Thus Spake Petraeus

Even before the General and the Ambassador were able to begin their remarks to a joint session of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, CODEPINK, Cindy Sheehan and other anti-war protesters were at work, shouting "tell the truth" and "troops home now" (as reported by NPR News.) For its part, MoveOn.org was also up to its usual tricks, posting a full-page ad in today's New York Times intended to sway the public. But if the jeering mob hoped to get GEN David Petraeus off of his game, the tale of the (video)tape suggests that their mission was not accomplished.

As seen in Petraeus' written testimony, along with his slides, a corner is being turned in Iraq by way of the military surge. (Emphasis added.)

As a bottom line up front, the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met. In recent months, in the face of tough enemies and the brutal summer heat of Iraq, Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have achieved progress in the security arena. Though the improvements have been uneven across Iraq, the overall number of security incidents in Iraq has declined in 8 of the past 12 weeks, with the numbers of incidents in the last two weeks at the lowest levels seen since June 2006.

One reason for the decline in incidents is that Coalition and Iraqi forces have dealt significant blows to Al Qaeda-Iraq. Though Al Qaeda and its affiliates in Iraq remain dangerous, we have taken away a number of their sanctuaries and gained the initiative in many areas.

The one pleasant surprise from Petraeus' remarks was his conviction that the U.S. could "reduce our forces to the pre-surge level... without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve."

As was expected, the progress evidenced in Ambassador Ryan Crocker's report was less tangible; the Ambassador acknowledged "[t]here will be no single moment at which we can claim victory," adding, "any turning point will likely only be recognized in retrospect." Nevertheless, Crocker echoed Petraeus' sentiments in not supporting a precipitous withdrawal of forces from Iraq.

I cannot guarantee success in Iraq. I do believe, as I have described, that it is attainable. I am certain that abandoning or drastically curtailing our efforts will bring failure, and the consequences of such failure must be clearly understood. An Iraq that falls into chaos or civil war will mean massive human suffering - well beyond what has already occurred within Iraq's borders. It could well invite the intervention of regional states, all of which see their future connected to Iraq's in some fundamental way. Undoubtedly, Iraq would be a winner in this scenario, consolidating its influence over Iraqi resources and possibly territory. The Iranian President has already announced that Iran will fill any vacuum in Iraq. In such an environment, the gains made against al-Qa'ida and other extremists groups could easily evaporate and they could establish strongholds to be used as safehavens for regional and international operations. Our current course is hard. The alternatives are far worse.

Their efforts notwithstanding, there were two tragedies that overshadowed the testimonies of Petraeus and Crocker. The first was that men such as these who have excelled at every task their country has asked of them must be questioned - and have their credibility impugned - by lesser mortals whose sole qualification for employment was the ability to persuade a majority of their co-imbeciles to vote in their favor. Here is video of Bob Wexler (D-FL) manning the ramparts of outrage in his lambasting of the General. Similarly, here is video of Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) questioning Crocker, while simultaneously slamming Petraeus.

Neither Wexler nor Sanchez will be bringing the cole slaw to the Mensa picnic, and it is beyond doubt that both the General and the Ambassador have more courage in a stray eyelash than Wexler, Sanchez or many of their fellow inquisitors have in their entire beings. We are a blessed nation for the likes of these patriots. Which gets me to the other tragedy, which is that still greater patriots will give their lives to defend the right of MoveOn, CODEPINK, et al. to embarrass themselves and befoul the People's House with their antics.

But as discussed elsewhere and , their most base purpose is hurt President Bush on a personal level. They wish to cause Bush embarrassment, if not outright pain, all for the purpose of validating their cowardice, their vanity and their stupidity. We can only hope that the resolve displayed by Crocker and Petraeus during today's hearing's will be matched by that of the President and his party. As Crocker himself put it, our current course is indeed hard, and the alternatives to victory are far worse.