Washington, D.C. -  “When I visited Baghdad in July, I met with General Petraeus.  That meeting confirmed the impressions I’d had of him since he first rose to lead our forces in Iraq: he is whip-smart and a man of integrity.  Above all else, he is a patriot.  Calling into question his commitment to our country is incorrect and unhelpful.  President Bush is our commander-in-chief and as such, the buck stops with him when it comes to our Iraq policy.  The general is doing his job serving the country and he continues to have my confidence as he and our brave service members work to make the best out of an extremely difficult situation in Iraq.”