General Speaks: Yet Again!

Patraeus is due to testify before Congress this week and he will have his work cut out for him. With the escalation of violence in Iraq, it will be a hard sell.

"General Petraeus really has a very difficult issue on his hands because Sadr City is home to the Mahdi Army and militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, one of the most powerful and popular in the country. It's densely populated.

For the U.S., They are on the outskirts of Sadr City but for them to move deep into this area, they risk a potential bloodbath. Nobody wants to see that happening.

The U.S. has been looking for a political solution to that, trying to bring Moqtada al-Sadr on board. They've been successful to a degree but what has been seen in the last few weeks - and there were 20 people reportedly killed overnight in clashes between U.S. forces and the militia inside Sadr City - what you've seen is a very determined defense by these militias not wanting to give up the rocket launch sites, or any ground.

His defense of the Bush policy will be put to the test. Repubs will do a lot of back slapping and hopefully the Dems will do a lot of face slapping. The truth is ugly, but the lies are unforgivable.