Petraeus Bolsters Obama Position

Washington Independent:

Throughout Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, the Republican nominee has wrapped himself in the mantle of U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, proclaiming himself the leading advocate of the former commanding general in Iraq who devised last year's controversial troop surge. Yet during a talk Wednesday about Iraq at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington policy organization, Petraeus repeatedly made statements that bolstered the foreign-policy proposals of Sen. Barack Obama, McCain's Democratic rival, or cut against McCain's own lines.

Petraeus relinquished command in Iraq last month. He assumes responsibility for U.S. Central Command later this month, putting him in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia.

Read the whole story: Washington Independent

Comments

[wordvarc]

Petreaus has benefited also by the 'secret technique' mentioned by Woodward in his book on the White House.

The "secret technique" so effective in Iraq since the surge is not increased troop numbers. It's simply tracing phone calls using the data-mining technology borrowed from credit card companies. If you attempt an unusual purchase, more ID is required. In the same way, if a bombing happens all calls around the event are scrutinized. Patterns of calling and numbers called lead to possible perpetrators who are ID'd. When the phone is used again troops or rockets are deployed to nuetralize their target. The feds can use this technology against US citizens since "The Patriot Act."

This technique does not work with internet call services (as those call numbers are not recorded or traceable) and may be the reason why some new phones have a "kill switch" to erase programs deemed unsuitable by their maker.

[Lupin77]

It's so obvious that Petreaeus is for BO - wish he'd just come out and support him openly. It's about time.

[MinneapolisBob]

This situation has now gone beyond politics. Petraeus knows the consequences, and not playing partisan politics. Got to get it done regardless of who is in the White House. Americans are sick and tired of the wars.
----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­---------
VOTE! Stop the right wing extremists from taking over the Supreme Court.

[SailFree]

Petraeus makes perfect sense. He should, as I had explained and proposed the Petraeus-Bush strategy months before it was implemented, and I make sense.

But nothing here contradicts anything McCain said. Of course every situation is unique. Of course some elements of the Iraqi strategy will work in Afghanistan, as they are applicable to virtually all insurgencies of this type; they would have been effective in Vietnam, for example.

McCain has never said to slavishly follow any single plan.

Petraeus disagrees strongly with Obama's plan for date-certain withdrawal, disagreed strongly with his opposition to implementing the surge, disagreed that the Surge could not work (why plan something that had no probability of success?), and on and on.

Face it: Obama was just frantically eager to surrender and declare we lost. One has to think---TH­INK!--hard­, on why this was so. Did he wish to allow Iran free rein to invade a weak country before it could be strengthened? What is the Iran-Syria­-Obama-Pak­istan connection?

[JessWonderin]

"surrender"??? That pre-supposes we have something to "win" . . . .

You speak like the usual REMF Chickehawk ready to toss anyone into the fire except your own . . .

By the way, since the "removal" of the anti-Iran ruler (Sue-damn), Iran has been the de facto ruler of Iraq thanks to America blood and treasury . . . Bush did in one month what the Iranians couldn't do in 8 years . . .

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Lost, won, surrender - they're meaningless words designed to elicit emotions from you because you're brainwashed.

There's no winning this war or any war. What's winning? People have died to make others filthy rich. That's it. There's nothing more.

Did Bush say to the American people that we were going into Iraq to create a stable democracy and that we'd finally leave when they were able to take over and govern themselves?

No, Bush lied and gave us false reasons for war. It's only ever been about control of the oil (squeezing supply and keeping the price artificially elevated) for Bush's cronies (Saudis, Big Oil) and war profiteering (Halliburton, Blackwater etc) for Cheney's cronies.

This war was a sham.

There were no WMDs so there's no reason for us to be there.

Who the heck cares if they kill each other, or Iran invades? Leave them to fight it out amongst themselves. You can't fix feudalism in two years or ten.

We don't even really need oil. A European ex-formula one driver has invented a car that runs on air. Yes, compressed air.

The technology exists already to rid the world of the geo-political machinations of Governments on behalf of corporations for control of the oil supply.

[ILikeH00ters]

Well he knows who will be his boss come January 2009. He is greasing wheels already.

[SailFree]

Rather than greasing wheels, one suspects Petraeus would rather resign than serve for a cut-and-run pusillanimous president.

