*** General Petraeus testifies, says "surge" needs to continue with a troop draw down. ***

I will be posting the video of the General's testimony. Highlights so far: Military expectations have been met; troop levels to pre "surge" levels possible by next spring; level of incidents have decreased significantly since "surge" in 8 of last 12 months -- including civilian deaths (70% in Bagdad), dramatic reductions of violence in Anbar province; 4,400+ weapons caches uncovered so far; trend in car bombings have significantly declined; certainly Al-Qaeda is not defeated but "off balance"; Iraqis have made significant progress towards securing their security and the security situation is improving; it is important to continue the surge strategy.