THE REAL IMPORT OF THE PETRAEUS TESTIMONY: An interesting take. “The military is the most respected institution in the country. By bypassing the political leadership (anyone seen Sec. Gates lately?) they are using that influence to make the war about them rather than the President. They’re saying ‘OK, so there was no WMD. The war was run badly by Bush and Rumsfeld. But now the professionals are running it and we’re starting to win. Let us finish the job. You don’t like them, but you respect us. Don’t let us down, like you did in Vietnam.'”

UPDATE: Susan Estrich says that the Democrats have a problem with Petraeus: “He was, to put it simply, good, a man who came across as brave, honorable, and true, and that’s the problem.”