Petraeus: U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’
Petraeus: U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’
In an interview with the Times Online (UK), U.S. Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus was asked whether the troop escalation could mitigate the rising sectarian violence in Iraq.
Petraeus argued there was a “golden hour” of “omnipotence” in the early stages of the war where the U.S. was “viewed as a liberator.” He then claimed the U.S. is being perceived as “liberators” once again in Iraq, this time freeing them from the bloody civil war instigated as a result of the U.S. occupation:
Q: Is it not too late to halt the violence?
PETRAEUS: There is a period of omnipotence. There was a period in the beginning when there was a ‘golden hour’. Inevitably, it does not matter how much you were viewed as a liberator, over time you will be seen as an occupier. The interesting dynamic here is that we have been here long enough to become liberators again for certain sectors of the population, those that are affected by extremism.
Prior to the war, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and other administration officials claimed the U.S. would be welcomed as liberators in Iraq. Petraeus appears to be pandering to those fantasies.
In fact, the great majority of Iraqis do not perceive the U.S. as liberators. A poll taken in September 2006 revealed that seven in 10 Iraqis “want U.S-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year.” Furthermore, six in 10 approved of attacks on U.S. forces.
That was nearly four months before the escalation. Since the escalation officially began in February, violence “has increased in most provinces,” “[s]uicide attacks more than doubled across Iraq,” and civilian casualties rose to “more than 100 a day,” according to a recent Pentagon report. Recently, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution to try to force an end to the occupation.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
113 Responses to “Petraeus: U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
propaganda, pure and simple. I don't believe a thing this general....um, i mean, politician.....says anymore!
The fact is, resistance is rising, the Iraqi people don't want an American war, and the American people don't want an Iraqi war.
We just marched right on in to that country, so we can just march right on out.
The time to end this madness is now. Not next year. Now.
Some further reading:
"Top-Ten Reasons to Get out of Iraq Now."
June 21st, 2007 at 3:42 pmhttp://www.populistamerica.com/top_ten_reasons_to_get_out_of_iraq_now
For the record, I'd love to lilberate Gen Petraeus from the fog of heterosexuality!!
June 21st, 2007 at 3:43 pmhahahahahahaaaaaa, how long till we become occupiers AGAIN? insane
June 21st, 2007 at 3:43 pmUhm, yeah. I'm sure he actually believes this, too. RIIIIIIGHT!
Keep lying to yourself, General. But don't expect anyone to be buying what you're trying to sell.
This guy is starting to sound like Tony Snow.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:44 pmCool. Maybe THIS time we'll get the flowers and candy.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:45 pmAnd if we stay long enough, we can become 3 tailed monkeys!!
Why are we surprised that Gen. BeTrayUs is speaking the NeoCon/BushCo party line?? He obviously will get a plum job with Halliburton or BlackWater upon his retirement for sucking the Darth Daddy teat.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:45 pmMy goodness... things just keep getting stranger and strangerer...
June 21st, 2007 at 3:45 pmIt's like MAGIC! No progress; life for Iraqis is worse than it was when Saddam was in power; and the large majority of Iraqis wish we would leave. But, we're LIBERATORS AGAIN.
Who hired this incompetent buffoon?? Oh, right. Heckuva job, Betrayus.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:46 pmSurreal. We are truly through the looking glass in the Middle East.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:46 pmJane Hamsher:
Right wing mythology regularly demands that one believe their recklessly constructed fantasies over your own eyes and ears,
WOW that's some crazy talk from the BMOC, huh? YIKES!
June 21st, 2007 at 3:47 pmCurious, that piece of hard candy looked damn similar to an RPG round...
June 21st, 2007 at 3:47 pmINCOMING!
Like the big baby Huey that keeps petting all the furry animals to death.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:48 pmEverything Old is New again. And how long before the US becomes the Great Satan again??? September???
