Keeping Petraeus under wraps
By Steve Benen Wednesday Aug 15, 2007 7:07amFor weeks, all the talk out of the White House has been focused on Gen. David Petraeus’ report on conditions in Iraq. Petraeus will tell us everything we need to know; his report should be accepted as gospel; he is to Grant as Bush is to Lincoln.
Except the narrative is hitting a few speed bumps. Yesterday, the LAT reported that Petraeus isn’t even going to write his own report — the unbiased and independent thinkers at the Bush White House will take care of the report for him. And today, the WaPo reports that Petraeus, far from proudly presenting the report he won’t write, will actually be shielded from public view and scrutiny.
Senior congressional aides said yesterday that the White House has proposed limiting the much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill next month of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker to a private congressional briefing, suggesting instead that the Bush administration’s progress report on the Iraq war should be delivered to Congress by the secretaries of state and defense.
Kevin Drum and Josh Marshall have more.
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Well im surprised.
or maybe not.
Of course Bush could tell us the truth about iraq but then he has to kill us.
Obviously, the Democrats have forgotten Bush's aphorism: "Fool me twice... uh... won't get fooled again!"
Dana Perino has already come out and essentially said "Nobody ever said we were waiting for Petraeus's report."
I believe Perino also helpfully pointed out that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.
So basically it's going to be a war fairytale.
Bush can listen to the commanders on the ground, but we can't.
I have something embarrassing to admit:
I've never read the book "1984"... Heard lots of references to it, but I've never read it. I think it's gonna be next on my reading list; I get the feeling that it might be worth a read, especially in today's political climate.
What the Bush Crime Family pulling another fast one...the hell you say!
Indigowatcher - I've never read the book either. The movie is at Milk & Cookies. I've heard the movie is good but I've not been told how it compares to the book.
Indigowatcher @ 4:
You will see so many spooky parallels that you might never come out of your house again!
Hurry Hurry -------> Hide the truth, send in the Spin Doctors --------> www.YouPolls.com
CafeenMan @ 6:
Sorry to say the movie doesn't even begin to compare with the book. Do yourselves a favor and read the book, you will get so much more out of it then you will the movie.
Could it be the good gen doesn't want to follow in gen Powell's foot in mouth show, so they have mushroom cloud Condi tell us what's up.
Arrogant and Predictable.
I suppose that at this stage of the Bush "strategerie" the post-September report will be written by the insurgents themselves.
Arrogant,Predictable, Sloppy. And it damn sure is not the fault of our military!!!
W-T-F!!!!!
Any bets they invoke "Executive Privilege"?
The Repubs are afraid Petraeus will tell the truth, aren't they?
In the book 1984 the protagonist Winston Smith had the job of re-writing history so that it conformed to the current statements of the politicians. We live in a worst world, where history does not have to be re-written because no one bothers to remember what politicians have said in the past or just meekly accepts a constantly new version of it.
Ron Hacker @ 10:
"I don't think anyone could have predicted [ fill in blank ]"
This is bullshit. Unfortunately, it's not surprising. But it's still bullshit.
More of the same! It's all bullshit! Our country is lost and heading down the same path as the Roman Empire.
I'm just disgusted!
WHAT
A
SURPRISE!
Once again the Amerinazis are gonna pull another report outta their ass, and the media and yes, even the Democrats, with few exceptions will believe the horseshit.
Canada, please invade the US, we need help.
pissed off patricia @ 3:
Given that the most optimistic general in the Pentagon is being edited by the WH, something tells me Bush is not listening to the commanders on the ground... sort of like how Hitler didn't listen to his commanders when they said that the Russians were pushing westward and the US/Brits just took back N. Africa.
Law enforcement getting new access to secret imagery
Michael @ 14:
In this respect, our dystopia is closer to Brave New World than 1984. In BNW, it's not that information wasn't suppressed, it's that people would rather be entertained with trivial bullshit (such as what Paris Hilton did last night) than look at important information.
Blue Buddha @ 21:
... or was suppressed.
