A reader reminds me of that Petraeus hearing. An Obama supporter writes:

This YouTube must be watched. Watch Obama in what is a (long) but phenomenal delivery. He has the classical combination of pathos and logos. Just get past the initial obligatory lapel-pin intros and he begins relating immeasurable urgency with an almost hurtful touch of frustration, and remains a civil questioner.

We need to channel abiding anger at the awful mismanagement, betrayal of our ideals and blind arrogance that has led us into a nightmare without end in Iraq, and that now seeks, having lost Turkey as a solid ally, to take the war to Iran as well. Yes, we are doing better at tamping down violence in Iraq, thank God and the troops. No one is in any way disputing the heroic job the troops and Petraeus are doing in preventing a full-scale plunge into the abyss of regional warfare. But there is still no strategy for meaningful success or exit, and a huge potential for more, and more dangerous, war in the future, involving Iran and Turkey. And the costs keep escalating. In this awful impasse, we need a president all of us can trust. We need exactly the blend of passion and reason that Obama offers. Yes, he needs to prove himself more as a campaigner. Yes, he's not perfect. But I still think he's the best feasible hope in a rapidly gathering storm.