June 21st, 2007 at 3:50 pmLike the big baby Huey that keeps petting all the furry animals to death.
Comment by LandSurveyor
Bingo!
June 21st, 2007 at 3:52 pm"The interesting dynamic here is that we have been here long enough to become liberators again for certain sectors of the population, those that are affected by extremism."
Is he trying to say that we are liberators for the extremists?
June 21st, 2007 at 3:53 pmOr is he just trying to emulate the chymp's paralyzing stupidity?
And why the hell is he wearing a helmet if we are now liberators??
June 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pmI didn't know they have peyote and mushrooms in Iraq. How else could one explain General Patraeus' spaced out logic on this cluster F?
June 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pmPretty much like revirgination, eh General?
June 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pmYou know this General is one super dumb loser. He says stupid things.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:55 pmYou're going to liberate Iraq from its civil war.
Okay, General. Could you try saying that out loud two or three times so you can hear what it sounds like? Just try it.
Sounds like a f*ckin' lunatic, doesn't it.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:56 pmWhat?
June 21st, 2007 at 3:57 pmPetraeus argued there was a “golden hour†of “omnipotence†in the early stages of the war where the U.S. was “viewed as a liberator.â€
And now we're just impotent
June 21st, 2007 at 3:58 pmThis circular hoo-haw ranks right up there with Bush, prior to the invasion, claiming that Saddam was even a threat to himself. The magical thinking and vomiting of spin within spin has contorted itself so badly and so far, that Petraeus is in danger of losing his helmet in his own rectum.
June 21st, 2007 at 3:59 pmAnd now we’re just impotent
Comment by trueblue — June 21, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
Vi*gra for Gen Betrayus!!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:01 pmAnd let this be a lesson to anyone who agrees to be Petraeus' replacement when he goes. This is what they'll have you doing. You'll either end up having to resign or you'll be saying goofy shit like this just so you can keep the troops in Iraq and spare Bush the horror and agony of having to admit that he screwed up big time.
Another proud military career flushed down the shitter by the Bush administration.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:02 pmVi*gra for Gen Betrayus!!
Comment by Zooey
Sometimes it's just too little, too late.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:03 pm:D
Oh for the love of --
LOOK. JUST GO TO SAFEWAY AND BUY THE TIRAMISU, OKAY? IRAQ IS ALL OUT OF CONFECTIONS.
Sheesh!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:04 pmSometimes it’s just too little, too late.
:D
Comment by trueblue
Oh Ouch!!
Heh.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:05 pmchimpeach,
And the over 3,500 military careers cut short by Bush's ineptitude.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:05 pmAnd of course, we have no trolls on this thread.... even they are choking their collective chickens over this one!!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pmPetraeus: U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’
That's all the soldiers need...more candy and flowers. ^_^
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pmHA!!!
Looks like "Stay the Course" is working.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pmkucinich would have never allowed this circus to go on. Bring the troops home now.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pmTHIS MAKES MY BRAIN GURGLE...
EVERYONE WHO NEEDS SOME RELIEF(AND SOME TEARS IN YOUR EYES) SHOULD SEARH FOR pAUL pOTTS ON yOUTUBE.ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!!!
(dang it! sorry fo da caps...)
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pmThese bastards thrive on chaos.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:12 pmSorry for going OT, but how long before this breaks?
Apparently, the latest Newsweek poll has Bush at 26%.
Yikes. He's even losing some of the 28-percenters.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:12 pm"Inevitably, it does not matter how much you were viewed as a liberator, over time you will be seen as an occupier."
Then maybe we shouldn't have stayed so long? Gee, while we're at it, maybe we shouldn't have gone there at all?!
So now the mission is to save Iraqis from their civil war?
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pmspit take,
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pmHey how about your Democratic Congress ratings at 14%!
Wow how does it feel being a 14%?
upside00 sez:
They're all over on the clusterfsck that was the talk radio thread.
