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Can you spot the war-mongering Republican in this photo? (ISAFMedia photo)
In a presidency that has been marked by actions in direct opposition to his high-minded campaign, Barack Obama appears poised on the precipice of a move that could do more material damage to the US than his refusal to prosecute torturers, coddling of big business, healthcare sellout, escalation of existing wars and starting of a new one all combined. Rumors started on Twitter last night that, in a strange exchange of places, the potential nomination of Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense could be coupled with nominating General David Petraeus to head CIA. This is so wrong, so stupid, so downright evil that I hardly know where to start.
First, the rumors. Michael Goldfarb tweeted last night “@stephenfhayes @lrozen Same here–also hearing Petraeus to replace Panetta…….which would be a way easier confirmation than Hagel.” Laura Rozen responded “I swear, I heard 2nd hand petraeus too for CIA but have a hard time as yet believing it. @thegoldfarb @stephenfhayes”. What should be everyone’s response was uttered by bmaz “WTF?…” And as if that is not enough, Rozen followed with evidence that Petraeus’ office seems to be taking it seriously “Indeed, I wrote his spokesman this AM expecting cackling laughter wave off from Tampa, but heard nothing @bmaz @thegoldfarb @stephenfhayes”.
Just last June, I actually praised Obama for choosing to put Petraeus in Afghanistan to replace the fired Stanley McChrystal. I saw that as a strategic move intended to burden Petraeus with owning the failure of the war in Afghanistan, thereby stripping Petraeus of the political future he has so clearly been angling to arrange. Allowing Petraeus to cut and run from Afghanistan now would accomplish exactly the opposite. The fraudulent nature of Petraeus’ never-ending claims of “training” troops to take over the future of their countries, whether it is in Iraq or Afghanistan is becoming so clear that even the brain-dead US press seems destined to stumble across the story soon.
If Petraeus is allowed to move to CIA, look for him to once again wipe his failure-laden slate clean and jump onto the drone bandwagon. The role of training local troops will disappear from what will “save” our efforts in Afghanistan, and the entire US press will be filled with adulation for the brave keyboard warriors in CIA who kill evil brown people from afar with missiles fired from drones. The reason for this is that Petraeus’ entire career has been built by leaks that he himself has fashioned in self-promotion. And now the guy who has built his career on leaks is being considered to head CIA? Say it ain’t so!
Why does Obama feel such a need to put war-mongering Republicans in positions of responsibility in his government? Is it because in his heart of hearts, Obama is a war-mongering Republican? Putting Petraeus in charge of CIA would make that statement loud and clear.
Why is Admiral William Fallon the only public figure who was able to see Petreaus for what he truly is?
86 Comments
Let’s hope against hope that this is one of those lead-based trial balloons, designed to allow the left to say after the real name is announced, “Oh s/he’s not as bad as TMCP!”
I hope so, too, but as an alternative to Petraeus, just about any felon stands out as desirable.
Why do they keep lionizing this asshole.
He isn’t a war hero. He isn’t a genius.
When the tribes say they’ll kill anyone who tries to invade their land whether its russians, taliban or americans then maybe you shouldn’t try to invade them.
Ah Jim, who, besides Obama, might like to see Petraeus in power at the CIA?
One imagines the list to be rather long and of an “ilk”.
The CIA is THE central bastion of real, raw and unchecked, power. Think of how valuable GHW Bush found “heading” that “aqency” to be, and you will rather quickly be able to imagine its importance to certain “segments” of the ruling classes, which are most “bipartisan” and share a view of hegemony and control.
Obama, should he select Petraeus, will merely be pleasing his principal benefactors – which is his “job”, of course.
Such a “selection” might, as you say, “be Obama’s worst move yet”, however it would not be out of character, and as Teddy suggests, it has already set the “bar” very low indeed, especially for “desirable … felons”.
DW
In that case he will do it.
This would be horrible. Talk about obvious fascism.
