Barack Obama met with Gen. David Petraeus while in Iraq this week, and the two had what is being described as an "animated" conversation. Petraeus does not really strike anyone as an "animated" kind of person. In fact, very much the opposite is true. So, I think it is fair to say that Petraeus strongly disagrees with Obama's approach to a timetable for withdrawal, as Obama admitted yesterday. According to this report, Obama would feel no need to take the general's advice should he become President:

Mr Obama admitted yesterday that he and General Petraeus disagreed over his plan for a timetabled withdrawal of American troops and that if elected he would feel no need to take the general’s advice.

After what observers described as an “animated” conversation between the two in Baghdad on Monday night, Mr Obama told reporters in Jordan: “There is no doubt General Petraeus does not want a timetable. He wants to retain as much flexibility as possible. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably feel the same way. But my job as a potential commander-in-chief extends beyond Iraq.”

General Petraeus, like the White House and John McCain, Mr Obama’s Republican rival, want conditions on the ground to determine the pullout rate.