2857 comments and counting...2700 of those being from rightard mouth-breathers that think they can prove something (other than their own idiocy) by spamming the conversation.
I tried to tell them no one was listening to them, but I don't think they listened to me...oh well...they'll wear themselves out eventually. ^_^
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pmEVERYONE WHO NEEDS SOME RELIEF(AND SOME TEARS IN YOUR EYES) SHOULD SEARH FOR pAUL pOTTS ON yOUTUBE.ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!!!
Comment by whiteyfresh — June 21, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
I saw this last night on Countdown -- I was balling like crazy!
.....but don't tell anyone, ok?
June 21st, 2007 at 4:13 pmSometimes it’s just too little, too late.
:D
Comment by trueblue
Thought that was too little, too soon.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:14 pmLOL
I tried to tell them no one was listening to them, but I don’t think they listened to me…oh well…they’ll wear themselves out eventually. ^_^
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
I think it's hilarious that they keep talking to themselves like that. :D
June 21st, 2007 at 4:14 pmPateaus is a fraud.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:14 pmHe's a known Al-Qaeda operative puroposely having our troops die.
It's part of the plan to take over America!
So if our troops stay another 5 years in ameat-grinder, will they eventually be able to alter time and space, levitate... shit like that?
Un-be-fucking-lievable.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:15 pmThe Bush administration succeeded in promoting the misguided and destructive war in Iraq with messages targeting our core concerns about vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, and helplessness. Looking ahead, they will likely try to sell us a continuing occupation of Iraq—or an attack on Iran—in much the same way. I examine these warmongering appeals and how to counter them in a new 10-minute video entitled "Resisting the Drums of War." It's available for viewing on YouTube HERE.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:15 pmBeen around Bush so much, he caught CrazyStupid Syndrome.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:16 pmUh, I guess I should have said "screw," Mr. Moderator?
You guys are no fun!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:18 pm.
Tripmaster -
Guess we know where their REAL man-love is......... the worship of the Rusher and billy o is too strong of a pull for them to pull away.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:18 pmThink retreat...
http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com
June 21st, 2007 at 4:18 pmKinda makes me pine away for the good old days when GDumbya was just drilling dry holes in Texas . . . and not in Iraq, North Korea, Iran and Palestine.
We would all be better off if the only dry hole GDumbya was drilling was LaLa's.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:19 pmLeave it to joker to lie about shit. Congress' approval (while nothing at all to brag about) in the same Newsweek polling is 25%, not 14%. And I wager that the low ratings are in direct response to not taking a hard enough line against Bush.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:19 pmLOL, Wayne!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:20 pmOf course we have to stay the course, they haven't given us their oil yet!!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:23 pmI hope we never need to be "liberated".
June 21st, 2007 at 4:24 pmAnd I wager that the low ratings are in direct response to not taking a hard enough line against Bush.
Comment by lestatdelc
Totally.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:25 pmewwww, Tom.
My first reaction was to type, "rim shot!".....
but then decided it had too many meanings.......
June 21st, 2007 at 4:25 pmOK, I just grossed myself out.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We Did It Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:26 pm"Is he trying to say that we are liberators for the extremists?"
No, it's actually not as far-fetched as some are pretending, although it's still clearly delusional. What he's saying is that there are some people and some neighborhoods that have been hit so hard and are suffering so much from the "extremists" attacking them, that they are desperate for a solution, any solution, to their problems are are, once again, welcoming the presence of U.S. troops who can, in theory, provide a little stability and some relief.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:26 pm"are are" == "and are"
June 21st, 2007 at 4:27 pmWell at least the opium trade is flourishing in Iraq. Petraeus confirms as much.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:28 pmOK, I just grossed myself out.
If you thought that was bad, just imagine GDumbya drilling Condoleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezza's dry hole, too.
(rim shot)
June 21st, 2007 at 4:28 pmI need a shower, Tom.
