Inverted chain of command

So General David Petraeus, to whom George Bush delegated his policymaking powers on Iraq, won't even be in Baghdad after this summer to see what the end of the Surge is like, since he's promoted to head of US Central Command -- and thus in charge of the war with Iran all operations in the Middle East. It's interesting to take a quick look at the reaction on National Review's The Corner --

Pete Wehner

What [General David Petraeus] and [Ray] Odierno have achieved in Iraq since early 2007 is staggering. They took a nation that was in a death spiral and, working with the greatest military on earth, have given Iraq a chance to survive and hopefully, over time, to flourish.

Peter Wehner worked for George Bush during all of 2006 (and before) when Iraq was in what Wehner now calls a "death spiral". But when George Bush is giving speeches talking about how much things have turned around from 2006, he only picks pessimistic 2006 quotes from people who are opposed to the war, and recently told us that he was lying in his own optimistic 2006 speeches -- speeches in which Wehner would have a crafting role.

[Rich Lowry]

Odierno [the successor to Petraeus], meanwhile, is a hero of the surge, as important to its successes as Petraeus. And he will push back hard against anyone (read the Chiefs) trying to keep from him the troops he needs to do the job. A very important day in the war...

So in Corner-world, even the superior officers of the Iraq generals are trying to keep them from doing their job. Is there no end to the reach of the wimpy Left?