U.S.- IRAQ: Adm. Fallon Derided Petraeus, "an ass-kissing little chickenshit"...

[bridgit]

'WASHINGTON, Sep 12 (IPS) - In sharp contrast to the lionisation of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the U.S. Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus's superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad last March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting.

Fallon told Petraeus that he considered him to be "an ass-kissing little chickenshit" and added, "I hate people like that", the sources say. That remark reportedly came after Petraeus began the meeting by making remarks that Fallon interpreted as trying to ingratiate himself with a superior.

That extraordinarily contentious start of Fallon's mission to Baghdad led to more meetings marked by acute tension between the two commanders. Fallon went on develop his own alternative to Petraeus's recommendation for continued high levels of U.S. troops in Iraq during the summer.

The enmity between the two commanders became public knowledge when the Washington Post reported Sep. 9 on intense conflict within the administration over Iraq. The story quoted a senior official as saying that referring to "bad relations" between them is "the understatement of the century".

Fallon's derision toward Petraeus reflected both the CENTCOM commander's personal distaste for Petraeus's style of operating and their fundamental policy differences over Iraq, according to the sources.

The policy context of Fallon's extraordinarily abrasive treatment of his subordinate was Petraeus's agreement in February to serve as front man for the George W. Bush administration's effort to sell its policy of increasing U.S. troop strength in Iraq to Congress.'

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39235

[LSparkle]

1. I agree with Randi Rhodes -- get Fallon to testify before Congress

We need a SECOND OPINION re Iraq ...

[Disturbed]

3. I am surprised that Fallon hasn't retired yet to spend more time

with his family. I won't be surprised when he retires within a few months.

[hisownpetard]

2. This is explosive, crucial information. Imagine, Bush installing a general in Mitch McConnell's

office and urging senators to go seek him out and listen to him. Bush is so incredibly stupid and inept
that he couldn't explain his views himself, but needed to appoint a "designated driver" to drive his point home.
What a friggin' imbecile he is - and so are the senators who complied with his wishes.

Have you sent this post to KO? He needs to see this! I wish he could get Fallon to go on Countdown.
It would put Petraeus in the puerile, jaundiced light in which he should be seen.

Thanks for posting this revealing information.

[bridgit]

4. That 'general in McConnell's closet' thing was too weird, last night on Hardball...

some NYC advert exec said that bush has won the game for the same reason Oliver North pulled one out, ostensibly, for his dad & Reagan ala Iran Contra...the uniform; these are people with no shame, they will use whatever is at their disposal to accomplish their ends

[hisownpetard]

5. Didn't see Hardball last night. What's the "general in the closet" thing? nt

[bridgit]

6. from elsewhere in the report; Petraeus was installed in Mitch McConnell's office...

to lay plans for the packaging of the surge, Petraeus having so integral a part in the development of the insurgent field manuel with his military career hinged upon it "senators were then approached on the floor and invited to go McConnell's office to hear Petraeus make the case for the surge policy"

as serious & deadly as it has been, it's been a dog & pony show from the Gitmo

[hisownpetard]

8. Yeah, I got that from the article, but I thought something specific must've been said

from the "general in the closet" reference. No?

[xchrom]

7. i'm sure fallon is right -- petraeus wants to be president after all.

so an ass kissing little chickenshit is probably spot on for a guy trying to get from baghdad to the white house.

[bridgit]

9. did you notice how quickly he was rankled at the prospect of having to answer q's...

if that petraeus dude wants to be prez...we need to make sure his plans are thwarted, Titus Andronicus he ain't

[xchrom]

10. oh god that was funny! -- indeed titus he ain't. n/t

[bridgit]

11. quickly...

love you my darling you :loveya:

[xchrom]

13. bridgit!!!

:loveya:

[Terri S]

12. article in HuffPost on Fallon too..

Link to HuffPost Article

And why is Webb the only one insisting on hearing what he has to say??

from Think Progress:

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) announced today that he will be asking Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to call Fallon to testify on “his views on the region.” Webb decried the lack of independence in Petraeus’s reporting, observing that there are “a lot of control factors going on that haven’t been visible” from the one-sided testimony of Petraeus:

WEBB: here’s something of a kabuki going on right now. You know, the Petraeus report was brought in. On the one hand they’re calling it independent; on the other, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, from my understanding, gave a one-hour exclusive interview to Fox News after their first day of testimony. <…>

So it was a very narrow and focused two days of hearings…we need to hear from people like Admiral Fallon and others to get a sense of how the region is in play. … He was, by many accounts, questioning keeping these troop levels this high. <…>

So I’m going to be recommending to Senator Levin that we get Admiral Fallon in and get his views on the region.

[Hubert Flottz]

14. "an ass-kissing little chickenshit"

That is about the same way I read the "General" from the word go...