The big news about General Petraeus’ testimony before Congress came not from the General himself (what should we expect from someone hand-picked by President Bush) but from the Senators who grilled him. Each of the three contenders for President -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain -- was critical of current policy. But they all also spoke out against removing all US troops from Iraq.

Obama best summarized their collective position noting that “nobody’s asking for a precipitous withdrawal."

Later this month, these Senators will vote on whether to give President Bush $100 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Peace activists and military families are demanding that Obama and Clinton lead a fillibuster on the funding request.

They note the war has already cost $3 trillion dollars and more than 4,000 American lives.

You can also check out my new article on Petraeus’ testimony which was published in Foreign Policy in Focus.