Showing posts with label Iraq War General David H Petraeus. Show all posts

Sunday, November 25, 2012

“Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach

“Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach Sunday, November 18, 2012 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/Where-the-hell-is-Olivia-Pope-when-you-really-need-her_13007341

“E-mails are the spawn of Satan.”

“Similarly, the more important a position or office a man holds, the more likely he is to do some dumb shit.”

“I think what happens in a public figure's personal life should be just that: personal. Not in the public arena. I don't care what anyone wants to say: … What good purpose, other than the cruel sport of ho-shaming, can the public picking apart of these people serve for the figures, their families?

This and much more from: “Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach Sunday, November 18, 2012 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/Where-the-hell-is-Olivia-Pope-when-you-really-need-her_13007341

See also: Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos http://tinyurl.com/abc78l8

http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5475

“General Chaos” by Kevin E. Dayhoff November 21, 2012 http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

On Monday, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a statement in which he said that the “recent allegations” swirling-around high-ranking military officers are “not a distraction.”

[…]

It was just days after the election when it was publically revealed that CIA Director David Petraeus was resigning his post because he had conducted an extra-marital affair with Lt. Col. Paula Broadwell, his biographer, from late 2011 until last summer… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5475

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/11/kevin-dayhoff-tentacle-general-petraeus.html

Labels: CIA, Iraq War General David H Petraeus, Iraq War Sept. 2007 Petraeus Report, Marriage, Men and women, Military, People

Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos http://tinyurl.com/abc78l8

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Who is Holly Petraeus? by Adriana Velez at CaféMom.com

Who Is Holly Petraeus? The Scorned General's Wife Isn't All She Seems

Posted by Adriana Velez on November 14, 2012 http://www.cafemom.com/group/107447/forums/read/17577096/Smarter_Mom_Handling_The_Not_So_Perfect_Trip?prism_id=146665&utm_medium=sem2&utm_campaign=prism&utm_source=outbrain&utm_content=1668.2822

As the Petraeus sex scandal continues to spiral, there's one person I keep wondering about: David's wife of 37 years, Holly Petraeus. How is she taking this scandal? Is she furious, heartbroken -- is she surprised? Did she ever suspect her husband was fooling around?

You've seen the photos of Holly: A grandmotherly woman with a gray bob and swept bangs, almost always smiling, glasses perched on her nose. She reminds me of oatmeal cookies -- sweet, wholesome, and a little old-fashioned. But dainty? Forget it. Behind that kind smile is a woman made of iron. She's an Army wife. Not just an Army wife, but a four-star General's wife who's managed to forge her own path and identity.

Holly is what they call military royalty. Her father is retired four-star General William Knowlton, formerly the superintendent of the United States Military Academy when Petraeus was a cadet there. He also served as a NATO commander. Holly's ancestors fought in the Civil War, Spanish American War, and the Indian Wars.

She met David as a student when she was visiting her family from Dickinson College… http://www.cafemom.com/group/107447/forums/read/17577096/Smarter_Mom_Handling_The_Not_So_Perfect_Trip?prism_id=146665&utm_medium=sem2&utm_campaign=prism&utm_source=outbrain&utm_content=1668.2822

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Saturday, November 17, 2012

News from The Hill: Five unanswered questions after the Petraeus hearings

News from The Hill:

Five unanswered questions after the Petraeus hearings

By Jeremy Herb and Jordy Yager

The testimony this week of former CIA director David Petraeus left a number of unanswered questions about his resignation and the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Democrats and Republicans remained at odds over the Obama administration’s characterization of the attack after being brief by Petraeus, sparking a new round of questions about who in the administration knew what, and when.

Five questions will drive the Petraeus story going forward.

Read the story here.

For all the latest news:
Visit TheHill.com
Follow @TheHill on Twitter
Like The Hill on Facebook
Connect with The Hill on Google+

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Washington Post: FBI probe of Petraeus triggered by e-mail threats from biographer, officials say

FBI probe of Petraeus triggered by e-mail threats from biographer, officials say

The collapse of the career of CIA Director David Petraeus was triggered when a woman with whom he was having an affair sent threatening e-mails to another woman close to him, according to three senior law enforcement officials with knowledge of the episode.

