Earlier on Capitol Hill Tuesday, President Bush’s nominee to head the Iraq War — Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus — testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Lt. Gen. Petraeus painted a bleak picture of the situation in Iraq but said it could be improved by sending more troops.

Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus: “The situation in Iraq is dire. The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. Progress will require determination and difficult U.S. and Iraqi actions, especially the latter as ultimately the outcome will be determined by the Iraqis. But hard is not hopeless.”

Petraeus was briefly interrupted when peace activist and retired Army Colonel Ann Wright got up in the chamber and called for a withdrawal of U.S. troops.