Gen. David Petraeus seems to think he can make policy on the Iraq War. Sure he’s the commanding officer, and the “General behind the surge”. (That and the bribing of Iraqi insurgents not to fight US Forces) .This to me ,is as arrogant as the day is long. He’s not an elected official, he is an appointed General.
Petraeus won’t join bandwagon for Iraq withdrawal timetable
BAGHDAD — The top U.S. military commander in Iraq isn’t buying the increasingly popular idea of a publicly stated timetable for American troop withdrawal. Gen. David Petraeus, the Iraq commander, said in an interview with McClatchy that the situation in Iraq is too volatile to “project out, and to then try to plant a flag on, a particular date.
The last time I checked Gen. Petraeus doesn’t really have a choice in the matter. So for him to come out, and make a “policy statement” like this is disgusting. Can or should he have his say? Sure, why not, but it’s not up to him to say when our troops can come home. That is the job of our “elected leaders”.
But, I have no doubt the Sean Hannity’s, and Mark Levin’s of the talk-show and Republican (not conservative) blog-world will hail Gen. Petraeus as some kind of “man of principle”. I do have the up most respect for the Gen. don’t get me wrong. What I don’t like is people making him out to being some kind of “Savior” on Iraq.
On a personal note, this whole thing is one big joke. One thing (and I stress one thing) I agree with Sen. B.O. on is that Iraq was a war of choice. The Iraq War goes against my belief in the Catholic Just War Theory.It had nothing to do with America’s security. When I say America’s security, I mean American Soil. Not our Interests, Not our “Alleys“, and certainly Not this Wilsonian Utopian dream of “Bring Democracy to the World by the barrel of a Gun”. That thinking right there, is as Leftists as it comes. Not Conservative at all.
I look at the military officer’s role as being that of an advisor. To relate it better to this situation, the elected leaders establish a goal – to pull out of Iraq. They also have to define that goal – when we pull out of Iraq, what do we want to happen or not happen to the country. Now the military leader has to make it happen. GEN Petraeus should advise the elected leaders of the current conditions and what needs to happen in order to achieve the goal.
Personally, I am not a fan of the “timetable” approach. I don’t like having a specific date or amount of time remaining in Iraq. It communicates to the insurgents and extremists that they should just sit and wait to take over when we’re gone. I think a better approach would be through well-defined benchmarks. Emphasis on “well-defined.” Once the Iraqi government, police and military forces have mastered certain abilities – they can defend themselves – we should get the heck out. And this plan shouldn’t be written in such a way as to allow military leaders or politicians the ability to change it whenever they want.
Yeah, Iraq is something we should have stayed away from, but we’ve got to clean up our mess somehow.
I agree with you to a point Pepe.My “beef” so to speak is that so many people put faith with the “boots on the ground” folks. Sure, the General should advise whats going on there, at the sametime, he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter. If he did, it would be like Franco’s Spain. That creeps me out a bit.
The “Time table” approach, so to speak, would be fine with me. The Original mission was to get “WMD’s” and to get Saddamn. Now it is turned into this “speading Democracy” war. Another thing that needs to be defined, is what “Victory” means here. I always hear people talking about “Victory” in Iraq. What does that mean? Stability? Whens the last time the Middle East was stable? And why should I care about the Middle East? Oil? We’ve got plenty here. Helping people? Sure, thats for Charitys not Wars.
Say we clean up the place and do leave. And these irrational people go to war again for the millionth time. Do we go back over there to fight for “Democracy”?
This whole thing is friggin confusing.
My country is not a country, it is the winter.GillesVigneaultGilles Vigneault, French Canadian singer, from “Mon Pays”
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.GeorgeBernardShawGeorge Bernard Shaw