On Monday, General David Petraeus will begin testifying about the situation in Iraq, by far, the most important issue in America today. All of us should listen closely to the general and consider what he says. -- That's is the fair and patriotic thing to do.

But the far-left will not listen, because for them, the war in Iraq is an opportunity, not a national security matter. Writing in The New York Times today, radical left columnist Paul Krugman says, "General Petraeus has a history of making wildly over optimistic assessments of progress in Iraq that happen to be convenient for his political masters."

In other words, Krugman is saying that General Petraeus is in the tank for the Bush administration and his testimony should be discounted.

Now General Petraeus has devoted his life to defending in this country, while Paul Krugman has devoted his life to smearing people who do not believe in his far-left point of view. So I know who I'm trusting in this one.

But it is true that the general is in a tight spot. It is clear that aggressive action by the U.S. military has resulted in gains against Al Qaeda in Iraq, but it's also true that the elected Iraqi government is a disaster.

Just yesterday, the head of the anti-corruption office quit, saying he couldn't do his job because there's too much corruption in his own government. So legitimate dissent on Iraq is valid. And it is hard to know what's best for America and our brave forces. However, an open mind is imperative here.

Democratic leaders like Reid and Pelosi don't have open minds, because they know that any improvement in Iraq helps the Republicans, so politics drives them. But for Krugman, Bill Moyers, Frank Rich, and the other committed secular progressives, the Iraq war is much more than a difficult conflict. It is an opportunity.

If the war does grave damage to the Republican party, then the progressive vision of American might just be attainable. That includes a huge government machine, cradle to grave entitlements, open borders, and a one-world foreign policy.

Check out my book "Culture Warrior" for the complete S-P agenda.

Thus, Iraq has become more than a difficult battlefield. Like Vietnam, it could result in a dramatic culture change. And that's what Krugman and his pals wants.

So expect General Petraeus to be dismissed early and often by those who put ideology over the good of the nation. We'll have full coverage of the general's testimony on Monday. I think Ron Paul is going to be here. And that should be pretty interesting.

And that's "The Memo."

Most Ridiculous Item

The concert at Virginia Tech went off as planned last night. And the vile rapper Nas dedicated this song to me:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAS, RAPPER: 'cause I can't stop now. Simple as that. Die mother (expletive deleted), due mother (expletive deleted), die. You can hate me now; you don't give a (expletive deleted). You can hate me now. Do it now. Weak, jealous mother (expletive deleted).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Excellent.

Now, you may remember I criticized Virginia Tech president Charles Steger for allowing a performer who traffics in blatant violence like Nas to appear at a concert supposed to soothe students affected by the mass murder last April.

The whole thing is beyond ridiculous. Steger must be very proud of himself.

By the way, Nas told MTV, "Everybody has a marketing plan; O'Reilly's marketing plan is racism."

This guy is not ridiculous. He's despicable.

—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com