The interesting thing is that the notion of “worst thing Obama has done” gave me pause. It says a lot that it’s debatable whether or not this, if it happens, is the worst thing Obama has done.
And you can bet that if Obama does this, we will have a war in Iran in less than six months. Petraeus will screw us in so many countries so fast…
And, as always, one outer, there is the consideration of ” …yet.”
So far, Obama has pushed what many must feel is the “worst”, and yet, “looking forward”, one is left wondering how MUCH more and WORSE … will the first (acknowledged) person of color to be elected to the American presidency, foist upon us, not merely Americans, however much Obama and his ‘crew’ may disdain such “citizens”, but everyone else in the world, such things as torture, drone-killing, and banker butt-kissing, as the world is convulsed by fear and by wars of “convenience” in a conveniently “unending Global War on Terror”?
While nothing less than high treason and crimes against humanity are now daily committed in our name, yours and mine, so that the perpetrators may be untouched by conscience or consequence …
DW
“Why does Obama feel such a need to put war-mongering Republicans in positions of responsibility in his government? Is it because in his heart of hearts, Obama is a war-mongering Republican?”
Yes, he is.
Obviously there are some folks that don’t approve given this timely visit.
If this happens it shots my 2012 repug ticket to hell, I had little jeb/betrayus for 12.
This is normal for the wh and demodogs except the very few.
Admiral Fallon was right. And we haven’t heard anything from Admiral Fallon in years. That might explain why few voices are raised against General Petraeus.
Exactly. It’s bad for the career…
it is OB ensuring the general doesn’t run against him in 2012.
he is the only viable gooper candidate.
“Why is Admiral William Fallon the only public figure who was able to see Petreaus for what he truly is?”
Because Fallon isn’t “an ass-kissing little chickenshit” and a “sycophant?”
Go Admiral Fallon!
The best way to finish off Petraeus politically is to keep him in Afghanistan, forcing him to own the failure he has engineered. If Petraeus tries to “retire”, stop-loss his ass just like all the grunts have been treated.
General Petraeus for head of CIA would be an act of stupidity that is without compare. I know others have beaten me to the conclusion but I truly suspect Obama really is not very wise and he clearly is not on the side of any military conclusion in the ME any time soon. I can easily see such a pick as meaning there will be a great many more conflicts because after all, isn;t that the CIAs job? To stir up trouble?
If I were Obama, I’d not ride in any open convertibles.
Stop-loss would be a great idea for such as Gen Betrayus. No more deserving guy than him, esp if he was busted back to Private & had to serve as boots on the ground out in the tribal areas. That’s something I would love to see happen; let Betrayus do some heavy lifting ‘n grunting for once.
Ah, Jim, you’re missing the sheer genius of it (from Obama’s standpoint). He’s never going to have success in Afghanistan. So by putting Petraeus in charge of CIA, where’s there tolerance for creating propaganda targeted at the American people (otherwise known as “politicized intelligence,”) Petraeus will oversee reports that will be able to give glowing reviews of Afghanistan.
It’s a (literal) “win win” for Obama and Petraeus.
Blergh.
Eh? I get what your saying, except if OILbummer “promotes” Petraeus to CIA, I don’t think Obama has to worry about open convertibles. I think his position would be secure bc in so promoting Petraeus, Obama would be doing exactly what his Masters are bidding him to do. Why would they wish to kill off their fatted calf? The PTB love ‘em some Obama big-time; this would just be further cement in his relationship with the rich ‘n powerful Elites, esp the MIC.
Somebody please wake me up…I can’t seem to wake up from this nightmare…it just gets more bizarre…I keep dreaming that Obama is actually a republican neocon hawkish manchurian-like puppet…and that someone said that Petraeus might head the CIA…please..What???!!!!
Yep, right on the money
Agree with you. This is exactly why I can see this “promotion” happening, much as I abhor it. from Obama’s point of view, this is a big win-win. Not so much for us serfs, however…
Speaking of CIA, guess who has their greasy thumb in the Libyan freedom pie?
