Petraeus in person: protests, skirmishing

With the election 14 months away, Ellsworth wished the hearing hadn’t been so politicized.

Alluding to the Republicans’ constantly raising Moveon.org’s “General Betray Us” ad, the Indiana Democrat complained, “This is not the place for this political bickering about an ad in the New York Times. It’s counter-productive to what this body has to do. We don’t need that kind of stuff.”

Given the crucial role played by Ellsworth and other Pelosi “majority makers,” the task for most of the anti-war Democrats at Monday’s hearing was to express opposition to the deployment and try to point out flaws in the Petraeus view of events in Iraq.

Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. complained that the effort in Iraq was not integral to the struggle against international terrorism and if it were, then Petraeus would be irresponsible to recommend a drawdown of any troops from Iraq.

Petraeus himself made news by:

• Recommending the withdrawal of five Marine brigade combat teams by December — a withdrawal that Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.,  called “token,” but that Petraeus insisted was “significant.”
• Repeatedly emphasizing that Iranian intervention remains a large and growing threat in Iraq.

The mere mention of Iran by Petraeus was a flashpoint for the raucous anti-war contingent in the back of the hearing room.

At one point, when Petraeus discussed an Iranian “proxy war” against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, a demonstrator bellowed, “That’s a lie, you’re lying!”

A frustrated Skelton again demanded that the protestor be removed. It was a long day for Skelton.

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