Petraeus inappropriately talks to the Cowardly Lion
By John Amato Friday Jul 20, 2007 4:01pmAfter Gen. Petraeus' appearance on the Hugh Hewitt talk show, there is simply no denying that the good General is a political puppet. Some of you may not know why I call Hewitt "The Cowardly Lion." It's an unbelievable exchange he had with CNN's Michael Ware some time ago. (OK, make sure you rinse and spit after reading that...)
Petraeus needs to worry about the war in Iraq and not go on shows like HewittWorld. I didn't know he had the kind of time to waste on a propagandist, who cares little for the country itself. I think John Cole should be honored that the Cowardly Lion named him in a post. Here's some propaganda for you:
I am not surprised that the Bush haters like Sullivan and Cole are outraged that General Petraeus would be interviewed by an admirer of the president, or that the anti-war extremists like Greenwald, Yglesias and the others cannot disguise their contempt for the military (though they think their attack on General Petraeus’ integrity won’t identify them as anti-military.)
You can always tell a propagandist by their use of the military as a wedge issue. The Daily Dish sums it up this way:
Just look how Hewitt coopted the military leadership for the Bush-Cheney narrative. This is pure Weimar: stab-in-the-back reactionaries trying to coopt the military for an agenda of one-party rule in defense of the homeland. Petraeus will regret his misjudgment. For him to aid, abet and ally himself with such a vicious and extreme partisan can only serve to undermine his critical presentation in September.
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It is maddening to watch idiots throw mud at one another while people die in a horrible conflict started and maintained so oil barons can continue to prosper.
That is just amazingly inappropriate and sums up the past 6 1/2 years in a nutshell.
"For him to aid, abet and ally himself with such a vicious and extreme partisan can only serve to undermine his critical presentation in September."
Ya think?
...
"You can always tell a propagandist by their use of the military as a wedge issue. The Daily Dish sums it up this way:"
When they attack people's social balance such as calling them nutjobs or using non-descriptive adjectives such as "ridiculous", "ludicrous", "wacky", "looney left" et . . . this is a good way to tell also.
Favorite Weapons:
Red Herrings
Strawman Arguments
Ad Hominems
Conjecture
Slandar
Here's the dictionary:
http://dictionary.reference.com
Part Cowardly Lion, part Scarecrow, John. How bright is it of Hewitt to pick a fight with two time Bush voter Cole- a man who has fessed up to his god-awful mistakes?
Sometimes I hate to admit it, but it's up to the John Coles of the world, rather than the John Amatos, to end this war. Kinda like when Nixon went to China, if ya follow.
The military is suppossed to be non-political.
I find these public statments by Petraeus, Pace and a few other generals in violation of the public trust. They are not "defending and protecting the Constitution", they are betraying it!
I sincerely hope, as complete power finally passes to the Democrats in 2009, that public example will be made of these traitors, retired or not.
There are mighty business interests at work behind the scenes. I suspect that corporate interests are running the presidency and the pentagon.
Mr. Amato,
The army has tasked all personel to speak and participate in all favorable recieved media events to garner support for the service and its strategic goals.
This tasking is covered in the army's 2007 strategic communication guid,e which was perviously posted
If Petrause was on the program with hewittit then he is"Just follwing" hor duerves/
Every day reveals just how STUPID it was to invade Iraq.
Why do we have to continue this stupidity? Don't these generals care about America? Don't they care about their own troops? Why is it important to win a Misguided War thats does not threaten the existance of the United States?
Why are these generals lying to America for the president?
duncanidho @ 8:
"Following hor duerves"....now thats funny. Kind of like "Military Doo-dee".
Helen asks:
Why are these generals lying to America for the president?
Ask Tommy "I'm gonna get my mains" Franks.
For those who may have missed it, the official Bush White House & RNC approved list of Republican talking points on Iraq has gotten a bit of a make-over in the past few days.
President Bush's staggeringly incoherent surge interim progress report last week returned "We're Making Progress" to GOP mouthpieces everywhere. Then, the Senate Republicans' successful filibuster of the Levin-Reed after all night debate brought the Rove stamp of approval for "Political Stunt." (This turn of events signaled the death of a previous GOP favorite, "Up or Down Vote.") And now, Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman has updated John Boehner's "Embolden the Enemy" with a twist of his own, "Reinforces Enemy Propaganda."
For the full list of the latest GOP approved Iraq falsehoods, smears and hallucinations, see:
"The Official Republican Iraq Talking Points."
September? You mean November. Or maybe it will get postponed again until the 12th of Never.
Helen Montague @ 9:
I'd like to think that Petraeus is resigned to the fact that no matter what he recommends, this administration is determined to stay in Iraq.
If Petraeus were to advise withdrawal as the best option, Bushco would can him as quickly as they've canned his predecessors. Given Bushco's history, perhaps Petraeus sees the surge as the best of his limited options.
