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George Will: Petraeus Barely Trumps Trump For 2012 (VIDEO)

Posted: 05/ 1/11 04:38 PM ET

On Sunday, George Will scoffed at the notion that Gen. David Petraeus and Donald Trump could be viable presidential candidates in 2012.

Appearing in the Green Room, along with Arianna, Chrystia Freeland and David Stockman, after Sunday's taping of "This Week" with Christiane Amanpour, Will dismissed at the idea that Trump could have a political future.

"He has no future in politics," Will said. "He's a buffoon ... . He's going to come out of this looking like what he is: and overweight, under-educated, silly man."

Freeland argued that Obama's shakeup of his national security team last week could be viewed as a political move -- that appointing Petraeus to head the CIA could be an effort to box him out as a challenger for presidency.

"We elect military men, periodically -- Washington, Grant, Eisenhower," Will replied. "But usually they've won big wars. And Petraeus hasn't won big wars."

In the end, Will, concluded, Petraeus' political viability is "one small cut above Trump's."

WATCH:


 
On Sunday, George Will scoffed at the notion that Gen. David Petraeus and Donald Trump could be viable presidential candidates in 2012. Appearing in the Green Room, along with Arianna, Chrystia Freel...
On Sunday, George Will scoffed at the notion that Gen. David Petraeus and Donald Trump could be viable presidential candidates in 2012. Appearing in the Green Room, along with Arianna, Chrystia Freel...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Gordon Soderberg
The Green Veteran
12:37 PM on 05/02/2011
I can't believe I can agree with Will on anything. I guess even a broken watch like will can be right twice a day.
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Gunfighter
Husband, father, follower of Christ, lawman.
12:17 PM on 05/02/2011
I have to agree with Will.
12:06 PM on 05/02/2011
Sour George Will, the right's Big Intellectual, should retire.
11:58 AM on 05/02/2011
We need to give credit where it's due. Obama took the focus off Iraq and steered it back to Afghanistan and Pakistan and got his man. Republicans are silent...crickets!!!
11:53 AM on 05/02/2011
Donald Trump? What has Donald Trump done for anyone besides his rich friends? Nothing!! This is someone that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he knows nothing about the plight of regular people.

Americans who thinks this man is qualified to be President has lost his mind.

Republicans want to measure the criteria to be President as someone wealthy or presume to be good at business. NOT! Trump is not a self made man, his daddy set him up and left him wealthy. America is a country, not a bottom line. There are several criteria's that it takes to be a good leader, you have to be a thinker, care about people and strategic...not a bully. George Bush did the tough talk and bully pulpit and you see where that got us...no where!!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tcsosebee
11:39 AM on 05/02/2011
Patraeus would be a good choice for president. He would have much more understanding in the roles our military. It would very much benefit us in our war against terror. He is a proven and experienced leader.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
vesaversa1
Politics is made up largely of irrelevancies.
12:02 PM on 05/02/2011
But he would be lost when it come to the many domestic issue that this country is facing . We don't need a military man as president .President Obama is doing a great jobs on both fronts .
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Gunfighter
Husband, father, follower of Christ, lawman.
12:17 PM on 05/02/2011
Right and his experience in governing the county is what?
11:06 AM on 05/02/2011
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Surprised by Freeland's comment "that appointing Petraeus to head the CIA could be an effort to box him out as a challenger for presidency" as she's brighter than that.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
vesaversa1
Politics is made up largely of irrelevancies.
12:03 PM on 05/02/2011
once a day
01:02 PM on 05/02/2011
Not if you ignore AM/PM and when dealing with Republicans facts don't matter anyway.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
realitytrumpsbull
two 'alves of coconut!
10:59 AM on 05/02/2011
Why not have Gen. Petraeus in the line up for America's Top Job? If Trump's going to run, Obama's going to run again, Palin's going to run, OK, why not Petraeus, too, and while you're at it, throw in some of these media people that have been trying to tell us how to think and what to buy and otherwise how to generally live our lives, that kind of thing? Get Oprah up there, along with Limbaugh, you can probably come up with 5-6 candidates out of the FOX news lineup, oh, don't forget Glen Beck, and, who else...who else has been a motormouth lately...or, get down to who REALLY runs the country, the moneymen, get some bankers up there, Trump's an 'inside guy', got money falling down his pants leg, so, match him up with 4-5 more billionaires, Zuckerberg's too young to nominate, but maybe if he 'loses' a billion down at the elections office, they'll turn a blind eye to the normal requirements, but along with this all-star list of knowledgeable, wealthy notables, also show me 2 candidates from every state that can pass a competency exam for holding public office, have no felony charges past or pending, and can't run fast enough to get away from the electors.
matwin
old liberal
10:48 AM on 05/02/2011
I find it curious that Patraeus is given credit for the tactics of the 'surge'. When he left Mosul the first time Tal Afar was a mess. One of the commanders that followed Patraeus tried the 'surge' tactics in Tal Afar and it became the cornerstone of suge tactics. In the year after he left Mosul, his base was the most attacked one in Iraq and was the site of the mess hall tent explosion that killed more than twenty US troops, including 2 from VA.
10:14 AM on 05/02/2011
I don't care who they get. I will never vote for a republican again ever!
06:13 AM on 05/02/2011
Will likes guys like Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels, so let's not get overly excited here
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Amalek
Highly decorated HP warrior
04:15 AM on 05/02/2011
Today changes things. The Republican candidate has become a sacrifice to the legacy of Obama. They will let one of the nutcases run.  No sense damaging a viable candidate like Daniels, Huntsman or Pawlenty.  Give the nomination to Trump, Palin, Santorum, or Bachmann and use the blowout as an excuse to marginalize the wingnuts.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Cookie Monsta
Angry Young Men, ltd
11:13 AM on 05/02/2011
We can only hope...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ukaisofu
04:00 AM on 05/02/2011
George describes both to a tee!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ta2t2o
Ask Osama Bin Laden
02:42 AM on 05/02/2011
Unfortunately tides turn quickly - Trump is a non-player now after tonight. Patreaus, however, has seen his stock soar tonight. Anybody on the east coast see who Donald fired on Celebrity Apprentice tonight?
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Amalek
Highly decorated HP warrior
04:16 AM on 05/02/2011
Obama certainly holds a grudge.   Who would have thunk he would kill OBL just to ruin the final episode of Celebrity Apprentice.
07:44 AM on 05/02/2011
drudgereport saw fit to note that timing right under the main OBL banner headline.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
we-r-stardust
Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana
10:58 AM on 05/02/2011
A May surprise .....
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02:17 AM on 05/02/2011
Well, I think Petraeus would be a viable candidate, much more so than Trump, and I'm a little surprised at all the hatred for him here.
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Gunfighter
Husband, father, follower of Christ, lawman.
12:19 PM on 05/02/2011
I don't hate Petraeus, but I don't like the notion of military men running the country any more than they already do.
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06:45 PM on 05/02/2011
Reasonable.