Are the Petraeus Hearings Just More Distractions?

I missed the Petreus hearings earlier today, so I'm trying to play catch up this evening. As I'm looking through some of the reaction, though, I'm not finding that much. It's possible that I'm simply looking in the wrong places, but The New York Times and The Washington Post aren't exactly slouches. Am I misreading to feel that the whole thing is an anticlimax? Are either Petraeus or Crocker even bothering to pretend there might be an end to any of this? Even a number of Republicans are getting annoyed, but they're also resigned to their powerlessness in the face of administration intransigence.

Of course, in case you haven't noticed, there's an election going on, so this was a great place to distinguish yourself if you happen to be running. As expected, McCain thinks everything's going pretty well over in Iraq, and both Clinton and Obama think the troops should come home quickly. Will much more be accomplished when Petraeus and Crocker talk to the House? I'm not betting on it.