Pelosi Urges Congress to "Listen to the Generals"; Skips Meeting with Generals

Via email:

Democratic leaders have made a sport out of declaring the Global War on Terror "lost" even as they duck non-partisan briefings provided by the top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Today, sadly, is no exception.

Last night, ABC News reported that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has decided to skip today's briefing by General Petraeus for all House members, Republican and Democrat. The decision comes days after Democratic leaders initially declined the Defense Department's offer of a members-only, classified briefing with Petraeus. And it comes just a few weeks after Pelosi herself said on CNN's Larry King Live:

"Just listen to the generals."

So far, the search for information on the Speaker's scheduling conflict has been unsuccessful. According to CNN:

CHETRY: A scheduling conflict, do we know what she's doing?

BASH: I asked that question of one of her aides and as of last night they didn't know what was on her schedule, but I can assure you we'll try to find out.

How do Democrats justify skipping a critical briefing on the most important national security issue on the same day they force a vote on their pork-laden surrender bill? It is past time for Democrats to do the right thing: attend the Petraeus briefing with an open mind and pass a clean troop funding bill that gives our soldiers the resources they need to succeed in the Global War on Terror.