After Defending Petraeus, Gergen Admitted: "I Have A Personal Relationship With Him ... I'm Biased"

Media Matters:

On the September 10 edition of CNN Newsroom, former White House adviser David Gergen said that Gen. David Petraeus "has won high marks within the military on all services as one of the most respected, independent-minded men and who ... [has] become a father figure on counterinsurgency," before admitting, "I must tell you, I have a personal relationship with him, so I'm sure I'm biased in this regard." CNN anchor Don Lemon introduced Gergen as "sort of our go-to guy today that we're going to talk to" during discussions of Petraeus' and Ambassador Ryan Crocker's testimonies on Iraq before Congress.

Before admitting he had a personal relationship with Petraeus, Gergen defended the general against an ad the liberal group MoveOn.org ran in The New York Times on September 10, titled, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" Discussing the ad, Gergen asserted: "There has been what appears to be a concerted effort on the part of some, on the left, Democratic Party, to undermine the credibility of General Petraeus before he even speaks, which I think has been a -- I think they've misplayed their hand on this." Gergen added that the ad "struck many Republicans and, frankly, it will strike a lot of fair-minded Americans as a sort of below-the-belt kind of attack before we've even had a chance to hear from one of the most decorated and respected generals in the United States Army."

Read the whole story: Media Matters

Comments

[LittleBrother]

09:26 AM on 09/11/2007

Gergen's "incidental" admission that he has a "personal relationship" with Petraeus, and obviously is stricken with admiration for him, proves the point that the DC Beltway infotainwhore corps operates not on high principles of scrupulous accuracy and fairness in the pursuit of truth-- but on the Buddy System.

Glenn Greenwald has commented that "... It is actually amazing to watch media coverage of Gen. Petraeus' testimony depict him as though he has just risen from the apolitical ether as the objective and trustworthy source with regard to the war. The White House is desperate for that image to be maintained because the nation no longer trusts George Bush or Dick Cheney or other Republican office-holders, precisely because they have heard from those individuals over the last several years countless assurances of "progress," only for events repeatedly to prove those claims to be untrue.

But since the inception of the war, Gen. Petraeus has been at the forefront of issuing those sorts of highly -- and unduly -- optimistic statements about the war's progress...."

There's a video; check it out:

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/09/10/no-more-flack-for-iraq

[trotskyxxx]

08:50 AM on 09/11/2007

Boy, that Minnesota bathroom must see a lot of action.

[Captain EdwardGraham]

08:07 AM on 09/11/2007

Anti-war protesters disrupt Iraq hearing



By Ken Dilanian and Matt Kelley, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Anti-war protesters, some dressed in one group's trademark hot-pink clothing, repeatedly interrupted Monday's congressional hearing on Iraq with shouted slogans, prompting the chairman to order them forcibly removed.
"Swear 'em in," shouted one activist, former CIA officer Ray McGovern, before he was grabbed by U.S. Capitol Police and escorted out of the cavernous, gild-encrusted caucus room in the Cannon House Office Building.


At least eight people were arrested overall — including Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who has become a prominent anti-war activist.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, who chaired the hearing, threatened prosecution as one protester after another stood up and shouted. They were perched in the back of the room in a small gallery reserved for the public.


"This is intolerable!" the Missouri Democrat snapped at one point.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-09-10-Protests_N.htm?csp=34

[Captain EdwardGraham]

08:14 AM on 09/11/2007

Local soldier dies four months after being wounded in Iraq
KATU Portland - Sep 10 6:05 PMCapt. Drew Jensen of Damascus died Sept. 7 at a Seattle hospital. Jensen was wounded on May 7 when his unit was attacked by insurgents in the Iraqi city of Baqouba. He was 27 years old.

Soldier from Fort Wayne killed in Iraq
The Herald Bulletin - Sep 10 8:45 PMINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A soldier from Fort Wayne has died of wounds suffered in combat in Iraq. The Department of Defense says 22-year-old Army Corporal Ryan Woodward died Saturday after he was wounded by small arms fire. Military officials say insurgents attacked Woodward’s unit near Baghdad.

A Wounded Wells Soldier Returns From Iraq
WLUC TV 6 - Sep 08 6:49 PMIt was a homecoming celebration like no other Saturday in Delta County. That's where Specialist Bobby LaMarche returned after being wounded in Iraq almost three months ago.

Wounded soldier recovering
The Daily Reporter - Sep 09 8:18 PMWASHINGTON, D.C. — Abe Marvin’s journey from Iraq has been a long one since being wounded by a rocket propelled grenade on Aug. 9.

Texas soldier killed in Iraq
The Victoria Advocate - Sep 09 11:16 PMDALLAS (AP) - Three soldiers from Fort Bliss, including a Texan, were killed after a bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat in Mosul, Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Saturday. Spc. Thomas L. Hilbert, 20, of Venus, died Friday in Mosul after being wounded in Thursday's attack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ec_rzIBos&NR=1 المقاومة في العراق jazzy music

[godlessclif]

05:15 AM on 09/11/2007

Don't ask; don't tell. Petraeus is in the US military. Lets just say Rob Corddry is covering the Republican convention for the Daily Show from the men's room at the Minneapolis airport and might run into Gergen.
http://www.dailyshownews.com/

[TerryFL]

03:34 AM on 09/11/2007

.

Mr. Gergen, please define "personal relationship".

.

[kittycago]

10:41 AM on 09/11/2007

I think he may be the "big shot "who's daughter is married to Petraeus. I will poke around the net to find out.

