Yesterday, the Senators fired off letters to Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, requesting that they authorize U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan William Wood and NATO International Security Assistance Force commander, General Dan McNeil, to testify before their combined committees. The impetus for the request, say the Senators, is their concern that "the United States and the international community lack a strategy for success in Afghanistan." The letters read:

The conflict in Afghanistan must also be a priority. It is essential that Congress hear from the commanding general and U.S. ambassador about the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, based on both first-hand observations and the recent testimony of military experts, the intelligence community, State Department officials, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Among our concerns are that six years after the defeat of the Taliban, an anti-government insurgency is re-asserting itself in many previously-peaceful provinces, al Qaeda is regenerating along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, poppy production remains at record levels, international development and reconstruction efforts lack both coordination and resources, shortfalls continue in troops and equipment for NATO’s Afghanistan mission, and many of the Afghan people are at risk of losing faith in the ability of their government to deliver a better future.

Biden and Levin have asked that the testimony be given "no later than April 18, 2008."