From Politico:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sharply criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Thursday, after the speaker urged Army Gen. David Petraeus not to “put a shine” on recent events in Iraq when he testifies before Congress next week.

Read the wrap-up of Pelosi’s remarks here. Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, will testify before Congress next week.

“Speaker Pelosi’s warning to Gen. Petraeus about his testimony being A-too shiny- says more about her than it does about him,” said Graham in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

“Gen. Petraeus … is one of the most talented, respected military commanders in our nation’s history. I-m confident he will tell us about the gains that have been achieved and the challenges which lie ahead,” Graham said.

“I have no confidence Speaker Pelosi will ever accept anything coming out of Iraq other than a loss.”

But Graham didn’t stop there.

“Speaker Pelosi seems to be more concerned about the outcome of the next election than receiving accurate information from a distinguished military leader like Gen. Petraeus.”

Naturally, Democrats have strongly rejected the claim that they are hoping for failure in Iraq.

“The one thing I know is the speaker, all of us, we want what is going on [in Iraq] to work,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) on Thursday.

“We want stability. We want the defeat of extremist forces on all sides. Those are things we hope for. But we have to also deal with what the reality is and ask the tough questions.”