tagged w/ General Petraeus
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In the first Congressional session since the election, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) took to the House floor to call upon General David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to testify before Congress about the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. General Petraeus had been scheduled to testify to Congress before he abruptly resigned from his position.
Congressman Kucinich led bipartisan opposition to the war in Libya and has raised questions about the security lapse in Benghazi during which a terrorist attack on a U.S. consulate resulted in four dead Americans, including our ambassador to Libya.
“We put together a bi-partisan Congressional coalition to try to stop the war in Libya. That four Americans, including our ambassador, were killed confirmed our worst fears – - that American power was being used to open the door for jihadists, creating more instability in the region.
“Congress still doesn’t know why our people in Libya were left vulnerable. We still don’t know why the U.S. military was not sent to their defense.
“It is of the highest importance that General Petraeus, who led the CIA at that time, be brought before Congress to testify as to what really happened in Benghazi, whether there was a security lapse or whether the Administration temporized on security, and stood down to mollify violent, disparate groups which have nothing in common with our nation.
“U.S. involvement in Libya is a disaster, compounded by the deaths of four Americans. It is imperative that we find out the truth about Benghazi, wherever it leads, whoever it affects.”
http://libertycrier.com/government/kucinich-calls-for-general-petraeus-to-testify-before-congress-about-91112-events-in-benghazi/In the first Congressional session since the election, Congressman Dennis Kucinich... more
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Politicians can lie, cheat and steal, wage illegal wars, inflict torture, rig elections, shoot people in the face and the public forgives them. But when it comes to “sex”, they must fall on their swords and limp into oblivion.Politicians can lie, cheat and steal, wage illegal wars, inflict torture, rig... more
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FayPax
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added this
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6 months ago
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The resignation of CIA Director General David Petraeus has raised more questions than answers, said a roundtable of political analysts on "Face the Nation," including Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, who called his announced departure over an extramarital affair "a little too mysterious" and "strange."
(more at link)The resignation of CIA Director General David Petraeus has raised more questions than... more
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Hillary Clinton announces she will not testify before Congressional Investigation of Benghazi...because of "scheduling." HOW can a sitting Secretary of State REFUSE to testify before the representatives of the PEOPLE? HOW Can the President just fly off to Asia? General Petreaus just be taken off the witness list? THESE PEOPLE ARE PAID BY US!!!!Hillary Clinton announces she will not testify before Congressional Investigation of... more
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This video presents President Obama and General Petraeus explaining what "condition based" means regarding pulling US troops out of Afghanistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvWo33EDVoThis video presents President Obama and General Petraeus explaining what... more
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While America is still involved in two Wars Americans need a War time President ...This Bold move by our Military Leaders to effectively "Call out on the Carpet" President Barrack Husain Obama may just cost them their Jobs I suppose when your direct actions may mean so many lives at risk and you do not do everything you can to protect those American Boys and Brave Fighting Women and it ends up more die needlessly because the equipment and additional Troops need to finish the job are being held up. You listen to your heart and mind and report directly to the American People to save those lives...It may not be good for your future in the Military but if it works... And provides the nessairy pressure to get what you need to Win .I supposed being able to live with your self "IS" the Better Choice" Remember the Movie Black hawk down? under Bill Clinton we went in to battle with out the needed Equipment and Man Power...Remember we had NO Tanks in Zone that were asked for by our Military leaders ...We were forced to use another Country's Tank "One" and during our extraction of our Boys the Tank Commander drove to fast for our troops to keep up and many died as a result.....Or under Jimmy Carter do you Remember his failed Attempt to rescue Americans held Hostage by the Iranians rather than allow the commanders to fully plan and equip a force with the proper size to do the job....more Americans Died in the Desert as a result as well....Let's Pray Obama's Ego is not so Big that he thinks he knows better the professionals – By openly declaring their views on the Afghan war, US military
– By openly declaring their views on the Afghan war, US military leaders have placed President Barack Obama in a bind as he faces a fraught decision over the troubled US-led mission.
Obama has refused to quickly approve a request from his commanders for a major troop build-up in Afghanistan, insisting first on a full vetting of the current strategy.
But while a war council takes place behind closed doors at the White House, top military officers have made no secret of their view that without a vast ground force, the Afghan mission could end in failure.
