Melanie Morgan

 The sneering, condescending, antagonistic attitude towards General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker during Capitol Hill testimony about the positive news coming from Iraq is causing heartburn among the anti-war, anti-troop crowd.

"Democrats scramble for Iraq strategy " from The Politico, September 12, 2007. "In public, Democrats maintained a brave front, dismissing recommendations from Army Gen. David Petraeus as too little, too late and suggesting he was the puppet of an unpopular president.  Behind the scenes, though, Democrats are scrambling to deal with a new dynamic on Capitol Hill - they're the ones who are trying to come up with a new political strategy on the war." 

"Dem Candidates, Pressured by Anti-War Base, Still Find Consensus on Iraq Policy to be Elusive", from: The Hill, September 12, 2007  "Democrats are in a box on the Iraq war debate, lacking the votes to pass legislation ordering troops home by spring but tied to a support base that wants nothing less. ... Absent any significant changes in the political landscape, Democrats are where they were before the August recess."

From: "Democrats in Box on Iraq War Legislation", Associated Press, September 12, 2007 "Two days of testimony by the top U.S. general and diplomat in Iraq have emboldened Republicans and robbed Democrats of momentum as Congress prepares to debate proposals to force a withdrawal of American forces."