I watched the House hearing with General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker today. My conclusion is that the Republicans should encourage the Democrats to have more such hearings broadcast in primetime.

This reminds me of the time I was watching a Senate hearing on the NASA budget with my son when he was a teenager. After a while he was incredulous, and asked, "Are these actually the people who govern America?" I said that they were acting but are not very good at it, and that the best we could hope for is that the staff sitting behind them feeding them their lines were smart.

Two years ago while traveling by car with my wife I listened to the Senate hearing on the Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court. After listening to Senator Joe Biden ramble on for 30 minutes without asking a question my wife asked me if that fool was someone important. I said if anyone ever asks for a definition of "Pompous Ass" just say Joe Biden.