:P
June 21st, 2007 at 4:30 pmI saw this last night on Countdown — I was balling like crazy!
…..but don’t tell anyone, ok?
Comment by Zooey
You were what?
I wasted all my time reading the comments here because I thought Petraeus was on about golden showers.
I could be reading the wingnuts on the talk radio thread!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:31 pmlestatdelc,
June 21st, 2007 at 4:31 pmActually it was posted at RealClearpolitics.com.
It had Congress at 14% in a different poll.
Taking the higher Newsweek 25%, it's that the American people are sick of both the Democrats and Republicans.
More and more americans are realizing that they are bothe frauds controlled by Muslims to ruin our country.
Most people aren't brainwashed like ypou Leftard Regressive or your Reichwing counterparts.
People are waking up to the truth.
The end of Republicrat domination is at hand!
I need a shower, Tom.
Is that a declarative statement or a proposition?
lol
June 21st, 2007 at 4:32 pm"If you thought that was bad, just imagine GDumbya drilling Condoleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezza’s dry hole, too.
(rim shot)
Comment by Tom — June 21, 2007 @ 4:28 pm"
So if she has an orgasm, it would be the first time that GW actually retreived something while drilling.....
June 21st, 2007 at 4:32 pmPetraeus is a spinmeister and/or deluded loon !
June 21st, 2007 at 4:32 pmOh my gosh. We are fighting a war and the enemy is fighting back...........that must mean our policy of fighting isn't working. When we were fighting the Japanese on Iwo Jima, I think I remember there being an "increase in violence" too. Please, no comments about "Well, Iraq never attacked us, the Japanese did. Until you wake up to the fact that this is indeed a global struggle for power and the West needs to either win now in Iraq or face a much larger war that will make this war look like a picnic.
TP believes the faulty premise that violence only begets violence (Nancy Pelosi quote). Rebubs and Demos both support us winning in Iraq. Just look at the last vote on funding.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:32 pmOK, how much longer do we have to stay in Iraq before our occupation turns back into not invading the country at all?
That's how it works, I guess.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:34 pmTom,
**blush**
June 21st, 2007 at 4:35 pmRebubs and Demos both support us winning in Iraq. Just look at the last vote on funding.
Republicans before the vote: this isn't about how you feel about the war, this is about supporting the troops. Support the troops! Support the troops!
Republicans after the vote: Obviously, if you voted for the funding, that means you support the war.
Whatever.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:36 pmeric #67 - "the West needs to either win now in Iraq or face a much larger war that will make this war look like a picnic."
Well then we're in deep doo doo because the Iraqis don't look like they're going to get "pacified" and what's the alternative? Killing every Iraqi? Seriously man, how is the "West" supposed to win this?
June 21st, 2007 at 4:37 pm# 50 lestatdeic, thanks for handling that. The Joke needed responding to but I didn't want to do it. I'm trying to cut down on my troll-feeding habit. They're just so... boring.
(Of course, you didn't note that the Congress approval ratings are not for the "Democratic Congress" which polls much higher -- it's for the entire Congress and its inability to get things done, largely due to the obstructionism of the formerly "UP or Down Vote" Republicans.)
June 21st, 2007 at 4:37 pmTP believes the faulty premise that violence only begets violence
No, sweetpea. However, stupidity only begets ignorance as you so effectively demonstrate.
Why don't you further expose your ignorance and 'splain to all of us just what GDumbya's dirty little war for oil in Iraq has to do with "a global struggle for power". While you're at it, please 'splain how his bankrupting of our economic, diplomatic and moral authority in the world has aided the U.S. in winning this struggle.
That ought to keep you busy and out of your little sister's underpants at least until she reaches puberty.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:38 pmYou were what?
I wasted all my time reading the comments here because I thought Petraeus was on about golden showers.
I could be reading the wingnuts on the talk radio thread!
Comment by gummitch
Crying!!