The recipient of the e-mails was so frightened that she went to the FBI for protection and help tracking down the sender, according to the officials. The FBI investigation traced the threats to Paula Broadwell, a former military officer and Petraeus biographer, and uncovered explicit e-mails between Broadwell and Petraeus, the officials said.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

McChrystal spoke truth to power

McChrystal spoke truth to power http://tinyurl.com/2757nx8

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and the inconvenient truth about “Mission Impossible”

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/06/mcchrystal-spoke-truth-to-power.html

Jun 23, 2010 ... President Barack Obama stripped Army General Stanley McChrystal of his command of US troops in Afghanistan for making disparaging remarks ... Gee, one may only imagine that journalists will have great access to the military now – maybe not…

What we are left with is a mixed bag.

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal got into trouble with the president and the leadership of the Democrat Party because he publicly said what many in the military and foreign policy development and execution have been saying privately for over a year.

The president had no choice but to relieve him of command.

Of course if Gen. McChrystal had uttered such observations during the Bush Administration, there would no end to the praise adulation from the very same Democrat leaders.

In the parlance of those on the left: McChrystal spoke truth to power.

McChrystal out; Petraeus picked for Afghanistan - Yahoo! News
Jun 23, 2010 ... President Barack Obama ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top US commander in Afghanistan on Wednesday, saying that his scathing ...

Would that be this General Betray Us? http://tinyurl.com/2f9atzy

Or this General Betray Us? McCain Asks When Clinton Will Apologize to Petraeus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcXzoHjqhE&feature=related

Gee, I’m guessing that the appointment of General Petraeus requires a certain “suspension of disbelief.”

The Obama administration's attitude towards the military makes the Clinton administration's view look respectful...

That said, what McChrystal did was wrong. The military protects freedom of speech - it does not practice it.

Not to perseverate upon the issue, however, if the American public were to be aware of the increasingly - absolutely seething intellectual revolt of the American military over the military practices and policy of the Obama administration, it would make the alarm over the economy present like Romper Room.

If the traditional media continues to cover-up for the president, it will only add gasoline to the fire.

I have wanted to write about it; however, I usually avoid anonymous sources... (The most vocal are former Obama supporters.)

I have been observing the military closely since the late 1960s and I find the current unrest in the military unnerving.

The grunts on the frontline in Afghanistan call the war effort, “Mission Impossible.”

In spite of his extraordinary service as a black ops warrior, I have not been a McChrystal fan of the role he has played as the top military commander in Afghanistan.

However firing Gen. McChrystal for expressing the opinion of an increasingly large majority of military could precipitate an even bigger crisis.

How the president handles this current matter is critical. To paraphrase someone wiser: “The inconvenient truth is that when it comes to the substance of his criticism, most in the military think McChrystal ‘was right.’”

While we are attempting to sort it all out, be sure to read the Baltimore Reporter’s June 23, 2010 post: Obama’s Rules of Engagement In Afghanistan Will Ensure Our Failure (Filed under: General, bad foreign policy, Democratic weakness in Defense and the War on Terror) — Robert Farrow from Flopping Aces: The new rules of fighting a war….Obama style, via George F. Will: (h/t The Captain’s Journal.)

It may be found here: http://www.baltimorereporter.com/?p=8158

~~~~~~

Related: "Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal (had) been summoned to Washington to explain a Rolling Stone article that includes highly critical comments by him and his staff about Vice President Biden, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry and other top Obama administration officials." - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/22/AR2010062200813.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

~~~~~~

McChrystal's Job in Peril After Obama Slam

Obama leaving options open on firing McChrystal, Gibbs says
By Michael D. Shear, Ernesto Londo?o and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Foreign Service
June 22, 2010 5:05 AM
President Obama reacted angrily to derogatory comments by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, about administration officials involved in Afghan policy and is leaving his options open about firing him, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

Is Gen. Stanley McChrystal someone the president can afford to fire?
By Greg Jaffe and Ernesto Londono Washington Post Staff Writer
June 22, 2010 11:25 AM
Is Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal someone the president can afford to fire?