PETRAEUS’ REPORT TO BE CRIBBED FROM … ‘MONARCH NOTES’
Well I have this firsthand account from my nephew who is stationed in Anbar.
I'm betting they'll classify most of the report under the guise that they don't want the enemy to know the condition of our military or what future plans might be for the war.
pissed off patricia @ 25:
That would be a somewhat legitimate excuse if Patraeus, and not the WH, wrote the report.
Blue Buddha, when did legitimacy play a role in this white house? :)
pissed off patricia @ 27:
True dat. ;)
I read 1984 way back in 1974. I think I'll give it another look-see myself. Maybe we can form a C&L book club.
Do you suppose when Petraeous is called to report to Congress the W.H. will invoke executive privelage?
Indigowatcher @ 4:
While you're at it, read Brave New World , Fahrenheight 451, and Animal Farm
I read 1984 as a high school student, ca. 1960. It should be required reading in every high school in every democratic society in the world.
Proud American Liberal @ 31:
I've read BNW, 1984 and F451, but not Animal Farm. I recently re-read F451, and it was scary how dead-on Bradbury was with the technology used to pacify the masses through entertainment (ie: "ear seashells" = iPods, "interactive TV walls" = Online gaming).
You have come to expect different from BushCo ? Bushes agenda is to push back against the majority wanting to end the disaster in Iraq he fucking started. The " Decider decided long ago that the pockets of RNC contributors were paramount to the majorities wishes.I am so sick of the stupidity and bullshit. I dont believe a fucking thing that comes out of Bushes lying ass yap anymore.THEY LIE !! thats what fucking liars do. Its all a NeoCon scam. Right back to Florida 2000 and 911. History will judge it as the darkest moments in US history some day.
Politics, politics, politics...Report will be biased and slanted as to "progress"..ALL for
political reasons and not informing or advising the general public that the surge has
been pretty much of a disaster, so none of us "in the know" will be greatly surprised
when the report is released.
It is time for Petraeus to turn whistleblower by informing Congress in an open door session what is actually going on in Iraq. He and other top members of the military would do well to emulate the example of Lt. Ehren Watada by speaking out now instead of waiting till they are safely out of the military. The conscience of this nation demands nothing less.
This is just another White House report.
I think that we've just gotten fooled twice. Shame on us!
Once more, Congress intends to betray the American People as it shields Bush while he commits yet another act that defrauds the Public. Any doubt that our Democratic majority is controlled stealth-Republican, corporatist DINO's?
Knowing that the Petraeus' report is going to be a sham dog-and-pony show, the Armed Services Committee needs to subpeona Petreaus and Crocker and question them publically, under oath, in full glare of the press and C-Span cameras, and hold them in contempt for any dishonesty.
All across America there needs to be a massive popular rebellion that is waged in the 2008 voting booths. Our government no longer works, because the majority of the people elected to serve no longer do that.
Of course, they need to "Shape" the information. Truth be told .................. they would all be on trial.
Certainly would be great and a surprise if the report was actually prepared and
presented by an active military expert who has witnessed what is going on in
Iraq. My wish is that Gen. Petraeus is not known in the future as General Betray Us.
Nobody hear really thought Petraeus would say the surge wasn't working did they? If a thousand soldiers were killed from now untill September his report would still say the surge is working.
Keeping Petraeus under wraps
The Mummy Walks!
surely you mean 'he is to bush as grant is to lincoln'?...
David Petraeus will be pulling a Colin Powell if he allows this pathologically dishonest group of scoundrels to put words in his mouth or if he fails to be brutally honest with himself or if he fails to be brutally honest with Congress.
Personally, I don't believe he has what it takes to retain his honor or to keep from disgracing his name. He is going to flush his good name down the toilet. Only later, when he realizes the harm he has done and senses the weight of the mountain of disgrace and dishonor under which he has buried himself will he try, like Colin Powell, to revise his own history. He ought to talk to Powell, he might realize this this is a kind of shit stain that doesn't wash off.
The whole world is watching, General. Do yourself a favor and prove people like me wrong. Make me eat my words.
