Petraeus Foils Senators Seeking Exit

David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker head back to Capitol Hill this morning after a grueling day of testimony that was short on substance and clear goals, writes the Washington Post. Pressed repeatedly yesterday to describe what "conditions" they would like to see before recommending a troop withdrawal, the general and ambassador parried for 8 straight hours, offering bromides like "battlefield geometry" and "political-military calculus."

"I think people want a sense of what the end is going to look like," said one Republican senator. But on that point Petraeus and Crocker offered no specifics. The pair's evasion of specific goals, let alone the timetable, led Armed Services committee chair Carl Levin to dismiss their testimony as "just the next page in a war plan with no exit strategy." (More David Petraeus stories.)