Petraeus Endorses Obama's Plans To Close GITMO, End Torture

General David Petraeus said this past weekend that President Obama's decision to close down Gitmo and end harsh interrogation techniques would benefit the United States in the broader war on terror.

In an appearance on Radio Free Europe on Sunday, the man hailed by conservatives as the preeminent military figure of his generation left little room for doubt about where he stands on some of Obama's most contentious policies.

"I think, on balance, that those moves help [us]," said the chief of U.S. Central Command. "In fact, I have long been on record as having testified and also in helping write doctrine for interrogation techniques that are completely in line with the Geneva Convention. And as a division commander in Iraq in the early days, we put out guidance very early on to make sure that our soldiers, in fact, knew that we needed to stay within those guidelines.

"With respect to Guantanamo," Petraeus added, "I think that the closure in a responsible manner, obviously one that is certainly being worked out now by the Department of Justice -- I talked to the Attorney General the other day [and] they have a very intensive effort ongoing to determine, indeed, what to do with the detainees who are left, how to deal with them in a legal way, and if continued incarceration is necessary -- again, how to take that forward. But doing that in a responsible manner, I think, sends an important message to the world, as does the commitment of the United States to observe the Geneva Convention when it comes to the treatment of detainees."

The remarks appear to be the first from Petraeus since the closure of Guantanamo and Bush Administration use of enhanced interrogation techniques became hot-button partisan issues. They couldn't come at a better time for Obama. The president has found himself under intense political heat after the United States Senate soundly rejected his request for funds to shut down the prison. Dueling speeches between Obama and Cheney this past Thursday, moreover, did little to tamp down the controversy over the president's release of memos depicting the legal authorization fro the use of torture.

The president got a boost on Sunday when former Secretary of State Colin Powell came to his defense on both subjects. In conducting his RFE interview, Petraeus because the second figure who garners far more respect and popularity among Republicans than Cheney to offer his backing for Obama's national security plans.

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Comments

[nivek]

02:19 PM on 05/29/2009

Is he betrayus now?

[555Joanie]

03:20 PM on 05/28/2009

Ridiculous article . . . there were only 3 terrorists who were water boarded . . . all this fuss about closing Gitmo is a DISTRACTION to the very real happenings in this Administration. Whether or not Gitmo gets closed is of no consequence to the average American.
What should concern all Americans is . . . the watering down of our Freedoms . . . as Government has its greedy hands in every aspect of our lives . BEWARE Americans, evil comes in "cool speech" saying what you think you want to hear. Are you really getting the CHANGE you can believe in? Think hard and fast on this . . . inflation is coming....higher taxes.....fewer freedoms.....socialism . . . redistribution of YOUR hard earned income . . . so instead of working 2 jobs, you'll be working 3 or 4 jobs just to pay TAXES and live at a middle-class level.

[Dustee]

01:56 AM on 05/29/2009

You talk as though you've been waterboarded (or were you born that way).

[nivek]

06:04 PM on 05/29/2009

Find me 3 or 4 jobs smartypants.

[Montgriz]

03:42 PM on 05/27/2009

Looks like Petraeus is looking to be the next president...in fact, the way Obama is heading, he may even be the nominated in 2012. And, why not? both seem to be Bush lite....

[555Joanie]

03:14 PM on 05/28/2009

Petraeus' BOSS is Obama. Americans and especially the military are OBLIGATED to AGREE with their boss' positions OR ELSE . . .

[bjammin]

01:38 AM on 05/27/2009

Well, that's three more Republicans to be thrown out of the GOP this week for showing good sense:

Powell
Petraeus
and Mancow!

Whats left of the GOP says: Get Out! America haters!

[ywcachieve]

01:38 AM on 05/27/2009

Oops..wrong article. Disregard my prior statement. It was not meant for this thread.

[ywcachieve]

01:36 AM on 05/27/2009

Edit: "media"

[ywcachieve]

01:36 AM on 05/27/2009

Medai... WHY DO YOU LEAVE THE MAN ALONE. This witch-hunt is stale.

[Tom Payned]

12:38 AM on 05/27/2009

I've yet to hear a single specials forces person who has undergone the SERS training, including waterboarding step up and defend it.

So to all of you Bush/Cheney torture apologists, why are all of these patriots remaining silent?

It's only the chickenhawks who squawk about how it can't be torture because we do it to our own soldiers.

It would appear our own soldiers are not rushing to be in agreement with that statement.

[loveobamas]

12:09 AM on 05/27/2009

Is it possible that the rethuglicans will throw both General Petraeus and conservative radio host Eric "Mancow" Muller under the b u s in the same week?????

[anniegirl9]

12:04 AM on 05/27/2009

And will Limbaugh now be asking for his resignation to the Republican party?

