Petraeus picked to lead Mideast command

[lily]

Link (http://http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/23/AR2008042301249.html?hpid=moreheadlines)



Petraeus picked to lead Mideast command


By ANNE FLAHERTY
The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 23, 2008; 11:12 AM

WASHINGTON -- Army Gen. David Petraeus, the four-star general whose led
troops in Iraq for the past year, will be nominated by President Bush to be
the next commander of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates
said Wednesday.

Gates also announced that Bush will nominate Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno to
replace Petraeus in Baghdad.

Central Command oversees the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus would replace Navy Adm. William Fallon,
who abruptly stepped down in March after a magazine reported that he was at
odds with President Bush over Iran policy. Fallon said the report, while not
true, had become a distraction.

[David]

Good. Gen. Petraeus is the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

If he'd been running the war from the invasion, we'd already be on our way out.

[potter]

Good. Gen. Petraeus is the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

If he'd been running the war from the invasion, we'd already be on our way out.


Well, I would agree but the plan never was to "get out"

Not with the biggest embassy in the world and several permanent air bases.

[Truth_and_Power]

We've got to stay to enforce democracy

[David]

Well, I would agree but the plan never was to "get out"

Not with the biggest embassy in the world and several permanent air bases.

Indeed. However our forces would be deployed like they are in our WW2 conquests.

[jafar00]

We've got to stay to enforce democracy

Doublespeak? "Enforce" and "Democracy" are not supposed to be used in the same sentence. It's contradictory.

[suedanim]

Good. Gen. Petraeus is the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

If he'd been running the war from the invasion, we'd already be on our way out.

Oh yeah, since the surge worked so freakin' well, he's just the man for the job!!

I see the future... and its another trainwreck!!

[potter]

Indeed. However our forces would be deployed like they are in our WW2 conquests.


I wasn't there so I don't recall, were the people of those countries so against our occupation that they fought our presence gurrilla style, tooth and nail like in Iraq?

[Cobra]

Nah they were all worn out by then, we'd done carpet bombed and killed a good size part of the population in the war.

[Trish]

I think he'll do a good job. I'll certainly be praying that he does.

[Truth_and_Power]

Doublespeak? "Enforce" and "Democracy" are not supposed to be used in the same sentence. It's contradictory.

Yes, I know. It was sarcastic.

[David]

Oh yeah, since the surge worked so freakin' well, he's just the man for the job!!

I see the future... and its another trainwreck!!

Uh, pre-surge we were in full retreat, the generals flat out saying they'd been overrun in Anabar (sp?) Provence. Post-surge The Base is just abut dead, the Iraqi Resistance isn't resisting but rather joining our ranks, the military/civilian casualty rates have dropped off greatly and we're advancing like we haven't since the initial invasion, Anabar Provence now being more peaceful then even Kurdistan (thanks to the Turks).

Note I was anti-surge, but unlike you, I admit I underestimated our forces ability to win the war.

[suedanim]

I think he'll do a good job. I'll certainly be praying that he does.

He'll be needing those prayers, cause God knows his primary skill is kissing ass.

Oh.. do throw in a prayer for all the dead he's responsible for killing.

[DamnYankee]

Doublespeak? "Enforce" and "Democracy" are not supposed to be used in the same sentence. It's contradictory.

Yes, I know. We should step out of the way and let those people kill each other.

[suedanim]

Uh, pre-surge we were in full retreat, the generals flat out saying they'd been overrun in Anabar (sp?) Provence. Post-surge The Base is just abut dead, the Iraqi Resistance isn't resisting but rather joining our ranks, the military/civilian casualty rates have dropped off greatly and we're advancing like we haven't since the initial invasion, Anabar Provence now being more peaceful then even Kurdistan (thanks to the Turks).

Note I was anti-surge, but unlike you, I admit I underestimated our forces ability to win the war.


Win the war? What war? Who are we at war with? Do YOU know? Do you REALLY know? I doubt you do. I don't think any of us know for sure. Could be Iraqi citizens who just want us the fuck out of their country by any means necessary they can use. And wouldn't WE be the same?

I know you ...few people still left supporting this... military occupation of Iraq.. care little about the vast ocean of dead, dying or wounded caused directly by the United States preemptive assault based on false, misleading pretenses. But, facts are facts. As a war goes, success being measured by PEACE.. the whole damn thing and every military and civilian leader of it have FAILED miserably.

The surge Petraeus declared in September, 2007 had worked, did NOT work at all. If it had worked, wouldn't you agree that the overall death toll would represent that by being LESS???? Success cannot be proclaimed when so many are dead and dying daily.

