Oooooooh ... that's gonna leave a mark.

Yes, that's some serious smugness you've got going on there, Paul:

Poll: We Trust the Military

Oh my! This has got to get the military hating "progressive" class whining:

Americans trust military commanders far more than the Bush administration or Congress to bring the war in Iraq to a successful end, and while most favor a withdrawal of American troops beginning next year, they suggested they are open to doing so at a measured pace, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

At which point Paul comes face to face with the Mighty Towel Snap of Reality:

Not surprisingly, Petraeus performed smoothly in his testimony to Congress. But an internal Pentagon report is expected to 'differ substantially' from his recommendations on withdrawal from Iraq, NEWSWEEK has learned.

Ouch. That whole "trust" thing isn't looking so good, is it, Paul? Let's read on:

NEWSWEEK has learned that a separate internal report being prepared by a Pentagon working group will “differ substantially” from Petraeus’s recommendations, according to an official who is privy to the ongoing discussions but would speak about them only on condition of anonymity. An early version of the report, which is currently being drafted and is expected to be completed by the beginning of next year, will “recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces: as much as two-thirds of the existing force very quickly, while keeping the remainder there.”

Yeaaahhhh. You know, Paul, when you fib to a Congressional committee, it doesn't matter whether you're under oath or not -- that's perjury. And we're not talking about a blowjob here.

At this point, I'm pretty sure that "But ... but ... but ... Bill Clinton!" just doesn't cut it anymore.

TAIL-WAGGING AFTERSNARK: I believe the word you're looking for here is "inconvenient":

In his testimony today, Gen Petraeus was asked about a Washington Post story over the weekend that reported on a "schism" between Petraeus and his immediate superior, CENTCOM commander Adm. William Fallon. The Post quoted a senior civilian official as saying about the relationship between Petraeus and Fallon, "Bad relations? That's the understatement of the century. . . . If you think Armageddon was a riot, that's one way of looking at it."

In response to questioning today, Petraeus denied that there was any disagreement among top military officials about his recommendation on how to proceed in Iraq, saying he had the support of both Fallon and Joint Chiefs.

I think Petraeus just learned that there are some people you don't fuck with.