Petraeus' return promises high political drama
In his report to Congress, the Iraq commander will face two antiwar Democrats -- plus a more like-minded Republican -- who each seek to be his new boss.
WASHINGTON — The weeklong cavalcade that will accompany Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' return to Washington on Tuesday will look much like his pivotal visit last September: formal testimony, talk show appearances, and lots of charts and graphs.
But this time, the Iraq commander's presentation to Congress collides head-on with a raging presidential campaign and two Democratic candidates demanding almost the opposite of his advice.
The change could prove jarring. For more than a year, Petraeus had the benefit of a commander in chief who was heavily invested in the same manpower-intensive strategy Petraeus has promoted. But he returns to Washington at a time when the country's political leadershipmay soon veer sharply from the course he is advocating.
His main recommendations have been known for weeks: Draw down through July the troop buildup that was part of the surge, he will say, then wait a while to make sure Iraq doesn't fall apart.
It is high political drama for a battlefield commander to march to Capitol Hill during the most closely watched presidential campaign in a generation. As if that were not enough, both of the antiwar Democrats who seek to be his new boss -- Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois -- sit on committees that will hear from Petraeus on his first day of testimony.
"The most interesting part of this is not going to be how Obama and Clinton behave, but how Petraeus behaves," said Kurt M. Campbell, a military analyst who has advised Democratic presidential candidates. "Remember: Petraeus' future now lies much more with what happens with Clinton and Obama. He's going to go all-out to try to appear he's not alienating Democratic friends."
The third major presidential candidate, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, also serves on a committee Petraeus will face. McCain supports Petraeus' strategy.
In a blizzard of appearances last year, the cerebral Petraeus enjoyed a shower of public approval as he worked to quell calls for rapid troop reductions and cement the administration's war strategy.
Petraeus aides acknowledged that this time their commander is stepping into an even fiercer political storm than during his first report. As they did in September, the aides have been running the general through exercises called "murder boards" to prepare him for the toughest questions Congress might throw at him.
