Petraeus flying over Baghdad, searching for hope

I know I mentioned this in a previous post, but I think it deserves a little more emphasis.

What does it say, that Gen. Petraeus periodically has to jump in a helicopter and fly around Baghdad looking for some sort of hope to carry him forward?

The commanders search for signs of success. On Friday night at dusk, Petraeus boarded a helicopter to look for scenes of normalcy and progress from above the maelstrom of the capital.

"On a bad day, I actually fly Baghdad just to reassure myself that life still goes on..."

It's very Shakespearean.

(Also in this article, there are a number of very less than optimistic quotes from Fallon, Petraeus, and Odierno. You've just got to wonder about the spirits of the soldiers if the top leadership are at this point.)