Obama the sphinx By Richard Cohen
June 21, 2010 4:33 PM
Like his foreign policy, Obama's intellectualism lacks heart.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal comments in Rolling Stone magazine
Ernesto Londono
Washington Post Foreign Service
June 22, 2010 10:09 AM
Washington Post foreign correspondent Ernesto Londono discusses the latest developments regarding Stanley McChrystal's interview with Rolling Stone magazine in which the top general criticized Obama administration policies in Afghanistan.

McChrystal's press aide resigns amid flap
By Ernesto Londono
Washington Post Foreign Service
June 22, 2010 9:33 AM
KABUL -- Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's civilian press aide resigned Tuesday over an upcoming magazine story that portrayed the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and some of his aides as derisive toward Obama administration officials.

Labels: Iraq War General David H Petraeus, Military McChrystal Gen Stanley, Politics Liberal hypocrisy, Pres 2009 44 Obama-Barack, World Middle East Afghanistan

20100622 drft sdsom Gen Stanley A McChrystal notes

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Or this General Betray Us?: McCain Asks When Clinton Will Apologize to Petraeus

Or this General Betray Us? McCain Asks When Clinton Will Apologize to Petraeus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcXzoHjqhE&feature=related

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Would that be this General Betray Us?

Would that be this General Betray Us?

I’m just asking?

Oddly enough, MoveOn.org still had this Sept. 2007 ad up as of June 18, according to their Google cache. But if you go to http://pol.moveon.org/petraeus.html now, it’s gone. They kept it there for almost 3 years before taking it down all of a sudden.

Wonder why?

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/06/23/mcchrystal-out-petraeus-in-moveon-org-scrambling/

McChrystal out, Petraeus in, MoveOn.org scrambling

The Daily Caller - Published: 06/23/10 at 3:46 PM

Our own Jon Ward reports:

President Obama relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his command of the war in Afghanistan Wednesday because of insubordinate remarks by him and his aides in a Rolling Stone article published earlier this week.

“I accepted General Stanley McChrstal’s resignation,” Obama said to reporters in the Rose Garden…

The president is replacing McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus.
That’s right, this Gen. David Petraeus:

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/06/23/mcchrystal-out-petraeus-in-moveon-org-scrambling/

http://dailycaller.com/2010/06/23/mcchrystal-out-petraeus-in-moveon-org-scrambling/

20100623 sdosm General BetrayUs

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Friday, April 09, 2010

Caroline Glick: David Petreaus and Israel

« David Petreaus and Israel | Home | David Petreaus and Israel »

April 9, 2010, 5:53 PM

One of my pet peeves with the US military, that I raise every time I find myself speaking to US military officers, is that they bowed to Arab pressure and wiped Israel off the Middle East map. This they did a number of years ago, when they decided that Israel would be attached to the US military's European Command while every single Arab state is located in Central Command.

... [...] ... "With this introduction, I commend to everyone, Andy McCarthy's authoritative and important analysis of Gen. David Petreaus's hostility towards Israel. I have basically ignored the controversy regarding his remarks and particularly, Max Boot's attack on Diana West for calling Petreaus to task for his unfair, incorrect and indeed libellous statements about Israel's responsibility for Arab violence... [...] ...

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

20080406 Politics versus Petraeus

Politics vs. Petraeus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR8p0bro9RM

Added: April 06, 2008

Politics vs. Petraeus. The latest video from the Republican National Committee

I still wonder… see:

20080324 McCain asks when Clinton will apologize to Petraeus

March 24, 2008

Hat Tip:

http://www.memeorandum.com/080326/p10#a080326p10

Brianinmo / BLOGS FOR JOHN McCAIN:

McCain Asks When Hillary Clinton Will Apologize to Gen. Petraeus - Video — Here is Sen. John McCain on March 24, 2008 asking when Sen. Hillary Clinton will apologize to Gen. David Petraeus for her remarks last year ridiculing the idea that “The Surge” strategy in Iraq was working.

****

Courtesy of “Blogs for McCain”

McCain Asks When Hillary Clinton Will Apologize to Gen. Petraeus - Video

http://blogsforjohnmccain.com/mccain-asks-when-hillary-clinton-will-apologize-gen-petraeus-video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcXzoHjqhE

Here is Sen. John McCain on March 24, 2008 asking when Sen. Hillary Clinton will apologize to Gen. David Petraeus for her remarks last year ridiculing the idea that "The Surge" strategy in Iraq was working. McCain also said both Clinton and Obama are advocating a policy of "disaster and defeat" in Iraq.

UPDATE: For reference, here is Hillary Clinton's statement to Gen. David Petraeus on Sept. 11, 2007:

Hillary Calls Petraeus Report Unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0isifAC8IQ

Sen. Hillary Clinton told GEN Petraeus Tuesday in the Senate Armed Services Committee testimony that his testimony required the "willing suspenion of disbelief." After naming it a failed policy in Iraq, Petraeus pointed out that she knows Congress...

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Monday, March 24, 2008

20080324 McCain asks when Clinton will apologize to Petraeus

McCain asks when Clinton will apologize to Petraeus

March 24, 2008

Hat Tip:

http://www.memeorandum.com/080326/p10#a080326p10

Brianinmo / BLOGS FOR JOHN McCAIN:

****

Courtesy of “Blogs for McCain”

McCain Asks When Hillary Clinton Will Apologize to Gen. Petraeus - Video

http://blogsforjohnmccain.com/mccain-asks-when-hillary-clinton-will-apologize-gen-petraeus-video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcXzoHjqhE

UPDATE: For reference, here is Hillary Clinton's statement to Gen. David Petraeus on Sept. 11, 2007:

Hillary Calls Petraeus Report Unbelievable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0isifAC8IQ

_____

Discussion: The Impolitic, Sister Toldjah, Comments from Left Field, Hot Air, Macsmind, Stop The ACLU, Forum: News/Activism and No More Mister Nice Blog

Discussion:

Libby Spencer / The Impolitic:

Sister Toldjah:

Tas / Comments from Left Field: I Can Has Accountability?

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Macranger / Macsmind:

Jay / Stop The ACLU:

Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog:

All Related Discussion

Glenn Greenwald / Salon: What can and cannot be spoken on television

Reuters: Chavez says U.S. relations could worsen with McCain

Discussion: Hot Air and BLOGS FOR JOHN McCAIN

Monday, March 17, 2008

20080315 Join me in wishing Admiral William Fallon well in his long overdue retirement

Join me in wishing Admiral William Fallon well in his long overdue retirement

March 16^th, 2008

Columnist Michael Barone has written an intelligent analysis about the “abrupt resignation of Adm. William Fallon as the head of Central Command…”

I for one, sure hope the doorknob does not hit him on the behind while he is on his way out…

Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates announced his resignation last Tuesday, March 11, 2008 as the commander of Central Command.

No doubt his resignation was toasted by many in the military that evening.

Secretary Gates was, as usual, rather forthcoming as to the resignation stating Admiral Fallon’s reasons involved the controversies that have resulted from the recent, March 11, 2008, article in Esquire magazine: “The Man Between War and Peace,” by Thomas P.M. Barnett.

Gee – ya think?

Others in the military will quietly tell ya Admiral Fallon got confused and thought it was his job to set military and foreign policy instead of implementing it.

He did everything possible to undermine his bosses, Secretary of Defense Gates and President George W. Bush; and cut the knees out from under General David Petraeus. All the while, he overlooked several aspects of his job, such as was reported in the Washington Times - “Warriors welcome Fallon's resignation” by Sara Carter, March 13, 2008:

“Current and former military officials welcomed the resignation of Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, saying he failed to prevent foreign fighters and munitions from entering Iraq.”

To be certain, not to be overlooked is the fact that Admiral Fallon has led a storied career in the military and that we should all appreciate - and thank him for his service.

Nevertheless, we can wish him the best of luck in his retirement, which is, by many accounts, long overdue. Maybe now he can be a military analyst for Katie Couric or the New York Times – or Code Pink. He’ll fit in quite comfortably.

_____

The Importance of Fallon's Fall by Michael Barone, Saturday, March 15, 2008

The abrupt resignation of Adm. William Fallon as the head of Central Command almost got lost amid the breaking news of Barack Obama's victory in the Mississippi primary and Eliot Spitzer's resignation as governor of New York. But it's a much more consequential development -- in the foreign and military policy of the Bush administration in its final year in office and in the relations between civilian commanders and military officers in the long run of American history.

Though everyone involved denies it, Fallon was kicked out for insubordination, or something very close to it. His conduct became impossible to overlook after the publication of a jauntily written article in Esquire by Thomas P.M. Barnett, author of "The Pentagon's New Map."

Barnett paints Fallon as a seasoned officer who coolly and wisely has been frustrating George W. Bush's desire to invade Iran. He points out that Fallon opposed the surge in Iraq ordered by Bush in January 2007 and that he has tried to rein in Gen. David Petraeus, whose leadership of the surge has produced such impressive results. He seems to take it for granted that readers will applaud Fallon for opposing a move that converted likely defeat to a high chance of success.

Fallon also made it plain that he wants to withdraw troops from Iraq, as soon as possible -- even though Defense Secretary Robert Gates has approved Petraeus' request for a pause after currently scheduled troop withdrawals end in July.

Fallon is not the first subordinate to work openly to undercut the commander in chief…

[…]

Read his entire column here: The Importance of Fallon's Fall

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20080315 Join me in wishing Admiral William Fallon well in his long overdue retirement

Friday, December 21, 2007

20071220 My vote for person of the year: David Petraeus

My vote for person of the year David Petraeus

The annual naming of a person of the year is usually the stuff of a good conversation at a holiday party – otherwise, I tend to not get wrapped around the axle about it all.

However, cruising the web the other day, I came across this post on the Vets for Freedom website: href="http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/news/blogitem.aspx?id=145">Man Of The Year: David Petraeus.

I could not agree more…

Man Of The Year: David Petraeus

Vets for Freedom: 12/14/2007 8:07:17 PM

http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/news/blogitem.aspx?id=145

Time magazine hasn’t announced its pick for “man of the year” yet, but we certainly know ours: Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the multinational force in Iraq and architect of the surge strategy that is turning the tide in the war.

Petraeus formulated a brilliant counterinsurgency plan. He executed it with care and diligence. And when much of the country didn’t want to notice the security gains that the surge had wrought, he took the national media spotlight to defend his strategy and his honor. In all this, he was nothing less than masterly.

When Petraeus testified on Capitol Hill in early September, much of the media and the Left simply refused to believe that violence in Iraq was down.

[…]

And the day Petraeus’s testimony began, MoveOn.org ran its infamous “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” ad. It said that “every independent report on the ground situation in Iraq shows that the surge strategy has failed”; that Petraeus “is constantly at war with the facts”; and that the general “is cooking the books for the White House.”

Throughout his testimony, Petraeus continued to suffer slanders from members of Congress who cared about politics more than truth.

Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped just short of calling him a liar, saying that to believe his report required “a willing suspension of disbelief.”

Less than a month later, however, Petraeus’s critics had been effectively silenced. To its great credit, The Washington Post acknowledged this in a blistering editorial:

[…]

Read the entire post here: Man Of The Year: David Petraeus

Saturday, September 22, 2007

20070916 Sister Souljah moments by Joan Vennochi

Sister Souljah moments By Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist | September 16, 2007

Posted here on Soundtrack, September 22, 2007 because earlier yesterday, I saw a news clip of presidential candidate New York Senator Hillary Clinton, once again, refuse to denounce the New York subsidized MoveOn.org “Petraeus Ad,” in a barrage of double-speak…

Sister Souljah moments: BILL CLINTON invented the Sister Souljah moment. Is having one still a political requirement or more a political cliche?

Back in 1992, Clinton made headlines when he chastised rap artist and community activist Sister Souljah for saying, "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" His rebuke came in an appearance before Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition: "If you took the words, 'white' and 'black' and you reversed them, you might think David Duke was giving that speech," the then-presidential candidate said.

This so-called "Sister Souljah moment" - a calculated denunciation of an extremist position or special interest group - wrapped Clinton in a warm centrist glow just in time for the general election.

Now, Republicans are pushing Democrats, especially Hillary Clinton, to repudiate the "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" ad unveiled by MoveOn.org, which represents the antiwar left.

In a scathing statement about Clinton's failure to reject the ad, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said, "If you're not tough enough to repudiate a scurrilous, outrageous attack such as that, then I don't know how you're tough enough to be president of the United States."

[…]

Read the rest here: Sister Souljah moments

Hillary's Sister Souljah Moment?

Seems presidential candidate New York Senator Hillary Clinton keeps having these “Sister Souljah Moments” or rather the lack of them.

Then again, an opportunistic Senator Clinton will say anything and stand for nothing except whatever it takes to win the presidency. No values, no morals, no ethics except to crassly promote an overbearing and burdensome big government agenda in which our quality of life and safety will be at risk.

Hillary's Sister Souljah Moment?

This video was loaded on to YouTube 4 months ago and yet in light of her steadfast refusal to denounce MoveOn.org’s ad which slimed General Petraeus...

After criticizing Don Imus, Senator Clinton recently accepted donations raised with the help of rapper Timbaland, whose lyrics contain the same language that Imus used. If Senator Clinton is serious about condemning Imus' remarks, she should return the money from those like Timbaland and Hugh Hefner whose views of women are no less sexist and small-minded.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

20070910 Petraeus Doesnt Cook the Books Just the facts by Michael O’Hanlon

NRO (Michael O’Hanlon – Brookings): Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

September 10, 2007 6:00 AM

Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books

Just the facts.

By Michael O'Hanlon

For those reading this after watching General David Petraeus’s Monday testimony, I strongly suspect that my main argument will have become apparent to many: General Petraeus is a straight shooter who does not and will not cook the books.

From what we know of his thinking already, Petraeus will talk of significant military momentum for combined U.S./Iraqi forces. But this momentum will be placed in the context of a still very lethal and dangerous battlefield. Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, will also highlight the absence of Iraqi political progress, progress without which our long-term aspirations for that country will almost surely fail. He will have enough evidence to back up this claim of military momentum, on the plus side, combined with ongoing extreme danger on the streets and political paralysis in the halls of parliament on the other side, that his argument will sound right to most who hear it. And while he will surely favor continuing the effort, he will not present the evidence about Iraq in a way that attempts to invalidate the judgment of those who would disagree. War opponents will be able to accept most of the specific evidence he presents yet retain their positions that a rapid and large-scale American withdrawal from Iraq is warranted. That is because, in the end, our decisions about Iraq must be based more on a judgment call about politics and human psychology than on hard science or data.

On the violence, in keeping with a Saturday New York Times article by Michael Gordon that reflects current DoD data on the country, Petraeus will argue that the overall situation has improved substantially this year. He will be right to do so, based on virtually any primary-source data I have seen (in my capacity as co-author of Brookings’s “Iraq Index”).

Be sure to read the entire piece here: Petraeus Doesn’t Cook the Books Just the facts.

20070910 Observing The Petraeus Crocker Report Hearings

Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Report to Congress

September 10, 2007

I’ve been watching the Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Report to Congress and as I keyboard at around 4 PM, it would appear that things have settled down after an enormously unfortunate series of unpleasant disruptions and technical glitches.

At times it would appear that the House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) had lost a degree of control over the hearings.

It looks like the circus came to town…

Code Pink removed from Petraeus hearing

Patraeus (sic) hearing glitch - Showing the Iraq War in action

This video was placed on YouTube by someone who is at odds with General Petraeus… but nevertheless, visualizes some of the trying moments… And, it does get quite interesting “around 5 minutes into the clip.”

General Patraeus (sic) had some technical problems getting his message out of demanding that war continue in Iraq.

Interesting commentary happens at around 5 minutes into the clip. […]

And a blast from the past, this video from January 23, 2007 gives some background to the number of months that have transpired since January 2007.

This clip features Senator Hillary Clinton lecturing General Petraeus… Yes, it is cringe worthy and at times difficult to watch, but nevertheless gives one insight into the arrogance and condescension of a Democratic leader who is well documented as detesting the Unites States military. (read “Unlimited Access” by Gary Aldrich, from 1996.)

Sen. Clinton Questions Gen. David Petraeus at Senate Hearing

And finally, a much longer video of the testimony of General Petraeus:

IRAQ COMMANDER PETRAEUS: Report to Congress

Current U.S. commander in Iraq gives his opening statement and summary report to the U.S House of Representatives during a joint committee session today. September 10, 2007.