This is not something I saw coming, but it does make some sense. Gen. Odierno’s testifying to the House Armed Services Committee at 10, and I’ll be curious to hear how he lays out the case for a slow transition. If we’ve got 124,000 troops under strict engagement restrictions, in a subordinate security role, and their principle mission is to backstop the Iraqi security forces, then… well, why do we need 124,000 of them there? Why can’t the drawdown — scheduled to hit 50,000 by August 2010 — accelerate, even regardless of the January election in Iraq? Maliki wants to show his independence, particularly now that he’s been dropped from Interscope the Shiite coalition. And should Maliki lose, it’s dubious that a successor government would give Odierno greater latitude.

Meanwhile, Tom Ricks reports that Odierno has a frosty relationship with Amb. Chris Hill. I thought Hill was a dicey choice for Iraq, but was assured by a bunch of smart people that his A-list diplomatic skills, combined with an Arabist-A-Team embassy backstopping him, would more than compensate for his lack of Middle East expertise. Over the past month, I’ve heard a lot of rumors that more or less support Ricks’ account, but since they’d just be blind gossipy quotes I haven’t written anything. Hill denies any rift to Josh Rogin.

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