Check. Such a nifty feedback loop!
Uh, you already answered your own question.
How much more proof do you need? And the above is the very,very, very short list.
Like I said, how much proof do you need?
If there were any” mistakes” his acceptance and embrace of torture is his ultimate crime against the American people.
If he wasn’t a coward, acting large, he would have had dick c. and george jr arrested when they admitted the International War Crime of waterboarding. When he didn’t he exposed himself as a fraud and therefore anything that surprises us shouldn’t, period. From that moment on we were on our own and still are.
He’s a willing War Criminal so what are we going to do about it ?
Indeed. If he gets a second term we should be very, very scared. I mean, this is worse than Bush. He’s doing things Bush could only dream of. And he gets away with it because he has a D next to his name.
I’m now to the point where I want a Republican president. At least then teh D’s in congress will put a check on 10% of the wealthy’s agenda for the sake of optics. As is he just puts on a show and gives the plutocrats whatever they want. And he can get away with it because the same people that screamed bloody murder under Bush are scaremongering us with “but a Republican would be such a disaster!” and refusing to oppose him.
For instance, Balloon Juice.
At least under Bush we had a light check on their worst abuses. Under Obama team blue can’t even see the crimes.
The only thing worse than starting illegal wars and committing war crimes is having the power to hold those responsible for such acts to account and refusing to do so.
Last time I checked, the buck stopped with the President, not his underlings.
Ding. I’ve long suspected that this whole “spring” thing was hatched in VA…and it ain’t over..
We don’t need no more stinkin’ proof.
“(otherwise known as “politicized intelligence,”)”
I always thought it was called “Bullshit.” I stand corrected.
Just when you think it’s not possible, O manages to find a new low.
Yup.
Expose, expose, expose him and all of the other Neocons…wash, rinse, repeat. I don’t see any promising replacements on the horizon.
This puts Petraeus right into position for 2016.
Yep. U.S. needs another head of CIA as prez.
I dunno, would they really need him at that point? I suppose you could be right. Obama is the gift that keeps on giving. Seems they get everything they want from him. Then they get to have fun calling him a Marxist/communist/socialist/Kenyan dictator.
Is anyone really surprised by Obama’s craven disregard for the rule of law? He does not have any solutions but is indeed the problem. A smug narcissist but then the corporate media and the bots are playing the role of a fawning court reinforcing his bloated ego.
I think Cheney fulfilled that function as the back seat drive to Shrubya.
Just what the Neocons ordered.
On a related note Thom Hartmann is reporting that Obama is willing to go along with the Republican demand of cutting 30 billion in stimulus funding. Who’s Obama to argue with the antisocials?
“Why does Obama feel such a need to put war-mongering Republicans in positions of responsibility in his government? Is it because in his heart of hearts, Obama is a war-mongering Republican?”
That’s one possibility.
Another is that like Petraeus himself, our current president is — as much as I hate to entertain the prospect — an a**-kissing little chickens**t himself and wants to do everything he can to please his masters in the military-industrial complex.
Thank you for that superb link, mzchief. Susan’s “diary” is “must-read” material and I recommend its consideration to all at FDL.
DW
No wonder they aren’t impeaching him…
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours…and I won’t even look for fleas..
Name one real thing that Barry has done for non-Republicans.
On a related note the new Republican teabagger lite Governor of Michigan has cut unemployment eligibility from 26 weeks to 20 weeks. The antisocials want to insure that out of desperation the unemployed working and middle class will settle for flipping burgers at the nearest fast food emporium. The class war continues and everyone knows who is winning.
Obama plays his role well and his mixed-race origins just adds that touch of pizazz, which enables the PTB to employ the ever-reliable Southern Strategy, which totally fools the rubes into believing that IF they just jerk-off by *blaming* Obama & victimizing themselves to his racial origins, then the “problem” is solved or something.