[IssuesInFocus]

09:57 AM on 05/27/2009

That's a possibility! But these remarks coming from the General, at least will quiet the storm, not to mention the 'noise' of the last two weeks over national security.
Thanks much for the reassurance Mr. Petraeus that closing Gitmo... is a deliberate process. Now the president has another window of opportunity... to breathe as she studies further how to 'close the deal' on this chapter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43s9sJnMna8

[wiig]

11:02 PM on 05/26/2009

Actually, Cheney felt Obama made the right decision not to release the torture pictures. If he is correct that the torture pictures did not incite insurgents what difference does it make whether they are released or not. It is a no-brainer and Cheney secretly agrees, our actions at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo have fueled the fire against our efforts in Iraq and in the rest of the Muslim world.

[WTxIndependent]

10:39 PM on 05/26/2009

Petreus will become the new target for the ultra-rightwing venom

[IssuesInFocus]

09:59 AM on 05/27/2009

Because he speaks from authority.... and knowledge? His comments should be embraced. If there is anyone who has a sense of what's occuring... he's the man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43s9sJnMna8

[RRundbaken]

10:01 PM on 05/26/2009

Gee, are Limbaugh and Hannity, Cheney, and all the other shrill conservatives going to go after a guy with more ribbons and medals than any of these chicken hawks could ever dream of having. They are all so tough they say. Staunch defenders of the nation yet they are terrified of these medieval religious fanatics. Must be because they all act in similar ways. These bums in Guantanamo aren't super villains with special powers. They aren't X-men. We have federal prisons holding the worst of the worst. Serial killers, child murderers, cannibals, mobsters, hitmen, gangbangers. And we can't put these bearded sandal-wearing lunatics in with them? Put one of these guys in Sing Sing and let him walk around the yard with the general population and see what happens. Has any of these GOP screamers ever seen the supermax in Colorado? It's in the middle of nowhere. And no one, ever has escaped. No one has escaped from any federal supermax. Guantanamo and Abu Gharaib have exploded the ranks of looney tunes Al Queda wannabes. They are recruitment posters and Petreus knows this. You can bet your last dollar he and the rest of the military command are relieved to have a Commander in Chief who thinks and listens to his generals. Unlike Bush who took more than 6 years to accept their counsel.

[DingoDave]

01:32 AM on 05/27/2009

Hey RRundbaken,
Have you considered the possibility some of those 'bums' in Guantanemo and other American concentration camps around the world, might be the innocent victims of a belligerent and domineering U.S. foreign policy? After all, it was you who invaded their country under false pretences if you don't recall. If you're so certain that they're all guilty, then why hasn't your government allowed them to been given a fair trial after all these years?

America seems to thrive on perpetual warfare and rampant xenophobia.
Also, many Americans seem to display a weird and unhealthy veneration for the U.S.military machine. All the world together, besides the USA, spends $500 billion annually on their military. The USA alone spends $653 billion annually on their military.

So why does the US spend such vast sums EVERY YEAR on destruction, then wonder why it is having social and financial problems?

[matt t]

02:22 AM on 05/27/2009

You mean too much glut is taking over the better part of our being? hard to refute that, as petraeus finally has to sound less at odds with his pres, and look for his political future outside the cheney utter fiasco era.

[dragonlady620]

02:43 AM on 05/27/2009

You might be suprised at how many Americans agree with you. There is no question, at least in my mind, that every word you said applies to the Bush administration. Your comment regarding US foreign policy is a valid one-and I have often asked people who try to defend these martial tactics as being necessary to "keep the country safe" that they might first ask why there is so much anti-Americanism in the first place. At least now we have a President who appreciates the value of diplomacy-something was was NEVER true of the Bush administration.
And I for one agree that the staggering amounts spent on the militiary industry is obscene considering it does proportionately little for the military or for anything else except the profiteers.
http://www.warisaracket.com/

[demrepub]

09:44 PM on 05/26/2009

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is prepared to leave fighting forces in Iraq for as long as a decade despite an agreement between the United States and Iraq that would bring all American troops home by 2012, the top U.S. Army officer said Tuesday.

Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said the world remains dangerous and unpredictable, and the Pentagon must plan for extended U.S. combat and stability operations in two wars. "Global trends are pushing in the wrong direction," Casey said. "They fundamentally will change how the Army works."

Well there goes another campaign promise down the drain. Sounds an awful lot like to policy of George Bush...indefinite deployment in Iraq.

[RRG64]

10:45 PM on 05/26/2009

Is it 2012 yet?

[Youngvet09]

09:27 PM on 05/26/2009

What will the right wing nutjobs have to say now. We've heard over the last few years that Gen. David is such a great leader, he helped keep us safe..........blah, blah, blah.

Let's see what Rush, Joe Scarborough and all the other so called, "conservatives" say now. This is going to be good..........GOOD!

[cyjames1975]

10:25 PM on 05/26/2009

I'm sure Rush will come out tomorrow and say that he hopes General Petraeus fails. Then, Rush will be heralded by hard-line GOP'ers as a patriot and a genius, while the rest of them chase their tails. It's getting insane how blindly contrarian they've become.