Indigowatcher @ 4:
Indigowatcher:
Orwell foresaw the neocon template with chilling accuracy. His novel also contains a working draft of the upcoming report on the "success of the surge in Iraq":
Now all the White House needs to do is fill in the blanks and send the report to Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker for their signatures.
Herbert @ 37:
Doesn't that saying go "foll me once, er ah..uhhh Caint git fooled agin?
►Runs-With-Dog◄ @ 46:
Yeah, and we remember who the "FOOL" was that stumbled through that..
We are just "the earners" to Bush. We work 60-80 hours a week to fund a war he won't even let us know the details of
Reminds me of a great line from that Nicholson movie, A Few Good Men - "You can't handle the truth".
That is why there are hiding both Petraeus's written words, and spoken words from the American public. The cheney/bush administration simply "can't handle the truth" - and never have been able to do it, thereby creating the greatest clusterf**k of an administration ever.
My guess is they have cloned Petraeus and are now trying to figure out a way to kill off the original version.
"Petraeus will tell us everything we need to know; his report should be accepted as gospel; he is to Grant as Bush is to Lincoln."
could someone put that historic reference in perspective for me???
So Bush lied, AGAIN. I hope -- pray -- that Congress has the balls to finally call bullshit and pull the plug on this disaster of a conflict in Iraq.
More Bush "cloak and dagger" BULLSHIT!!!
Lemme guess, he talks off the record, unsworn and no transcript, or the White House asserts "Executive Privilege?"
►Runs-With-Dog◄ @ 46:
I think the exact quote is "Fool me once, uh, shame on you. Fool me twice, uuuuhhh ... the point is, you can't git fooled agin."
IgnoranceIsNotBliss @ 16:
I think people are finally catching on the the fact that the only reason that George Bush has cattle in Crawford, Texas is to harvest what they produce. He goes to Crawford several times a year to renew his supply.
Keeping Petraeus under wraps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL8ruJ0kEB4
I think instead of the yearly physical they give Bush, they should do a MENTAL evaluation on him. I would bet he would FLUNK that in a heartbeat. I truly think he is mentally incompetent. He has proven it time and time again. Why would anything he says mean anything to us any longer?
If the Dems and the remaining Repub's dont smarten up and call Bush on this and challenge, demand or impeach him, they ALL need to go. Bush is like the school yard bully, he truly thinks he is the almighty and no one should dare challenge him or they'll get slapped down.
He has the "Messiah complex". He truly thinks he is the second coming and whatever he says is gospel. Much like the dictators that preceeded him, he is taking this country down to the depths of hell. :(
I'm sure glad that bush was NOT president on Dec 7 1941.
wisedup @ 59:
Yeah we'd still be fighting the Juǀʼhoan in the District of Botswana.
Looks like another situation where we won't get to find out the truth until the general retires and puts out a book.
Mike @ 18:
that. is. awesome!!!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!! I snarfed into my tea when I read that. I think it was the impression that you were close to serious that made it so morbidly funny. If only Canada could help us depose the Degrader in Chief, it would be teh win.
CafeenMan @ 6:
CafeenMan,
The movie is quite good, but for the full experience I reccommend the book.
Petraeus don't BetrayUS
SPOILER ALERT:
The white house report will state that we are making progress in Iraq.
All this inept "catapult the propaganda" bullshit is costing innocent people their lives and has become too breathtakingly sick and twisted for words.
They floated this idea about the white house giving the report to get everybody clamoring for Petraeus the truth teller. I heard Biden today saying he doesn't trust the white house but he will give credence to what Petraeus says. After we all are up in arms about wanting the unvarnished truth, they will send Petareus to the hill to b.s. us like he did before the 2004 election when he said there were 175,000 Iraqis trained and armed, except it turned out to a couple of thousand and even they were questionable. Remember, he was hawking this story to the MSM just before the 04 election while the white house was floating stories of a draw down. Just wait, in about 7-10 days they are gonna jam his "truth" down our throats and this war will never end...and we asked for it, stupid.
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