It happens, ya know! Just because I act like a hard as nails b*tch, doesn't mean I'm not actually a delicate flower of womanhood.
:P
June 21st, 2007 at 4:46 pmspit take,
June 21st, 2007 at 4:47 pmYou're a naive fool!
In your simple brainwashed mind it's
Democrats=good
Republican=bad.
Most Americans hate both!
OMFG!!!!!
These people will next tell us that pigs fly and most right wingers will believe him
June 21st, 2007 at 4:48 pmPetraeus argued Americans are liberating Iraq from the “golden hour†of “omnipotence†of the American liberators who established a democracy in Iraq that will liberate Iraq so the U.S. is being perceived as “liberators†once again in Iraq. This time freeing them from the bloody civil war instigated as a result of the U.S. occupation.
Wow, Makes sense for me.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:49 pmAWWW Eric, your argument might hold some merit......IF we were fighting terrorists in Iraq. But most of the people there are on one side or another of a civil war. The terrorists that are there now, came because we invaded a country and are now illegal occupiers of said country.
You would be pissed too if they invaded you (I think).
June 21st, 2007 at 4:50 pmGive him a promotion and a medal for that. Excellent spin General.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:52 pmCurious, that piece of hard candy looked damn similar to an RPG round…
INCOMING!
Comment by RUCerious — June 21, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
ROFLOL !
June 21st, 2007 at 4:55 pmThe terrorists that are there now, came because we invaded a country and are now illegal occupiers of said country.
Yet they are blowing up their fellow muslims by the boatload. Nice to see that the terrorists have taken the moral high ground, vaporizing markets and mosques in protest of the occupation. Jihadis are jihadis, they dont need a substantial excuse, Rushdie is proof enough of that.
How many U.S. soldiers were in the golden dome when it blew sky high?
June 21st, 2007 at 4:58 pmHey fellow muslims bros I am having sex with virgin 69 with 3 left to go.
Thanks US for making me a martyr. Tell Bubba Clinton he should convert soon.
Allah akubar and Death to America!
June 21st, 2007 at 5:03 pmIt happens, ya know! Just because I act like a hard as nails b*tch, doesn’t mean I’m not actually a delicate flower of womanhood.
:P
Comment by Zooey
(**cough** b-llcrap **cough**)
;)
June 21st, 2007 at 5:05 pmTHIS is what you get when you put a Brigadier General (who is trying to make Major General) in charge! I betcha BUSH gives him a kiss on the cheeck for that one!
June 21st, 2007 at 5:07 pm(**cough** b-llcrap **cough**)
;)
Comment by trueblue
Yeah......um, I'm looking at apartment rentals for you in Portland.....there's nothing less than $1,000,000 a month. Sorry....
June 21st, 2007 at 5:08 pmSorry, Mistress Z,
It was there. I had to run with it!
:)
June 21st, 2007 at 5:10 pmThink retreat…
http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com
Comment by J. Mark English
-- Think Blogspam. And a crappy blog, at that.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:42 pmI wished this was a bad Saturday Night Live skit then maybe it would be funny.
The U.S. Has Occupied Iraq Long Enough That We Have ‘Become Liberators Again’
That's the ticket.
Now it's funny.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:46 pm#81 - I think you are making my point in that most of the killing is between Iraqis and we are to some extent collateral damage because our leadership (?) keeps our soldiers in harm's way as referees in a match with no rules.
June 21st, 2007 at 5:47 pm#63 the Joker
As long as we're pulling up polls from right-wing sites, check out this one from Rasmussen Reports:
"Voters continue to trust Democrats more than Republicans on ten key issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports."
June 21st, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Chimpeach - If these polls are true then WTF is keeping the Dems from moving on these issues?????? (Other than the lack of gonads in both Dem leaders.)
June 21st, 2007 at 6:09 pmThe Dems and Repukes dont' run the government.
The one percent who hold the wealth do. They tell the government what to do. Simple.