And, ya know, it's not like a General to tell the C in C that somethin' can't be done. All of Petraeus' predecessors tried it Bushco's way fer a while. They all, eventually, quit or were fired when they came to loggerheads with the administration. Given time, it's easy to the same happenin' with Petraeus.
Perfumed prince Petraeus is the junta's jeeves
Andy K @14:
it’s easy to the same happenin’ with Petraeus.
should read it’s easy to see the same happenin’ with Petraeus.
Well that just worked wonders for Petraeus' integrity: appearing on one of the far-right wingnut's sites.
I was giving Petraeus the benefit of the doubt before. Now I am starting to wonder if he really is just another sycophant Bushie.
Do you really think that Lil' George chose Petraeus because of his integrity? He chose Petraeus because he was an ambitious boot-licker who agreed to endorse the McCain "surge" as a good military strategy.
Using the military as a wedge issue? Using the military as a wedge issue?! Using the military as a wedge issue!?! USING THE MILITARY AS A WEDGE ISSUE?????
What a WATB.
You've got fascism. You've got fascism. Some of the more conscious Americans are finally beginning to wake up to the fact that we have been living under a corporate oil-nazi dictatorship run by Cheney and Bush since 12 Dec. 2000. That was the day that 5 Supreme Republican idiots on our highest Court stopped the Presidential election vote count in Florida, on the absurd notion that to continue to count the votes would some interfere with the "rights" of the very sore loser, G. W. Bush. It would seem that American democracy might interfere with a Royal Bush dictatorship... And its been all down hill since…
General Betray Us seems to have been bought lock, stock and barrel by the Neocon Bushies.
Salmineo @ 6:
The Justice Dept is supposed to be non-political as well, but we're talking about BushWorld here.
myiq2xu @ 18:
Well, that's easy to think. Maybe yer right. Maybe not.
I gotta figure no one postin' here is Petraeus' life-long friend or psychiatrist. We're not in his head, we're projectin' our suspicions on him. Maybe he was asked to appear on Hewitt's show by Bushco, maybe he went on because he really wanted to. It's possible, if not probable, that Petraeus will never lets on to what his motivations were.
I won't pigeonhole Petraeus until I see him make a political endorsement. I'll be wary, certainly, but that's all I can be- honestly- until such time.
general betrayus is bushes favorite yes man or he wouldnt have picked him , bet your ass hes going to paint a rosie picture on iraq , hes been promised hell be chief of staff , kiss kiss kiss that bushes sore asshole!
Sullivan:
"He [Hewitt] is as much a propagandist as Michael Moore but much, much more partisan than Moore."
Why does everyone have to pick on Moore just to show... show what?!
Senator Bidden said it all:
We ain't stay'n, We ain't stay'n, We ain't stay'n....as he addressed Bush's ambassador to Iraq.
Bush and the pentagon needs to get that through their thick skulls before September.
Strategic Overview:
Iraq will soon be greater Iran, presumably Sunni free, and, bush handed it to them simply because he is an idiot.
Anjoe @ 25:
To show that they themselves sieg the CheneyBushCo heil.
Just think what our country would be like now if Gore had been allowed to take his rightful position as president. Gore is nowhere near perfect, but there's no doubt in my mind that we would have caught Bin Laden (since we would not have entered Iraq, and would have focused on Al Qaeda). We wouldn't be spending hundreds of billions on Iraq, we wouldn't have abandoned our core principles, we would still be respected around the world, we wouldn't have theocrats planted in many areas of our government...
and we wouldn't have to hear about Bushie sycophants ganging together to yell "hate-mongers" at the reality-based community who are disgusted with the destruction wrought by these hydrocephalic goons.
Anjoe @ 25:
Sullivan, as always, playin' it straight down the (percieved) middle.
Otay @ 28:
I think Gore would have paid attention to the PDB title "bin Laden determined to attack the US (Possibly with hijacked commercial jetliners in the next couple of months" Or what ever it was called, and we'd still have the twin Towers 3000+ people who didn't die that day and say a million more still alive in Afghanistan and Iraq...JMHO though
Anjoe @ 25:
Bill O'Riely is a Propagandist. Michael Moore is an investigative jounalist in documentary form. Please keep these separate.
or (perceived)
AndyK, well thought out and brilliant, as usual. Thank you.
miss_kitty @ 27:
Well, I would have said something like: To show that they are "moderate" - but your way of putting it works for me... :)
I had forgotten about that, Miss_Kitty. Perhaps that is correct (considering the two's relative ability to read), and we wouldn't even have a successful Twin-Tower terrorism event.
'Tis truly sad to see Hugh Hewitt, former boss of the Tricky Dick library and propaganda stand, attacking his fellow Conservatives and Neoconservatives.
jr @ 15:
This is good, 'cause Bush sure has the brains of Bertie Wooster without the charm, of course.
"The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over"- Joseph Goebbels
Jo @ 37:
Thanks fer the openin'!
Levity break:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYo_NBW9dv0
Does anyone know where I can find the definitive list of all the Generals that have held Petraeus' post since the start of the invasion? Or even just the number? I lost count some time ago...
