Petraeus Wanted Diplomacy With Syria; Bush Said No

Apparently Gen. David Petraeus does not agree with the Bush administration that the road to Damascus is a dead end.

ABC News has learned, Petraeus proposed visiting Syria shortly after taking over as the top U.S. commander for the Middle East.

The idea was swiftly rejected by Bush administration officials at the White House, State Department and the Pentagon.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[politricking]

Calling John McCain and Sarah Palin, can someone get them on the line?

John McCain/Sarah Palin, more of the same.

[BlackJAC]

So much for basing all military decisions on what Betray-Us has to say, huh?

[freebeer]

Patreaus said diplomacy, Bush said no, Obama said nothing.

The recent attack or the imperfect yet sovereign nation Syria, by American forces helped by our CIA, killed eight innocent civilians in order to kill 2 al-Qaeda soldiers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/27/syria-helicopter-attack

Not one single word from Obama condemning this raid, or the death of civilians. Why?

[Ramirez]

I think Petraeus should travel with Obama when he meets al-Assad in Damascus. His expertise could prove valuable in negotiating our position with the Syrians.

[honestpolitician]

With McCain, we will have a war with Iran, Syria, and the rest of the middle east.

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[Pdubya]

and with obama, we'll have war with pakistan, china, russia and venezuela and cuba.

zbig's two sons run both camps' foreign policies, fyi.

neither will practice non-intervention.

[krabby]

"Wise and good men are the strength of a state: much more so than riches or arms." Benjamin Franklin.

Diplomacy is the art of avoiding war. Obama knows this as does Petraeus. I think that they will work well together to move us forward in world affairs.

[noseysniper]

Petraeus has always seemed like a reasonable man. Him and Barack will work well together.

[Ramirez]

True. Obama has always supported Petraeus.

Obama was one of the first senators to support his idea of the "Surge." This recognition of appropriate strategy is a fine demonstration of Obama's judgement and military leadership.

[000Jade000]

Isn't Petraeus sort of representative of all of those "on the ground" officers that Bush promised to listen to? What a shame. Let us hope that a democratic majority WILL find a way to prosecute Bush and his cronies for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

[TrooAmerican]

Bush says NO to a lot of things he should say yes to. And says Yes to a lot of things he should say NO to.

Bush has got to be the WORST president any democratic nation on earth has ever voted in.

[evekendall]

My favorite ironic moment about right-wingers and Gen. Petraeus was a few weeks ago when Hannity, Limbaugh and their right-wing followers were shrieking that Obama is an elitist because of the way he pronounces "Pakistan."

We were hearing things like "Real Americans don't pronounce it that way!" It turns out that Gen. Petraeus pronounces it the exact same way that Obama pronounces it!

[luvangelHussein330]

Something tells me Petreaus is going to love an Obama President

[bluecatz]

Yes indeed!

[TheGuide]

I believe Petraeus will find working with Obama a must better situation.

[lejman]

even st. petraeus gets blustered down by the bushniks. the era of shove it down their throats non diplomacy must/will end.

[Mnemanth]

Petraeus has gone into Cover My A** mode, distancing himself from Bush and Company big time!
I never thought much of the guy anyway, but he's turning out to be just another rat jumping off the burning repubelican ship.
If he thought things were so wrong he should have used his rank to make a change, or should have done the honorable thing and resigned in protest. Too late now, bub. You can burn with your friends in the history books.
What a coward.

[demandfortruth]

he had to still report to the president, and if he resigned who takes his place? alberto gonzales? is that a better option? i think at least petraeus has a brain!

[Mnemanth]

At that level of rank and responsibility you have the ability- the duty- to tell your boss what right looks like. Following orders without question is what's done at the enlisted level, and even that idea has changed drastically over the past few years.
Let's look at it this way: Petraeus is going to resign? Probably publicly? Probably vocally? Probably make us, the Bush Corporation, look like idiots? Probably a media circus, let alone a diplomatic disaster?
Bush Corp isn't dumb. Petraeus would have kept his job, and we wouldn't look like the imperialistic *ssholes we look like now.

[w8aminute]

I'd bet Bush called for the attacks without any thought at all towards loss of life or America's reputation - he has one goal and that is to keep the GOP in power. That is all he cares about. He thinks bombing another country might scare Americans into voting for McCain .