June 21st, 2007 at 6:33 pmWhen Bush finally found a yes-man in Petraeus, he found a general who apparently reached the peter principle of the military as Bush has reached his in politics.
June 21st, 2007 at 6:38 pmOMG, Betrayus has gone off the deep end. He is seriously delusional. Bush did a very smart thing by not putting him up for reappointment.
Doesn't that man care what he is doing to his reputation? Probably not, since he is getting ready to leave the military and get his reward from the RepubliCONS. I'm sure they have a real cushy job lined up for him. All he needs to do to get the job is to sell his soul, which is what he is doing right now.
June 21st, 2007 at 7:32 pmPerhaps he's auditioning to replace Tony Snowflake?
June 21st, 2007 at 7:57 pmPatreaus has fallen in love with himself. He has prepared all his life for battle and he is clearly in love with the power and thrills of the occupation. His rationales for US military action are utterly foolish and propaganda to keep his war fun going.
He has done a miserable job articulating clear military objectives and goals.
He has failed to garner bipartisan respect, trust or support.
Gates should shut him up now.
Get rid of Patreaus and get our troops out of the cross hairs of this civil war.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:24 pm"Yet they are blowing up their fellow muslims by the boatload."
Well, that's kind of what happens in a Civil War. Which is why we really don't have any place there, particularly as long as we're fighting the wrong war.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:44 pmI remember watching Daily show and they had some new reporter whom came back from Iraq (cant recall MSNBC IIRC)
He said when he was in the anbar area wearing body amour, with overhead blackhawks and one the streets people ran up to him hugged him and begged for the americans never to leave.
Afterwards while still in Iraq 73 Iraqis are killed in a single suicide bombing.
He concluded Iraq was a hugely complicated situation
..................
Having said that Petrauses message is WAY WAY out of wack given the overall situation continues to degrade. He should be much much more cautious and a lot less trumpheting. Given hes well aware that this surge is only locally focused and its breaking the army to even get this much.
June 21st, 2007 at 8:58 pmI just read the entire transcript: should have done this earlier before posting.
As a lot of people have posted the answer to the very pointed questions asked have been very "poltically" answered. (In that evasive though more a deflective way that politicians use) That greeted as libeators was the worse slip up in the entire interview.
Arming tibes which have attacked US forces in the past is extremely risky business. Though a stratergy employed by British in Oman. Frankly the general has got to be kidding when he said its helped as I believe were doing the dirty work for them by rooting out the Jihardies elements and allowing them to consolidate power.
Perhapes this is the "best option" avaliable.
Pertauses kept answering question which clearly were meant to be overall stratergic outlook with how successful hes small local successes are instead. Which is why hes overly optimistic report is so out of connect with the overall situation.
Saddly though I think the general is making a huge mistake.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:14 pm"..Golden hour of Omnipotence? Did Petraeus truly say that? Was he saying that America was omnipotent? Wow !! What a foolish statement. That type attitude and verbage led to Napoleon's downfall, the Spanish Encomienda, Hitler....we are in bad bad company if that is what Petraeus thinks. He could begin by looking up the definition of omnipotent. Omnipotent we are not.
June 21st, 2007 at 10:46 pmAre we allowed to criticize a general simply because he is a deceitul callous liar and a failure? ? ? What if he is a worthless demagogue beholden not the American people but to the corporate owned American president?
June 21st, 2007 at 11:03 pmi see - this is a cyclic thing and after 4 1/4 years they are right back where they started - let's see if i can read this right from what petraeus says - liberators after time become occupiers (makes sense so far) then after 4 years the occupiers declare that progress has been made and then decide to send in additional occupiers (ok this is where i start falling behind) and 3-4 months after this and the loss of 3500 of their own the occupiers become omnipotent (well and truly lost now) and go through a golden shower before re-declaring to the occupied peoples that they have in fact become liberators again because they have been there long enough (totally f**cking confused) but only in the areas where there are extremists because in the extremist-free areas they are still occupiers......but this cycle has no conclusion - which means it is a spiral right?....f**k this,time for a beer
June 21st, 2007 at 11:48 pmGen. BetrayUs has proven once and for all that he is absolutely nuts, batshit crazy. Nice to know he's in charge of Bush's Fiasco in Iraq.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:58 pmIsn't the guy's name "Betraeus"? That would be more appropriate.
