Aaah, I remember General Petraeus. He was the one responsible for

[jerryme1]

training the Iraqi Troops to stand up so that American forces could stand down. It appears he failed in his mission as American troops are standing up in Iraq in ever greater numbers. Why, all of a sudden, has he be christened the savior of the Iraq debacle?
And, when has he recently had time to write THE Army's definitive counterinsurgency manual? I doubt he wrote anything. Rather, I suspect Bushco concocted that mumbo jumbo to build his credibility pre-christening. All is absurd; even Kakfa would have trouble navigating the last six years.

[senseandsensibility]

1. Thanks for the reminder

The corporate media seems to be portraying him as some kind of savior. That alone should make us suspicious.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Betrayus.

[sanskritwarrior]

12. Interesting choice of words

Petraeus is beloeved by most enlisted military members as he actually cares about the issues that effect us enlisted types. He has fixed more Frakked up crap in Iraq at the request of Sergeants and Corporals than anyone in my military career......I love the guy myself and am willing to do one more deployment (end of this year) because I know he is in command. I would personally follow the man to hell with an empty water bucket based on what he has done for us in uniform.......

[Traveling_Home]

3. Wasn't he the one who

The Dems and Repubs just unanimously approved for his position in IRAQ. I like to think that at least some of our elected Democratic leaders aren't completely stupid and ignorant but you can try and convince me otherwise if that is your purpose.

[jerryme1]

4. I suspect Petraeus is the best we have. However, I wonder why some

have a tendency to rely on an individual "savior?" There is no reason to beleive the General Petreaus is the answer for Iraq, despite his being a great soldier and leader.

[Traveling_Home]

5. "I suspect......There is no reason to beleive ..."

Nice opinion - too bad you have no information to base that on.

How about "I don't understand why my Democratic leaders unanimously voted for General Petraeus but then I have very little knowledge of the man. I think I'll call my Democratic Senator and asked them what his qualifications are and why they trusted him"

Then get back to me.

[jerryme1]

6. I guess one could make the argument that most all of Bushco's generals are a bunch of stooges.

Upon reflection, that argument is probably strongest. I suspect my senators could not help me with your questions.

[Traveling_Home]

7. Then why the hell did ALL our Democratic leaders......

or are you inmpying they are stooges too since they approved Petraeus with extremely high praise as I'm sure you remember from the hearings. Were they lying to us? I don't believe you.

You certainly could not make that argument that all of Bush generals are stooges since you base your arguments on nothing.

Here's your method of argument - It is always better to propose a position with no information, try to support it with a rant, and then use some excuse to not try to find out an answer.

Why do you want to act that way?

[Morgana LaFey]

8. Yeah, anyone with an opposing opinion was run out of the services

Starting first with a nice purge once Rummy got there, and then continuing with Shinseki and others who left on their own.

[Lars39]

10. iirc, there's been at least 2 major purges.

[mudesi]

9. Because he was the only general among many who supports Bush's failed policies

Remember, the Iraq study group, as well as the majority of Generals agreed that Iraq is not winnable. Bush did what he usually does - He hired someone loyal to him and him only. Bush is The King, not the president.

[Solly Mack]

11. Petraeus wrote a paper titled, "Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq,"

Paper
Digital download of full paper

...and he signed off on the FM on counterinsurgency(based on his paper for the most part), said FM incorporating much from Petraeus' paper.(Field Manual 3-24)

Petreaus is a fan of Abrams(Vietnam / Abrams)- even uses Abram's strategy from Vietnam ( Abrams' clear and hold strategy is now called clear, hold and build by Petraeus) and Lewis Sorley, author of the book, "A Better War", explaining why Vietnam could have been won.(and who is to blame for not winning - "the lack of will of the American people" and the anti-war movement and not "staying the course")

If anyone at all doubts that Iraq is part and parcel to the right wing notion that America went to hell in the 60's and that failure in Vietnam was the fault of the American people for not "staying the course" and those damned hippies...well, lose the doubts because it is

It's important to know exactly where these people are coming from.

Neo-cons are re-fighting Vietnam and will continue to re-fight Vietnam as many times as they think they need to - they believe a "win" in Iraq will erase the loss in Vietnam...so any talk of a loss in Iraq must be fault against tooth and nailed - it must be denied...because they want to prove Vietnam could have been won by using the exact same thinking in Iraq.

Republicans have no FDR - no modern day Great War President. Not even Lincoln qualifies as he was so long ago that no living person can speak on those times from memory. However, people still remember FDR - and people still remember Vietnam. And that's the problem for them - people can still remember.

They need Bush to be their Great War President - and they want Iraq to be proof that Vietnam could have been won...because then they will claim the "hippies" / anti-war people during Vietnam were wrong...and that then claim they are also right that American went to hell during the 60's. Think about how often they point to the 60's as "the problem" with America...

They need "Father Knows Best" - otherwise, they have no reason to exist. They need the people to not question authority - authority as they define it. They want the order they want imposed(patriarchal and obedient) , otherwise, all they see is a world gone crazy and out of sync.

It's easier for them to rip the country off when the people are obedient and unquestioning - it's easier for them if people all conform to the same standard - a standard they define and impose. Then the world makes sense to them. It's a world they can feel comfortable in...it's a manufactured world, yes...but that's the only kind of world they feel safe in...one they control. And think how obedient and non-questioning, flag-waving workers would serve the interests of business...the interests of a police state...


Yes, they want the oil...Yes, they want to exploit a time of "war" to erode rights and reshape society into the "good old days" (as they define them)...and yes, they want someone handy to blame when it all falls a part (as it is)...but the end game ain't here yet. And don't think for a minute that they won't lie about how it ends the same way they lied about how it began (Iraq) - they will and they will because it will suit their purpose - just as it did after Vietnam.

Bush wasn't lying when he said early on that there was a cultural "war" going on in America...because he's part of the group waging that war against the people. Nothing Bush has done has been unconnected - it's all connected. It's all part of a bigger goal.

Another culture war attitude of Bush

"A lot of people in America see this as a confrontation between good and evil, including me," Bush said during a 1 1/2 -hour Oval Office conversation on cultural changes and a battle with terrorists that he sees lasting decades. "There was a stark change between the culture of the '50s and the '60s -- boom -- and I think there's change happening here," he added. "It seems to me that there's a Third Awakening."



more on Sorley's book
Bush adminsitration - Iraqi "strategists" - reading Sorley's book

"Meanwhile, David Ignatius recently reported in the Washington Post that the "hot book" among top Iraq strategists this season is Lewis Sorley's A Better War, which argues that we were on the verge of winning the Vietnam War just as political pressures forced Richard Nixon to pull out."