Testifying for a second day on Capitol Hill, Army Gen. David Petraeus described combat gains since last year's U.S. troop buildup, and several members of the House Armed Services Committee who recently traveled to Afghanistan echoed his assessment.

"During a visit last week with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates observed, `The closer you get to this fight, the better it looks,'" said Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif. "Having just returned from a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan a few weeks ago, I couldn't agree more."

Petraeus' testimony to various House and Senate committees — and private meetings with congressional leaders — are designed to ensure political support for the long, costly war despite strong opposition among the American people. The Pentagon also is asking Congress to provide $553 billion for the budget year that begins Oct. 1, plus $118 billion in costs for Iraq and Afghanistan.

A clear test of that support comes on Thursday when the House votes on a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan no later than Dec. 31. The measure is expected to fail, but lawmakers and the administration will be closely watching the vote totals.

Tempering the talk of success against the Taliban were serious concerns about President Hamid Karzai's rule and widespread corruption.

"There are challenges given corruption and the basic lack of competence in the governance of Afghanistan. I think that gives us pause," said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.