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:44 pmI would suggest that everyone above who has commented negatively about General David Petraeus, take a breath, stop and try to learn what is really happening in Iraq. Read some books on the subject. Investigate on the internet. Venture out of your left-wing circle and ask questions.
The situation in Iraq is very complicated and General Petraeus is doing everything he can to bring peace to that country so that we may leave without there being a mass masacre of innocent Iraqis.
The man is a West Point Graduate. He holds a PhD in International Affairs from Princton. He is the former commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and is probably "The" authority on counterinsurgent warfare. He is the right man for the job and he does not deserve the hateful things you are saying about him. Disagree with the policies, but do not belittle this man.
He is a true gentleman, a good man and he is giving his all to bring peace to the Iraqi people.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:17 pmWow. I guess that means that if you don't have sex in 4 years, you're a virgin again?
Alrighty then.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:56 pmFOLKS, REGARDLESS OF YOUR POLITICS, PETRAEUS IS AN HONORABLE MAN......GEORGE W. BUSH IS NOT !! WHERE IS THE "REAL" ACCOUNTABILITY....FOR THIS REPUBLICAN, I SAY "IMPEACH GEORGE W. BUSH" !!!!!!! READ THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT....IMPEACH AND GET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON TRACK !!
June 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pmBetrayus is so full of it. Omnipotence for him will last decades if we stay in Iraq. The Iraqies are incapable of producing a democracy and that's something that should have been shouted loud and clear by all those in congress and the senate who say they want the troops home and this war ended. This religious civil war in Iraq had been going on for hundreds of years and to even think that somehow America is going to make everyone there act like good christians and hug and make up is a big lie--say something it often enough and expect people to believe it. Betrayus (yes, that's how I think of him) believes Iraqies will put up with an occupation no matter how long. Sooner or later, the few in Iraq we protect will turn against us too if we stay there.
June 24th, 2007 at 11:05 pmRichard S. Lowry:
"I would suggest that everyone above who has commented negatively about General David Petraeus, take a breath, stop and try to learn what is really happening in Iraq. Read some books on the subject. "
I would suggest you read some books yourrself about the centuries' old religious rivalry in the region. Petrayus isn't bringing peace to Iraq. He's leading a military force that in effect is under siege in Baghdad and trying to protect that city. Since when do we go to war to protect a city? IWe can't go out into the provinces because we've lost them. If Petraeus had an ounce of patriotism, he would have refused to serve in this civil war, but he caved into Bush's search for some guy in uniform who would tell Bush what he wanted to hear. Sorry, that's not a nice guy at all and one who is just as much responsible for the continuing deaths of Americans in Iraq as Bush and his entire gang are.
June 24th, 2007 at 11:12 pmRichard S. Lowry:
“I would suggest that everyone above who has commented negatively about General David Petraeus, take a breath, stop and try to learn what is really happening in Iraq. Read some books on the subject. â€
One more thing. How dare you even suggest that everyone who is against this madnesss in Iraq and want to end it ASAP don't know what they're talking about. Most of us do read, watch the nightly news, hear the crap that comes out of the White House about bringing democracy to Iraq and that success is inevitable. This war was over a long time ago and the only ones blind to it are those who still insist that success is possible. Our soldiers are just cannon fodder and they die for nothing but the pipedreams and arrogance of Bush and his supporters like you.
June 24th, 2007 at 11:17 pmSteamboater,
I won't suggest that you don't know what you are talking about. I will prove it.
