tagged w/ Stanley McChrystal
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"Elton John performed for for one million dollars at Rush Limbaugh's wedding. Apparently he also played the piano." Stand-up comedian Chris Martin delivers his final set before retiring due to Alzheimer's June June 23, 2010 at Refried Comedy @ Aztek Grill. Odyssey Michaels is the MC."Elton John performed for for one million dollars at Rush Limbaugh's... more
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After a US Special Operations Forces raid in Gardez, Afghanistan last February which killed two government officials and three civilians, General Stanley McChrystal ordered an investigation. Originally, US investigators had failed to interview any eyewitnesses, prompting accusations of a cover-up. But the secondary probe also excluded three eyewitnesses who had claimed to see U.S. troops digging bullets out of the bodies of three women, two of whom were pregnant.After a US Special Operations Forces raid in Gardez, Afghanistan last February which... more
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The commander of US combat operations in Afghanistan who was fired, General Stanley McChrystal, issued a devastatingly critical assessment of the war against a "resilient and growing insurgency" just days before being forced out.The commander of US combat operations in Afghanistan who was fired, General Stanley... more
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Anyone who wants to know why network television news hasn't mattered since the seventies just needs to check out this appearance by Logan. Here's CBS's chief foreign correspondent saying out loud on TV that when the man running a war that's killing thousands of young men and women every year steps on his own dick in front of a journalist, that journalist is supposed to eat the story so as not to embarrass the flag. And the part that really gets me is Logan bitching about how Hastings was dishonest to use human warmth and charm to build up enough of a rapport with his sources that they felt comfortable running their mouths off in front of him....
If I'm hearing Logan correctly, what Hastings is supposed to have done in that situation is interrupt these drunken assholes and say, "Excuse me, fellas, I know we're all having fun and all, but you're saying things that may not be in your best interest! As a reporter, it is my duty to inform you that you may end up looking like insubordinate douche bags in front of two million Rolling Stone readers if you don't shut your mouths this very instant!" I mean, where did Logan go to journalism school - the Burson-Marsteller agency?
Taibbi didn't limit his critique to just Logan — he connected her comments to a larger pattern among mainstream journalists, whether they cover wars in Afghanistan or presidential campaigns in the US, who he says prioritize access over fact-finding and truth-seeking:
Most of these reporters just want to be inside the ropeline so badly, they want to be able to say they had that beer with Hillary Clinton in a bowling alley in Scranton or whatever, that it colors their whole worldview. God forbid some important person think you're not playing for the right team!
Meanwhile, the people who don't have the resources to find out the truth and get it out in front of the public's eyes, your readers/viewers, you're supposed to be working for them -- and they're not getting your help.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/matt-taibbi/blogs/TaibbiData_May2010/122137/83512Anyone who wants to know why network television news hasn't mattered since the... more
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General McChrystal’s Burning Contempt for the Puppet Obama
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
June 22, 2010
The farce that is the war in Afghanistan is coming apart at the seams. General Stanley McChrystal’s sharp comments about Obama, Biden, and the administration published by Rolling Stone are not so much about disrespect, as the script-reading corporate media talking heads would have it, but rather about a policy in disarray in Afghanistan.
It’s The Troops Stupid! General Stanley McChrystal’s Burning Disgust for the Puppet Obama…(VIDEO)...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/its-the-troops-stupid-general-stanley-mcchrystal%E2%80%99s-burning-disgust-for-the-puppet-obama-video/
Obama the wunderbar teleprompter reader (and little else) is instructed to push the completely untenable prospect that the United States can win the so-called war in Afghanistan, a country often referred to as the graveyard of empires.General McChrystal’s Burning Contempt for the Puppet Obama
Kurt Nimmo... more
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Washington Post coverage at the link, and here is Defense Secretary Gates official statement on the McChrystal profile in Rolling Stone:
"I read with concern the profile piece on Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the upcoming edition of 'Rolling Stone' magazine. I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case. We are fighting a war against al Qaeda and its extremist allies, who directly threaten the United States, Afghanistan, and our friends and allies around the world. Going forward, we must pursue this mission with a unity of purpose. Our troops and coalition partners are making extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our security, and our singular focus must be on supporting them and succeeding in Afghanistan without such distractions. Gen. McChrystal has apologized to me and is similarly reaching out to others named in this article to apologize to them as well. I have recalled Gen. McChrystal to Washington to discuss this in person."
