Petreus/Crocker 1, House committees 0

Say what you want to about Petreus and Crocker testifying before the House committees yesterday, but the fact remains that they were spot-on, and dead honest. Yes, the surge is working. Yes, there are still problems. Yes, this will take longer. There's their testimony in a nutshell.

The problem, of course, lies int he bean counters that have sat behind a desk for far too long, and haven't set foot in Iraq at all. I'll grant our critics the point that a few have gone over, and since the surge got up to full speed. Guess what? THOSE people agree with Petreus. Notice how his most outspoken critics are the ones that haven't gone over, and still question him?

They can whine. they can fuss and fume. They can put on this dog-and-pony show where they cite the newest NIE and GAO reports, neither of which have anything to do with his report. The GAO was a demand from Congress on benchmarks. The NIE, for the most part, backed up Petreus's estimates and assessments. That's the rub here. The Democrats cherry-picked from reports that had nothing to do with his report before he even started saying word one before them.

Add the fact that the moonbats were on the loose, and Duncan Hunter warned Ike Skelton that they would cause trouble. Too bad Skelton didn't want to take the necessary precautions to have the clowns removed before they acted u0p. (Oh, and I'd love to see them prosecuted as Skelton told them they would be. That'll be rich, and we can expect Skelton to be the next target of the nutroots moonbats for "betraying his liberal values.")

I really don't know what the Democrats were trying with this maneuver today. They went at him head-on, which was a big mistake. People don't like it when highly-decorated officers are lambasted by those in Congress that don't even have the base credentials to ever wear a uniform. Yet these people seem fit to basically call both General Petreus and Ambassador Crocker "liars." Well, they didn't exactly use those words, but the context of their statements (Wexler, Lantos, and Sanchez, especially) were perfectly clear. To them no amount of testimony or evidence will suit them save Iraq flying the stars and stripes over their capital, and the Iraqis fully embracing American-style federalism.

Bad news, boys and girls. That ain't happening. The Iraqis will make their country the way they want to, and nothing is going to stop them. As for progress, the reduction in sectarian violence in one aspect that should have people happy. Of course the Democrats won't be happy unless the mission fails, and Lord knows they're doing their damnedest to perpetuate that defeat. They don't want to believe him despite the innumerable evidence that is contrary to their worldview.

Keep in mind that three weeks ago I predicted what Petreus would present. Limited political success and substantial military success, and that's what he presented on Monday. I'm sure when the grill is warmed up for him today, he will be equally brilliant and composed. (I noticed a post over at NRO's The Corner on Monday that he resembled Chief Justice Roberts during his hearings. I agree. He was solid, composed, and calm, which is more than I can say for those of us watching that wanted to throttle a couple of the monkeys on the committee.)

The Democrats can play their games, but if they come at him today the way they did Monday, I predict a meltdown of the Capitol Hill switchboard as people call in and give the Democrat committee members a piece of their mind (and maybe a couple of idle threats to match those opinions). Look, let them sound off. Let them sound like the fools they are. Maybe, just maybe, if America sees this, they'll think twice about putting these nutters in charge again.

Oh, and one final thought before I toddle off for a three hour nap before I have to get ready for work. The MoveOn nutters? Could they have chosen an ad worse than the one they pimped? (The photo of the ad is at the end of the post Dean Barnett put up.) The answer is yes they could have, but then John Kerry might have had to sue them for stealing his idea he used back in 1971 during the Winter Soldier hearings. This is what happens when moonbats attack. It's not pretty. It's not even funny. It's sick and demented, and it makes no sense at all.

We're a nation who believes int he ability for people to speak freely, but even that right has it's limits. While no one can stop them from making asses of themselves, the Democrats should have stood up and roundly criticized MoveOn for the ad. As they didn't, it's apparent they condone it. Nice to see that MoveOn DOES represent the Democrats, and the Democrats are willing to admit that they side with an anti-American organization that seems content with forcing us to come home in defeat, and one that enjoys relishes slandering our troops.

Publius II