The hearing on Iraq depicted just how deeply divided Americans remain on the war.

In the back of Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building were the anti-war protesters. Women wore ghostly makeup and black shawls similar to traditional Muslim garb. Some had red-stained hands and quietly held up signs that read "LIES," "Surge of Suffering," and "Lead U.S. out of Iraq."

Two of the protesters interrupted proceedings at different times during the Armed Services Committee hearing, with one man dragged out by Capitol Police officers as he shouted, "Bring them home!" Members of the anti-war group Code Pink scoffed loudly at suggestions by Gen. David Petraeus that Iran was aiding the insurgency in Iraq.

On the other side of the room sat several men wearing World War II veteran hats with American flag ties.

After the hearing ended, the women wearing the black shawls broke into a song that called for an end to the war. Hoping to act as a counterpoint, one woman stood up and started singing the national anthem while holding an American flag.

Later, the same woman berated a police officer for allowing the anti-war protesters to disrupt the proceedings and shouted at the protesters, "I hope you like those headdresses because if we lose, you'll be wearing them forever!"

Notably absent from the day's events was MoveOn.org, a grass-roots anti-war group that rose to prominence during the 2006 elections. Last September, the group took out a full-page ad calling Petraeus "Gen. Betray Us" and accusing him of "cooking the books for the White House."

The ad backfired in that it provided a rallying point among Republicans, many of whom had been skeptical of the war's progress but thought the ad was a tasteless personal attack on a respected military veteran.