Some Background On Petraeus And Crocker

Hugh Hewitt interviews Robert Kaplan, a reporter who has spent more time with the American military than any other civilian journalist. Kaplan says of Petraeus and Crocker:

The idea that General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are front men for the administration is ludicrous. Until he took the job as overall ground commander in Iraq, Petraeus was a favorite of liberal journalists: the Princeton man who enjoyed the company of the media and intellectuals, so much so that he was vaguely distrusted by other general officers who envied the good ink he received. As for Crocker, he is a hard-core Arabist, a professional species that I once wrote a book about: He is the least likely creature on earth to buy into neoconservative ideas about the Middle East. Neither of these men are identified with the decision to go to war. If I had to bet, I’d say that Crocker especially would have been against it, like his other Arabist colleagues. Thus, these men have no personal stake in proving the president right. They and their staffs are much more likely to provide a balanced analysis of the reality in Iraq than senators and congressmen looking over their shoulders at opinion polls and future elections. As Petraeus said, "I wrote this testimony myself," meaning, the White House had nothing to do with it. Watching them brief Congress Monday, I came away convinced that they made a better impression on the public than anyone else in the room.

Clearly, these guys aren't shills for the White House. But, those pesky little facts never get in the way of a good Democrat smear. Speaking of Democrat smears, measures have been introduced in both houses of Congress (by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Rep. John Boehner of Ohio) with a message to express "the sense of" the Congress in support of General Petraeus, the multi-national forces in Iraq, and all the members of the United States military.

The Democrat leaders in both the Senate and the House refuse to let the measures come up for a vote.

Which party supports the troops? It sure ain't the Democrats! Call your reps and demand these measures come up for a vote.

There's my two cents.