THEN & NOW: Democrats Leaders' Selective Listening Tour

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THEN:

Senate Democrats Voted Unanimously To Confirm General Petraeus. (Petraeus Nomination, Roll Call Vote #33: Approved 81-0, 01/26/07)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “Listen To The Generals.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Remarks At The National Press Club, Washington, D.C., 01/19/07)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “If The President Won't Listen To Generals, he won't listen to the American people, who have spoken for a new direction, then perhaps he will listen to us, Congress, when we send him a supplemental bill that acknowledges reality in Iraq .” (CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” 03/26/07)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): “Just Listen To The Generals.” (CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 02/27/07)

NOW:

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV) On Gen. Petraeus: “I Don’t Believe Him.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 04/23/07)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV) Declares: “This War Is Lost.” “Now I believe – myself – that the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and you have to make your own decisions as to what the President knows, that this war is lost.” (Sen. Reid, Press Conference, 04/19/07)

Aides Said Democratic Congressional Leadership Was “Too Busy” To Meet With General Petraeus: “The Pentagon first approached Armed Services Committee aides to set up a briefing, but panel aides said they were “too busy” to schedule a meeting next week, the administration official said. A second attempt to set up a briefing with the Speaker’s office was likewise declined.” (Susan Davis, “Petraeus Visit Sparks Debate,” Roll Call, 04/18/07)

Democrats Only “Changed Their Minds” About Meeting With General Petraeus “To Avoid Being Cast As Unwilling To Compromise.” “Next week, as the House and Senate are scheduled to vote on the compromise Iraq legislation, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior commander in Iraq , is scheduled to come to Washington to press the administration’s case. Initially, some Democrats rejected the offer to meet with General Petraeus, but said they changed their minds to avoid being cast as unwilling to compromise.” (Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg, “No Solution In Sight As Bush And Lawmakers Discuss Iraq Spending Measures,” The New York Times, 04/19/07)

Democrats now “don’t believe” General Petraeus because he's not conforming to their political agenda.