DAVID CORN: Petraeus takes The Hill; Democrats miss an opportunity.

UPDATE: Comments on Corn, from The Belmont Club.

Corn thinks the “big news” in Petraeus testimony is that there isn’t going to be a definite drawdown to pre-Surge levels any time soon. He may wish to consider another candidate for the headline. Admiral Fallon left CENTCOM amid rumor that he and Petraeus had clashed over the subject of how to respond to Iran. A recent spate of articles quoting Petraeus shifting the focus of operations to Iranian and Iranian backed groups suggests that the real context of the Surge and what follows is no longer driven by events in Iraq, but in its Islamic neighbor.

That, says Richard, is the real news. Plus this: “Corn seems to think that the proper role of the Democratic Congressmen was to discredit or attack the Surge. I would have thought their first duty was to listen to Petraeus and think about America’s strategic choices in the region. But then it’s 2008 and we all know what that year signifies.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Much more rounded up at Slate.

MORE: Some thoughts on the Petraeus testimony from Austin Bay.