Strawberry-
Thanks! I'm still blushin'.
Otay @ 35:
Well yeah, CheneyBushCo ashcanned the Clinton stuff and ignored all-Then claimed the Clenis was at fault for getting himself impeached by a bunch of unreasonable whiny ass titty babies led by Ken Starr. Whenever I think of Ken Starr I think of a brief clip of pilgrims hanging outside his house chasing his car-something M Moore did for cable tv or a BBC thing. I LMAO everytime.
miss_kitty @ 42:
And I guess I lost the thread before I entered-I'll try again "Then claimed the Clenis was at fault for getting himself impeached by a bunch of unreasonable whiny ass titty babies led by Ken Starr..." Which caused him to slip is his guarding the security of the nation. Utter bullshit.
I find it disturbing that the military has decided to make itself synonomous with the Republican party. With a heavy heart I do believe another terrorist attack (blackflag possibly) will occur and Bush will make himself dictator and start rounding up anti war people. Unfortunately, as Jefferson once said democracy must br born in the blood of patriots. Will the army fire on the 70% who believe in freedom?
We need to quit calling them chicken hawks. They are cowards hitting out at anything. Scared of their own shadows. Of course Bush will put a new coward in charge in Iraq, they are the only ones who understand him. Every thing Bush does is based on his cowardly nature. The flight suit on the carrier. The best he can do is dress up like a real man. Can you imagine Jim Webb doing this?
Petraeus is an AIPAC general, not a Republican. He will work with the Democrat leadership to maintain the occupation as much as he works with the Republicans.
Mike @ 44:
Wouldn't it be ironic if the National Rifle Assoc's fight to allow us to have all of these guns turns around and bights them in the ass? There are a lot of people who do not pay attention to politics daily but most of them have guns. A lot of sleeping red necks out there.
Sorry Bites-too many beers.
Another puppet in chimpy's regime.
Only repugs can portray peace and anti-war as a bad thing.
Petraeus is a Republican operative. He published a wildly inappropriate op-ed in the WaPo 6 weeks before the '04 election about how well things were going in Iraq.
Why is chimpy ignoring the request of the Iraqi people? They want the US to get the hell out of their country. Yet chimpy refuses the hear the puppets he placed in their government.
Israel and the US want to control all of the Middle East.
chimpy is fooling the stupid 29%ers and no one else.
Anyone wonder how Petraeus is going to spin the September report?
The Pentagon said they were going to do this. They even advertised that they were going straight to the right wing blogs and pundits to air their propaganda, so they could bypass the mainstream media. Go to the link below for more, because the hyperlinks in the ThinkProgress post will not transfer.
======================================
Pentagon reaches out to conservative bloggers.Stocked full of “administration cronies,” the Pentagon’s public affairs division under assistant secretary of defense for public affairs Dorrance Smith, has set up a rapid-response project that “seeks to bypass the traditional media and work directly with talk radio and bloggers, mostly those with a heavily conservative tilt.” Once known as the “Surrogates Operation,” the project also “provides talking points and briefings to retired military officials who now support the administration in appearances as media pundits.” July 16, 2007 5:46 pm | Comment (65)
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/16/pentagon-reaches-out-to-conservative...
Andy K @ 39:
Thanks! I needed that!
Why the hell is the commanding general of an American expeditionary force playing politics on a talk radio show while his troops are fighting in the field? This is not good.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
half way there.
Somebody please give Gen. Patraeus McMaster's book "Derelictiion of Duty" before it is too late.
keep digging that hole Gen. Petraeus. just keep digging...
Since when did it become bad to be "anti-military"? For most of its history, the U.S. did not have a large standing army. It certainly did not have half of the world's total military spending.
Was General and President Eisenhower "anti-military" when he warned against the military-industrial complex? Unfortunately, his fears have come true.
It is time to end this sanctification of the military as the greatest icon of the country's devotion. How is a soldier or a general more respectable than people in many other activities?
As Ambrose Bierce said in his Devil's Dictionary --
army, n. A class of non-producers who defend the nation by devouring everything likely to tempt an enemy to invade.
Supreme Court justices, Federal prosecutors, and now top generals are all Republican political operatives these days. Job 1 come January 2009 will be de-Bushification of all branches of govt.
Petraeus is a Pawn, with a hell of a PR campaign to convince us he's a Knight.
Trouble is, in our government, according to the Constitution, the military is supposed to be under civilian control. So why is King George abdicating his responsibility for the course of the Iraq debacle to a General?
Could it be that somewhere, in the dim recesses, he realizes that 'god' lied to him, and is really the 'devil', and Bush is going to get the blame for that, and flunk his 'Legacy' exam?
And Bush, being bush, is gonna do what he has always done.
Shirk. (and Lie).
bob h @ 60:
I'm afraid that may be wishful thinking.
Whatever credibility Petraeus had, he's now surrender. He's straight out of the Bush playbook, appearing on that show, and spewing the reich-wing lines.
I actually thought his name was "General BETRAY US"...seriously!
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