Petraeus & Crocker to Testify

The brief dustup over the attempt by the White House to 'shield' Petraeus and Crocker from Congressional testimony appears to be over. The White House has signalled that they will be available for testimony:

The White House promised Thursday to allow Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, to testify in open session before congressional committees, denying reports that the administration had sought only private meetings with lawmakers.

“General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify to the Congress in both open as well as closed sessions. ... That has always been our intention,” National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters.

So expect to be treated to 'questions' of more than 7 minutes from some Senators, and more appearances like this one. Will the Democratic leadership be more or less likely to sway the public if they insist that Petraeus get a soapbox to discuss his views on Iraq (instead of say, Condi Rice). I say less:



See also the Politico and the Hill.