Gen. Petraeus On the Hill to Face the Next President (and Hillary)

General Petraeus makes another appearance on Capitol Hill today and at some point in the day will face the next President of the United States (and Hillary):

WASHINGTON (AP) - The top military commander in Iraq faces a disapproving public and the next commander in chief during congressional testimony that could help shape November's campaign.

All three presidential candidates - Sens. John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama - sit on committees that are to receive status reports Tuesday on the war's progress from Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker.

Rarely does a congressional event draw them all off the closely fought campaign trail. But the general's appearance handed them an opportunity to restate their position on the Iraq war while interacting with the military brass one of them will command come January.

McCain, R-Ariz., and Clinton, D-N.Y., serve on the Armed Services Committee, which will hear from Petraeus and Crocker in the morning. Obama, D-Ill., alone serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which scheduled an afternoon round of testimony.

McCain, the senior Republican on the Armed Services panel, supports the war and praises Petraeus. McCain on Monday told an audience of mostly veterans about improvements in Iraq and argued that the United States must not leave; public opinion is against a sustained fight. He said promises by his Democratic rivals to withdraw forces from Iraq, regardless of the consequences, amounted to a "failure of leadership."

"The question for the next president is not about the past, but about the future and how to secure it," McCain said.

Obama's advisers said he also intends to focus his statements and questions on the future in Iraq, such as whether the war is making Americans safer, how it has affected the military's ability to respond to threats around the world and whether Iraqis are taking responsibility for their country.

Obama, who is ahead of Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, won't get his turn to speak until near the end of the day. Only four Democrats rank lower than him on the Foreign Relations Committee, but aides said he planned to attend most of the hearing to hear Petraeus.

Clinton's spokesman said she expects the committee will question Petraeus and Crocker closely on the lack of political progress in Iraq, the rising influence of Iran in the region and the strain on the military caused by the large numbers of troops serving in Iraq.

The last time Petraeus was in town Hillary told him it took a "willing suspension of disbelief" to accept his statements. I wonder if she'll apologize for that insult (don't bet on it).

The Dem meme today will not be anything to do with the military progress of the surge since violence has so significantly declined, but will be focused entirely on the political progress being made between the various shades of Islam that continue to fight for control. They must come up with some way to define failure for the surge and that's as close as they're going to get. The attitude that each candidate displays toward Iraq's commander-in-chief will speak volumes about how that person might one day command the entire military.

UPDATE: The usual whackos have shown up (and I'm not just talking Obama and Clinton):

About a half-dozen protestors, dressed in burqas and wearing makeup to make them look like they're dead, and carrying signs saying "I will not be silent" "Surge of Peace!" are standing up in the crowd preparing for today's appearance by Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassadror to Iraq.

The protestors, who look like some Code Pink regulars, have already been warned that Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the committee, will not be allowed to disrupt the session. They can stand silently and hold signs, but any vocal outbursts will result in their removal from the hearing. Reporters are busily interviewing the protestors now.

Petraeus, for his part, made an appearance at 8:35 a.m. to check out the witness table and hearing room. Petraeus also greeted some reporters he knows.

Update - Now the protestors are chanting "Stop the killing!" Capitol Police are already moving to surround them.

It's foolishness to let those people in the hearing room, but it does actually make the general look better when compared to raving ninnies (and the protesters).