:unreal:

Since Petraeus and our brilliant CIC George and his VP Dick, declared the surge a wonderful success... over 300 American boys and girls died in Iraq. We are now over 4,000 and rising. Give a damn about their lives cut short or their families, children who will suffer with grief the rest of their lives??

U.S. Military Deaths By Year/Month

YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal20030 06574373048353144824048620044720521358042546680641 37728492005107583552807854854996846884620066255317 66961436572106701128222007838181104126101788465383 72390120084029393800000000146


http://icasualties.org/oif/


And if you justify their deaths I KNOW you won't be concerned with Iraqi deaths... you know, the whole damn nation consists of terrorists, man, woman and child. If they have an Arab name, they are terrorists, right?


Again, since Petraeus and George Bush announced the surge a success.

PeriodISFCivApr-0893535Mar-08161819Feb-08110564Jan-0869485Dec-0772476Nov-0789471Oct-07114565Sep-0796752

Score.. 804.. Iraq security forces... and score a whopping .. 4, 667!!

woohoo! You do understand all those deaths are not caused by insurgents alone, but by the US military?

If we stay long enough, wear down the population, reduce the numbers of rebels and general population who will be potential resisters, we can continue to ram westernization down their throats, insure Israels power and security and secure the oil once and for all!! Yea for us!!

Oh yeah... the surge ... which, btw, caused many thousands of deaths... did NOT work. Petraeus, a willing puppet for the Cheney/Bush regime, lends what some Americans seem to need, a voice in a uniform telling them what they WANT to hear.

:grrrr:

[apdst]

Point of clarity: Patraeus has been picked to be the CINC of Central Command.

Patraeus is a good pick for CENTCOM CINC. His record prior to the surge is exemplary. He exhibited more success on the ground than any other field commander in the entire war.

[lily]

Uh, pre-surge we were in full retreat, the generals flat out saying they'd been overrun in Anabar (sp?) Provence. Post-surge The Base is just abut dead, the Iraqi Resistance isn't resisting but rather joining our ranks, the military/civilian casualty rates have dropped off greatly and we're advancing like we haven't since the initial invasion, Anabar Provence now being more peaceful then even Kurdistan (thanks to the Turks).

Note I was anti-surge, but unlike you, I admit I underestimated our forces ability to win the war.


You also don't want to underestimate the amount of people killed due to the civil war, nor the over one million refugees have on the sucess of the surge....when you're missing that many people, it's a sure bet casulty numbers will go down.

[lily]

Point of clarity: Patraeus has been picked to be the CINC of Central Command.

Patraeus is a good pick for CENTCOM CINC. His record prior to the surge is exemplary. He exhibited more success on the ground than any other field commander in the entire war.


While we are taling about his record......maybe we can find out what happened to the 11,000 assault rifles, $41 million worth of military equipment and the $1.2 billion dollars that went missing under his command?



Either way, he's only got 9 months.........maybe he can agree with Bush and not speak out for that long and for the best of his career.

[David]

Win the war? What war? Who are we at war with? Do YOU know? Do you REALLY know? I doubt you do.

Yes, win it. You know, kill the enemy and establish peace?

The one that started on 9/11/01.

With rebels in the Philippians, extremist Muslims in Somalia, about 15% of the Iraqi population, Taliban resistance fighters in Afghanistan, ect.

Obviously, yes.

Yes.

Yes I do.

Also, I don't support the Iraqi Front. As you said, it was all based on a lie. I do support the war at large, however.

[PatrickHenry]

I think he'll do a good job. I'll certainly be praying that he does.I wonder who God will listen to...you or me?

Because I am praying that General P will be just as big a flop as his predecessors and that Uncle Sam's nose bleeds so much that he calls a halt to the contest.

I am praying that the war ends sooner rather than later with a humiliation of US aggression and Bush's deadly foreign policy. The better to have it never happen again.

And I pray that the criminals in Washington face prosecution and restitution.

I think that's what Jesus wants and that's what I'm prayin for! :dork:

[apdst]

While we are taling about his record......maybe we can find out what happened to the 11,000 assault rifles, $41 million worth of military equipment and the $1.2 billion dollars that went missing under his command?

Yeah, he should have been right there to account for every single piece. Yeah, that's realistic. Anyway, if that's all you have to pin on him, then as far as theater commanders go, he's doing purdy good.

[potter]

I wouldn't say 1.2 billion dollars is "every single piece"....

[lily]

Yeah, he should have been right there to account for every single piece. Yeah, that's realistic. Anyway, if that's all you have to pin on him, then as far as theater commanders go, he's doing purdy good.


Yeah, you're right......it was under his command, so why should he be held accountable? I'm sure the 11,000 assault rifles, $41 million worth of military equipment and the $1.2 billion dollars all went to a worthy cause......not to kill our soldiers or anything.......you're right.......no biggie!