This could not be further from the truth. Petraeus is trying to return peace to the residents of Baghdad. Recent graffitti found in one of the most contested neighborhoods reads in Arabic, "Yes! Yes! to the new security plan."
95% of the 25 million Iraqi people are peace loving are most are for our latest effort to bring security to their neighborhoods.
Two weeks ago, al-Qaeda bombed the Golden Mosque in Samarra - again. When the mosque was first bombed in February of 2006, the country nearly spiraled into a sectarian civil war. This time people took to the streets in Basra, Karbala and Sadr City to peacefully protest the violence.
As for the provinces, On June 16th we went in force into Diyala province. We went in force into the provinces south of Baghdad (by the way, the additional troops provided with the surge, allowed this to happen) and as for the worst province of them all, al-Anbar (home of Fallujah and Ramadi) this province has had seven thousand young men volunteer for the Iraqi Security Force this year. Last year, 20 volunteered.
The people of Anbar province are tired of the intimidation and violence that foreigh al-Qaeda insurgents have prought to their communities. They have joined together with the American forces to expell the extreemists.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:22 pmI just reread your last two posts and I cannot hold my tongue. Let's take each of your statements seperately and show the world how irrational people distort the truth.
1. "I would suggest you read some books yourrself about the centuries’ old religious rivalry in the region."
I am currently reading "Power, Faith and Fantasy." What books have you read about religion in Iraq?
Can you tell me which nations in the region are primarily Sunni and which are Shia? Do you know what the Whabi sect is? Was Saddam Shia or Sunni?
2. "Petrayus isn’t bringing peace to Iraq." Oh, really now. What is Petraeus doing? Do you know anything about the Baghdad Security Plan? How many additional Brigades were surged into Baghdad and why? Give me some statistics that can be validated that proves that Petraeus is not trying to bring peace to Iraq.
3. "He’s leading a military force that in effect is under siege in Baghdad" Where did you get this gem? Markets are open, children are playing soccer in the parks, two major amusement parks have reopened, 375,000 stundets have returned to schools that have been renovated and reopened by Petraeus' soldiers.
The people are happy that the American forces are finally helping secure their neighborhoods. Life is returning to normal in Baghdad.
4. "Since when do we go to war to protect a city?" Whoever said that the US went to war to protect a city? Oh, yeah, it was you. Where did you get this foolish idea?
5. "If Petraeus had an ounce of patriotism, he would have refused to serve in this civil war, but he caved into Bush’s search for some guy in uniform who would tell Bush what he wanted to hear. Sorry, that’s not a nice guy at all and one who is just as much responsible for the continuing deaths of Americans in Iraq as Bush and his entire gang are."
How dare you question David Petraeus' patriotism or say he is not a nice guy. You don't even know the man. Also, there is no civil war in Iraq today. Also, if there is no man I know that has the integrity of General Petraeus. To suggest that he will not tell the American people the truth is disgusting. You know nothing of this man.
I could address every sentence in your hatred-induced nonsense, but, frankly, I won't waste my time. Except I will address your personal attack on me.
6. "Our soldiers are just cannon fodder and they die for nothing but the pipedreams and arrogance of Bush and his supporters like you."
Our soldiers are fighting a worldwide war to protect you and me. They are fighting in The Phillippines, the Horn of Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. Walking away from the fight will not end this war. Kindly remember that we were attacked on 9-11 and 3,000 innocent people were killed in an hour.
I personally know the parents, wives and siblings of brave men who have willingly given their lives for their nation and to say that they are nothing more than cannon fodder for my pipedreams is an insult I will not tollerate. You sir are a biggot as you know nothing of me and my beliefs. I mourn for every American loss. I visit the graves of the brave men who have fallen each time I go to Washington, D.C.
What have you done to help our troops except write this garbage?
June 25th, 2007 at 2:53 pm