"They want to make sure people know what they asked for if things go wrong," Lawrence Korb, a former assistant secretary of defense, told AFP.
As a result, if Obama chooses to change course in Afghanistan or decline a request for large numbers of troops, he will be rejecting the advice of the US military, raising the political stakes.
Commentators on the left say the military ought to keep its advice private without trying to influence public debate, with New York Times columnist Frank Rich accusing the generals of an attempt to "try to lock him (Obama) in" on Afghanistan.
Korb said the top brass is keen to avoid a repeat of the run-up to the Iraq war under former president George W. Bush, when military leaders bowed to White House demands for a small invasion force -- with disastrous consequences.
Drawing on blood-soaked experience in Iraq, military commanders now fervently embrace counter-insurgency doctrine, which calls for large numbers of troops providing security and winning the trust of the local population.
Amid rising casualties and a spreading insurgency, skeptics in Congress and the White House have floated proposals to freeze or even reduce the 65,000-strong force.
But McChrystal and his superiors have dismissed such alternatives as half-measures.
"You can't hope to contain the fire by letting just half the building burn," McChrystal told Newsweek.
Top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen and the head of the regional Central Command, General David Petraeus, have publicly endorsed the manpower-intensive strategy set out in a report by McChrystal.
The commander's stark assessment of the war, which was leaked, has set off a flurry of counter-leaks in US newspapers with unnamed officials in the White House voicing skepticism about esclating the American cWhile America is still involved in two Wars Americans need a War time President... more
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Reporting from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. -- Gen. David H. Petraeus took charge of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq today, promising to tackle both immediate and long-term security challenges as he was sworn in as head of US Central Command.
Until last month, Petraeus was the top US commander in Iraq. Now, as the top regional commander, Petraeus will continue to oversee that war, but at Centcom, his most urgent task will be helping to craft a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.
"Under his leadership our troops have dealt our enemies in Iraq a tremendous blow," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. "Now he will take aim at our adversaries in Afghanistan."
The conflict in Afghanistan has grown more violent this year. In its closing days the Bush administration, led by the National Security Council, has initiated a broad review of the current strategy in Afghanistan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also have a broad planning effort underway, designed in part to present options to the next administration. But in addition to those efforts, Petraeus is working on his own campaign plan for Afghanistan.
For all of the planning efforts, a crucial question concerns the number of additional troops that are needed. President Bush has announced that an additional Army brigade, about 3,500 soldiers, will go to Afghanistan early next year. But US commanders in Afghanistan have said they need as many as 20,000 additional troops.
Any additional forces for Afghanistan will require cuts in the size of the Iraq force. As the top commander in Iraq, Petraeus advocated keeping a high number of troops in Iraq through the elections scheduled for 2009, to preserve the gains that have been made. But commanders in Afghanistan have insisted that far more troops are needed for that fight, to more rapidly train Afghan forces and to counter the Taliban and other militant groups.
Petraeus will now have to help referee that debate.
He will leave Saturday for his first trip to the region in his new job, stopping to confer with officials in Pakistan and other countries within Central Command.
Today, Petraeus offered little insight about his plans. Returning to a theme common to the military, he said the United States must embrace comprehensive approaches to find new answers for a range of problems -- insurgencies, piracy, weapons proliferation and ethno-sectarian conflict.
"This is necessary not just to resolve pressing short-term issues but to address over time the underlying conditions that give rise to such serious security challenges," Petraeus said.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs off Staff, praised Petraeus' leadership and wisdom.
"His watchwords -- learn and adapt -- have echoed from the streets of Baghdad to the halls of Washington," Mullen said.
Petraeus will replace Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who had served as acting head of Central Command and will now lead the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command. Dempsey was placed in charge of Central Command after the March resignation of Adm. William "Fox" Fallon.
More at the link.Reporting from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. -- Gen. David H. Petraeus took... more
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General Ray Odierno takes over US occupation in Iraq as demonstrators march against Gates visit.