Obama is the very best thing that ever happened to/for the MOTU. It was brilliant strategy on their part (seriously) in putting him on the “throne.” Why would they want to do away with Obama? He’s great, as far as the Elites are concerned.
There are not even enough flipping burger and barista jobs to go around. They are just consigned to maybe get SNAP.
You do realize, bluewombat, that old Ike originally termed “it” … the military-industrial-congressional complex?
Political politeness requiired a wee bit of editing.
But what is a little truth among the “players”, those who game the system for fun and profit?
DW
Grayson is right…”die quickly”.
What a shocking surprise… NOT!!!
Doesn’t the CIA pretty much “run” the POTUS one way or the other anyway? I’ve always figured that they did.
Just who the NeoCons *installed* in the White House.
Them what cain’t chew the leather … should go with the floe …
Just ask ANY of the “astute”, they’ll happily tell ya … each and every one self-made and clever and honest as the day is long.
Looking forward, the people living in this nation face a world of hurt, pain, and disaster … even if “we” bomb everyone else on earth into “submission” … there, also go … we …
Ah, mzchief, it is so unnecessary, so cruel and inhuman.
No, we are NOT “winning” hearts and minds” … we are simply losing our own.
DW
He’s a Republican door mat but then the corporate media is giddy with his mask of “bipartisanship.”
I think signing the Lilly Ledbetter law shortly after assuming office pretty much was “It.” Predictably his corporate sponsors got enraged.
I cannot think of one other thing.
Obama IS an “antisocial.” Of course Obama “went along” with this; it wouldn’t surprise me if Obama, himeself, TOLD the antisocials to propose this, anyway. Who’s to say that Obama doesn’t have a say in what the T-GOP does? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. He’s never ever once even tried to negotiate with them; he’s only ever kow-towed and caved in. More Kabuki Show!!
Obama the administrator is once again showing that taking the easy road (ie confirmation) is what he is all about.
He’s the perfect guy for the upcoming Freedom Drones Over America program that will search out and destroy those pesky featherbedding, communistic, budget busting, anti-patriot fifth-column public school teachers.
And don’t forget those unimportant liberals who cause all of the trouble. Obama can’t have them getting in the way of his corporatist ways.
GREAT thread, Jim!
You nail it, time and again.
I think the governing truth behind this is that unless Petreaus has something really unsavory in his background, the next republican nomination is his for the asking. With the GOP currently consisting of unpalatable bible zombies and losers and wing-nut clowns like Gingrich, etc., the republican elites will dance naked if Petraeus throws his hat in the ring for 2012.
I also think that if he runs, and if the dems are lunatic enough to reward Obama with a chance at another term (after he’s returned us to the political shithouse) Petraeus’ coattails will be a mile long. The GOP will own the american political and economic system like it’s never been owned before.
I think this is Obama’s hoping that Petraeus will be stupid enough to climb on board this democratic Titanic, and thereby, politically neuter himself for 2012.
I feel sure that Petraeus understands that with the country moving back to the right after the disaster of Obama’s first two years, we’re ripe for a man on horseback, no matter that his signature accomplishment of “surging” to allow Bush time to get out of office and dump Iraq in Obama’s lap like a pinless hand-grenade, is clearly no accomplishment at all. After watching Mr. Hopeful turn out to be just one more political hack, and a wretched coward, at that, the voters are desperate for someone who will speak and act forcefully, even if it’s in the direction of a fourth term for George Bush. (Obama, being the third…)
We. Are. Fucked.
The dominoes are starting to fall. Time to start learning jamming techniques.
Unless Biden jumps ship and Obama offers the VP to Petraeus…
Business as usual. Wasn’t Wolfowitz, the math genius who predicted that the Iraq War would cost us nothing, be paid for solely with Iraq’s oil money, made head of the World Bank?
That said, Petraeus continues to argue that if we don’t stay in Afghanistan, finish a job (that can’t be ‘finished’ by the way) all those brave Americans who have died in that beleaguered country so far will have died in vain – unless more die, the already dead will have died in vain? (Last year 445 soldiers died in combat. 407 soldiers committed suicide. If you can’t get them killed, as least you can drive them crazy?)
