Admittedly Move On went over the top with the use of “Betray us,” which is as bad as Senator Joe McCarthy's utterance to a respected General, “Sir, you are unfit to wear the uniform.”

However, it is fair to say that under the orders of his Commander in Chief, Petraeus surely did way lay us with charts and statistics on the edge of dishonesty. Taking credit because of the surge in Anbar when the sheiks and marines had the situation in hand before then--that is, till four sheiks were blown up yesterday-- is hardly noble. Moreover, to cite casualties, Iraqis and US troops, as fewer than the year before is utterly unrealistic, if not delusional in the McCain vein.

The thrust of the hearings is more of the same: to wit, stay the course and let the next president worry about it. This week has been the theatre of the absurd directed by Bush.