[kittycago]

10:50 AM on 09/11/2007

Two months after graduation Petraeus married Holly Knowlton, a graduate from Dickinson College and daughter of retired Army General William A. Knowlton who was superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) at the time. They have two grown children
-----------------------------------------------
No it is not Gergen's daughter -here is the "big shot" I was thinking of.

[protagonia]

11:41 AM on 09/11/2007

He and the General know the secret gland-shake and have used it often.

[TommyMcCarthy]

12:45 AM on 09/11/2007

The comments of "dryfactoid" and especially "Qbear" above are offensive, add nothing to the debate, and are out of place on huffpo. You should both be ashamed of yourselves...............tm

[Qbear]

01:07 AM on 09/11/2007

well now I'm ashamed

http://www.newsfrombabylon.com/system/files/images/galleries/bush_finger.preview.jpg
no hard feelings tommy

[TommyMcCarthy]

02:34 PM on 09/20/2007

Not bad, not bad at all! (Everybody check the link above) Got a laugh out of it 'fer sure.....tm

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

01:13 AM on 09/11/2007

I am crying inwardly now. really.

[Qbear]

12:05 AM on 09/11/2007

oh and suck my d*ck too Gergen
http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/040805/p_bushad_questions_040805.300w.jpg

http://www.umdparc.org/AnyQuestions.png
http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/images/kerrysellout.jpg

[Qbear]

12:01 AM on 09/11/2007

Gergen
""General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" You know, I think struck many Republicans and, frankly, it will strike a lot of fair-minded Americans as a sort of below-the-belt kind of attack "
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~weezil0/pat_peale_purple_heart_bandaid.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/18/68726110_2c7787453b_o.jpg

fair minded Americans JUST LIKE TESE FOLKS

go f*ck yourself Gergen

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

11:56 PM on 09/10/2007

http://www.youtube.com/v/4RdkPkmA6IU

David Gergen hitting on a boy interviewing him about the Bohemian Grove

http://www.prisonplanet.com/032604nixontape.html
"It is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine."
(Richard Nixon, on the Bohemain Grove)

[dryfactoidobotanoid]

11:57 PM on 09/10/2007

(skip to middle of video)

[Ginzaman]

11:56 PM on 09/10/2007

Can Gergen make it any more obvious that he's a hack that will say and do anything for a check? Anne Coulter can crucify 9/11 widows and anybody else she damn well pleases. And the corporate media says NOTHING. Instead of NOT giving her any attention at all (so she'll just go away), they give into it because it's ratings. No thought at all about the widows or all the s**t they've been through. Imus trashes innocent, hard-working students and again, the white corporate media says, what's the big deal?

The neocons can do anything they want. But then when Move on.org pays for a full-page ad (which is still legal in America, as far as I know), instantly they're traitors. If he's going to keep making moronic comments like this, just shut up and stay in your univ. office. That way you won't embarass yourself.

[Captain EdwardGraham]

07:52 AM on 09/11/2007

Arabs say Petraeus report offers no Iraq solution
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 50 minutes agoA long-waited report by the top U.S. general in Iraq offers no new ideas on ending bloodshed and suggests Washington has lost the war whether its troops stay in Iraq or go, according to analysts in the Arab world.

Analysts from across the Arab world were disappointed by the reports from Petraeus and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, which they said seemed calculated only to shore up Bush's policy and preclude any substantial shift in approach on Iraq.

"Washington wants to bring the situation in Iraq back to square one, to the pre-surge period, which means there is no improvement. Things are not really moving forward," said Khaled al-Dakhil, a political sociology professor in Saudi Arabia.

"The situation in Iraq looks increasingly beyond rescue."

NO-WIN SITUATION

Petraeus said many of the bombers and the technologies they have been using to attack U.S. forces and Iraqis, came from neighbors Iran and Syria, both on bad terms with Washington.

Syria has long said it was doing its best to control its border with Iraq.

The state-run Thawra newspaper said the United States was unable to recognize or correct mistakes it had made since the 2003 invasion.

"Whoever listened to David Petraeus ... was sure that the Americans have not learnt anything during the last period and are still in a state of arrogance and stubbornness which will only take the Bush administration to dead ends," it read.

"We are astonished at how ... the United States cannot find the appropriate way to correct the large, abominable mistakes which it has landed itself in and, at least, not learnt from all the lessons which it has been through in the last six years."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWGz1KEc2Ak&NR=1 Seig Heil

[Captain EdwardGraham]

07:53 AM on 09/11/2007

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Marisol Heredia, 19, of El Monte, Calif., died Sept. 7 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related injury July 18 in Baghdad, Iraq. She was assigned to the 15th Brigade Support Battalion...

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Capt. Drew N. Jensen, 27, of Clackamas, Calif., died Sept. 7 in Seattle of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations May 7 in Ba’qubah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion...

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Cpl. Ryan A. Woodward, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Sept. 8 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations near Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron...

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (part 4)
Sgt. Michael J. Yarbrough, 24, of Malvern, Ark...died Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (part 3)
Staff Sgt. John C. Stock, 26, of Longview, Texas...died Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (part 2)
Cpl. Bryan J. Scripsick, 22, of Wayne, Okla...died Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton

09/10/07 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties (part 1)
Cpl. Christopher L. Poole Jr., 22, of Mount Dora, Fla..died Sept. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. They were all assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton