The hypocrisy of David Petraeus
The general held himself up as a paragon of self-discipline and model family man. In Iraq and then Afghanistan, he rigorously enforced “General Order No. 1,” which prohibits our troops from fraternization, all sex, alcohol consumption, the possession of pornography and, generally, from any activity that might make the boredom and terror of this kind of war more bearable. When our troops screwed up, they got hammered.
Generals can take a weekend in Paris and get drunk (as Gen. Stanley McChrystal did), but the grunt who goofs in a firefight faces a court-martial.
Now those who’ve tied their military or literary careers to Petraeus and his inept counterinsurgency doctrine are rushing to make excuses for the general: He’s too important to be sacrificed like this, the president shouldn’t have accepted his resignation (resignation my butt — the guy was fired), and the affair only started after he left the military . . .
No man’s too important to be sacrificed.
Blowback
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That’s why I don’t expect any useful testimony from him. As Rush pointed out, who knows what else the regime has over him.
The Count on November 15, 2012 at 8:08 PM
David Petraeus was a careless pig. I expect a lot more from my generals. He should face the same kinds of consequences that lesser employees in the military face for such conduct. I have no sympathy whatsoever for him. Now he had better spill at all regarding Libya tomorrow in his testimony.
bluegill on November 15, 2012 at 8:09 PM
I didn’t like him pushing the “Islamic sensibilities” about the Koran and such, years ago. And, more recently he seems to be a source for the Susan Rice “Benghazi was a protest against a YouTube video” line of BS. So there are 2 strikes against him in my mind. Don’t know much about him otherwise.
Paul-Cincy on November 15, 2012 at 8:16 PM
The article is spot on, except for this line
Panetta is a clueless likeable dummy. Ok, so he might be “a good man” but he has held two jobs which are entirely above his brain-capacity. He fits the admin. to perfection.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 8:28 PM
Where’s DP’s PORN Ralfie? He had no PORN.
FRATERNIZATION? Ralfie seems to be too old to remember what that means – Broadwell wasn’t military and didn’t work for DP – so it wasn’t fraternization.
Rules against “all sex” – really Mr Hyperbole?
Ralf Dickerson is a lunatic.
HondaV65 on November 15, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Yes, her book was ‘ghost-written’, -I heard that elsewhere today. Her ghost-writer is commenting now. The book was still bad, apparently unreadable.
slickwillie2001 on November 15, 2012 at 8:34 PM
You just don’t like him because he’s a dimmocrit.
Truth is – the guy was slammed for being inexperienced at CIA – but he did a damn good job there – especially in the CIA’s war on terror and expansion of drone strikes.
And … let’s remember here … that right after Ogabe appointed Panetta to the CIA – Obama personally went to their HQ and made a demoralizing speech right to the faces of the agents. Remember also – that Justice and Eric Holder were looking at prosecuting certain CIA agents for their interrogative procedures.
Panetta stepped into a job leading an organization whose morale was destroyed – and whose employees were fearful of doing their job lest they be prosecuted by their own government.
And yet – somehow he whipped them into shape … expanded the drone strikes – which were very successful – and ran down Osama Bin Laden.
Yeah – he’s a “bad guy” alright.
Don’t you ever feel foolish? You talk about our “enemies” as if they are Satan. They kicked your ass in an election – and you’re not going to get the upper hand on them in the future through obsessive “shot gun” accusations each and every time one of the raises his or her head.
HondaV65 on November 15, 2012 at 8:46 PM
HondaV65 on November 15, 2012 at 8:30 PM
Your reading comprehension is not very good. Nowhere did Peters say that DP fraternized.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 8:48 PM
HondaV65 on November 15, 2012 at 8:46 PM
On matters CIA you can’t tell me a single word, you fool.
Plus, I am never on your side, and you never on mine.
Plus, all the CIA of today is – lawyers and CYA.
He is a likeable dummy.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 8:51 PM
Plus, Honda, I like Satan a lot better.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 8:52 PM
The arms Hamas is using against Israel right now – came to Hamas via Libya. Nice job Obama and Panetta!
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 8:53 PM
Of course. Now that Syria, “Iran’s route to the sea” is in shambles, Iran has to use Libya as an alternative route to reach Hamas.
lester on November 15, 2012 at 9:49 PM
Douglas Macgregor (retired Army colonel and author of “Breaking the Phalanx): “Petraeus is a remarkable piece of fiction created and promoted by neocons in government, the media and academia, How does an officer with no personal experience of direct fire combat in Panama or Desert Storm become a division CDR in 2003, man who for 35 years shamelessly reinforced whatever dumb idea his superior advanced regardless of its impact on soldiers, let alone the nation, a man who served repeatedly as a sycophantic aide-de-camp, military assistant and executive officer to four stars get so far? How does the same man who balked at closing with and destroying the enemy in 2003 in front of Baghdad agree to sacrifice more than a thousand American lives and destroy thousands of others installing Iranian national power in Baghdad with a surge that many in and out of uniform warned against? Then, how does this same man repeat the self-defeating tactics one more time in Afghanistan? The answer is simple: Petraeus was always a useful fool in the Leninist sense for his political superiors — Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, and Gates. And that is precisely how history will judge him.”.
VorDaj on November 15, 2012 at 9:56 PM
lester, you dummy. You have no clue, hardly ever.
Learn how to search.
Schadenfreude on November 15, 2012 at 9:57 PM