[dah buzz]

The war in Iraq was declared by Bush as a means of saving face as you may recall how "pusillanimous" he showed himself to be when informed back in that classroom about the 911 attack. This guy was so scared out of his wits that he was frozen to that chair for a full 5 mins while we were under attack... FIVE MINS... Give me a break. Now he is all bluster and bravado at the cost of thousands of innocent lives and by all counts no less instability in the middle east. I don't know how he sleeps at night.

[Plank]

I have the feeling Petraeus is looking forward to working with Obama, a leader who gets it. McCain is stuck in the past and is too dogmatic to grasp the world's complexities.

[gcallaghan]

Petraeus' support of Obama is incidental. The truth is simply the truth. Although the general inow speaks it, he was complicit in covering up UU's mess for years.
If one isn't waiting on his new desk in the oval office, Obama will ask for Petraeus' letter of resignation soon after taking the oath.

[1differentdrummer]

John is out of it, past it. He's the man with a hammer who thinks every problem is a nail. Too bad for us if he gets inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. DC.

[pico]

Petraeus is one of the few smart military leaders to come out of a system that promotes ass-kissers and yes-men. I suspect that if he were able to speak his mind, he would say going into Iraq was a terrible idea in the first place.

[Americatortures]

Too bad there was no conversation about the Sunni Awakening and Al Sadr's cease fire as elements that have kept things quiet in Iraq. That and the fact Baghdad is mostly ethnically cleansed, as per a map in the NYTIMES a month ago showinfg that exact phenomenon!!! I guess the reporters there know less than me!!!

[JohnTalbutt]

Just puting myself in the place of an Iraqi, once I heard that there was a chance that foreign troops might be expeditiously withdrawn based upon negotiations that would respect Iraqi sovereignty , I would stop being an insurgent or supporting an insurgency. It would be naive to think that most Iraqis are not aware of the implications of the U.S. election.

[armadillious2002]

If you haven't listened to the EAGLE'S song Long Road out of Eden - you're missing something. It's about America's road to empire, our lust for oil profits, and our troops over seas. The song grows on me every day. It speaks to my soul.

[armadillious2002]

Oh yeah - here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCf1VpJFXVU

[mjtaylor22]

Big p didn't even watch the debates, he speaks of strategy as a commander with lives on the line and with a goal to obtain,.
In his talks he has mostly been in line with the comments of Obama, not an advocate, i would say just common sense solutions to reach our goals, save lives, restore order.
and then the Maverick comes stumbling in and throws monkey wrenches inthe whole works and
says 100 years war.......­..........
put the maverick out to pasture please he is always mucking up the works

[web wallace]

It must be very troubling for Mr. Petraeus to be constantly called up and referred to as a friend by the "maverick" who has such a horribly bad military academic and profesional record.

Imagine them graduating in the same year, Petraeus in the top 5%, the "maverick" in the bottom 1% . David would have laughed at him and never talk to him most likely. All of a sudden in 2008 the sub standard performer is in the position of becoming his boss.... I would indeed keep my options open.....

[Clavis]

Petraeus has called US soldiers "thugs"! Check it out:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081008/ts_nm/us_afghan_usa_petraeus

'...Petraeus noted that Britain's long experience negotiating with adversaries helped reduce violence in Iraq. "They've sat down with thugs throughout their history, including us in our early days, I suspect," he said.'

[UltraClassic]

Clavis, get a clue, read your own cut n paste. "including us in our early days..." Clavis, our revolution was a classic war waged by insurgents complete with very effective and brutal gorilla war tactics.

Don't be in such a hurry to demonstrate what a genius you are.

[usakaput]

ULTRA YOU ARE HARDLY A GENIOUS YOURSELF.THE WORD IS SPELLED GUERILLA, BUT PRONOUNCED AMERICAN SPEAK AS GORILLA. LEARN HOW TO WRITE.

[SEQUOIABISON]

I think Petraeus realizes his new boss and commander in chief will be Barack Obama.

Obama/Biden

[addie24]

My thoughts exactly

[RHONDA1204]

There will be a statement from Petreaus saying he is not supporting either candidate just to clear things up. You don't want to make McCain look bad.

[Samirah1368]

you mean make McCain look worse than he already does? No one at this point makes mccain look bad he does a fine job for himself

[shirleen01]

How bad can he look! He has done a great job at making himself and his campaign look bad..please wake me up when this mess is all over. Repeat after me..MCCAIN IS DIRT!