Petraeus 'Betray Us' ad is group's 'shock and awe'  —  MoveOn.org was looking to get attention and so they have with their full-page New York Times ad in which they slam Gen. David Petraeus, rhyming his name with "betray us."  It's the liberal group's version of shock and awe.

Petraeus Falsely Claims That Six Months Ago, 'No One Would Have Forecast' Anbar's Success  —  Today in his testimony to the House, Gen. David Petraeus cited the reduced violence in the Anbar province as evidence that President Bush's "surge" is working.  He added that it would be "premature" …

Second Bin Laden Tape Expected  —  Brian Ross Reports:  —  A second tape from Osama bin Laden was recorded in the same location as the video released last week.  —  People in the intelligence community who have seen the tape feel it is directly related to the 9/11 anniversary since …

ARMY CHECKMATES THE NEW REPUBLIC  —  Last month Pajamas Media published an in-depth report on the scandal surrounding the "Baghdad Diarist" articles by Scott Thomas Beauchamp in The New Republic.  —  Now PJM's Bob Owens interviews Major John Cross, who led the U.S. Army's investigation into Private Beauchamp's shocking claims.

'General Betray Us'  —  A footnote to the fuss over MoveOn's "General Betray Us" ad, a favored GOP talking point of the day.  (Genius?  Idiocy?  Interested in readers' views.)  —  Anyway, it also appears to have been borrowed, indirectly, from Rush Limbaugh.

Hagel bows out of politics  —  Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) officially announced Monday that he will not run for a third term and does not plan to run for president in 2008, setting in motion a battle for his Senate seat and leaving anti-war Republicans and independents without one of their candidates of choice in the presidential contest.

2008 Republican Presidential Primary  —  The Thompson Bounce  —  Former Senator Fred Thompson first announced that he might be available for the Republican Presidential nomination nearly six months ago.  Since then, he has done well in the polls, missed a few possible dates to formally enter the campaign …

Petraeus Live Blog 2 - Petraeus Opening Statement  —  General Petraeus speaks (his opening remarks are here.  Via TPM, here is Ambassador Crocker's opening statement):  —  Will discuss "his recommendations to his chain of command."  Insists that this is his personal statement uncleared by anyone.

Democrats Face Hobson's Choice  —  I must say that I sympathize with the bind that Democratic leaders are in somewhat.  Defeatism is forced upon them by their base.  That's why they have no choice but but to insist that Iraq is going disastrously badly, that it was all a mistake, and that we should get out now.

PETRAEUS'S DRAWDOWN....This slide from Gen. David Paraeus's testimony today is a work of art, isn't it?  It looks like some kind of timeline for withdrawal, but all it actually says is that we'll withdraw five brigades by next July, something we already know is driven not by strategic considerations …

Activists take Al Gore to task on his diet  —  He may be the hero of the environmental movement for his crusade against global warming but Al Gore is about to be targeted by animal rights activists over his carnivorous contribution to greenhouse gases.  —  Citing United Nations research …

COOKING THE BOOKS....Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Republicans are making a big mistake by spending all their TV time this morning complaining about accusations that Gen. Petraeus is cooking the books in his assessment of progress in Iraq?  Repeating the accusation …

Plans to ban plasma TV's  —  THE Conservatives will propose banning plasma screens and other energy-guzzling electrical goods in a report to be unveiled next week.  —  The proposals target white goods like fridges and freezers, as well as TVs, personal computers and DVD players that use too much energy or operate on stand-by.