A crash course in spin.
By on Sep 8th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
A crash course in spin.
The New York Times reports today that “General Petraeus arrived quietly on Tuesday night” in military housing in Ft. Myer, VA, “with a small team that included his brain trust.” “He has spent long hours in those quarters studying three large binders of classified statistics, maps and analysis, and will head to the Pentagon on Sunday for a final dress rehearsal, including tough questioning, in a process known in the military as a ‘murder board.’”
UPDATE: “Members of Congress urged the Pentagon yesterday to declassify its data on sectarian killings, just days before General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, is expected to report a dramatic decrease in the level of violence between the Sunni and Shi’ite sects.”
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Based on the spin doctored definations used by General Patronizeus, the United States has not had a murder in the last 35 years.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:13 pmscript of fiction… “dress rehearsal”… and they accuse the left of Political Theater?!
September 8th, 2007 at 12:15 pmNew Pentagon policy: they are now only counting as sectarian killings in Iraq, those deaths where the victim directly reports his death to the U.S. military in a signed and sworn affidavit.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:16 pmTP has evidence that the Gen is specifically and purposefully rehearsing “spin” or is this simply projection of their MO.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:25 pmHe needs to be sure he doesn’t forget anything he doesn’t recall.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:31 pmHere’s a simple question I’d like asked of every politician, media personality, and military official who addresses the public, though the answer seems quite obvious to me:
Do you agree or disagree that intentionally misleading the American public on issues of national security amounts to a betrayal of that public and, being entirely reliant on access to truthful information, democracy itself?
September 8th, 2007 at 12:34 pmOfficer:
“Sir? It’s time to go up the Hill now to give your report on Iraq.”
Petreaus:
“Iraq?? What do you mean Iraq? This is supposed to be about Iran, right? We’re going to Iran!”
September 8th, 2007 at 12:35 pmDress rehearsal, eh? How discouraging, and sad, that is. I wonder if the great generals of the past had to have dress rehearsals with their brain trusts.
From wiki: A dress rehearsal is the last rehearsal before the performance. It is called a ‘dress rehearsal’ because in a theatre the actors will be wearing their costumes.
Performing monkeys for the Pretender to the Throne. For shame, General. For shame.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:39 pmI do not believe the Gen or the White House referred to it as a dress rehearsal the NYT did.
It is no more a dress rehearsal than is studying and preparing for an exam. To not prepare would be foolish.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:51 pmor is this simply projection of their MO.
Comment by Troll — September 8, 2007 @ 12:25 pm
hey, it’s in the rightwing pravda, the New Tork Times.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:54 pmIt is no more a dress rehearsal than is studying and preparing for an exam. To not prepare would be foolish.
Comment by Troll — September 8, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
yes, as in acting, it will take practice to stay in the character of a truthful general, when in fact being a lying mouthpiece. telling the truth takes no practice, troll. Try it, it’s cool, you don’t have to remember anything, you don’t have to study. You just tell the truth.
never mind, it’s a foreign concept for rightwingnuts
September 8th, 2007 at 12:57 pmit’s in the rightwing pravda, the New Tork Times.
Comment by ronjazz, trollcrusher — September 8, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
LOL I want some of what your on.
Comment by ronjazz, trollcrusher — September 8, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
They dont just want his feelings they want facts.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:04 pmThat would be “You’re”. Sorry
September 8th, 2007 at 1:08 pmI expect that alot of the left will be quite confused about the report. They are going to hear things about schools being built, efforts made to to restore oil, water and health facilities. About how the decrease in violence has lead to the corner shop keeper opening up his stores again.
They will be confused because none of this is reported in the media and they think it will be all lies by General Petraeus. This stuff is actually ahppening so believe it.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:14 pmhis stuff is actually ahppening so believe it.
Comment by Another Chris — September 8, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
prove it
September 8th, 2007 at 1:20 pmThey dont just want his feelings they want facts.
Comment by Troll — September 8, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
then they have the wrong man.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pmRonjazz
http://www.usace.army.mil/
September 8th, 2007 at 1:23 pm“I expect that alot of the left will be quite confused about the report. They are going to hear things about schools being built, efforts made to to restore oil, water and health facilities. About how the decrease in violence has lead to the corner shop keeper opening up his stores again.”
5 years of these same lies, and you’re still buying it? You are some kind of fool, tool.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:24 pmNo these aren’t lies, violence is down. Sorry to disappoint you. I know you like to wake up and read the body count every morning.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:26 pmRonjazz
http://www.usace.army.mil/
Comment by Another Chris — September 8, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
Two projects in 5 years a a trillion dollars? how pathetic, both the record and your reliance on it to make some king of point. it just bolsters the left’s truthful assertions that this war is long lost and can never be won with these idiotic, murderous, taxpayer-bleeding tactic. You’ve just proved your irrelevance. congratulations, you’ve accomplished something today, that puts you one up on Bushco.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:27 pmNo these aren’t lies, violence is down. Sorry to disappoint you. I know you like to wake up and read the body count every morning.
Comment by Another Chris — September 8, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
now you’re the liar. I know you like to wake up and ignore reality every morning, that’s why you’re a tool of the fatcat Republican party, the enemies of America.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:28 pmI fully expect the good General to show up before Congress with a portable lathe.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:33 pmNo these aren’t lies, violence is down. Sorry to disappoint you. I know you like to wake up and read the body count every morning.
Comment by Another Chris — September 8, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
You know, when Saddam was killing off his enemies by the dozens, he eventually came to the point where they were all gone, and the violence in Iraq slowed to a normal trickle. this has happened in a few places in Iraq, where the sectarian violence kept in check by Saddam, having been unleashed by the US invasion, has resulted in nobody being left to kill. this is what you are pointing to as success. Shows your desperation nicely.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:33 pmronjazz, how about that Baghdad having formerly been 60+ % Sunni, now about the same Shiite.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:35 pmlie
September 8th, 2007 at 2:16 pmlie
lie
deny
lie
fail to recollect
change the subject
‘I expect that alot of the left will be quite confused about the report. They are going to hear things about schools being built, efforts made to to restore oil, water and health facilities. About how the decrease in violence has lead to the corner shop keeper opening up his stores again.
They will be confused because none of this is reported in the media and they think it will be all lies by General Petraeus. This stuff is actually ahppening so believe it.
Comment by Another Chris’
Uh huh; and let us know when Elvis gets here.
Unemployment in Iraq is running around 70%; electricity is available in Baghdad about 4 hours a day, on a GOOD day, and far less around the rest of the country; schools may be getting built, but few families are allowing their children to attend, because just walking your kids to school could get your entire family slaughtered;
Iraqi civilian deaths have been steadily climbing since January, the beginning of the surge; attacks on US service personnel have consistently increased over the past 6 months.
Is this the success you’re referring to?
Get bent.
September 8th, 2007 at 4:52 pmNo these aren’t lies, violence is down. Sorry to disappoint you. I know you like to wake up and read the body count every morning.
Comment by Another Chris — September 8, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
And if the General practices enough, he will be able to say violence is down with a straight face, too. Good job, stooge.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:41 pm