Why Even Bother?

During the Congressional testimony yesterday there were no fewer than FIVE presidential candidates (Dodd, Obama, Clinton, Biden and McCain) on the panel questioning both the General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker.

This highlights the problems of getting things done during the presidential primary season. All of those big names were merely speaking to cameras and, quite honesty, those five probably did not even care if General Petraeus was listening. All they cared about was whether or not the primary voters were listening.

Here are a few examples pulled from the New York Times of what I would call "pandering to the base" :

Obama: "At what point to we say, enough?"

Clinton: The General's report on Iraq required "the willing suspension of disbelief."

Dodd: "We have been begging that leadership for the last four and a half years to get their act together"

Biden: "We're still talking about over 1,000 weekly attacks, 1,000 and we're calling that success?" (note: the NY Times claimed that Biden said those words "sharply")

McCain: When is the Iraqi government going to "do the things we've been asking them to do for a long time?"

Not to say that some of this is not true but do these question solve ANYTHING? I find no insight and no plan. Next time, let's turn the cameras off and get down to business instead of just listing complaints.

Way to go Senators.