I get the sense that congressional Democrats are deeply worried about how best to respond to tomorrow's testimony from Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Everyone seems well aware of what we're likely to hear in terms of their assessment, but challenging their conclusions seems trickier.

If opponents of the war treat Petraeus and Crocker with kid gloves, the administration's public-relations offensive will have succeeded and dubious conclusions about conditions in Iraq will be largely embraced as the conventional wisdom. If war critics are overly aggressive, the right will characterize Democrats' skepticism as some kind of anti-military animus.

So, how do Dems convince Americans that the assessment from Petraeus and Crocker is really just a continuation of the White House line? As it turns out, they don't have to -- Americans are already there.

Most Americans think this week's report from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus will exaggerate progress in Iraq, and few expect it to result in a major shift in President Bush's policy. [...]

[T]hough the public assessment of progress in Iraq remains largely negative, most expected Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to express a rosier view when he begins his congressional testimony tomorrow. Only about four in 10 said they expect the general to give an accurate accounting of the situation in Iraq. A majority, 53 percent, said they think his report will try to make the situation in Iraq look better than it really is.

What's more, 66% of respondents in the Post/ABC poll said the president will "stick with his Iraq policy no matter what the Petraeus report says."