Sunday Talk: Dianne Feinstein, Lindsey Graham & Bob Woodward on the Petraeus Aftershocks (VIDEO)

Feinstein: Petraeus Resignation a ‘Heartbreak’

On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) backed down from her comments that President Obama should not have accepted Gen. David Petraeus’ resignation, saying that the CIA chief did the right thing by stepping down. Still, Feinstein, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called him a “great leader” and admitted that “this is very, very hard.”

Graham: Petraeus Must Testify

The election may be over, but the oh-so-politicized consulate attack in Benghazi hasn’t faded from public scrutiny. On Face the Nation, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that while we don’t need to keep debating Petraeus’s moral failings, “we’ve got to get to the bottom of Benghazi.” And for Graham, that means putting the former general on the stand. With Senate hearings slated to begin this week, Mike Morell, acting director of the CIA, is down to testify in Petraeus’s place—but Graham argues it’s “absolutely essential that [Petraeus himself] testify before the Congress.”

Woodward: What Exactly Does Petraeus Know?

You’re not off the hook yet, Petraeus. On Meet the Press, esteemed journalist Bob Woodward didn’t disagree with Graham, arguing that it might be worthwhile to try Petraeus as a private citizen. The former general was known for “dig[ging] deep,” Woodward explained, and the information he holds after a visit to Tripoli last week is too valuable to be kept silent. “Only Petraeus, if he has the data, can stop this Benghazi frenzy,” said Woodward.

Menendez: Obama Has Two Mandates

Does Obama have a mandate to push his agenda? That question has resounded since the election. On Sunday, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey told State of the Union’s Candy Crowley that Obama actually has two mandates. The first is to “work together” with Republicans to get things done. The second, according to Menendez, is “to ask those who have wealth in our country to help their country at this time.”

Will a Tax Hike Slash 700,000 Jobs?

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia joined This Week to talk about the impending fiscal cliff. Chambliss brought evidence to the table, claiming that Ernst & Young concluded that “we immediately lose 700,000 jobs in America” if the government raises taxes on the rich. Speaker John Boehner sort-of said he was willing to compromise on dealing with the economy earlier this week, but Chambliss reverted to good old party politics: “There’s a right way to do this, and there’s a wrong way to do it.”

Behind the Karl Rove Meltdown

Karl Rove’s election night freak-out may have been good television—but was it good journalism? On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz discussed the ethics of hiring TV commentators with a hefty financial stake in the race. Rove, the man behind the super PAC American Crossroads, dropped about $300 million in the 2012 election backing Republican candidates. But just because he’s a political actor doesn’t mean he can’t also be a pundit, right? Wrong, Kurtz’s panelists argued: it’s just another display of shoddy partisanship.

Axelrod: ‘A Wonderful Coda on a Great Campaign’

On Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer asked Obama Senior Campaign Adviser David Axelrod about the president’s teary-eyed speech to campaign staff. “I was brushing tears away myself,” said Axelrod, affirming the emotional power of the moment. “He met with every single kid in that headquarters, gave them a hug and a handshake and a thanks.”