Specifically,

MITCHELL: [The GOP caucus]’ll stick until September and then they’ll leave. I believe very firmly that they’re against what he is doing but they feel that General Petraeus has persuaded them that for all intents and purposes, they can’t vote a withdrawal before September. +++ MITCHELL: Petraeus went to the Republican caucus and told them, I will have real progress to you by August. They told him, if — we’ll stick with you —

Now, here's the thing. WTF is a high-ranking general in charge of the Iraq mess doing giving private briefings to the caucus of one political party? If he's briefing Congress, shouldn't he be briefing the Armed Services Committee, or the Foreign Relations Committee, or whatever?

If this report is true, and I emphasize if because of the completely anonymous sourcing, then somebody needs to explain to the good general that he works for the people of the United States, not for the Republican Party.

According to the same source(s), the GOP has given the general 5/6s of a Friedman Unit to show "real progress":

MITCHELL: The Republicans were against the surge but they felt it was fait accompli, and that they were willing to give Petraeus until August. He told them there will be real progress by August. They have told him at a caucus meeting as very, very recently, that if there isn’t progress by August — and real progress means not a day of violence and a day of sanity — that they will pull the plug.

No matter how bad the Democrats can be sometimes in terms of ending this mess, the GOP are far worse.

-dms