for the next phase of our involvement in Iraq, whether that is partial withdrawal, a gradual redeployment or some other option,” Lugar said.

He spoke prior to testimony by Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and Petraeus. Echoing testimony given to the House on Monday, the two were expected to highlight recent progress made in the war and say that more time is needed.

In a second day of testimony, Crocker said he could not guarantee success in Iraq but believed it attainable.

“I do believe that Iraq’s leaders have the will to tackle the country’s pressing problems, although it will take longer than we initially anticipated because of the environment and the gravity of the issue,” Crocker said.

The stakes are high, he added.

“An Iraq that falls into chaos or civil war will mean massive human suffering — well beyond what has already occurred within Iraq’s borders,” Crocker said.

Petraeus echoed his past remarks as well, offering statistics that violence — including car bombings and suicide attacks — is down since President Bush deployed 30,000 extra troops earlier this year.

The hearing fell on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The fact of the matter remains that American lives remain in jeopardy,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Republican support for the Iraq war remains on shaky ground in Congress, epitomized by Lugar’s opening statement today. But that support wasn’t lost after Petraeus on Monday recommended maintaining substantial force levels in the country.

Many rank-and-file Repub-licans — like Lugar — said they still were uneasy about the lack of political progress in Iraq. But they also remained reluctant to embrace legislation ordering troops home by next spring, increasing the likelihood that Democrats will have to soften their approach if they want to pass an anti-war proposal.

“I think people recognize the surge (in U.S. troops) has made a difference, but it hasn’t enabled the Iraqi government to get its act together,” said Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., among the nearly dozen House Republicans who went to the White House last spring to personally relay their concerns about the war to Bush.

“There’s going to continue to be some heartburn,” he said, adding that he would like to see Bush call for new elections in Iraq and possibly a more drastic drawdown of troops than suggested by Petraeus. He said he is not keen on forcing a timetable on the war.

The view of LaHood and other Republicans will factor in heavily as Democrats decide their next step. Democrats had anticipated that a larger number of Republicans by now would have turned against Bush on the war because of grim poll numbers and the upcoming 2008 elections.

Without GOP support, Democrats repeatedly have fallen short of enough votes to pass legislation ordering troop withdrawals to begin this fall and be completed by spring.

Bush is widely anticipated to embrace the withdrawal goals Petreaus outlined when he unveils his plan for Iraq later this week.

Petraeus’ testimony today was expected to be in an arena thick with politics. In separate hearings conducted by the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, the general and Crocker were sitting in front of four other presidential hopefuls besides Biden. They are: Republican John McCain of Arizona and Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Barack Obama of Illinois.

In Baghdad, the Iraqi government today welcomed Petraeus’ testimony and said the need for U.S. military support would decrease over time.

National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, reading from a government statement, said the Iraqis believed that “in the near future” the need for U.S. and other coalition forces “will decrease.”

Moderate lawmakers say there is plenty of room for compromise in the deeply divided Congress. Aides say bipartisan proposals are in the works and that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has reached out to several GOP senators to discuss potential common ground. However, a major hurdle remaining are politically influential organizations like MoveOn.org who say Democrats shouldn’t water down the debate with more moderate legislation.