“Pie, two years ago, that would have been a bad joke. Now, with Obama’s presidency becoming the historical yardstick for failure, practically anything is possible.
I still think we need to watch Hillary. As Obama’s numbers sink lower and lower, democrats, just like republicans, are going to be coming out of the woodwork to run against him. The irony of Obama’s truckling under to the right is that it could fire her up for another round of “triangulating”, and she might bail to make a run at him. I don’t know how much of a window she’ll have, nor, how long it will be open, but there is a hell of a political vacuum developing in the country as we post.
That it’s happening after the landslide that we gave Barack Obama in 2008, is so perverse that it’s practically obscene.
I think I’m going to puke.
markfromireland
Jim, So what do you have against General Petraeus? You rail against him as if he has done something to you personally. I would be interested to hear other than opinions and hate mongering, any actual failures you claim to write about. I got your opinion, but what facts do you have to back up your claims? So what you are saying, is that he has the media in his back pocket? I doubt that very much.
Come on, he is Pentagon welfare queen who has doomed many an Afghani child to needless slaughter. You seriously want to trust the Generals in the Pentagon to run the shadow govt?
Hell, might as well turn over the whole govt to them.
This is just another step to enthroning the militarist neoliberal corporate ‘leaders’ as our permanent govt in permanent war. The technologization of modern warfare, and it’s normalization as constant and acceptable, represents a clear and dangerous merging of the political with the military and the shadow spooks.
Is this the culture you want to call your own?
You’re joking, right? But just in case you aren’t I’ll humor you a bit.
You must be new to this thing called the internet and blogging. Go up to the top, in the original article I wrote and you will find that part of the text appears in an alternate color. When you move your mouse to the bits of other color and click, you can read the linked information. I link to a number of previous posts I have written that document in excruciating detail how David Petraeus entered the political arena in late 2004 by writing an Op-Ed in the Washington Post where he made unverified and totally bogus claims about how well his “training” of Iraqi troops was going and how this was going to allow the US to “win”. Many are of the opinion that this Op-Ed helped George W. Bush to re-election. Then, in 2007, with all of Washington having heart palpitations over the “General Betrayus” ad, nobody in the media seemed to notice that Petraeus’ testimony in 2007 wiped out the memory of his earlier attempts at “training” in Iraq, and he started anew on claiming how wonderful Iraq will be when he completes his training of Iraqi forces.
The only way we were able to withdraw our forces later was by using semantics to redefine the troops left behind as “non-combat”, because Petraeus’ “training” had left the Iraqis still unable to defend themselves. The exact same thing is playing out in Afghanistan, and it is Petraeus’ repeated lies about how well training is going there that makes Washington want to keep throwing money and troops at a problem that can’t be solved.
On top of that, many of the worst atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan, including much torture, the hiding of prisons from the Red Cross and countless brutal night raids that resulted in innocent civilians being killed or detained were at the hands of Stanley McChrystal, who was Petraeus’ right-hand man. You can bet that as McChrystal took direct orders from Cheney in running his JSOC private war and circumventing the command structure, Petraeus was aware of, and condoning it all along.
Shorter version: Petraeus is a lying war criminal and is responsible for much of the worst that our country has done in our name in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
You should be honored: someone signed up specifically to call you a “hatemonger.” And, over Petraeus, to boot. Awesome.
Yeah, that is pretty funny. Let’s see if he has a response to me.
Re: SteveinKansas…
I know Steve’s just one person, but I rest my case about how Petraeus will be perceived by many, many, people, as the saviour of, first, the GOP, and then, the country.
We. Are. Fucked.
The powers that be are a step from making Betray-us americas supreme dictator.
