I noted below that the treatment of General Petraeus on Capitol Hill left much to be desired. Nevertheless, Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News believes that the general carried the day-big time:


“For Democrats, the hearings were a disaster. They don’t have the votes to force a withdrawal and many were left sputtering mad over their inability to get a usable quote out of Petraeus or Ambassador Ryan Crocker that would allow them to declare defeat for Bush’s strategy. Never before has it been so clear that some – Ted Kennedy, for example – are putting partisanship ahead of country.


“Indeed, their performance was so shockingly awful that I am inclined to believe charges that some Democrats actually hope we lose. Up to now, I’ve always viewed such charges as rancid partisanship that demonized legitimate differences. Now I’m not so sure.”


I think that the main question to ask when talking about how the hardcore anti-war faction responded to Petraeus is: Have they no decency? The MoveOn ad portraying the general as a traitor was breathtaking enough. Then came Senator Tom Lantos and his smear that the general is “carrying water” for the administration. Lantos “doesn’t buy” Petraeus’s assessment of improvements in Anbar province. Implication: You are a liar. (Lantos went on to describe a flight over Iraq with the general in which Lantos was supposedly more prescient about the insurgency than Petraeus.)


The left is always invoking the ghost of Senator Joe McCarthy and his smear campaigns. I think it is time for the other side to start shouting: McCarthyism!


I noted below that the treatment of General Petraeus on Capitol Hill left much to be desired. Nevertheless, Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News believes that the general carried the day-big time:


“For Democrats, the hearings were a disaster. They don’t have the votes to force a withdrawal and many were left sputtering mad over their inability to get a usable quote out of Petraeus or Ambassador Ryan Crocker that would allow them to declare defeat for Bush’s strategy. Never before has it been so clear that some – Ted Kennedy, for example – are putting partisanship ahead of country.


“Indeed, their performance was so shockingly awful that I am inclined to believe charges that some Democrats actually hope we lose. Up to now, I’ve always viewed such charges as rancid partisanship that demonized legitimate differences. Now I’m not so sure.”


I think that the main question to ask when talking about how the hardcore anti-war faction responded to Petraeus is: Have they no decency? The MoveOn ad portraying the general as a traitor was breathtaking enough. Then came Senator Tom Lantos and his smear that the general is “carrying water” for the administration. Lantos “doesn’t buy” Petraeus’s assessment of improvements in Anbar province. Implication: You are a liar. (Lantos went on to describe a flight over Iraq with the general in which Lantos was supposedly more prescient about the insurgency than Petraeus.)


The left is always invoking the ghost of Senator Joe McCarthy and his smear campaigns. I think it is time for the other side to start shouting: McCarthyism!