Today’s edition of quick hits.
*TPMM: “While Gen. Petraeus repeatedly cited the Sunni tribal turn against al-Qaeda as the most significant development in Iraq over the last year, he balks at the suggestion that his command is providing them with guns. ‘We have never given weapons to tribals,’ he said. ‘What we have done is applaud when they ask if they can point their guns at al-Qaeda.'” That’s rather misleading — the U.S. military is paying “tribals,” who are in turn using our payments to buy weapons.
* Speaking of Anbar, Petraeus said repeatedly this afternoon that he wants to see the successes of this province expanded to other provinces (and suggested he could if only policymakers give him more time). It’s a dubious claim; replicating the model is almost certain to fail.
* Matthew Dowd, Bush’s former pollster who publicly denounced his old boss a few months ago, offered Dems an interesting perspective yesterday at the HuffPost: “In the public’s mind, the Iraq War was a mistake, and continuing the status quo is simply continuing on with a mistake…. The public does not see withdrawal from Iraq as a signal America doesn’t support the troops. In fact, the public sees removing the troops from harm’s way and having them in a place where the mission is supported, welcomed and understood as the most proper way to support our troops.”
* Greg Sargent: “For weeks now we’ve been hearing endlessly that today’s testimony by General Petraeus will mark a key moment in deciding which way public opinion will swing on Iraq. Guess who disagrees with that prediction? The public, that’s who…. Bottom line: The public appears to have decided that Petraeus won’t tell them the truth about Iraq, that they want out of Iraq no matter what he says, and that the President won’t change course in the wake of his testimony. Clever public.”
* As far as I can tell, the media’s interest in today’s testimony and the media’s interest in MoveOn.org’s Petraeus ad is running at a 1-to-1 ratio this afternoon. (Let this be a reminder to all of us: if you’re going to say something politically intemperate, and you don’t want excessive scrutiny, make sure you’re a conservative.)
* The last I heard, Petraeus will appear on Fox News tonight — and only Fox News. I’m actually a little surprised by this; I thought the Bush gang would want to at least pretend Petraeus is a neutral, dispassionate public servant.
* Roll Call reported that the White House has narrowed his list of replacements for Alberto Gonzales to five: Michael Mukasey, Theodore B. Olson, Laurence H. Silberman, George J. Terwilliger, and Larry D. Thompson. Rumor has it that Olson — best known for his role in the infamous anti-Clinton Arkansas Project — is the leading candidate. The announcement may come as early as this week.
* Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) isn’t on the short list, but he’s reportedly interested in being asked about the Attorney General gig.
* Michael O’Hanlon’s transition from Brookings scholar to “conservative movement propagandist whose salary just happens to be paid by Brookings” is nearly complete.
* NYT’s Adam Cohen: “Alberto Gonzales is out as attorney general, but there is still a lot of questionable Justice Department activity for Congress to sort through. The imprisonment of Don Siegelman, a former Democratic governor of Alabama, should be at the top of the list. Jill Simpson, an Alabama lawyer and Republican operative, is heading to Washington this week to tell Congressional investigators that she heard prominent Republicans plotting to use the United States attorneys’ offices to remove Mr. Siegelman as a political threat. The case should be the focus of a probing Congressional hearing this fall.”
* In legal/academic circles, more and more people are seriously discussing whether to change lifetime appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. Interesting.
* Note to the White House: never pick a fight over previous events with a guy who writes everything down.
* 9/11 Commission Co-chairmen Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton: “Two years ago, we and our colleagues issued a report card assessing the U.S. government’s progress on the bipartisan recommendations in the 9/11 commission report. We concluded that the nation was not safe enough. Our judgment remains the same today: We still lack a sense of urgency in the face of grave danger.”
* And finally, Donald Rumsfeld told GQ magazine he has had practically no contact with Bush since leaving the Pentagon. Asked directly if he misses the president, Rumsfeld told the Magazine, “Um, no.”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.