General Petraeus handed over military command of Iraq to General Ray Odierno on Tuesday. Known for his aggressive tactics in the early stages of the war, Odierno now faces major challenges in his efforts to stabilize the country. Among them are shrinking numbers of troops and the integration of pro-US Sunni militias into the Iraqi police and military.General Ray Odierno takes over US occupation in Iraq as demonstrators march against... more
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Gareth Porter: Bush gives Special Forces the power to go deep inside Pakistan. Part 2
In the second part of this series, investigative historian Gareth Porter tells Pepe Escobar about the efforts by both the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the CIA clandestine operations not to depend on "special approvals" to launch Special Forces ops inside Pakistani territory in the hunt for Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders. Gen. David Petraeus, about to take over as head of Central Command, is firmly in favor. Although the National Intelligence Council is firmly against it, arguing these ops will dangerously destabilize the Pakistani Army and even the Pakistani government, the Bush administration has authorized US Special Forces to operate inside Pakistan even without the approval of the Pakistani government - in a dangerous escalation of the "war on terror."
See Part 1 at: http://current.com/items/89293442_al_qaeda_blames_iran_us_targets_inside_pakistan
See Part 3 at: http://current.com/items/89299369_the_war_on_terror_targets_pakistan_3Gareth Porter: Bush gives Special Forces the power to go deep inside Pakistan. Part 2... more
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Speaking of Sen McCain's attempts to paint himself as an agent of change Obama says; "You know, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
I"m sure the media will over look the fact that McCain said the same thing about Hillary Clinton
...or when McCain's former press secretary Torie Clarke said it
...or Elizabeth Edwards
...or General Petraeus
and say this is an attack on Sarah Palin.
Obama continues saying, "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called 'change', it's still gonna stink after eight years.
Speaking of Sen McCain's attempts to paint himself as an agent of change Obama... more
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President Bush will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, to become the next overall commander of American forces in the Middle East as part of a personnel shuffle to take place by early fall, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.
The changes became necessary when Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon resigned unexpectedly last month as commander of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In announcing that move, Gates cited public perceptions that Fallon was at odds with Bush administration policy on Iran.
The moves are subject to Senate confirmation, but Gates said he did not foresee any problems in the process.President Bush will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops... more
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devo64
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added this
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5 years ago
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"Petraeus, who has overseen a war strategy widely credited with a dramatic reduction in violence in Iraq, will replace former Adm. William Fallon, who resigned after a reported break with Bush over Iran policy."
"Petraeus, who has overseen a war strategy widely credited with a dramatic... more
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Pat Buchanan warns of war with Iran...
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from Sept 2007 (not the one from yesterday)
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WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's Iraq policy has left the United States with insufficient resources to protect itself from attack, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday.WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's Iraq policy has left the United States... more
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When Gen. Petreaus and Amb. Crocker appear before both houses of Congress tomorrow and Thursday, Democrats should ideally position themselves through these hearings to achieve the following overarching goals:
-- Debunk the fiction that the military surge has achieved sustainable military or political objectives.
-- Undermine Sen. McCain's argument that staying the course is a patriotic duty.
-- Demonstrate to the American people that the recent Iraqi government defeat at the hands of the Mahdi Army was indeed the "defining moment" that Bush claimed it was.
-- Offer a credible Democratic approach to stay the course that logically will achieve more in the long run for American security in the Middle East than what more of the same can possibly achieve.
With this in mind, and if I were staffing the hearings, here is the list of questions I would be proposing to our Democratic inquisitors:
1. Prime Minister Maliki launched an offensive to defeat the Mahdi Army in Basra. He was forced, despite U.S. logistical and air support, to sue for a ceasefire. President Bush declared during the fighting that this was a "defining moment" for Iraq. Why shouldn't the American people view this "defining moment" as exactly what it was: a defeat for us, the Iraqi government and a victory for radical Shiite militias?
2. If the U.S. military cannot adequately defend the Green Zone from missile attack from Shiite militias, why should the American people believe that the surge has achieved tangible, and not momentary lulls in violence?
3. General Petraeus, you are proposing that the current level of military forces remain static longer than planned. Isn't this proof that the amount of troops in Iraq will never be enough to adequately reduce the level of violence against U.S. and Iraqi forces?
4. Define "victory" within the context of the current Iraqi political and military environment? Why should this not be a recipe for disaster given the inability of the Iraqi military to meet its training goals and objectives?
5. America has now suffered the loss of over 4,000 soldiers and tens of thousands wounded. How willing, General Petreaus, are you prepared to stretch the military's capability to sustain troop levels at even the 100,000 level beyond the summer and what are your specific goals and objectives? When Gen. Petreaus and Amb. Crocker appear before both houses of Congress tomorrow and... more
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