Grilling Petraeus

Above title comes from MoJo, short for Mother Jones, for those not in the know.

It covers this:

Washington Dispatch: We asked a dozen national security experts what Congress should ask the top military commander in Iraq at this week’s hearings. Here’s what they came up with.

There’s a short introduction, before the panel asks their questions. In the intro we are reminded of what Petraeus gave as an answer the last time:

But when Republican Senator John Warner asked Petraeus if the Iraq War “makes America safer,” the general replied, “I don’t know, actually. I have not sat down and sorted [it] out in my own mind.”


Ought to be real interesting what answer he gives this time!


From the invasion, and building these five, now plus, years, I could tell him We Are Not Safer! Reason we have now created more Hatreds and Enemies out of Tens Of Thousands of Iraqi’s, and probably as many in the region, that Didn’t Exist Before!!


I would also point out that there seems to be a Nationalist group that is beating him at his expertise, Counter Insurgency, and we saw that Explode these last couple of weeks and continue, as the Iraq Government? and the U.S. are still trying to quell that Nationalism, with the Iraqi Government? threatening to not allow this group, never minding all the others, to participate in the coming elections, Hell Of A Democracy We Gave Them!


The dozen National Security Experts participating in giving the questions are:


Andrew Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University


Larry Johnson, former CIA and State Department intelligence official


Wayne White, head of the State Department’s Iraq intelligence team 2003 to 2005 and an adviser to the Iraq Study Group


Juan Cole, professor of history at University of Michigan


Sam Gardiner, retired Air Force colonel and expert on military strategy


A research professor at a military institute who asked not to be named


David Isenberg, military affairs analyst and adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute


A former intelligence analyst who handled Middle Eastern issues for years and who asked not to be identified by name


Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell


Gordon Adams, professor of U.S. Foreign Policy at the School of International Service, American University


Retired Colonel W. Patrick Lang Jr., former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s human intelligence service


A former Army colonel and planner who asked not to be identified


Take a trip over to MoJo to view the questions they asked and see if you think they are better than

The questions he received from the legislators were mostly softballs. (Neither senators Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama were impressive when questioning Petraeus.)


the Congressional Questions last time


This time is a Huge Question Mark coming from a Congress not following the Will Of The People!


“Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is,” – George W. Bush, Texas Gov., 1999


” What does it matter to the dead, the orphan, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?”

– Mohandas K. Gandhi


” Wars, conflict, it’s all business. One murder makes a villain. Millions a hero. Numbers sanctify.”

-Charlie Chaplin


And so from the spectre of the summer soldier who shrinks from the hard truths and his country’s crises, comes the Winter Soldier who will not look away.

1 comments

  1. Has the following MP3 in a Post over at Vet Voice

    A song for the Petraeus briefing

    Q & A

    In the year and change since the upswing

    With circumstances largely in the dark

    The questioners are lining up with the clipboards

    I’m sure you’ll hit their softballs out of the park

    So get some magic markers and draw a happy face

    And cross out all your notes from the past few days

    The counter hits 4,000 and it counts and counts away

    If they had a chance to ask, what would they say?

    In Q & A

    You’ll recommend against reductions

    I’m afraid it’s more than they can stand

    Someone get a page to bring you water

    To wash that blood off of your master’s hands

    A confident demeanor and the medals on your coat

    Give googly eyes to the fourth estate

    If someone happens to ask you if it’s worth the price we’ve paid

    When you answer think of those who’ve gone away

    In Q & A

    Max and the Marginalized are the only rock band in the progressive blogosphere, and therefore the best one! They write and record a song a week and post them on The Huffington Post.

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