It's the exit strategy gab fest.

This is the slate political gab fest.

For Friday, April 11, 2008, I'm Dale Wilman.

The gang is all back together again in Washington.

On this week's agenda, Petraeus takes the stand,

a political demotion and more polls on the campaign trail, and should we boycott the Olympics? And now, to introduce the

discussion, here's John. Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest. I'm John Dickerson

here blessedly with David Plotz and Emily Bazelon after being mixed up and confused with different people sitting in. Will Salatin, who did a fabulous job, substituting for Emily Bazelon one day and David Plotz for the other. We thought maybe he'd be substituting for me this time, but we have the regular team back together. Were you going to be somewhere? No, but I just thought he did so well. It might be clamor to have him in the seat.

People liked me hosting, too.

I got a lot of compliments on me hosting as opposed to you hosting.

Don't let that threaten you.

No, I don't feel threatened at all.

And I won't feel threatened by the fact that you simply described me as gone.

Last week with no further explanation.

Maybe that was wishful thinking on someone's part.

I don't even know that.

Maybe that wasn't such good hosting.

One of the things that's best about David when he hosts is he then doesn't talk about

himself so much as he does when he's not hosting.

So I will ask you, David, Iraq this week.

On the Hill, two sets of hearings between Petraeus and Crocker.

What was your reaction to all of this? Well, the overriding message coming out of it was expect no great

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