I appreciate your response, (and yes I am familar with blogs and the internet) but yet again, all you have done is provide opinions and little if any facts to back those up. By saying he entered the political arena by writing one Op-Ed is humorous to say the least. The circulation of the Washington Post is not big enough to warrent such a claim as to entering the political arena. So, anyone in uniform who writes and Op-Ed is guilty of entering politics? I don’t think so. If you think one Op-Ed in the Washington Post helped the former President to get re-elected, I dare say that you are living in an alternate universe.
So, when was the last time you went to Iraq or to Afghanistan? How many patrols have you observed? How many battlefield circulations have you participated in to be able to say that what has been reported by many reporters on the ground is not accurate?
So, how much experience have you had in training other nations forces? It would seem that current events would prove you wrong in such that the Iraqi military/security forces are in fact and have been for a while providing for the security of their country…perhaps not in the same manner as our forces would, but they are doing it and I would gather that it started back in 2004-08. It takes time to build a military. How long do you think it takes to build an effective US unit?
Since the Taliban and Al-Quaidi don’t wear uniforms, it is very easy to mistake them for civilians when you are in comfort thousands of miles away. People who are shooting at you are not innocent … and yes, sometimes innocent people do get killed when the enemy mixes in with the population. Hmmm, so if a gang-banger in LA lives in an appartment downtown and when the police go in he shoots at them and the bullets go into another appartment and kill someone or vice versa…do you call them war criminals?
You can’t have it both ways. Again, easy for those to have opinions from the safety of thousands of miles away and throw stones at those that are sworn to protect and provide the freedoms you and I have.
Steve,
Any chance you are Steven Boylan? You sure sound like him!
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2007/10/28/boylan
Thanks for dropping by.
What the hell gives you the right to go out and slaughter people? You are not making anyone safer.
You and Petraeus should move to N. Korea. Farewell (and good riddance) heroes.
The CIA is a veritable bureaucratic ninth circle of hell, a place of unspeakable crimes and horrific judgment, an organization which has done more harm to the the US than all purported terrorist groups combined. If Lyin’ Panderer is promoted to Secretary of Defense, in a decent administration he’d be replaced by someone of integrity and decency, someone who could clean the place up. My candidate would be retired Major General Antonio Taguba, whose moral courage in investigating and condemning the horrors at Abu Ghraib got him fired from Rumsfeld’s army. To put someone already tainted with war crimes, and with far more ambition than conscience or prudence, into that slot would be exactly the sort of disastrously bad judgment we’ve come to expect from Obama.
Only those of us out here in flyover country are allowed to call it bullshit.
And not on TV, please.
Apparently anyone who disagree’s with views here are whom you wan them to be. I go by Steve (middle name) but first name is actually Sam…sorry to disappoint you…and if you checked my email you would see that I am not the person you are thinking of.
Teddy @ 1
What does TMCP stand for?
TMCP = The Man Called Petraeus
Better a Steve than a Stu
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0234853/quotes
Obama is trying to keep Petraeus gainfully employed until, oh, whenever the GOP convention is next summer. Petraeus would be the most formidable Republican nomineee. He’d be so unassailably popular with the GOP base that they’d be willing to overlook any, shall we say, less than reverent attitudes towards Wall Street (see below). Obama should bite the bullet, ask Congress for authority to give Petraeus 5 stars and appoint him Chairman of Joint Chiefs. That will keep him on the govt payroll till he’s ready to run in 2016 and Obama will be term limited out anyway.
This afternoon Professor Elizabeth Warren will announce that consumer advocate Holly Petraeus will join the staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to head its Office of Servicemember Affairs.
http://www.uspirg.org/consumer-blog/consumer-blog/holly-petraeus-wife-of-general-petraeus-joins-elizabeth-warren-on-staff-of-cfpb-to-protect-military-families-from-predatory-lenders
The Man from New Amsterdam is catchier :o)
Eisenhower ran campaign ads for The Man from Abilene, Petraues is both a New Yorker and the son of a Dutch immigrant so his campaign slogan is, as Marxists say, overdetermined. :o)