Gen. David Petraeus, Amb. Ryan Crocker prepare to testify before Congress/Presidential Candidates

On Tuesday, General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker will testify before Congress on the status of the so-called War in Iraq.  The testimony comes after a spike in violence in Iraq.  The two are expected to tout the overall levels of violence that have dropped to points not seen since 2004.  A closer inspection of the numbers would show a plateau in violence more than a steep decline.

Eleven U.S. soldiers have been killed in the last 48 hours, including one from Texas.   The clashes in Basra between Iraqi forces and Shiite militias continues.  Rockets were fired into the U.S. Green Zone in Baghdad Sunday killing three American soldiers.

Sen. John Mc Cain (Armed Services Committee), Sen. Hillary Clinton (Armed Services Committee) and Sen. Barack Obama (Foreighn Relations Committee) will all be present for the testimony of Petraes and Crocker.  Expect McCain to tout the gains made since the surge and the need to stick out in Iraq.