In the Senate hearings on Iraq, Joe Lieberman can’t get even General David Petraeus to mouth the words he wants about Iran. Here’s the general in response to Lieberman’s war-mongering and blaming Iran for all of America’s problems:

‘My area of responsibility is Iraq; it does not include going into Iran.’

So yes, there are actually hearings happening about the Iraq war. But wait– Jeff Sessions is now underhanding his softballs at Petraeus and Ryan Crocker right after that goon Lieberman tried to gin up a war with Iran?

Why are two Republicans going in a row? Is this really what American voted for in 2006? [But seriously–just because some fools in Connecticut, which is the land of George W. Bush after all, voted Lieberman in doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be thrown off his Senate committee seats for party disloyalty.]

It seems like Crocker and Petraeus are having a hard time selling this pointless war overall–a few Democrats have actually confronted them over their pat descriptions and summations and have landed some real blows for those actually listening–but I think I see what the ambassador and the general are trying to do.

They are making a very weak case for a little more war (it’s always sold a little bit at a time) and trying to cloud the issue, to convince a few Congressional idiots that “these [illusory] gains will stand up,” as Jack Reed gullibly put it.

Just keep shifting the area of emphasis, tell people to focus on one province now and a different one later, use one metric now and a different one later, blame “al Qaeda” today and Iran tomorrow and yesterday, ask for “six more months” every six months, keep using the word “tribal”–it’s a pretty stupid shell game, sure, but America has some pretty stupid lawmakers.