Wednesday, September 12, 2007

 

Petraeus Outclasses His Opponents


Because I actually do support the American military, I was ready to believe General David Petraeus to whom I listened to some for the past few days as he testified before House and Senate committees. His patience in the face of unmitigated ignorance was commendable. The worst offenders were the guys and gals who needed to ask questions but didn't. They just made speeches which had some of the attributes of questions. Boxer, Sanchez and Wexler were the standout idiots. Biden was a close second, but only because he actually asked some questions even though most of them were stupid, as is his wont.

I can't say I know all the ribbons, nor could I see all of the ones on Petraeus' chest (there's this lapel in the way), but I didn't see a Viet Nam service ribbon. Hmmm? Is Petraeus the first currently important, non-retired general who was too young to go to Viet Nam. The answer is yes. He's soon to be 55 (but looks younger) and graduated West Point in 1974 after we were out of Viet Nam. I kind of think this is a good thing--clean slate and all that.
Some people have compared the relationship of General Petraeus to President Bush to the relationship between President Lincoln and General Grant. I think that's not quite right. It's more like General Matthew Ridgway to President Truman. If Petraeus was like Grant, we'd be nuking Tehran and all over Waziristan right now.

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# posted by Roger Fraley @ 6:14 AM
Comments:
The last two days have obviously been "opposite days"...Whatever Petraeus has noted, has been basicly positioned 180 by Iraq policy adversaries. My biggest question, is this. If the surge was something voted on, bi partisan, and approved...and this testimony was a democrat congressional mandate....AND the military surge has had the effects that were intended.....why is there the hand wringing over discontinuing a succesful direction. Are the politicos so obtuse as to not know that political gains in Iraq cannot be made, WITHOUT gains in security.

I wonder how productive the US Congress would be, if DC were that of the Baghdad of a year ago.
# posted by Blogger Mark Dunn : 6:58 AM
 
Every time the Democrat questioners said with faux outrage that the Iraq version of Congress took the month of August off, I had to say, so did you guys. DC is a murder capital but does not have near the problems of Baghdad. What has our vaunted Congress achieved, aside from the next to meaningless raise in the min. wage, that is, oh, and besides the naming of 18 federal buildings, of course?
# posted by Blogger Roger Fraley : 5:44 PM
 
"Some people have compared the relationship of General Petraeus to President Bush to the relationship between President Lincoln and General Grant."

I appreciate your sense of humour, but be a little more careful. i almost had a heart attack from the laughing fit I suffered. I just couldn't stop. Lincoln and Grant!!!
Mission Accomplished!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:13 PM
 
Now that I think about it, Bush is making Grant look like a hell of a president.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 8:47 PM
 
Grant was a good general (the genius of recognizing the obvious fact that he had a lot more men), a good president, and a very good autobiographer. I've always admired him. Wasn't the USS Abraham Lincoln's mission accomplished? You often confuse me (but then again it might be you).
# posted by Blogger Roger Fraley : 8:18 AM
 
"a good president"

As much as I admire Grant as a soldier, a horseman, and a writer, it was always my understanding that his presidency was marked by scandle and corruption, and that he is regarded as a very mediocre president. Why do you feel otherwise?
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 5:35 PM
 
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