The link to the Rolling Stone profile is at the bottom of this thread.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/06/22/DI2010062201709.htmlWashington Post coverage at the link, and here is Defense Secretary Gates official... more
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Afghanistan announced this past week that their country has postponed parliamentary elections because of a lack of funds. The announcement, five months after the presidential election descended into a ballot-stuffing farce, will deepen global concern that graft and logistical problems are undermining democracy in one of the world's poorest and most corrupt nations.Afghanistan announced this past week that their country has postponed parliamentary... more
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has revealed a plan funded by US taxpayers to offer money and jobs to tempt Taliban fighters to lay down their arms. The funds to be provided by the US, Japan and Britain to buy off Taliban leaders will reportedly cost hundreds of millions of dollars.Afghan President Hamid Karzai has revealed a plan funded by US taxpayers to offer... more
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The US ambassador in Afghanistan warned his superiors in November that President Hamid Karzai is not an adequate strategic partner [and] continues to shun responsibility for any sovereign burden, according to a classified cable that offers a much bleaker accounting of the risks of sending additional American troops to Afghanistan than was previously known.The US ambassador in Afghanistan warned his superiors in November that President Hamid... more
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KABUL, Afghanistan — In what amounted to a stern pep talk by a nervous partner, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here on Wednesday to exhort President Hamid Karzai and his government to do a better job of cracking down on corruption in Afghanistan.
Mrs. Clinton’s unannounced visit, on the eve of Mr. Karzai’s inauguration to another term, was meant to send a message of American support for his government, after a chaotic election in which he emerged as the winner after charges of rampant ballot stuffing and other fraud.
But Mrs. Clinton said she also planned to press Mr. Karzai for tangible results in tackling other forms of corruption, which many experts cite as one of the key culprits for Afghanistan’s deteriorating security.
“We are asking that they follow through on much of what they previously said, including putting together a credible anti-corruption governmental entity,” Mrs. Clinton said to reporters traveling with her from Beijing, where she had been accompanying President Obama on his tour of Asia.
“They’ve done some work on that, but in our view, not nearly enough to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose to tackle corruption,” she said. “We are concerned about corruption. We obviously think it has an impact on the quality and capacity of governance.”
Mrs. Clinton said she was troubled that Mr. Karzai had named as one of his two vice presidents Marshal Muhammad Fahim, whom American officials believe has been involved in the drug trade, as well as forging a political alliance with General Ahmed Rashid Dostum, a warlord suspected of corruption.
“It certainly raises questions,” she said, noting that the United States would wait to see whether Mr. Karzai confronted that issue directly or sought other means to raise confidence in his government.
Still, speaking to diplomats at the United States embassy after her arrival, Mrs. Clinton said that the inauguration provided a “window of opportunity” for Mr. Karzai to “make a new compact with the people of Afghanistan” and to create a more accountable government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/asia/19clinton.html?hpKABUL, Afghanistan — In what amounted to a stern pep talk by a nervous partner,... more
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Here's an excellent observation from Mediaite's Rachel Sklar, who reminds us that while the "big news to come out of Meet The Press this week has been author Jon Krakauer's assertion that General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was implicated in the cover-up about the death of Pat Tillman," that big news had already been more or less broken by Jon Stewart and The Daily Show:
Krakauer was on [The Daily Show] over a month ago. It's surprising that this one flew under the radar, given how many sharp-eyed journalists, bloggers and media-watchers tune into the Daily Show, and regularly report on the news it makes. But it can and does happen, and happened here. What this says about Krakauer, McChrystal and his book is no different than what was picked up from Meet The Press. But what this says about so-called 'fake' news is, keep your eye on it. People with important things to say make a point of trying to say them on the Daily Show. So don't fall asleep before the interview.
All of that is absolutely right, and it's worth pointing out that Stewart conducted his interview with a greater awareness of where the "news" is in an interview with Jon Krakauer. That meant that Daily Show viewers got an interview that began with the Pat Tillman story and went on for six probing minutes. Meanwhile, at Meet The Press, Krakauer sat on the set like window dressing, and the subject of Pat Tillman wasn't broached until the show's final sequence of questions. Why have him on then?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/daily-show-beat-meet-the_n_343923.htmlHere's an excellent observation from Mediaite's Rachel Sklar, who reminds us... more
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he man chosen by Barack Obama to lead the war in Afghanistan also helped cover up the friendly-fire death of NFL player turned soldier Pat Tillman, writes Jon Krakauer. He administered a fraudulent medal recommendation to keep the public in the dark. So why isn’t anybody talking about it?he man chosen by Barack Obama to lead the war in Afghanistan also helped cover up the... more
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One of the biggest elephants in the Afghan war room is General Stanley McChrystal, head honcho on the ground. McChrystal's no dummy. He's shown himself to be a capable leader (minus his involvement in the despicable Pat Tillman affair), but he may suffer from what many people who can walk on water do - extreme irritation when his advice is questioned.One of the biggest elephants in the Afghan war room is General Stanley McChrystal,... more
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