Posted on 04/06/2008 11:52:44 AM PDT by jazusamo
In his report to Congress, the Iraq commander will face two antiwar Democrats -- plus a more like-minded Republican -- who each seek to be his new boss.
WASHINGTON The weeklong cavalcade that will accompany Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' return to Washington on Tuesday will look much like his pivotal visit last September: formal testimony, talk show appearances, and lots of charts and graphs.
But this time, the Iraq commander's presentation to Congress collides head-on with a raging presidential campaign and two Democratic candidates demanding almost the opposite of his advice.
The change could prove jarring. For more than a year, Petraeus had the benefit of a commander in chief who was heavily invested in the same manpower-intensive strategy Petraeus has promoted. But he returns to Washington at a time when the country's political leadershipmay soon veer sharply from the course he is advocating.
His main recommendations have been known for weeks: Draw down through July the troop buildup that was part of the surge, he will say, then wait a while to make sure Iraq doesn't fall apart.
It is high political drama for a battlefield commander to march to Capitol Hill during the most closely watched presidential campaign in a generation. As if that were not enough, both of the antiwar Democrats who seek to be his new boss -- Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois -- sit on committees that will hear from Petraeus on his first day of testimony.
"The most interesting part of this is not going to be how Obama and Clinton behave, but how Petraeus behaves," said Kurt M. Campbell, a military analyst who has advised Democratic presidential candidates. "Remember: Petraeus' future now lies much more with what happens with Clinton and Obama...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
they’ll do even worse in a test of brains
The Dem's are already on Record:
Hill Dems petition Bush on Iraq - Democrats Letter to President Bush April 4, 2008 --FR Thread
*******************EXCERPT INTRO*******************************
The leaders said the recent troop buildup in Iraq had not achieved its purpose and urged Bush to direct troops to play a more limited role in Iraq and divert freed up resources to other regions such as the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
fyi
Unfortunately, the good guys don’t necessarily win, especially when you have gangs of politicians who could care less about the welfare of our country.
I’m afraid that goes for McCain as well as clintona and obama. He didn’t hesitate to write off his fellow MIA/POWs when he was chair of the committee and it was to his political advantage to do so.
And there is plenty of infighting in the Pentagon, with some of the top brass absolutely furious because Bush bypasses the chain of command in favor of leaders who can do the job, like Petraeus and Tommy Franks.
You’re correct and I’ll bet Hillary doesn’t call him a liar again.

Clinton and Obama will show themselves as the fools they are without much help from General Petraeus.
Yes, I saw where Pelosi and Reid have already started. It’s difficult to imagine they are so blatantly antiAmerican!
It was refreshing to see Fallon get the axe, it was long overdo.
I can see it now. “General, each member of Code Pink will have 30 minutes to pose their question, and you will have 3 seconds to respond”.
See this :
Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left

And a review:
**********************************
| By | Kat Bakhu (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews |
I don't think Petraeus plays that game.
Thanks for the post. Horowitz’s book looks like it will be well worth the read.
There's no doubt in my mind that he doesn't. :)
I’d like to honestly ask the good Gen. Petraeus why Mookie Sadr still lives.
This statement is a perfect example of the arrogance and complete disregard for the well being of the nation exhibited by leftists at every turn. Here they are calling him a liar in the most subtle of ways by implying that up to this point he has been giving Congress information that is untrue but that concurs with what republicans want. It is incomprehensible to the leftists that infest our government that a military commander would actually give a report on the current situation based on what’s actually happening on the ground rather than politics.
Demwits are about to get there Butts kicked again.
I trust that General Petraeus will continue to be the clear-thinking, tough-minded, straight-shooting kind of guy we all know him to be, but the Demagogues will be desperate to try to wring out of him any statements that can be turned into political weapons against the war and the WH.
What I would give to see General Petraeus look Shrillary in the eye after one of her asinine “questions” and say “Senator Clinton, to regard you as an honest and competent leader would require a WILLFUL SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF!”
I know he won’t let himself descend to their level, but just once I would enjoy seeing him kick Shrillary’s ugly flabby butt right out of the hearing room.
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