Harry Reid is busy protecting his investment. Not in Nevada real estate, but his investment in losing the war in Iraq. He is trying to do this by picking a fight where none exists.

Senate Democratic Majority leader Harry Reid accused the White House of launching an attempt to mask candid testimony on the strategy.

“If the president is going to continue to ask American soldiers to fight in this civil war … then those closest to the situation on the ground must give Congress and the American people a frank and honest account of this war free of White House spin,” he said.

His strategy appears to be to make sure that the idea is placed in the minds of Americans that the upcoming report is flawed. He’ll get plenty of help from TOM and his fellow Surrender Monkeys. Facts are not a required part of that strategy.

But National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe denied there had been an attempt to limit testimony by Petraeus and Crocker, as reported by Thursday’s Washington Post.

“General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify to the Congress in both open as well as closed sessions,” he said in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is on vacation.

“It’s unfortunate that anyone would suggest that they would not do that; trying to start a fight where there really isn’t one, because this has always been the plan.”

Also interesting is the moaning over the report coming from the White House.

Democrats are also angry the assessment on the surge, required under US law, will be written at the White House, not personally by Crocker and Petraeus.

I guess they want the President to ignore the law as written.

The law requiring the Iraq war report by September 15 states that “the president shall submit” the assessment to Congress after consulting top military brass, the US ambassador to Baghdad and his national security team.

It does not specify that the report must be the direct work of Crocker and Petraeus.

Reid and the Surrender Monkeys must be very worried about this report containing good news. And that is sad indeed.